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77-420: Samurai Jack is an American animated action - adventure dystopian television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim . The show is produced by Cartoon Network Studios . Tartakovsky conceived Samurai Jack after finishing his work on his first Cartoon Network original series, Dexter's Laboratory , which premiered in 1996. Samurai Jack took inspiration from Kung Fu ,

154-467: A 1983 issue of The New York Times . The ad talks of jewellery that is "silverized steel and sleek grey linked for a retro-futuristic look". In an example more related to retrofuturism as an exploration of past visions of the future, the term appears in the form of “retro-futurist” in a 1984 review of the film Brazil in The New Yorker . Critic Pauline Kael writes, "[Terry Gilliam] presents

231-517: A 2D feature animated movie?' and he's like, 'Yeah. Maybe. Let's do some research and let's see.' So it's not dead for sure by any means, and it's still on the top of my list, and I'm trying as hard as I can. Tartakovsky said the loss of Mako Iwamatsu (Aku's voice actor) would also need to be addressed. The feature film project never materialized, and eventually, the series concluded with a fifth television season. Samurai Jack returned to television over twelve years after its fourth season concluded, with

308-403: A brighter future, can be optimistic. Similarly, the visions of utopias depicted in retrofuturistic pieces can re-instill that hopefulness in audiences that have lost it. Genres of retrofuturism include cyberpunk , steampunk , dieselpunk , atompunk , and Raygun Gothic , each referring to a technology from a specific time period. The first of these to be named and recognized as its own genre

385-485: A feeling that the desired or expected future has failed to materialize. Retrofuturism suggests an alternative path, and in addition to pure nostalgia, may act as a reminder of older but now forgotten ideals. This dissatisfaction also manifests as political commentary in Retrofuturistic literature, in which visionary nostalgia is paradoxically linked to a utopian future modelled after conservative values as seen in

462-460: A fierce battle, but just as the prince is about to deal the final strike, Aku sends him forward in time to a dystopian future ruled by the tyrannical demon. Adopting the name "Jack" after being addressed as such by beings in this time period, he quests to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku before he can take over the world. Jack's search for a way back to his own time period transcends Aku's control, but Jack's efforts are largely in vain due to

539-500: A film critic for RogerEbert.com and television critic for Vulture , considers Samurai Jack , along with Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars , to be a masterwork and one of the greatest American animated shows on television, mainly for its visual style. Samurai Jack would later be included in Seitz and Alan Sepinwall 's 2016 book TV (The Book) as an honorable mention following the 100 greatest television series. A year after

616-593: A finishing blow, Aku placed a time travel curse and sent him into the distant future, anticipating that he would be able to deal with the samurai by that time. The samurai prince arrives on Earth surrounded in dystopian retrofuturism ruled by Aku. The first people he encounters call him "Jack" as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name. His given name is never revealed. Jack only has his kimono , geta , and sword to his avail in his adventures. Most episodes depict Jack overcoming various obstacles in his quest to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku, and his quest

693-548: A larger retrofuturist vision, by combining their futuristic pioneering electronic music with nostalgic visuals. Kraftwerk's retro-futurism in their 1970s visual language has been referred to by German literary critic Uwe Schütte, a reader at Aston University , Birmingham, as "clear retro-style", and in the 2008 three-hour documentary Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution , Irish-British music scholar Mark J. Prendergast refers to Kraftwerk's peculiar "nostalgia for

770-528: A live action film." On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes , the series as a whole has received an approval rating of 93%. The first season received an approval rating of 80% while the fourth and fifth seasons received an approval rating of 100%. The fifth season's critical consensus reads, "An increasing intensity and maturity are evident in Samurai Jack' s beautifully animated, action-packed, and overall compelling fifth season." Matt Zoller Seitz ,

847-464: A more skeptical reaction to these dreams." It took its current shape in the 1970s, a time when technology was rapidly changing. From the advent of the personal computer to the birth of the first test tube baby , this period was characterized by intense and rapid technological change. But many in the general public began to question whether applied science would achieve its earlier promise—that life would inevitably improve through technological progress. In

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924-494: A pessimistic view . Retrofuturism which stems from an optimistic viewpoint tends to be an imagined futuristic society that comes from an advancement in technology in order to explore for the sake of science. Retrofuturism is not universally optimistic, and when its points of reference touch on gloomy periods like World War II , or the paranoia of the Cold War , it may itself become bleak and dystopian. This pessimistic retrofuturism

1001-521: A quest for stylistic authenticity may continue to draw on writers and artists of the desired period. Both retrofuturistic trends in themselves refer to no specific time. When a time period is supplied for a story, it might be a counterfactual present with unique technology; a fantastic version of the future; or an alternate past in which the imagined (fictitious or projected) inventions of the past were indeed real. The import of retrofuturism has, in recent years, come under considerable discussion. Some, like

1078-408: A retro-futurist fantasy." Retrofuturism builds on ideas of futurism , but the latter term functions differently in several different contexts. In avant-garde artistic , literary and design circles, futurism is a long-standing and well-established term. But in its more popular form, futurism (sometimes referred to as futurology ) is "an early optimism that focused on the past and was rooted in

1155-411: A unified thematic purpose or experience, a common thread is dissatisfaction or discomfort with the present, to which retrofuturism provides a nostalgic contrast. A similar theme is dissatisfaction with the modern world itself. A world of high-speed air transport, computers, and space stations is (by any past standard) "futuristic"; yet the search for alternative and perhaps more promising futures suggests

1232-513: A utopian power source of the future. It's occasionally portrayed as having mystical healing properties, akin to how nuclear energy was perceived in the mid-20th century. Steampunk shares similarities with the original scientific romances and utopian novels of authors like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne . The modern form of steampunk literature can be traced back to works such as Mervyn Peake 's " Titus Alone " (1959), Ronald W. Clark 's " Queen Victoria's Bomb " (1967), Michael Moorcock 's " A Nomad of

1309-554: A wider range of sources. To be sure, retrofuturist art and literature often draws from the factories, buildings, cities, and transportation systems of the machine age. But it might be said that 20th century futuristic vision found its ultimate expression in the development of Googie architecture or Populuxe design. As applied to fiction, this brand of retrofuturistic visual style began to take shape in William Gibson's short story "The Gernsback Continuum". Here and elsewhere it

1386-427: Is also related to non-literary media including comic books , graphic novels (such as manga ), anime , action film , action television series, and action games . It includes martial arts action, extreme sports action, car chases and vehicles, hand-to-hand combat , suspense action, and action comedy , with each focusing in more detail on its own type and flavor of action. It is usually possible to identify

1463-521: Is also still a popular choice for retro sci-fi in film and video games. Raygun Gothic's primary influences include the set designs of Kenneth Strickfaden and Fritz Lang . The term was coined by William Gibson in his story " The Gernsback Continuum ": "Cohen introduced us and explained that Dialta [a noted pop-art historian] was the prime mover behind the latest Barris-Watford project, an illustrated history of what she called 'American Streamlined Modern'. Cohen called it 'raygun Gothic'. Their working title

1540-537: Is an assumption that the clothing of the future will be highly uniform . The cliché of futuristic clothing has now become part of the idea of retrofuturism. Futuristic fashion plays on these now-hackneyed stereotypes, and recycles them as elements into the creation of real-world clothing fashions. "We've actually seen this look creeping up on the runway as early as 1995, though it hasn't been widely popular or acceptable street wear even through 2008," said Brooke Kelley, fashion editor and Glamour magazine writer. "For

1617-430: Is often imagined with technological advancement either being the downfall of humanity or being the last hope for humanity. In such cases, the alternative reality inspires fear, not hope, though it may still be coupled with nostalgia for a world of greater moral as well as mechanical transparency. It has been argued that retrofuturism, through finding hope in the disappointment and dystopia, and using that hope to push towards

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1694-560: Is prolonged occasionally by moments where either he nearly succeeds in returning to his own time, or conversely, Aku nearly succeeds in defeating Jack, only to be undermined by the unexpected. The retro-futuristic world is inhabited by a variety of denizens such as robots, extraterrestrials, talking animals, monsters, magical beings, and deities. Some areas may have advanced technologies like flying cars, while others resemble ancient times or industrial conditions. Moreover, Aku has brought aliens from other planets to inhabit Earth, after destroying

1771-470: Is referred to as Raygun Gothic , a catchall term for a visual style that incorporates various aspects of the Googie, Streamline Moderne , and Art Deco architectural styles when applied to retrofuturistic science fiction environments. Although Raygun Gothic is most similar to the Googie or Populuxe style and sometimes synonymous with it, the name is primarily applied to images of science fiction. The style

1848-440: Is the one usually associated with retrofuturism, where characters will rely upon a mixture of old and new technologies. Furthermore, synthwave and vaporwave are nostalgic, humorous and often retrofuturistic revivals of early cyberpunk aesthetic. The term "steampunk" was among the early subgenres recognized, emerging in the late 1980s. It presents a generally more optimistic and brighter outlook compared to cyberpunk. Steampunk

1925-454: Is typically set in an alternate history closely resembling our own from the late 18th century, particularly the Regency era onwards, up to approximately 1914. However, it diverges from history in that it envisions 20th-century or even futuristic technologies powered by steam . One of the recurring themes in this genre is the fascination with electricity as a mysterious force, often considered

2002-530: Is used for Aku's past self in the series finale. Samurai Jack received generally positive reviews from critics following its 2001 Cartoon Network debut. Steven Linan of the Los Angeles Times said of the 90-minute premiere movie, "One can quibble with some of the dialogue, which sounds like something you'd hear in Karate Kid 2 ('Let the sword guide you to your fate, but let your mind set free

2079-410: Is widely considered to be one of the greatest animated shows of all time. "Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shapeshifting master of darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil. But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future where my evil is law. Now the fool seeks to return to

2156-552: The Game Boy Advance in 2003 and Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2004. A third game, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time , was released on August 21, 2020, for Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , Nintendo Switch , and Apple Arcade . Elements of the Samurai Jack concept were reused in other Cartoon Network video games. The MMORPG FusionFall features Jack,

2233-475: The "future style" is "a mere quotation of its own iconographic tradition" and retrofuturism is little more than "an aesthetic feedback loop" In the example seen at right, the upper portion of the building is not intended to be integrated with the building but rather to appear as a separate object—a huge flying saucer -like space ship only incidentally attached to a conventional building. This appears intended not to evoke an even remotely possible future, but rather

2310-590: The 1920s–1950s. Early examples include the 1970s concept albums, their designs and marketing materials of the German band Kraftwerk (see below), the comic-book character Rocketeer (first appearing in his own series in 1982), the Fallout series of video games, and films such as Brazil (1985), Batman (1989), The Rocketeer (1991), Batman Returns (1992), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), The City of Lost Children (1995), and Dark City (1998). Especially

2387-483: The 1972 televised drama starring David Carradine , as well as Tartakovsky's fascination with samurai culture and the Frank Miller comic series Ronin . The titular character is an unnamed Japanese samurai prince who wields a mystic katana capable of cutting through virtually anything. He sets out to free his kingdom after it is taken over by an evil, shapeshifting demon lord known as Aku. The two engage in

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2464-433: The 42nd position. The show was ranked eleventh by IGN for its "Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time" list in 2006. In its list ranking, IGN compared the series' writing style to Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars , stating, "episodes have little or no dialogue, relying instead on action and strong visuals to tell the stories. Entertaining for adults, yet not too violent for kids." The review went on to say that

2541-413: The German architecture critic Niklas Maak, see retrofuturism as "nothing more than an aesthetic feedback loop recalling a lost belief in progress, the old images of the once radically new". Bruce McCall calls retrofuturism a "faux nostalgia"—the nostalgia for a future that never happened. Although retrofuturism, due to the varying time-periods and futuristic visions to which it alludes, does not provide

2618-515: The Scotsman, and Demongo as non-playable characters, while Aku is a Nano. The brawler game Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion for Nintendo 3DS , Wii , PlayStation 3 , and Xbox 360 features Jack and the Scotsman as playable characters while Aku is an assist character, a boss, and a playable character. The platform fighter MultiVersus features Jack as a playable character. Action fiction The intricacies of human relationships or

2695-626: The Time Streams " series (1971–1981), K. W. Jeter 's " Morlock Night " (1979), and William Gibson & Bruce Sterling's " The Difference Engine " (1990). In the realm of cinema, early examples include "The Time Machine" (1960) and " Castle in the Sky " (1986). An early instance of steampunk in comics can be found in the Franco-Belgian graphic novel series "Les Cités obscures," initiated by creators François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters in

2772-430: The application of neo-Victorian styles to modern technology, is a highly successful version of this second trend. In the movie Space Station 76 (2014), mankind has reached the stars, but clothes, technology, furnitures and above all social taboos are purposely highly reminiscent of the mid-1970s. In practice, the two trends cannot be sharply distinguished, as they mutually contribute to similar visions. Retrofuturism of

2849-574: The conclusion of the fourth season. Tartakovsky said, "coming close to [the end of] the fourth season, we're like, 'are we gonna finish it?' And I didn't know... The network didn't know, they were going through a lot of transitions also. So I decided, you know, I don't want to rush and finish the whole story, and so we just left it like there is no conclusion and then [the final episode is] just like another episode". Art director Scott Wills added, "We didn't have time to think about it, because we went right into Clone Wars . They even overlapped, I think. There

2926-416: The creative style of an action sequence, the emphasis of an entire work, so that, for example, the style of a combat sequence will indicate whether the entire work can be classified as action-adventure . Action is mainly defined by a central focus on any kind of exciting movement. Retrofuturism Retrofuturism (adjective retrofuturistic or retrofuture ) is a movement in the creative arts showing

3003-479: The crew moved on to other projects. The show ended with the airing of the four final episodes as a marathon on September 25, 2004. In Canada , Samurai Jack previously aired on YTV , and currently airs on the Canadian version of Adult Swim . In United Kingdom , Samurai Jack previously aired on Cartoon Network , and currently airs on streaming service All 4 . The original series was left open-ended after

3080-471: The early 1980s. On occasion, steampunk blurs the lines with the Weird West genre. The most recently named and recognized retrofuturistic genre is dieselpunk aka decodence (the term dieselpunk is often associated with a more pulpish form and decodence, named after the contemporary art movement of Art Deco , with a more sophisticated form), set in alternate versions of an era located circa in the period of

3157-528: The episode "Jack and the Spartans" was specifically inspired by Miller's graphic novel 300 that retold the Battle of Thermopylae . The Japanese manga Lone Wolf and Cub and films by Akira Kurosawa were also inspirations. The network announced the series' launch at a press conference on February 21, 2001. Weeks leading up to the series were accompanied by a sweepstakes giveaway sponsored by AOL in which

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3234-546: The example of Fox News' use of BioShock 's aesthetic in a 2014 broadcast. Retrofuturism also implies a reevaluation of technology. Unlike the total rejection of post-medieval technology found in most fantasy genres, or the embrace of any and all possible technologies found in some science-fiction, retrofuturism calls for a human-scale, largely comprehensible technology, amenable to tinkering and less opaque than modern black-box technology. Retrofuturism has two main viewpoints that it stems from either an optimistic viewpoint or

3311-458: The film. Genndy Tartakovsky said of the Samurai Jack movie in a 2012 interview with IGN : I've been trying so hard every year, and the one amazing thing about Jack is that I did it in 2001, you know, and it still survived. There's something about it that's connected with people. And I want it, it's number 1 on my list, and now Bob Osher, the president, is like 'Hey, let's talk about Jack. Let's see what we can do.' And I go, 'You're going to do

3388-433: The first episode of its fifth season airing on Adult Swim on March 11, 2017. Produced at Cartoon Network Studios and Williams Street with Tartakovsky as executive producer, the fifth and final season features more mature elements and a cohesive narrative that concludes Jack's journey. The story takes place fifty years after Jack was cast into the future. In despair from the years of fighting Aku and from Aku's destruction of

3465-448: The first type is inevitably influenced by the scientific, technological, and social awareness of the present, and modern retrofuturistic creations are never simply copies of their pre-1960 inspirations; rather, they are given a new (often wry or ironic) twist by being seen from a modern perspective. In the same way, futuristic retro owes much of its flavor to early science fiction (e.g. the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells ), and in

3542-485: The future as seen from the past and the past as seen from the future . The first trend, retrofuturism proper, is directly inspired by the imagined future which existed in the minds of writers, artists, and filmmakers in the pre-1960 period who attempted to predict the future, either in serious projections of existing technology (e.g. in magazines like Science and Invention ) or in science fiction novels and stories. Such futuristic visions are refurbished and updated for

3619-403: The future" clearly referencing "an interwar [progressive] Germany that never was but could've been, and now [due to their influence as a band] hopefully could happen again". Design historian Elizabeth Guffey has written that if Kraftwerk's machine imagery was lifted from Russian design motifs that were once considered futuristic, they also presented a "compelling, if somewhat chilling, vision of

3696-485: The grand prize was a trip for four to Japan. AOL subscribers were also offered sneak peeks of Samurai Jack as well as a look at samurai traditions, future toys, behind-the-scenes model sheets, and exclusive Cartoon Orbit cToons. Samurai Jack debuted on Cartoon Network on August 10, 2001, with the three-part special "The Beginning". As production of the fourth season was ending, with four seasons of 13 episodes each or 52 episodes of Samurai Jack in total, Tartakovsky, and

3773-634: The habitability of their home worlds. Criminals and fugitives of all kinds are very common on his Earth. Mythological and supernatural creatures make regular appearances and coexist among the technologically advanced inhabitants. Despite exponential levels of technological advancement, there are still uninhabited areas of the world. Those include forests, jungles, and mountains, which have remained largely untouched even as Aku began his conquest and reign over every sentient being. A few communities of intelligent creatures, like Shaolin monks, have also remained largely untouched in spite of Aku's reign. Samurai Jack

3850-560: The imagined artifacts of its parallel reality, retrofuturism can be seen as "an animating perspective on the world". The word retrofuturism is formed by the addition of the prefix "retro" from the Latin language, which gives the meaning of "backwards" to the word "future", a word also originating from Latin. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , an early use of the term appears in a Bloomingdales advertisement in

3927-515: The influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era. If futurism is sometimes called a "science" bent on anticipating what will come, retrofuturism is the remembering of that anticipation. Characterized by a blend of old-fashioned " retro styles " with futuristic technology, retrofuturism explores the themes of tension between past and future, and between the alienating and empowering effects of technology . Primarily reflected in artistic creations and modified technologies that realize

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4004-410: The last 20 years, fashion has reviewed the times of past, decade by decade, and what we are seeing now is a combination of different eras into one complete look. Future fashion is a style beyond anything we've yet dared to wear, and it's going to be a trend setter's paradise." Retrofuturism has appeared in some examples of postmodern architecture . To critics such as Niklas Maak, the term suggests that

4081-515: The lower end of the genre strongly mimic the pulp literature of the era (such as the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ), and films of the genre often reference the cinematic styles of film noir and German Expressionism . At times, the genre overlaps with the alternate history genre of a different World War II , such as with an Axis victory . Although loosely affiliated with early-twentieth century Futurism, retrofuturism draws from

4158-486: The nineteenth century, an early-twentieth-century 'golden age' that continued long into the 1960s' Space Age ". Retrofuturism is first and foremost based on modern but changing notions of "the future". As Guffey notes, retrofuturism is "a recent neologism ", but it "builds on futurists' fevered visions of space colonies with flying cars , robotic servants , and interstellar travel on display there; where futurists took their promise for granted, retro-futurism emerged as

4235-510: The nuances of philosophy and psychology are rarely explored in action fiction, typically being fast-paced mysteries that merely seek to provide the reader with an exhilarating experience. Action fiction can also be a plot element of non-literary works such as graphic novels and film. Action genre is a form of fiction whose subject matter is characterized by emphasis on exciting action sequences. This does not always mean they exclude character development or story-telling. The action genre

4312-407: The paintings of pop artist Kenny Scharf alike". Surveying the optimistic futurism of the early twentieth century, historians Joe Corn and Brian Horrigan remind us that retrofuturism is "a history of an idea, or a system of ideas—an ideology. The future, of course, does not exist except as an act of belief or imagination." Retrofuturism incorporates two overlapping trends which may be summarized as

4389-428: The past and undo the future that is Aku!" Aku's opening narration. Samurai Jack tells the story of an unnamed young prince (voiced by Phil LaMarr ) from a kingdom set in feudal Japan , whose father, the emperor of Japan (voiced by Sab Shimono as an elder man; Keone Young as a young emperor), was given a magical katana from three gods— Ra , Rama , and Odin —that he could and had used to defeat and imprison

4466-451: The path to your destiny'). Nonetheless, there is one highly unconventional aspect of the series which sets it apart from others—its willingness to go for extensive stretches in which there is no dialogue." The premiere received high praise and four award nominations, and was released as a standalone VHS and DVD on March 19, 2002. In 2004, British broadcaster Channel 4 ran a poll of the 100 greatest cartoons, in which Samurai Jack achieved

4543-520: The performance of these old song. Retrofuturistic clothing is a particular imagined vision of the clothing that might be worn in the distant future, typically found in science fiction and science fiction films of the 1940s onwards, but also in journalism and other popular culture. The garments envisioned have most commonly been either one-piece garments , skin-tight garments , or both, typically ending up looking like either overalls or leotards , often worn together with plastic boots. In many cases, there

4620-478: The present, and offer a nostalgic, counterfactual image of what the future might have been, but is not. The second trend is the inverse of the first: futuristic retro . It starts with the retro appeal of old styles of art, clothing, mores, and then grafts modern or futuristic technologies onto it, creating a mélange of past, present, and future elements. Steampunk , a term applying both to the retrojection of futuristic technology into an alternative Victorian age, and

4697-419: The remaining time portals, Jack—who has not aged as a side effect of the time travel—is haunted by warped visions of himself, his family, and an enigmatic, deathly warrior on horseback. Phil LaMarr reprises his role as Jack ; Greg Baldwin provides the voice of Aku. Mako , who voiced Aku in the show's first four seasons, died ten years before the revival was produced; however, an archive recording of his voice

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4774-457: The series was concluded, a board game adaptation covering all five seasons was released, titled Samurai Jack: Back to the Past . Players work together to complete tasks to help Jack return to the past while competing to earn honor for their actions. In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties. Samurai Jack was one of

4851-513: The series' "unique combination of cinematic and comic book styles appeals to all ages." IGN also ranked the show 43rd in its Top 100 Animated Series list in 2009, saying that its "simple and colorful art style lends itself well to the cinematic scope and frenetic action sequences that fill each episode." IGN' s review also stated that the series' "unique style and humor make the most out of the animation format, producing elaborate action sequences and bizarre situations that would be impossible to do in

4928-478: The story of Jack. Jack also appeared in multiple issues of DC Comics ' anthology comic series Cartoon Network Action Pack , which ran from May 10, 2006, to March 14, 2012. Like other previous Cartoon Network shows, Samurai Jack DVDs were released by Warner Home Video between 2002 and 2007. The DVDs include episode numbers in Roman numerals as they appear at the end of each episode but remain untitled. Season 1

5005-467: The success of the Cartoon Network." Cartoon Network billed it as a series "that is cinematic in scope and that incorporates action, humor, and intricate artistry." The basic premise of Samurai Jack comes from Tartakovsky's childhood fascination with samurai culture and the bushido code, as well as a recurring dream where he wandered a post-apocalyptic Earth with a samurai sword and traveled

5082-458: The supernatural shapeshifting demon Aku ( Mako , and later Greg Baldwin for Season 5). Eight years later Aku escaped, took over the land, and held the Emperor hostage, but not before the prince was sent away by his mother to travel so that he could train and return with the magic sword to defeat Aku. On his return, the prince-turned-samurai faced and almost defeated Aku, but before he could land

5159-518: The titles announced to be published. It was further announced at WonderCon 2013 that the first issue of Samurai Jack would debut in October 2013. The first comic in the series was released on October 23, 2013. The final issue came out in May 2015. On October 25, 2016, IDW re-released all of the issues in a compilation entitled "Tales of a Wandering Warrior". Tartakovsky does not consider the comics part of

5236-465: The wake of the Vietnam War , environmental degradations , and the energy crisis , many commentators began to question the benefits of applied science. But they also wondered, sometimes in awe, sometimes in confusion, at the scientific positivism evinced by earlier generations. Retrofuturism "seeped into academic and popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s", inflecting George Lucas 's Star Wars and

5313-839: The way back to his home ending up just out of his reach. Samurai Jack , originally airing for four seasons comprising thirteen episodes each, was broadcast from August 10, 2001, to September 25, 2004, without concluding the overarching story. The show was revived thirteen years later for a darker, more mature fifth season that provides a conclusion to Jack's story, with Williams Street assisting in production; it premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim as part of its Toonami programming block on March 11, 2017, and concluded with its final episode on May 20, 2017. Episodes were directed by Tartakovsky, often in collaboration with others. The series has garnered critical acclaim and won eight Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Animated Program , as well as six Annie Awards and an OIAF Award . It

5390-428: The world fighting mutants with his crush . The show is inspired by 1970s cinematography, as well as classic Hollywood films such as Ben-Hur , Lawrence of Arabia , and Spartacus . Thematic and visual inspirations come from Frank Miller 's comic book series Rōnin , including the premise of a master-less, nameless samurai warrior thrown into a dystopic future in order to battle a shapeshifting demon. Similarly,

5467-445: The world in which musical ecstasy is rendered cool, mechanical and precise." Kraftwerk's three retrofuturist albums are: From their 1981 album Computer World onwards, Kraftwerk have largely abandoned their retro notions and appear mainly futuristic only. The only references to their earlier retro style today appear in excerpts from their 1970s' promo clips that are projected in between more modern segments in their stage shows during

5544-696: Was The Airstream Futuropolis: The Tomorrow That Never Was. " Aspects of this form of retrofuturism can also be associated with the late 1970s and early 1980s the neo-Constructivist revival that emerged in art and design circles. Designers like David King in the UK and Paula Scher in the US imitated the cool, futuristic look of the Russian avant-garde in the years following the Russian Revolution. With three of their 1970s albums, German band Kraftwerk tapped into

5621-622: Was created by Genndy Tartakovsky as a follow-up to his successful series Dexter's Laboratory . Cartoon Network executive Mike Lazzo recalled Tartakovsky pitching him the series: "He said, 'Hey, remember David Carradine in Kung Fu ? Wasn't that cool?' and I was like, 'Yeah, that's really cool.' That was literally the pitch." Tartakovsky said of the pitch, "It could backfire. People could say, 'I don't get it. There's hardly any dialogue.' But to me that just makes it more compelling." Lazzo supported Tartakovsky's efforts, calling him "an architect of

5698-400: Was cyberpunk, originating in the early to mid-1980s in literature with the works of Bruce Bethke , William Gibson , Bruce Sterling , and Pat Cadigan . Its setting is almost always a dystopian future, with a strong emphasis either upon outlaws hacking the futuristic world's machinery (often computers and computer networks), or even upon post-apocalyptic settings. The post-apocalyptic variant

5775-421: Was no time to even think about it." A film intended to conclude the story of Samurai Jack had been in development at different times by four different studios. As early as 2002, Cartoon Network was producing a Samurai Jack live-action feature film, in association with New Line Cinema . Brett Ratner was hired as a director. Tartakovsky said in a 2006 interview that the live-action version of Samurai Jack

5852-426: Was released on Netflix streaming service in 2013. Samurai Jack: The Complete Series was released on Blu-ray and Digital HD on October 17, 2017, and contains remastered versions of the first four seasons of the series, courtesy of ACMEworks Digital Film, Inc. The series is also available on HBO Max since May 27, 2020. The Samurai Jack world has been seen in the video games Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time for

5929-438: Was thankfully abandoned, and that "we will finish the story, and there will be an animated film." Fred Seibert announced in 2007 that the newly formed Frederator Films was developing a Samurai Jack movie, which was planned to be in stereoscopic 2D with a budget of 20 million dollars. Seibert said in 2009 the film was being co-produced with J. J. Abrams ' Bad Robot Productions . Sony Pictures expressed its interest to make

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