Samurai 7: Search for the Seven v.1

Samurai 7 is a anime based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) based in a futuristic world. The villages and cities are recovering from a massive war. The Samurai are now jobless and many have become bandits. But not just normal bandits. They have become Nobuseri bandits, machines who use to be men, Samurai who had their living cells replaced by iron and steel. And now they raid the towns for rice and, sometimes, women.One of these villages have sent for Samurai, hungry warriors, willing to fight off for a meal of cooked rice each day. Titled Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7, this anime does honor to one of the best Japanese movies of the 20th Century, if not one of the best movies of all time. The only flaw was the fact that the DVD held only four episodes. But the episodes were GREAT, each linked to the next, like one big story. Which it IS. None of the episodes are in a vaccum, they are all a chain of cause and effect. Not much in the way of extras, besides opening and closing songs, trailers and some character profiles.

A solid series that allows for the development of each samurai's character and arc, as opposed to Kurasawa's original film that was limited by its medium. The animation is fantastic, with the exception of the CGI, which looked outdated when the show was released. I am sure there is a box set of these now. If you like anime and Akira Kurosawa, buy these.

Great DVD for a great series! You should have the collection! The music is great, the menus are excellent, the costumes are very nice, there are a lot of thing to watch in this DVD!

It sounds like the ultimate sacrilege -- take one of the best movies Akira Kurosawa ever made (also one of the greatest movies EVER) and turn it into a sci-fi/steampunk anime.But "Samurai 7" shocks in every way by not only being respectful to Kurosawa's original work, but being a brilliantly plotted, exquisitely animated work in its own right. And "Search for the Seven: Volume One" is a brilliant kickoff to the series, introducing a feisty water priestess from a doomed village, a cluster of elite (and unemployed) samurai and a creepy antagonist.The poor village of Kanna is being regularly raided by vast mechanical bandits, who steal all their rice and leave them nothing. They have only one choice: hire some samurai, who are hungry enough to work for rice alone.So the water priestess Kirara (along with the farmer Rikichi and her little sister Komachi) heads for the nearby city of Kogakyo, but they don't have much luck. They encounter and recruit two samurai -- the boisterous robotic Kikuchiyo, and the naive young Katsushiro -- but Kirara's dowsing crystal "chooses" the mysterious Kambei. Unfortunately, he insists that every battle that he's ever fought in has been lost, and that he will not help.Then Kirara is kidnapped by Ukyo, son of the merchant magistrate, who wants her a part of his harem. Though Katsushiro and Kikuchiyo fight hard to save her, she ends up being rescued by Kambei. As the new (reluctant) leader of the group, Kambei declares that they will need six more samurai, and he doesn't consider the robot or the newbie to be acceptable. But there are many kinds of samurai in the city, and it turns out that not all of them can be hired..."Samurai 7: Search for the Seven" takes the basic, simple concept of Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and gives it a slight twist. So rather than a straightforward historical anime, the creators of this series made a world that is both traditional (lots of Japanese architecture and clothing) and futuristic (steampunk cyborgs, futuristic technology), in a vast, rusty metal city where ox-carts wander past high-tech buildings. It's a pretty gorgeous piece of work.In fact, one of the most striking aspects to "Samurai 7" is its hauntingly beautiful animation -- not only is it presented with stunning detail, but the computer animated parts add in shimmering crystals, misty rice fields, and the opulent glowing mansion of the magistrate.But the plot is nothing to sneeze at either -- the seemingly simple concept begins to get tangled in subplots after a couple episodes, and danger starts to build for Kambei and Co. as Ukyo and his father try to nab them. Most anime are a bit wobbly in the first few episodes, but these first few episodes are beautifully balanced and well-written -- especially since they know when to throw a gritty, complex sword-fight into the mix, whether it's Kambei neatly disarming a suicide bomber or Katsushiro knocking down a mugger.Its a little early to know much about the characters, but the mysterious Kambei and the rather naive priestess Kirara seem pretty interesting. Some of them are instantly endearing just by their nature -- the cocky street performer Gorobei, the eager and chivalrous Katsushiro, and the lovably overblown Kikuchiyo ("Lemme get my little servant cap on"). And the effete, bratty Ukyo makes a promising antagonist, if he learns to do his dirty work himself."Samurai 7: Search for the Seven" is a brilliant opener to the "Samurai 7" anime, and a promising start to a very unusual remake. Definitely a must-see.

It sounds like the ultimate sacrilege -- take one of the best movies Akira Kurosawa ever made (also one of the greatest movies EVER) and turn it into a sci-fi/steampunk anime.But "Samurai 7" shocks in every way by not only being respectful to Kurosawa's original work, but being a brilliantly plotted, exquisitely animated work in its own right. And "Search for the Seven: Volume One" is a brilliant kickoff to the series, introducing a feisty water priestess from a doomed village, a cluster of elite (and unemployed) samurai and a creepy antagonist.The poor village of Kanna is being regularly raided by vast mechanical bandits, who steal all their rice and leave them nothing. They have only one choice: hire some samurai, who are hungry enough to work for rice alone.So the water priestess Kirara (along with the farmer Rikichi and her little sister Komachi) heads for the nearby city of Kogakyo, but they don't have much luck. They encounter and recruit two samurai -- the boisterous robotic Kikuchiyo, and the naive young Katsushiro -- but Kirara's dowsing crystal "chooses" the mysterious Kambei. Unfortunately, he insists that every battle that he's ever fought in has been lost, and that he will not help.Then Kirara is kidnapped by Ukyo, son of the merchant magistrate, who wants her a part of his harem. Though Katsushiro and Kikuchiyo fight hard to save her, she ends up being rescued by Kambei. As the new (reluctant) leader of the group, Kambei declares that they will need six more samurai, and he doesn't consider the robot or the newbie to be acceptable. But there are many kinds of samurai in the city, and it turns out that not all of them can be hired..."Samurai 7: Search for the Seven" takes the basic, simple concept of Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and gives it a slight twist. So rather than a straightforward historical anime, the creators of this series made a world that is both traditional (lots of Japanese architecture and clothing) and futuristic (steampunk cyborgs, futuristic technology), in a vast, rusty metal city where ox-carts wander past high-tech buildings. It's a pretty gorgeous piece of work.In fact, one of the most striking aspects to "Samurai 7" is its hauntingly beautiful animation -- not only is it presented with stunning detail, but the computer animated parts add in shimmering crystals, misty rice fields, and the opulent glowing mansion of the magistrate.But the plot is nothing to sneeze at either -- the seemingly simple concept begins to get tangled in subplots after a couple episodes, and danger starts to build for Kambei and Co. as Ukyo and his father try to nab them. Most anime are a bit wobbly in the first few episodes, but these first few episodes are beautifully balanced and well-written -- especially since they know when to throw a gritty, complex sword-fight into the mix, whether it's Kambei neatly disarming a suicide bomber or Katsushiro knocking down a mugger.Its a little early to know much about the characters, but the mysterious Kambei and the rather naive priestess Kirara seem pretty interesting. Some of them are instantly endearing just by their nature -- the cocky street performer Gorobei, the eager and chivalrous Katsushiro, and the lovably overblown Kikuchiyo ("Lemme get my little servant cap on"). And the effete, bratty Ukyo makes a promising antagonist, if he learns to do his dirty work himself."Samurai 7: Search for the Seven" is a brilliant opener to the "Samurai 7" anime, and a promising start to a very unusual remake. Definitely a must-see.

For any one looking for slight change in usaul samurai setting then this is worth a look.Volume 1 has 4 episodes which is good for the price as old days you would pay same price for only 2 on vhs!Ok special features:character introduction ect.The series is based on the story of 7 samurai but with a totally different look lets say samurais mixed with a final fantasy enviroment which works well!The characters a likable especially komachi can be funny with her curious ways aswel as alot of sudden moments complementing skill old samurai fashion.The animation is ok but gets better when theres action.The gore factor has lightened for wider audiance but instead of humans more mechanical objects are sliced up instead, for cannon fodder. This aswel as samurai champloo are worth putting in the collection.