Let me get this out of the way, I LOVE Gendy Tartavosky's work (Well, everything except Hotel Transylvania). Personally, I think the highlight of his work is none other than Cartoon Network's short-lived 2001 action series, Samurai Jack.
The Plot
The plot of Samurai Jack is pretty simple. Jack, voiced by Phil Lamarr, is a prince who battles the Shogun of Sorrow, Aku, who is voiced by the beloved Mako. During what Jack thought would be Aku's end, Aku sends Jack into the future, where Aku has become the ruler. Jack must now get back to the past and stop Aku. The storyline is original, as it is not your usual "Hero beats villain. The end." scenario. Instead Jack fails to defeat him in the past, and now must get back to undo his failure.
Animation
The animation is a "love or hate" type thing with animation fans. I personally love the style. It has it's own destinct style and it helps during action scenes. That's all I can really say.
Characters
The characters are some of my favorite in all of entertainment. Of the major characters, there is Jack, the honorable prince and protagonist. Next, we have The Scotsman, who is one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters. Finally, we come to everyone's favorite shape-shifter, Aku, who is easily one of animation's best villains. His personality makes him a very comedic villain, easily going from quirky to destructive. This is made better with the vocal talents of the late Mako, who's voice really helps make the character great.
Overall
When we look at it as a whole, Samurai Jack was a very well put together show. The characters were lovable, the storyline was great, and the action was unlike many shows at the time. It is sad to know that the show never finished and a conclusion to the storyline has not happened. Every now and then news of the planned movie emerges, but we still do not know if a film will be released. But, despite it's early cancellation, Samurai Jack is easily one of the best cartoons of the 21st century.
The Plot
The plot of Samurai Jack is pretty simple. Jack, voiced by Phil Lamarr, is a prince who battles the Shogun of Sorrow, Aku, who is voiced by the beloved Mako. During what Jack thought would be Aku's end, Aku sends Jack into the future, where Aku has become the ruler. Jack must now get back to the past and stop Aku. The storyline is original, as it is not your usual "Hero beats villain. The end." scenario. Instead Jack fails to defeat him in the past, and now must get back to undo his failure.
Animation
The animation is a "love or hate" type thing with animation fans. I personally love the style. It has it's own destinct style and it helps during action scenes. That's all I can really say.
Characters
The characters are some of my favorite in all of entertainment. Of the major characters, there is Jack, the honorable prince and protagonist. Next, we have The Scotsman, who is one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters. Finally, we come to everyone's favorite shape-shifter, Aku, who is easily one of animation's best villains. His personality makes him a very comedic villain, easily going from quirky to destructive. This is made better with the vocal talents of the late Mako, who's voice really helps make the character great.
Overall
When we look at it as a whole, Samurai Jack was a very well put together show. The characters were lovable, the storyline was great, and the action was unlike many shows at the time. It is sad to know that the show never finished and a conclusion to the storyline has not happened. Every now and then news of the planned movie emerges, but we still do not know if a film will be released. But, despite it's early cancellation, Samurai Jack is easily one of the best cartoons of the 21st century.