Time to come to the end of retrospective. This is the last season of Samurai Jack to come out before the long hiatus many thought was permanent cancellation. Was the last season the reason for the break? Was it so bad the audience at the time didn’t care to see whether or not Jack made it back to the past? This is far from the case as the Samurai Jack season four was a fantastic season which did not disappoint.
Story
The season featured more action and episodes with Jack being pushed to his limits. Whether he is fighting a giant robot, a ninja who hides in the shadows, or a retired robot who just wanted out the game, Jack utilizes all his abilities and pushing himself past his limits. Also, not a single episode is completely comedic in nature. This helps to showcase the team learned the hard lesson from season two’s Jack and the Farting Dragon.
This season would also feature the return of the fan favorite character, The Scotsman. After Jack loses his memory, it’s up to the Scotsman to help Jack remember who he is. It’s a nice two part send off to the a great character but unfortunately, the main story wraps up too fast and the second half of part two is basically just Jack and the Scotsman on screen the entire time being silly. Not the best way to say goodbye but at least it’s pretty obvious he will be back very soon (cough, Season five, cough).
The three best episodes to come out of this season take home the honor without any argument. The first is Samurai vs. Ninja where Jack must fight a Ninja who hides in the shadows. The second goes to The princess and the bounty hunters, where a group of bounty hunters talk about how they will each take out Jack but eventually realize the most effective way is to team up. The final spot goes to the Tale of X9, which is probably one of the best episodes to come out of the entire series. Watch it for yourself and see if you want to argue about how it’s not.
Art
The team went all out with this one. There was a lot of experimental art work here such as in Samurai vs. Ninja with the use of black and white colors as camouflage or The Princess and the Bounty Hunters which utilized different art styles as a way for each of the different assassins to show how they would defeat Jack. The group making this series didn’t quit for a minute to bring the best quality they could to the project.
Music
The music for this season kept things light and still found a way to make it emotional at the same time. The ability to increase the drama, intensity, and set the mood through the use of music used effectively throughout the entire season. The detective noir background for Tale of X-9 was very unique and helped to make the episode really stand out. The music production team didn’t skimp on quality even so late in the game.
Conclusion
The creative team used their final season to take some risks. They told stories which really had memorable moments in them and utilized some great art effects to tell one of a kind tales. This season had several perfect episodes in it and should have been enough of a force to keep Jack on his path towards defeating Aku. Sadly, the series came to and end and Jack’s story was left unfinished. Until now. It’s time for season five to begin!
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What are some of your favorite memories from Samurai Jack season four? Leave a comment below and let us know.
