It was a busy start to the year for me and I won’t lie as I found it hard for me to sit in front of a keyboard and push anything out. Getting that spark of creativity can be tough and it did lead to me to a longer than average absence though something has recently drawn me back, someone has returned and its made me want to write again, after his long absence Jack is back. That’s right people season 5 of Samurai Jack finally got its trailer and it looks epic.

For those of you who don’t know, Samurai Jack was a very unique cartoon. Samurai Jack follows an alternate timeline where a powerful demon called Aku has conquered ancient Japan then the world and from that much more. Jack is the son of the Emperor who was spirited away at a young age to learn to fight, train with the greatest warriors and he returns to free his people only to be tricked by Aku and sent thousands of years into the future, a future where he failed to defeat his mortal enemy. Upon arriving in this future he is nicknamed Jack and this title sticks with him thus the name of the show. As shows go this one is truly unique, combining gorgeous art with minimal dialogue and an epic narrative that just sucks the viewers in. Not only that but through this series I have come to appreciate the films of Kurosawa, books like Lone Wolf Cub, the children’s story of Momotarō, the Spartans and even a little something about rave culture. Beyond all that it’s a series about honour and how doing the right thing is often the hard thing. Jack and the Monks is a great example of inspiring yet minimalist writing.

This new series brings us a battered and beaten Jack, he has been pushed to his limits, he is a man who has gone above and beyond and after years of fighting he is part broken and struggling to push on. His inner fire is near burnt out and the noble man he was is now buried under a man who will stop at nothing to win. I cannot predict how this series will go but I imagine we will see him resolve to be the man he once was.

On the surface this new series looks the same as the original but beneath it lies a much darker tale. Jack is back and now he is wearing armour, using guns and you see this mighty warrior come face to face with death and it’s going to be a much darker series, showing off more violence than ever before. Unlike previous seasons to we will be treated to one cohesive longer running story. I really cannot wait to see this series because in all aspects it looks epic.