Samurai 7, Vol. 5 - Empire in Flux (Limited Edition) | 
| Director: Toshifumi Takizawa
Actors: Bill Flynn, Inukai Junji, Zarah Little, Maria Vu
Studio: Funimation Prod
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
Buy Used: $3.89
You Save: $46.09 (92%)
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Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 117183
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Limited Edition, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.6 x 5.4
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
UPC: 704400058202
EAN: 0704400058202
ASIN: B000CNGBWQ
Release Date: March 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Excellent condition. Fast shipping.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Legendary Epic RebornBased on the legendary Akira Kurosawa classic epic feature film Seven Samurai.The once impenetrable band of seven now diminished to six was forced to come to terms with the inevitable when Gorobei risked his life to save his brethren. With sword in hand Kambei is determined to find answers. Leaving the surviving samurai behind Kambei departs on a solitary trek with an even more perilous mission in mind. After a confrontation with the Emperor lands him in prison Kambei awaits his fate as the purported assassin of the Imperial Envoy. But turmoil at the Capital is far from over. Ukyo's sudden rise to power has put Kambei at his mercy and sparing his life is not what this scheming Emperor has in mind.With its futuristic but rustic atmosphere well-developed characters incredible CG animation and high production value Samurai 7 is poised to be an instant classic.Episodes Included:17. The Remembrance18. The Emperor19. The Mutiny20. The ExecutionSystem Requirements:Extras Included: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Widescreen 16:9 Textless Opening And Closing Songs Running Time: 105 minutesFormat: SAMURAI 7 Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM UPC: 704400058202
Amazon.com
The characters in Samurai 7 have achieved their goal: the bandits have been defeated and the peasant-farmers of Kanna village can harvest their rice in safety. Kambei, the leader of the samurai, departs to fulfill his promise to rescue Rikichi's wife Sanae--and pick up a long-neglected strand of the plot. At the capital, he discovers that Sanae has married the emperor and is carrying his child. (As the emperor resembles a Peking opera character floating in a tank of nutritive liquid, it's not clear how their relationship was maintained or consummated.) In an even more dramatic revelation, the emperor announces that the orchidaceous Ukyo is the 49th imperial clone and heir to the throne. Kambei is arrested when he threatens to assassinate the emperor and sentenced to death. The remaining samurai, "water priestess" Kirara, and her gabby little sister Komachi are heading to the capital, so it's unlikely Kambei will be beheaded. At this point, Samurai 7 has lost even the vaguest ties to Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, its supposed model, and has become pure sci-fi. (Rated TV PG, suitable for ages 12 and older: violence, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Proverbial Saying, "The Plot Thickens" April 4, 2006
Antonio D. Paolucci (Beaver Falls, PA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As the proverbial saying goes, the plot thickens. In all of the first four volumes of Samurai 7, the story stayed pretty true to the classic movie Seven Samurai, only perhaps a little more drawn out and a lot slower. But in the previous volume, the battle for the village was wrapped up nicely and a new storyline was presented (though in many ways it still follows what the movie did, only in a different chronological order).
Now, the mission for Kambei has become save all of the women taken by the Bandits, and that means he must travel to the capital and face the emperor himself in order to do so. In this volume, old enemies presented earlier in the series--and never truly forgotten--are brought back, old allies are mourned, and the samurai are separated into smaller groups.
Like the other four volumes, the action in this volume is still as solid and crisp as it was previously, and the animation is still good, though definitely not the greatest. The 3D CGI, however, is the best I've seen in any anime series. And of course the story unfolds as dramatically as it had before, even with the newly presented plot twists. I felt when the fourth volume ended that the next would be a huge test for the Samurai 7 series, since it was obvious that the objective was to present something new. Luckily, it passed that test and in many ways the story now is more exciting and tense than it was before.
Samurai 7 is definitely one of the best anime of 2005-06, and I think this volume proves that (though I think I remember saying that in my reviews of the other volumes). For any skeptics out there, Samurai 7 was picked up very recently by IFC, a channel that never before had an interest in anime. I'd recommend this volume of Samurai 7 as well as the four previous ones to anime fans who found some enjoyment out of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece of a movie Seven Samurai. I'd also recommend this series to GONZO fans, as Samurai 7, along with Gankutsuou and Last Exile, is one of the best series to come out of that studio.
 This is where it seems to be getting really good. May 20, 2006
M. Hammond (San Diego, CA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maybe because we're all familiar with the plot, the story so far has been rather predictable, saved by the issues the various samurai were dealing with & the animation. Ukyo comes out as the major player & not just a foppish rich brat-there's a brain in that head & it's scary. This one really highlights Takehito Koyasu's skill playing 2 roles very well. The American VA plays it very different in places just enough to change the character. I'm really looking forward to where this one is going now.
KANBEI GOES ALONE September 14, 2006
Sesho (Pasadena, TX USA)
The village of Kanna has been saved and the bandits have been destroyed for the moment. But as long as the corrupt relationship between the bandits and merchants is allowed to continue, peasants will never be safe. The reason why is that the Emperor and the merchants are able to keep the bandits busy harrassing the farmers thereby keeping these former samurai from turning their swords to a richer catch. Kanbei sets off for the capitol on his own, taking it upon himself to rescue not only Rikichi's enslaved wife but the sister of Honoka, the young girl he met among the Shikimori. Knowing him, he has a plan of attack all mapped out, but the newly matured and battle-hardened Katsushiro and the ever-impatient Kikuchiyo have found it too hard to wait around for news anymore. The two set out to find Kanbei, along with the water priestess Kirara and her little sister Komachi. The effeminate dandy Ukyo is also headed there, with visions of Kirara dancing through his head, as well as seizing the Emperor's power!
This fifth volume of this awesome series shifts the action down a notch, and focuses instead on the politics of the Samurai 7 world reminescent of the first three Star Wars episodes. While this doesn't neccesarily bring the show down, it does give you an uncomfortable feeling that it could run off the tracks of its own ambition. If this is the quiet before a storm, so be it, but if it is the quiet before boredom, woe betide its viewer. The writing is excellent, though I don't know if I see the transformation of Katsushiro from idealistic kid to Clint Eastwood as very believable. I also didn't like the reduction in screen time of the other samurai as Kanbei comes front and center. Still, this is an extremely high-quality anime.
Excellent series! May 14, 2007
Jose Montero Venegas
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!
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