Samurai Jack Returns

Ratrell Ray, Staff Writer and Cartoonist

Samurai Jack finally returned for its fifth season on March 11th. The Cartoon Network animated series that earned a cult following has been revived after over 10 years, only this time appearing on Adult Swim with a TV-14 rating.

The return of Samurai Jack was announced December 2nd, 2015 by Adult Swim. The creator and executive producer, Genndy Tartakovsky, revealed that the upcoming season will display darker and more mature themes than the previous four seasons. The story will continue to follow the main character, Jack, 50 years after where the story left off. The fifth season will consist of 10 episodes and is said to provide a definitive ending for the Samurai Jack storyline.

Samurai Jack, known for its unique animation style, also took several risks with its story. Including very little dialogue, the show allowed the visuals to tell the narrative of the the story instead. The storyline itself also takes risk, following a traditional samurai in a futuristic dystopian setting. In terms of its art direction, the show’s animation is completely devoid of outlines and decorated with very distinctive backgrounds from background painter Scott Wills.

The risks the show took seemed to pay off for four seasons before being cancelled without reaching its conclusion. Despite its cancellation, the cult following behind Samurai Jack was strong enough for the show’s return to be met with riveting enthusiasm after being cancelled for 10 years. Fans of the series have been teased before with talk of its return, including mentions of an animated film that would complete the series. The movie was stuck in the pre-production phase for many years only to be confirmed that it will not happen. Now with the final season premiering, the fans’ decade-long wait has finally been rewarded.