Back in December writer/director Kaichi Sato revealed to Otaku USA first that he was planning a sequel for his “Samurai & Shogun” Rick and Morty anime short. The time has come, as the sequel was released over the weekend.
Adult Swim gave this description for it:
“Witness the epic conclusion of Rick’s battle to save Morty in this Samurai and Shogun watch party, part of the Adult Swim Festival.
Paying homage to the classic tale Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Rick defends Shogun Morty against all comers. In part one, we learned that Rick WTM-72 is not to be underestimated. In the finale, his savagery knows no limit! Rick and Morty Samurai and Shogun part 2, directed by Kaichi Sato.”
The anime short was executive produced by Maki Terashima-Furuta of Production I.G. USA, with animation production done at DEEN digital.
Back in December, Sato told Otaku USA why he chose to pay homage to Lone Wolf and Cub in his Rick and Morty work:
“I suddenly had a flash of an idea that Rick and Morty’s base format of ‘an adult and a child duo going on wild and radical adventures’ was close to Lone Wolf and Cub and thought it would be interesting to mash them up. From there, I was given some time to draw a second draft and when I submitted it, I was given an OK in one shot.
In the first place, my late father was a huge fan of Lone Wolf and Cub, so I was quite familiar with the comic and video versions. (There was a father and son who thought my father sort of believed he was the Ogami Itto lol).
When I was a kid, I remember watching the movie version with my father and being shocked by the bloodshed and decapitation scenes, and so this time I felt like I was working on the production while conversing with myself from that time.”
Source: Adult Swim YouTube
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.