While the 5th season of Samurai Jack is intended for those who have seen the original series, those who never saw the show prior to the 5th Season will have no trouble fitting in, as the opening does provide a premise as to what the series is about.
The premise goes like this: Back in Ancient Japan, a demon named Aku was wrecking havoc until he met a Samurai wielding a magic sword. Aku is overwhelmed by the Samurai, but before the latter could land the final blow, Aku sends him to the future, where the demon is now the ruler of the world. The Samurai, given the name "Jack", must seek out a way to return to the past and change history.
I have to give note that knowing the premise of the show in the opening is something that allows newer viewers to get into the show without having to watch previous episodes. This practice is shown throughout the first four seasons of Samurai Jack, and also from the original Powerpuff Girls series. So it's both surprising and a shame that in the recent Powerpuff Girls reboot, this practice is no longer applied and instead the show assumes the viewer knows who the Powerpuff Girls are, even if they never saw the original.
Aside from learning of the series's premise, as told via Jack's own monologue, we also had a bit of the show's lore going on. Turns out it has been 50 years since Jack is trapped in the future, though he has not aged at all. And despite wearing battle armor with lots of weapons and a badass motorbike, Jack grows weary of not being able to return to the past as Aku's dark reign continues.
As if that wasn't enough, Jack lost the Magic Sword, the only weapon needed to defeat Aku. To add that further, the High Priestess of a sect worshipping Aku gave birth to an all-female septuplets. Known as the "Daughters of Aku", they are raised and trained to become top assassins with only one goal - to find and kill Samurai Jack.
Unlike the previous seasons where it's mostly episodic, the 5th season will be very much story driven, as creator Genndy Tartakovsky intends to bring the series's narrative to a proper conclusion. As the 5th season is airing on Adult Swim as opposed to Cartoon Network, the show is given more leeway to take on a more serious tone. This meant the fight scenes being more brutal and quite violent. Even if Jack is fighting robots, the amount of destruction he brings to them is done in such a manner that the show pretends they are flesh and blood.
Thankfully, even with the more graphic depictions of the robots' destruction, and by extension some real life blood spilled, it's not a total gorefest. For the most part, these macabre like depictions blend well with the aesthetics of the show. So I give kudos to Tartakovsky for not making the series a totally Mature-rated show. Nevertheless, the content in this season of Samurai Jack is something that could raise eyebrows if it aired on Cartoon Network instead of Adult Swim.
The 5th Season premiere introduces us to Jack's first villain Scaramouch, one of Aku's assassins, and voiced by Tom Kenny. I'll admit I didn't notice Kenny's voice because he sounds so different here than what we're used to in his previous roles. Scaramouch's design reminds me of the assassin Udo Jin-e from the Rurouni Kenshin anime series. Scaramouch is the first villain Jack faces without his Magic Sword, and although the battle is resolved, Scaramouch was an interesting villain, both by his character and how he fights.
The animation and character design remains true to the original. That being said, one can tell the vast improvements that results in the visuals standing out and being quite stunning, compared to the rest of American animation seen today from other shows.
I will say the 13 year long wait for a new Samurai Jack is pretty much well worth it, as the first episode of the new season is quite amazing from both the animation and the narrative standpoint. Whether you're a fan of the series, or this is your first time, you definitely won't be disappointed. Samurai Jack is airing right now on Adult Swim in the US.
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