Samurai Jack (2001-2004)

I used to watch this show when it was first out, and enjoyed it then. I have since revisited it with my boys, who love it, too. Ultimately an action series, with the fights between Jack and various adversaries as the centerpiece, the show is a very satisfying exercise in cinematic style and retro animation that leads you along pleasantly. The attention to details is marvelous, even with the comparatively simply drawn animated cells -- it's kind of reminiscent to me of games that are scaled down to liquid crystal or ASCII formats, or Lego stop-motion renderings of movie scenes, shot for shot -- there is this wonderful attention to detail in the episodes, despite the seemingly low-tech animated canvas. The action sequences are alternately beautiful, poignant, thrilling, bracing, and often unforgettable. They can be watched over and over again. And the late Mako's delightful voiceover work as Aku, the prime nemesis of Jack (voiced by Phil LaMarr, when Jack talks at all), anchors it so well. If you haven't seen this series, and you enjoy animation, you would do well to watch it, because few animated series have ever been as bold in execution as "Samurai Jack." The animators have the patience to let scenes carry themselves, to linger on frames, all sorts of things in a style that hearkens back to artier movies of the 70s. Never frenetic, "Samurai Jack" is a very, very satisfying series, well worth anybody's time.