I think Rick and Morty fans everywhere would agree that the wait for the back half of Season 4 has been slightly better than the long and arduous wait for the first half of Season 4, but that's kind of like saying having seven broken fingers is better than having eight broken fingers. It's still agonizing, and it only gets worse if you try to play piano. (Maybe that only works for the finger problem.) In any case, a new Rick and Morty short is here to save the day.
Specifically, it's another fantastic Rick and Morty anime, this time from filmmaker Kaichi Sato, along with another big name behind the scenes. But before we get into those details, take a ridiculously bloody dive into "Samurai & Shogun."
In the short, it appears that our hero Rick WTM-72 has kidnapped Shogun Morty from the Ninja Rick clan, and perhaps the most surprising thing about the entire short is that neither Rick nor Morty are as talkative as the normal versions are. Rick doesn't belch or say Wubba-lubba-dub-dub once! That is how it usually goes with these anime-inspired shorts, but it never gets old seeing these characters in non-traditional situations.
And what could be more non-traditional than cutting someone's face off of the front of their head?
Or turning a giant's head into a blood geyser?
If that doesn't make you hungry for strawberry syrup...that's probably normal, since having a craving for only strawberry syrup isn't necessarily a universal fixation. Perhaps for stoner vampires...
No vampires here, though. Just Rick, Morty and some talented anime producers and animators. One such producer is Maki Terashima-Furuta, who has worked on such projects as Kill Bill Vol. 1, B: The Beginning, Neo Yokio and FLCL, among many other projects. Plus, the short was produced in part by Studio DEEN, which has aided in animated projects such as Spirited Away, the original Akira and more.
Unfortunately, for as great as this video was, we still have no idea when Rick and Morty will be back with the rest of Season 4, though we're hoping the wait doesn't give anyone any splitting headaches like this guy is suffering from.
Samurai Rick would definitely need to wash his hands after all the decapitating and throat-slicing and head-splitting, so it's a good thing there's a fantastic Rick and Morty-inspired hand-washing tactic to use. (Made to use during the coronavirus pandemic, but still applicable for anime showdowns.)
Currently, Rick and Morty is available to stream on Hulu (Seasons 1-3) and Adult Swim's website. Stay tuned for updates on Season 4's continuation, as well as other TV and movie news.
