A great mixture of hip-hop, samurai and "blaxploitation" rolled up in an outrageous anime that can only be topped off by having Samuel L. Jackson be the voiceover of the hero! An awesome almost sinful blend of cultures and genre that must be seen!
Afro Samurai: Nothing personal. It's just revenge.
I'm so glad this is listed on Flixster. This is an American produced anime, working with top notch talent from its original creators, voice casting, and soundtrack. I'm not big into anime, but I know what I like and I found this to be pretty kick ass.
Justice: It's unfortunate you had to see this, boy. This moment will always haunt you. Challenge me when you are ready to duel a god.
In the world in which this mini series exists, various skilled fighters wander the earth. The two most skilled have head bands to prove it, the #1 and the #2 head band. A former warrior serving as #1 was defeated by the #2 warrior Justice, voiced by Ron Perlman. The son of the former #1 now goes on a life long quest for revenge.
The boy grows up to be known as Afro Samurai, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson. He travels around wearing the #2 headband, challenged by many, seeking to get revenge.
Ninja Ninja: Add one more body to the body toll. May God rest this poor bastard's soul.
Also with him is a "friend" of sorts known as Ninja Ninja, also voiced by Jackson, serving as an inner monologue revealed.
There series is only five episodes long, and within that time Afro encounters a number of baddies including a religious clan known as The Empty Seven, a robotic clone, and a former friend also seeking justice.
Justice: Those headbands can make a man crazy.
The story is also filled with flashbacks of a younger Afro and his turn to the lonely side of being purely out for revenge, pushing away any form of friendship or happiness.
The series looks great. The animation is wonderfully bloody and draws from all kinds of sources including other anime, samurai films, and Shaw Brothers kung fu flicks. The stylized world in which these characters exist is all very well handled.
The action is also great. In particular, episode 3 clearly peeks as what this show was going for, combining all kinds of elements to go completely balls out in the action sequences and making it memorable, bloody, fun, and extremely entertaining.
Jackson is also perfect for this role. His beyond muted subtlety as Afro plays perfectly with his non-stop talking foil played by Ninja Ninja.
The soundtrack is another highlight. Provided by none other than the RZA, completely in his element here, the series is provided with a combination of epic scoring, great background beats, and choice hip hop songs recorded specifically for the series.
If there is any gripe, its that there could have been one more episode to fully flesh out the story's conclusion. However, the confirmation of a second series can hopefully make up for this.
This a greatly entertaining mini-anime series, casted very well, great looking, with a wonderful soundtrack.
Jinno: Been a long time, eh Afro Samurai? Afro Samurai: You will only die again, my friend. Jinno: Maybe or maybe we'll just tie this whole thing up. Afro Samurai: Alright, let's do this.
Great action, great storyline. Some of the battling got repetitive, it seems that at least 90% of the movie were battles that ended the same, but still a good watch
It's an interesting mix up world of ancient japan and modern guns and tech, where Samuel L. Jackson's Afro Samurai roams the land seeking out vengeance for his father's murder. It's a slick anime but as with most English voice-overs, the voice acting is way over the top.
MCT:July 3, 2008
MCT:April 19, 2008
MCT:April 13, 2008
