By Mizutaka Suhou, Original Story by Akira Kurosawa
Published by Del Rey
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

Based upon the movie Seven Samurai by the famous Akira Kurosawa, Samurai 7 is a sci-fi reimagining of the classic tale of a village beset by bandits and forced to hire samurai to defend them. And while it does share some similarities with the anime of the same name and the original movie, the manga is very much its own creature.

The story mirrors that of the movie very closely, eschewing several of the changes made for the anime while incorporating some unique twists of its own. Unfortunately, it might be this adherence to the original plot and formula of the movie that causes the manga to come across as an uneven and awkward read in several places. In some cases the alterations are minor, like Heihachi being depicted as a rather large and vaguely dim fellow, but some are major and really affect the theme, like Katsushiro not being an actual samurai. For one thing this immediately ruins the whole symbolism of the flag, not to mention the fact that it makes Kikuchiyo’s entire role a bit redundant. In the original movie, Kikuchiyo served as the bridge between the villagers and the samurai, able to shame both into action and understanding on more than one occasion. Katsushiro is clearly intended to fulfill that role in the manga, ranting about how samurai are supposed to be and how they’re supposed to act. On top of that, the relationship between the villagers and the samurai isn’t strained or tense at all. Even with the attempt at betrayal, an event included in the anime not present in the original movie, the villagers and samurai relationship comes off as amicable and friendly, making Kambei’s famous declaration at the end feel a bit awkward and false. Then again, I suppose that’s what happens when you uproot a story that relies heavily on the caste system of feudal Japan and transfer it to a hi-tech future world.

The artwork is clear and easy to follow with a vaguely cartoony vibe to it. Everyone looks unique and is easy to tell apart, ranging from the cyborg Kikichiyo, to the silent yet pretty Kyuzo, to the large and friendly Heihachi and even the key villagers. Sadly, the action sequences tend to be fast and heavily compressed with the large scale battle scenes often being depicted in the form of establishing shots. The sense of chaos and carnage that marked the battles of the movie and even parts of the anime is lost completely. It’s certainly serviceable and clean, but it’s far from flashy and there were no visual moments that really stuck in my head after reading. No panels or scenes that had me “oooing” or “ahhing.” There’s nothing inherently bad about it; it’s just not particularly amazing, either.

Frankly, Samurai 7 is middle of the road fare. Unlike the anime—which deviated heavily from the movie at times, carving out its own niche with original subplots and twists—the manga makes a weird attempt to reconcile the differences of the anime and the movie and combine the two into a functional story. Sadly, all it ends up doing is creating a coherent but bland and forgettable read.

Volumes one and two of Samurai 7 are available now.