This week I’ll be looking at the last Scooby-Doo movie to feature Casey Kasem in the role of Shaggy. This is a movie with Samurai, Dragons, and Japanese School Girls.

Kasem originated the character and played him longer than anyone else. I don’t think there’s ever been a bad Shaggy, but Casey sits above all the other because he not only originated the character but he is the voice most associated with it. He isn’t my favorite, but I loved him as Shaggy. Having said that, he sounds so old in this movie, and the last few as well, that it was becoming distracting.

I don’t blame that on his age but on his health. That, by the way, is why he retired from the role and voice acting in general.  If he was still healthy I’m sure he would have been firing on all cylinders.

So who, you ask, is replacing Casey Kasem? We’ll get to that next week.

I should mention that Casey Kasem provides the Voice for Shaggy's father in Mystery Inc. So this isn't his last go around in the Scooby Universe. 

Let’s get to this week’s movie “Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword”.

This movie should have been better than it was. It’s set in Japan, has a real supernatural threat, and a lot of action. Instead, while I did enjoy it, I was left a little cold. Part of that was Casey Kasem. I know I keep harping on this, but he really did sound old and unwell. It took me out of the move every time he spoke. I couldn’t really enjoy the movie when I kept thinking about him and his sad end. 

This movie starts out in Japan, in a museum. We get a quick scene illustrating the difference between the newer and older generations. The museum curator Mr. Takagawa and the janitor Kenji, after that ‘generational gap’ scene, witness the resurrection of The Black Samurai. The Black Samurai, not a very Japanese name by the way, was an ancient and evil warrior.

How does the gang get involved in this one? Are they on vacation? Was Velma invited to a Science Conference?

No. Do you remember the live action Scooby-Doo movie? Well ever since then, maybe even before, Daphne has been a martial artist. I probably noted this before. Anyway, that has become a big part of her character. Which is good because aside from ‘pretty’, ‘rich’, and ‘fashion’ she didn’t have many defining characteristics. If only her martial arts prowess was more consistent.  In these movies she can go from scared victim to fierce fighter in a second.

Thanks to her, and I am being completely serious, world renowned fighting skills Daphne was invited to a Martial Art Tournament. That brings the gang to Japan. Now they just need to fall face first into the mystery. That happens at the tournament but I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

The gang is in Japan for the aforementioned tournament and are waiting at a famous statue for Daphne’s friend to arrive. The statue is of Hachikō a famous dog. You can read the story here. Have tissues ready.  Miyumi, Daphne’s friend, arrives and begins to spout exposition. I love when that happens.

The tournament, which is taking place at a very prestigious school, is run by Miss Morimoto. Miyumi leads the gang onto a robotic plane, owned by Miss Morimoto, and they set off.

When they land it’s right to the action. Daphne faces and defeats Sojo, Miss Morimoto’s body guard, and then faces Miyumi. Daphne doesn’t win the second fight but Miss Morimoto is impressed.  The second fight, by the way, is a big a red flag. If you don’t get from that scene that Miyumi is going to betray the gang and then later help them you must have blinked. Because that shit is written in bold letters with a strawberry scented marker.

I want to take a moment here to talk about this tournament. This is definitely a homage to Enter the Dragon. The way these scenes are drawn and laid out, it’s impossible for it not to be. And why wouldn’t it be? That has to be the most famous martial arts tournament in cinematic history.

Back to the story. Did I mention that Mr. Takagawa was at the tournament. Well he is. How else is the gang going to be able to meddle? Takagawa is there to warn Morimoto about the Black Samurai. Apparently the Samurai is after something called the ‘Destiny Scroll’. Why this school would have something like that is a mystery. Unless you aren’t stupid. 

Miss Morimoto is the bad guy here. Normally I save the reveal until the end but it was super fucking obvious this time. Even the fake out didn’t work. Normally there’s a shadow of doubt about who the culprit is. A very faint shadow mind you but it’s still there. Not here.

Let’s just continue on as if we don’t know that Morimoto is the bad guy. It’s easier that way. Even though we do because it’s so apparent.

That night the Black Samurai attacks. We get a really cool action scene which ends with the Black Samurai stealing the scroll.

Only, wait for it, it was a fake. Miss Morimoto was ready in case the Black (I keep almost typing the word Knight, I can’t help it.) Samurai showed up. That Miss Morimoto is a sharp one. I’m glad she’s on our side.

After we learn that the scroll the Black Samurai took was a fake we get a history lessen from Takagawa. He tells the gang the legend of the Black Samurai. It’s a doozy. I mean that in a good way. This flash back sequence (Is it a flash back if it’s not someone’s memories?)  is one of the high points of this movie.

Here’s the story of the Black Samurai. You got a dude, the Black Samurai (At this point he was just a Samurai), and he goes to another dude named Masamune (a real guy by the way) and asks him to make a sword. Masamune tells him it’ll take a year. Then Masamune’s dickbag apprentice Muramasa tells the Samurai he can make a sword in half the time. The Samurai agrees. When he receives the weapon he is tainted by the dickness. And thus the Black Samurai was born, but the story doesn’t stop there.

Masamune continued to make his sword. Now that the Black Samurai had the Sword of Doom Masamune gave his sword, the Sword of Fate, to the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon is an actual dragon. This movie has a Dragon fighting and evil Samurai with a sword. I told you this ‘flashback’ was the best part of the movie.

Anyway, the Green Dragon fought the Black Samurai and won. The Black Samurai was imprisoned in the Sword of Doom and then the Dragon hid the sword.  He hid the secret to it’s whereabouts in a riddle. I don’t why he did this but who can ever understand the mind of a Dragon? That riddle is contained in the  Scroll of Destiny.

With that exposition bomb detonated we return to the story at hand.

We have a mystery and a riddle. We also have a Velma. Guess what? She solves that shit. Miss Morimoto sends the gang, Miyumi, and Takagawa to find it. This doesn’t take long. Soon the gang is on an island in the Pacific Ocean. After dealing with an indigenous tribe they are attacked by the Black Samurai. He is unmasked and revealed to be Tojo. What can that mean?

The gang captures Tojo and retrieves the sword. They head back to see Miss Morimoto.  Then, shock of shockers, Miss Morimoto and Mayumi turn on the gang. Can you believe that?

Miss Morimoto reveals her evil plan to the gang. First, she did not invite Daphne to the tournament based on her skills as a fighter. No, she used that as a ruse to lure the gang to Japan so that they could find the sword. Second, she plans on using the Black Samurai to return Japan to it’s feudal past.

Oh shit, I forgot to mention the Ninja Army! There was a ninja army. They are actually robots programmed with the fighting styles of her students and Daphne. That is all.

Back to the story.  Miss Morimoto locks the gang and Takagawa in the museum but not before Daphne kicks the sword out of her hand. Scooby and Shaggy end up with it and it’s time for a chase scene and a quick wrap up. Ready?

Scooby and Shaggy escape but are being chased by the robot ninjas, wait, Robot Ninjas. Those words need to be capitalized when used together. The two take refuge in a Sushi shop owned by Matsuhiro, who turns out to be Samurai. The Ninja Robots show up and get the sword.

Matsuhiro, who knows the legend, trains the two in the way of the Samurai. He even instructs them on how to meet the Green Dragon and find the Sword of fate. When they do the Dragon enters the sword and then teleports the two, now fully trained and armed Samurai, back to the museum.

As for the gang, they escape thanks to Kenji. Remember him from the beginning of the movie? This by the way is when Miyumi turns on Miss Morimoto and joins the good guys.

As all of that was happening (How long do you think Scooby and Shaggy trained for, like 15 minutes?) Miss Morimoto tried to assert control over the Black Samurai. That didn’t go her way.  She got backslapped into a wall.

Scooby and Shaggy show up riding the Green Dragon, that is a cool visual. There’s a big fight and Scooby and Shaggy come out on top, freeing the spirit of the Samurai and again showing they are the true heroes of this series.

The movie ends with the gang going to the museum and see a statue of Scooby that was erected in his honor. Shaggy didn’t get a statue. That is bullshit. He did just as much as Scooby.

What about Miss Morimoto and Sojo? We don’t know. I assume they are both dead.

This movie, I really should have liked this movie more than I did. I didn’t hate it not at all, but this should be one of my favorites. It has everything. I didn’t even mention the cool secondary characters that take part in the tournament like Mad Dog Masimoto.

The cast is great including Kelly Hu as Miss Morimoto and Miyumi, Sab Shimono as Takagawa,  and George Takei as the spirit of the Samurai. The animation is really good in this one. The action scenes are fluid and crisp.  The story, aside from the obvious bad guys, is OK.

Still it just was a little flat. I don’t know what it is. I think maybe it was just a bit forced. Like someone said “Hey you know what? Let’s do a Scooby movie in Japan!” and someone else said “With Robots, Ninjas, Samurai, Dragons, Swords, and Martial Arts Tournament!”. Then the two of them shook hands and did a line of coke.

Still not the worst of these movies, not even close to it.

6 out of 10

That's it for this week. Next week I'll take a look at the first Scooby movie since "Scooby-Doo! And the Legend of the Vampire" to not star Casey Kasem. See you then.