After a twelve year hiatus, Samurai Jack returned to our television screens on the 11th of March, 2017. Before its break, Samurai had developed a cult following, especially among adults even though it was a television show targeted at Kids. The series which was created by Genndy Tartakovsky won several awards during its run including an OIAF Award, six Annie Awards, and eight Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program
The show which aired on Cartoon Network was critically acclaimed and impressed both fans and critics alike. The show, Samurai Jack, followed a samurai from the past who is transported to the future which is being ruled by a shape-shifting demon dictator – Aku.
Though initially unnamed, the samurai is referred to as Jack throughout the series. Jack’s primary goal in the series is to return to the past and defeat Aku before he becomes the all-powerful tyrant and takes over the world.
On the 10th of August 2001, the series debuted with a television movie – The Premiere Movie. The movie which can be broken into the first three episodes of the show clearly shows the origin story of Aku’s relationship with the Samurai.
When the series concluded after its fourth season, it was left with an open ending allowing fans to draw whatever conclusion they would like from the it. However, this open ending is what permitted the show to return twelve years later with a highly anticipated fifth season which helped wrap up the entire series. The fifth season of Samurai Jack aired from the 11th of March to the 20th of May on Adult Swim – the nighttime programming block of Cartoon Network with adult-oriented content.
Here are 5 Reasons You Should Watch Samurai Jack Season 5
1. Genndy Tartakovsky Returned To Helm The Fifth Season
Genndy Tartakovsky is known to have directed every episode of Samurai Jack, though he worked with collaborators to direct the episodes. Still, he also directed every episode of the fifth season. Considering Genndy was involved with every episode of the first four seasons and turned it into a massive success with quality content, there’s no reason he won’t be able to do it again.
Besides, Genndy is also responsible for creating Dexter’s Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars. He was also an important part of The Powerpuff Girls crew, having directed several episodes. If this proves anything, it’s that Genndy’s direction should be trusted when it comes to creating quality content.
2. Impressive Cast
The fifth season of Samurai Jack can easily boast of some of the best voice actors working today from Phil LaMarr who voices the titular character to Grey Griffin and even Tara Strong best known for voicing several of your favourite childhood characters including Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, Raven in Teen Titans, Timmy Turner in Fairly Odd Parents, Ben Tennyson in Ben 10, and Batgirl in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
3. It Takes Place Fifty Years In The Future
This season takes place fifty years after Jack arrives in the future. However, in those fifty years, Jack has not aged as a side effect of time travel. Over the fifty years, Aku has also gotten tired of the prospect of fighting Jack forever, and as a result, he personally avoids direct conflict with Jack. Aku has also destroyed almost all the time portals, making it harder than ever for Jack to go home.
4. It Handles Mature Themes And Content
The fifth season was generally applauded by fans and critics alike for taking on more intense and mature content such as suicide and cult followership. Truth is, this season was actually made for a mature audience which was why it was shown on Adult Swim instead of Cartoon Network’s more kid-friendly programming block. The result of this decision is ‘success’.
It is important to note that this success is not entirely surprising considering animated series with mature content always gains a loyal and committed fanbase. Take a look at Robot Chicken to be convinced.
5. It Concludes The Series
If you’re a fan of this show then you’d definitely want to see how it all ends, especially after it took a break for over a decade – you’d understand that the director, creator, and writer of the show has not only grown but also improved over the years so it can be expected that his work would reflect the changes. In other words, Samurai Jack has no choice but to be better than it was twelve years ago, therefore, promising an amazing end the show definitely deserves.
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