Review: Samurai 7

Samurai 7 is an anime based off of Akira Kurosawa where a village being tormented by bandits hires a group of seven samurai to defend it.  The group of samurai is a very diverse group made of a Mechanical Samurai, the new kid, a guy who reminds me eerily of Spike from Cowboy Bebop, the experienced samurai who has always been on the losing side, etc.

The first half of the series is all about recruiting the samurai and their travels to the village.  In typical anime style, they can't just have people fighting people, so instead the bandits are samurai that have turned themselves into giant robots.  Throughout the series there's an anime level of physics (e.g. the experienced samurai are able to slice through giant robots and buildings alike with a single stroke), but the last two episodes take it to an even more ludicrous level that goes way past my ability to suspend disbelief.  Samurai were deflecting some lasers with their swords, while riding others like a wave.  Up until that point, I was a big fan of the series.  I have a fondness for the eclectic diverse team.  I love samurai and the ridiculousness of a typical samurai showdown.  But the final battle that should have been epic was instead just inane.  But I guess a great series that ends badly isn't unheard of in anime.

With the show only being 26 episodes, I think it's worth a watch if you enjoyed Seven Samurai or Magnificent Seven (since that's also based on Seven Samurai).  Maybe just stop on episode 24 and let your imagination end the series for you, it'll probably be more consistent.