"To suffer is our lot in life, Gorobei."
Media
If you value anything that's cool at all, you will do yourself a favor and check out Samurai 7.
In a nutshell, Samurai 7 is an anime re-telling of The Seven Samurai, set in a high-tech yet steampunkish world where the bandits are full borgs - and not human looking, either. Their bodies are huge battle drones. Kikuchiyo is a steam-powered robot samurai... but is every bit the swaggering braggart who desparately wants to be a real samurai as Toshiro Mifune's. Gorobei is every bit as unsure of himself. Kyuzo is... well... Kyuzo. From what I've seen thusfar - the first four episodes - the Gonzo crew (who gave you Gankutsuou, Burst Angel, Last Exile, etc) has taken some real pains to make the series match the feel of Kurosawa's movies. While it should it no way be mistaken for being the same, they have a lot of respect for the original. Do yourself a favor and watch it.
In addition, I expected the soundtrack to be very modern in terms of arrangement and composition. What it is instead is almost 100% traditional, sounding straight out of a black and white samurai flick like Harakiri. It's extremely well-composed, and the only semi-jarring moments are not jarring so much as unexpected (a bridge that uses a flute in one spot, and use of what sounds like an Erhu - chinese bowed, stringed instrument - but might be some other brand of chinese bowed instrument). Expect the soundtrack to make a heavy showing in the current Legend of the 5 Rings game. A samurai RPG needs a samurai soundtrack, dammit.
For your pleasure, the music of Samurai 7. Pay special attention to 'Kiru', which is making me ponder the upcoming assault by Daidoji forces on Lord Hosokawa's fortifications.
If you value anything that's cool at all, you will do yourself a favor and check out Samurai 7.
In a nutshell, Samurai 7 is an anime re-telling of The Seven Samurai, set in a high-tech yet steampunkish world where the bandits are full borgs - and not human looking, either. Their bodies are huge battle drones. Kikuchiyo is a steam-powered robot samurai... but is every bit the swaggering braggart who desparately wants to be a real samurai as Toshiro Mifune's. Gorobei is every bit as unsure of himself. Kyuzo is... well... Kyuzo. From what I've seen thusfar - the first four episodes - the Gonzo crew (who gave you Gankutsuou, Burst Angel, Last Exile, etc) has taken some real pains to make the series match the feel of Kurosawa's movies. While it should it no way be mistaken for being the same, they have a lot of respect for the original. Do yourself a favor and watch it.
In addition, I expected the soundtrack to be very modern in terms of arrangement and composition. What it is instead is almost 100% traditional, sounding straight out of a black and white samurai flick like Harakiri. It's extremely well-composed, and the only semi-jarring moments are not jarring so much as unexpected (a bridge that uses a flute in one spot, and use of what sounds like an Erhu - chinese bowed, stringed instrument - but might be some other brand of chinese bowed instrument). Expect the soundtrack to make a heavy showing in the current Legend of the 5 Rings game. A samurai RPG needs a samurai soundtrack, dammit.
For your pleasure, the music of Samurai 7. Pay special attention to 'Kiru', which is making me ponder the upcoming assault by Daidoji forces on Lord Hosokawa's fortifications.