Samurai Jack season 5 episode 10 review

I loved how Aku took his time in deciding how to best kill Jack. Finally, he decides to use Ashi to kill him. That would've been a cruel fate as Jack loved Ashi. 

Before Aku can have Jack killed, Jack's friends come to save him. That was a very emotional moment. They most likely knew they were going to die but they tried rescuing him anyways. It was hard to watch Aku kill some of them. This episode did an astonishing job of building up tension and various emotions. If Jack doesn't travel back to the past, Aku will kill everyone. Jack tries his best to get Ashi back on his side. When he said "I love you!" out of desperation, that was powerful. The power of love was what finally helped Ashi regain control of herself. The soundtrack during this part of the episode made the scene more intense. 

Ashi realizes she has Aku's powers which means she can create a time portal to send him back to the past. The rematch between Jack and Aku was epic. Jack finally destroys Aku and rids the world of him forever.

The scene of his return to the past was amazing. I loved how beautiful the animation was especially during the wedding. The use of slow-motion in this scene was perfect. It made a dramatic transition from the awe and joy of marriage to shock and despair as Ashi slowly collapses. When she disappears and Jack cries, that was heartbreaking. 

Jack grieves presumably for a long time over her disappearance. Although Jack destroyed Aku and saved the world, Aku got the last laugh by taking away the woman he loved from him. He left a deep wound in Jack. When he sees a ladybug, he's reminded of the ladybug Ashi saw earlier in Samurai Jack season 5. This scene was a powerful ending. Jack realizes although Ashi is gone along with Aku, he can create a future of his own. What made it more powerful was the brand new soundtrack. The animation in the last scene was so amazing, especially the last shot of the mist dispersing as sunlight shined through. The shot of the cherry blossom tree was breathtaking. It resembled Ashi's head to me which meant she is still with him in his memories.      

Originally, I loved the ending but as I pondered more and more - I realized this was not a good ending. I disliked Ashi and Jack's relationship because it felt more like fan service than essential to the story. I understand what the writer was trying to do but it didn't work well. Ashi's purpose was to motivate Jack to return to the past which worked well. However, when he returned to the past - it felt like fan service and a forced ending. Jack spent so many years trying to get back to the past. He made so many friends in Aku's world and developed as a character. He learned valuable lessons in his journies like freeing himself from his rage and the meaning of friendship. 

For him to return to the past is to undo all of that. Its character development but backward. Losing Ashi after returning to the past was powerful but if Aku destroyed both Ashi AND his chance to return to the past - that would've been completely devastating. I feel like having Aku destroy Ashi and his chance to return to the past before Jack destroyed Aku would've been the best ending. It would've given a powerful theme that you can't change the past but you can change the future. Sadly, that's not the ending we got.

There are other flaws in Samurai Jack such as adult references and screentime devoted to Ashi's relationship with Jack. The humor was good but I felt it was mostly filler material. I really wished that screentime would've been devoted to things like the story rather than humor. Samurai Jack season 5 felt rushed compared to past seasons. 

In summary, Samurai Jack season 5 was an amazing season regardless. The show was near perfect. Samurai Jack is one of the best legendary animated TV shows in my view. I highly recommend buying season 5 on DVD!