The final ten episodes of the Samurai Jack saga have arrived on home video. Set 50 years after the events of season four, which aired on Cartoon Network’s [adult swim] way back in 2003-04, season five find the series’ titular hero unaged, forever forced to roam the world after his nemesis–the demon Aku–closed the last of the portals that would take Jack back to his own time.
The fifth and final season of the Emmy Award-winning series deftly introduces new antagonists in the Daughters of Aku and Scaramouche the Merciless, while bringing back many fan favorites from past seasons–yes, including The Scotsman–as the ultimate confrontation between Jack and Aku comes to a close. Longtime fans of the series will find the same breathtaking visuals and fantastic sound production from earlier seasons, while the narrative itself takes a decidedly more mature tone.
Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season includes the ten-episode season, as well as a pair of additional special features, “The Evolution of Jack!” and “Pitch Movies.” Samurai Jack: The Complete Series includes all 62 episodes of the series, both special features listed above, as well as “The Making of Samurai Jack,” “Genndy’s Scrapbook,” “The Pitch,” “The Martial Arts of Samurai Jack,” “Lost Artwork Gallery,” and Audio Commentary. Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season is available on Amazon as a streaming video, DVD, or Blu-Ray, with prices varying by format. Samurai Jack: The Complete Series is available on Amazon only in Blu-Ray format.
In addition to video releases, Cartoon Network is releasing Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season Soundtrack. Led by industry veterans–producer Tyler Bates and composers Joanne Higginbottom and Dieter Hartmann–this album features the 22 tracks recorded and produced for the series’ final season. Slated to be released sometime on October 20, Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season Soundtrack is available for pre-order (at the time of this writing) at both the iTunes Store and the Google Play Store. Fans can only hope that at some point Cartoon Network will release tracks from the first four seasons, though nothing to that effect has been hinted at, much less officially announced.
Disclaimer: GeekDad was provided a copy of ‘Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season’ on Blu-Ray and streaming access to ‘Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season Soundtrack’ for review purposes. My opinions and 16-year love of ‘Samurai Jack’ are my own.
