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Studio : GONZO
Also involved:
Licenced by : FUNimation
Length : 26 Episodes
Year : 2004
Genre : Adventure - Fantasy - Mecha - Science-Fiction - Shounen
Synopsis :
Adapted from the famous Akira Kurosawa's equally famous film "Seven Samurai". Unlike the original film, this anime is set in the post-apocolyptic setting. A village of farmers, who are very poor, making their living by growing rice. Every year, their village's women and rice are robbed by bandits. This village sends a "water" priestess who looks for samurai willing to defend the village for just rice. The struggle begins as no samurai are willing to get paid so low to defend a whole village from the mighty forces of the brigands. What sort of samurais will come to the village aid and what will be the final result?
- Faebinder
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : Yebyosh
Last update : 2006-10-29
Last update details : Production staff added to studd
Score : 7.79
Number of reviews : 24
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Nanase Aikawa - Unlimited
Ending #1 : Rin - Fuhen
Release(s) :
2005-06-01 -- Episode(s) 25 by Inuyasha4Ever. BT Link
2005-05-29 -- Episode(s) 15 by Anime-Kraze. BT Link
2005-04-24 -- Episode(s) 24 by Inuyasha4Ever. BT Link
Found 93 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
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Posted by : Lightningcount12 
Posted on : 2009-03-12  
The anime version of Akira Kurosawa's famous Seven Samurai movie combines with mecha anime to become a good adaptation.
Story (8.5/10): The basic part of defending the poor villagers from bandits is still there, but being a 26 episode anime the plot is naturally expanded. This leads to the infusion of politics. While the political plot point is interesting and keeps the story alive, it makes the battle for the village much more important with a heavier impact on the world. This sort of takes away from the theme of the battle for the village being of no real glory (granted the anime does create circumstances that make it so the Samurai’s victory is not looked well upon outside the village they save). Despite this flaw of theme, I liked the overall story of the struggling Samurai uniting with the struggling villagers in a world where one has been discarded and the other is continually repressed.
Characters (10/10): When adapting great characters the first rule is to keep the basic elements of each alive and then expand upon them for a longer series. In this category the staff does its best job. While it has been a while since I saw Seven Samurai I do feel that there were some differences with Kyuzo and Heihachi, mainly with Heihachi's past and Kyuzo's circumstances for joining the group. Nonetheless I did not mind these differences as it helped make both their characters great for the anime. I also loved what they did with making the “Fool��? Kikuchiyo a mechanical samurai himself. The big difference in character stories came from Katsushiro falling for the anime only character Kirara instead of the village girl Shino (who does exist in the anime), and her in turn falling in love with Katsushiro’s master Kambei. This creates the all-too-often Love Triangle, but fortunately the anime does enough with their relationships to not make it a clichéd thing, and they do a great job in resolving it in the end. Kambei, Gorobei, Schichiroji, and Kyuzo are all really cool, but its Katsushiro’s growth that was the most interesting to follow being the young, brash, and inexperienced member of the group. The anime-only Ukiyo comes off originally as a spoiled milquetoast, but he surprises me in latter half of the anime and he becomes an interesting villain to watch.
Music (9/10): A pretty solid soundtrack with good sound editing. Not only are the OP and ED good songs, they are well utilized. The OP has a more fast-paced tune to build into the excitement of the upcoming episode. Then the ED gives a more somber sound to wind down each episode, which coupled with the next episode preview sound produces a feeling that future struggles would come in the next episode.
Animation (7/10): The graphics started out looking really cool but they somehow became sloppy and dull at various points. The character designs seemed really poor in some episodes. There were some really cool action scenes, but they were not spectacular. I felt like Kambei’s appearance in the first episode was cooler than anything done for the rest of the series. The mechanical samurai/bandits and their mechanical fortresses were cool, but about halfway through the series they stop introducing newer and better designs (granted this is not a typical mecha series where new machines are supposed to be built). The bigger mechanical bandits were pretty cool, but I actually thought the best was the “nunky��? design of Kikuchiyo. The character designs of the people were good. The merchants and eunuchs looked ridiculously boisterous, the older Samurai looked gritty and most of the villagers looked poor and ugly, all as they should.
Entertainment (9/10): The futuristic adaptation hits the important elements and individual character stories that made Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai great. The almighty samurai battling a mechanized army of bandits makes the action unique to this anime. In the end, I did appreciate the combat, and was happy that they kept the balance of power stable with the outnumbered Samurai being much stronger but not to the extent that they could blow through tons of mechanical bandits simply through raw power. I did like how they used the technology of the era to assist the backwater villagers as they engaged in combat themselves, launching giant steaks into the larger bandits. I am also glad they kept the point about no matter how skilled the samurai are they are just as easily felled by guns. I truly saw and appreciated the struggle of the samurai and villagers in combat, especially the developing skills and experiences of Katsushiro in battle.
Choosing to adapt probably the greatest samurai movie of all time, from one of the greatest directors of all time, was definitely a risky move, but all things considered the staff managed to pull-off a satisfying future rendition.
Posted by : MrSentimental
Posted on : 2008-01-18
Entertaining enough. It had quite a few interesting and likeable characters. The robot Samurai was a Hoot! The head bad guy actually became surprisingly interesting. Surprisingly so because he was more of a pretty-boy, scheming, political type than a blood & guts, kick butt-type. I'm usually not so impressed by these types myself.
But, don't get me wrong, there isn't any big-time deep character development here. No super intriguing romances. Some strong emotions, but it's been done better in other series. But there was enough where I was interested in what happened with the characters in the end.
The artwork for the most part was very good. The computer generated stuff with the mecha was cool. The Samurai and some other characters looked very appealing. This is one of those series though where there are quite a few characters who are drawn poorly and look real goofy (like most of the villagers).
There were quite a few cool action scenes. This was a strong point here. But also there was a lot of that kind of action that was pretty far-fetched and would make me grown sometimes. You'll see what I mean.
The music worked well during the series. The opening and Closing themes were OK, but I'm not rushing out to buy the OST for this one.
So, it was definitely worth a one-shot at least. Entertaining enough, but not necessarily a "keeper". 7 out of 10 rating. 3 1/2 STARS.
Posted by : Xristyan
Posted on : 2006-12-09
Having watched the original black and white movie of this series did a lot of good in my appreciation of this anime.
It started out slow but the build up was good and the addition of the merchant bit was a nice touch.
Art/Animation>> 9
The mix of 2D and 3D were exceptionally good. The bandits, in their huge mech suits were awesome to behold. Though you tend to ask how come they get owned pretty easily. But that is not the point, the point is the art is good, the animation smooth and it’s a good thing.
Story>> 9
It isn’t one of the most compelling plots out there but it’s a good plot nonetheless. Watching the original movie gave me an advantage on how to see things about the series. The addition of the merchants in the story was as I said a nice touch and added a little more conflict in an otherwise simple and bland story.
Character>> 9
It’s hard to differentiate a lot of characters, but they did a pretty good job making each of the samurai different from one another. And not only the samurais but other characters as well. And its not just basic differences, each one is deep, with personal consequences and conflicts in their lives that made them as they are. It’s difficult enough to differentiate a myriad of characters but to develop them is a whole thing altogether and I think the series has somewhat accomplished that.
Music/Background>> 8
I don’t think I was really paying attention to this. But that could mean two things; it was so good that it blended so well with the series that I didn’t notice it as a separate thing or it’s just unnoticeable. I hope it was the former.
Overall>> 9
This is a good anime to watch, don’t mind the slow start for it will get better as the show goes on. Plus, to complete your viewing I suggest you get a hold of the movie this was based on.
Posted by : mangaddict_reborn
Posted on : 2006-11-30
There is nothing noteworthy about how below par Samurai 7 is- except for the incredibly bad graphics. There are two animation styles of Samurai 7, the two dimensional and 3 dimensional. When a human character stands next to an obvious computer generated image, they mix together as oil and water. The mechs look as if they were masked and the entire series has copied and pasted written all over it. There is no sucessful transition at all, just two worlds crushed together and destroyed eachother in the process.
Plot wise, nothing noteworthy just dumb. Eight story machines are raiding our farms of our rice! Let's call upon the services of human samurais residing hundreds of miles and disburse them with our peasant riches for them to come save us! *makes loud rasberry*
The characters are average, nothing exceptional or awful.
I'll admit, something that they have done very well would be the swordfights. When there are no bandits (what the eight story machines are called), dumb plot, or anything else besides samurai on samurai action, this anime passes above the unwatchable threshold.
Posted by : rorke
Posted on : 2006-09-08
I just finished watching the last ep of Samurai 7 and I would just like to say I am a little disappointed with the hole god damn series.... It started out interesting at best... and then slowly it started to melt my brain. The animation didn't even stay consistent. I thought for sure that on episode 7 of this series that perhaps they had fired all there animators and replaced them with pencil wielding monkeys. Because of that one episode and how bad the qualtiy had gotten I almost gave up on the hole series all together and wasn't going to watch it all the way through.... Which for me is pretty bad. But I stuck it out in the hopes that it would get better... and the animation suddenly returned to somewhat normal after that episode. But I almost feel like I have wasted my time... The story was predictable. Random death scenes just to make you feel something guring the story, that I felt weren't effective in actually tugging any heart strings. If I recall one of the samurais dying words were " I want to eat rice" I don't know about you but that doesn't exactly stir sorrow in me...just the opposite actually... I recall mockingly snorting.
frick the final battle scene was crap... I feel they stuffed 4 hours of what should have been great story telling in to a rushed 1 hour ending. AND THE ENDING..... GOD it made me want to throw up on the hole production crew one by one. Get all the writers and directors and animators in a line and just let chunky bits fly into their faces for ruining what could have been something great.
I have to give this series a 4 out of 10. So many things that made me hate this series. The only redeeming qualities about it they snuffed out by the end.
I think the only people that could really say they liked the series are newbie anime watchers that haven't watched quality anime story telling yet. Hold out there are better series out there.
Posted by : Tevesh
Posted on : 2006-01-03
Samurai 7 perhaps deserves an eight out of ten, but a seven is what I finally have determined to give it, partly in homage to the Seven Samurai but also due to the numerous flaws within Samurai 7. If a series has a strong opening, then it must remain strong or I dock points. Samurai 7 was in complete flux for the whole series, with some episodes being brilliant while others would leave a bitter aftertaste. Without a doubt, Samurai 7 is amazing but there were too many aspects that they tried to tribute unsuccessfully.
The good points of this series was seeing how the inexperienced Samurai evolved, some really cool action, and the fearless decision that it is alright to kill main characters. The final point doesn't count as much as it normally would in another series, as this anime is based off of the movie. The Seven Samurai had many casualties, so I cannot say that which members died and why it felt appropriate because I knew what was going to happen already.
The idea is neat to honour a film by changing the genre, setting, and characters; but I felt that Samurai 7 diluted the drama for much improved fight scenes. The one point that I feel Samurai 7 did better than the Seven Samurai was how terrible it is to have an inexperienced Samurai turn experienced. You definitely see the change from the first episodes he was in to the end of the series. That is a large portion of what Samurai 7 did right.
The improved fight scenes were nice but felt bland as they were as anime as you could get. Jumping impossible distances, lightning quick sword slashes, giants being defeated by normal sized opponents, and who could ever forget the classic "the sword is mightier than the gun, cannon, or giant mecha" that plagues anime. Which obviously includes deflecting lasers, deflecting missiles, deflecting machine gun fire, and feel free to add Giant as a prefix to any of said deflected attacks. This anime didn't have attack sequences, which is fortunate.
The tempo of the series changes gears too much, which I found to be very distracting. This made Samurai 7 feel like five or six short series rather than one epic. Some of these short series start strong and end weak, which disappoints but saves Samurai 7 from a lower mark is some of the miniseries finish strong with all sorts of beginnings. The last few episodes is the best arc, showcasing the strength of the series. The problem is getting there.
Posted by : ureal
Posted on : 2005-11-30
The animation was great in this series and it was not too long nor was it too short. The characters are very well developed each samurai with his distinct traits and you will grow to hate them or love them.
You have the idiotic samurai who thinks hes a samurai but really a robot with no skills what so ever. Then you have the apprentice wannabe samuria. You have the leader, and his right hand man. You have the mysterious samurai with his own agenda, a nerdy samuria, and a laid back samurai. Just a general characterization of the main characters because they are more in depth then what I just listed.
But since this was supposed to be about samurais, I did find the show somewhat disappointing simply because they had flying warships people who were modified to be mechs the size of a 6 story building both stood no chance against a katana kind of like cutting butter with a hotblade. Furthermore with that kind of technology one would expect them to have come up with a more efficent way to harvest rice then rely on pesants and manual labor...
Aside from the out of place technology the series was ok.
Fight sequences were nice and fast paced and the ending was great but not the normal happy ending I thought it would be. On another note the accent by the farmers is horrible but I dont know if japanese farmers really talk like that...
8 ( points off for being a bit unrealistic )
Posted by : jaja
Posted on : 2005-11-25
This is the second anime I watched after Naruto. It's hard to believe that I actually like other anime other than Naruto.
Samurai 7 is a really great anime. I like how they build all the characters in this anime. Each character has their own strength and specialty. I love the character of Kyuzo and Heihachi. Kyuzo is so cool and he seems to be so good in using his sword. While Heihachi is a happy guy, and a real expert in mechanical jobs. However, it shows that when one of the villagers became a traitor, he is the first one who wants to punish the traitor. Even though Heihachi is a happy person, he is also a cold-hearted guy.
The setting of the anime is also nice and beautiful. The music in this anime really attracts me. I love it so much.
For this anime, I give 9/10.
Posted by : ariq
Posted on : 2005-10-18
I watched this show with no knowledge about the movie that was made by Kurosawa, but still this show was a great show.
The show had a great plot; I think the plot was based on the movie but was kind of different, but the plot was enjoying to watch and develop to the last battle.
The fighting for this show show was great- I loved it being fast paced and I wished there could have been more of the one on one fighting between the samurais, but it was mostly the samurais against the robots, which I enjoyed. I loved seeing the samurais jumping supremely high in the air and taking down the robots with their swords
Ending theme song to this is one of the best ending thems I have heard; I just loved the instruments used for it.
Overall this show was great show, and was well worth watching. Still, I wished there could have been more fighting involving man vs man, cause the one with the main character and the blond headed vash looking guy was a very entertaining fight scene. A very good show to watch.. it's not exactly a samurai type of show since it's set in the future.
Posted by : asianboysiam
Posted on : 2005-10-07
Samurai 7 started off with a troubling village in search for a way out. People were to take Samurai back to the village so they can beat the Bandits (bad guys) out of the farm land. The elder ask for 4 samurai but ended up with 7 and the story goes on with more fight scenes and many emotional scenes.
The anime series was well animated. The graphics was considerably good, but not as good as 3D but it was the traditional style that attracted me. The music fits the story since it was pretty much Japanese traditional mix with modern music.
The story is a clash between the modern technology and old tradition and beliefs. The idea of samurais, shoguns, and lords mix with flying machine, flying castle, and advance new age technology.
I give it a 9 becuase the series wasn't perfect but it was good. I especially didn't like the ending as I felt it was stupid. The idea of everyone seperating kind of dissapointed me like an unfinished story that will never be continue.
Posted by : blackord
Posted on : 2005-10-04 
This anime, I just love it so much, one of the best anime that I have ever watch before.... the storyline is fantastic. what I like about the story line is the courage that the 7 samurai took to fight against an army of enemy. even though the odds are so big, they still risk their life to fight for justice. it is so touching and noble of them.
The thing I like the most about this anime is that the characters that they make in this anime are so unique. characters from different backgrounds and different attitudes gather from different places gather from 1 sole purpose. even a character like kikuchiyo is interesting, a machine that is funny and clumsy but still proves himself to be worthy of being one of the 7 samurai.
The song for this anime is interesting, I like it a lot. the graphics for this anime is nice. some of the scenes are quite realistic and I love the way the artist drew the characters. they look so cool. especially kambee.
I give this anime a 10/10, because this anime is just so fantastic, it is worth your time watching. Trust me..................
Posted by : Yuun
Posted on : 2005-06-23
I really like Samurai
Posted by : animecdrom
Posted on : 2005-06-20
This series turns up mixed feelings from myself. It is perplexing and confusing to understand. But yet, the plot is very simple, bandits come, samurai = hired hands to get rid of bandits. But this story is eventually blown up to immenser proportions concering clones and genetic kings. Also the plot has a few plot holes that I do not understand. An example is the sudden love interest between Kambei and Kirara. Throughout the series I was led to believe she wanted the young guy. Furthermore, when I thought I was going to receive an explanation from Kirara herself, the young samurai cuts her off with a stupid line that could have been placed later on. Despite my obvious disappointments in the story, I did love the action scenes. This series offers a bit of samurai action heaven. But only a bit cuz the series is filled with long winded speeches. Honestly, I did not like this series, and would've rather just had one episode filled with action. But the animation style made this story look good. This series does not deserve anything higher than a 7.
Posted by : tenkouken
Posted on : 2005-06-10
Just finished watching all episodes of Samurai 7.... With this, let me give my view on how this anime fares:
Story - Although the story is loosely based on Seven Samurai, some of the movie's original ideas stuck, i.e. Kanna Village is threatened by bandits (the Nobuseri), and the village has to recruit hungry samurai to protect the villagers. The futuristic setting of S7 makes it more interesting, although there are so many mecha floating around.
Characters - The characters are perfectly based on the movie, though of course there are deviations. The character development and regression was splendidly made. Still, I noticed some characters from the movie were "reformatted" into new ones in the anime. One example, I guess, is Kirara. (If you've seen the Seven Samurai movie reviews, you'll find who her origin was.)
One more thing. The order of which the samurai died in S7 is different from that in the movie.
Graphics - Rocks! The environment is dynamic and fluid, the CGI blends well with the animation, and the characters are well-drawn (although whenever I see Kanbei, I can also read the words "Bob Marley").
Sound - I loved the OP and ED here. The BGMs blend well with each scene too.
All in all, Samurai 7 is an excellent anime that people who seek action, tragedy, and sad endings can enjoy, just like what the movie has. Most people will suggest you watch this over and over again. I suggest you watch the movie too.
Posted by : onizukapwns
Posted on : 2005-05-19
It's been months since I've finally watched something that belongs in the perfect anime category!
Great storyline and brilliant work on almost every character. Each character really have their own personalities, and their own perspectives, whether it's over the subject of war or on life. Many of the characters grow and change as the story moves on.
I especially like the development of the "weakest character" of the series as he models off of the other characters (especially the "strongest one). We watch as the battlefield, his own decisions, and his "homies" change him in strength, personality, perspectives on life and death, philosophy, love, and more. But yet, he's still capable of "finding and taking his own path." (trying not to spoil anything so that doesn't make sense)
What made this series unique to me was the way it viewed dying and surviving, and how they were able to portray it in such a complex setting of war and stuff. Although not as intense, realistic, or deep as, let's say, Saikano portrayed war, Samurai 7 did a pretty good job at that.
Music: the ending song is one of the greatest songs IMO
Graphics: Amazing! Very nice CG. Everything moves fluently. High quality.
Action: not excessive (they could have put more in), but its very high quality, non-flashy backgrounds, well choreographed slashing action.
The only thing I don't like about this show is that all my favorite characters died... mmm... But I see how it ties in with the theme of this show (which seems to be something like "we're obligated to bear for the hardships of others"?... Probably not, but I'm still figuring it out..)
High in suspense, entertainment, and "I want to watch more." Great fight scenes, characters, and storyline. Watch it! Definately! Unless you hate anime!
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