Samurai Gun Volume 1: Cocked and Loaded - Hero Realm
- Hero Realm
- Steve Fritz
- 08/05/05
- click here
This new series, created by the same people who brought you Initial D, again prove there's more than a passing similarity between the samurai film and the American western...just so long as you throw in the Wild Wild West into the mix.
Samurai Gun is set at the end of the Shogunate era of Japan. A secret organization of four vigilantes managed to get their hands on some rather advanced weaponry in order to combat the extremely corrupt Powers That Be, and by weaponry I don't mean Colt .45s. From the looks of things they pack what appears to be Magnums. If that isn't disconcerting enough, there's
also pump action shotguns, electric chairs, almost art deco-like steam engines, even a Western acoustic guitar.
And, of course, you have the solitary hero, half-Japanese/half-White no less, who shoots his way through evil ala Clint Eastwood. But that's cool. Really.
Fact is the mixture of Sanguro, James West and Man With No Name works truly well here. The creators took their time and made this a very believable mid-19th Century Japan even with the advanced, somewhat steampunk, tech. They do this by not dwelling too much on the characters and concentrating on the well-timed action sequences and plotting, giving us tight little 30-
minute operettas that include more than their share of bloodspray and other adult elements (so parents be warned).
In all, this looks like it's going to be one truly enjoyable four-part series. Be armed and ready for it.
Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 (Archive on Monday, September 05, 2005)