Afro Samurai

I watched this series on Spike TV and i must insist this is one of the best dubbed animes i have ever watched!

The voice over cast list start off with Samuel L Jackson (pulp fiction, Starwars) and Kelly Hu (X2: Xmen United) two A list actors very famous for their action movies. And their voices get put through the test as they use their voices for multiple characters in the series. And the voices they portray are very believable in my opinion.

As in terms of animation value, one only needs too look at their hair and their tattered clothing flowing in the wind ... just like in a classic samurai showdown of the old days. Everything is very artistic and not to mention VERY gory (which is a plus for me).

As expected of a 5 episode series, the story is not very detailed on character backgrounds and side stories except the main character (their website more than explains each character). But, they do throw you in the mix right away. The main character "afro samurai" is the second samurai in the world. And he is on a mission to become the number one samurai in the world. And thats where the story starts, his journey to his headquarters.

the verdict? For those who want a quick pick me up action anime that you can finish in one sitting, by all means pick this up! but if youre looking for a super long anime, youre looking in the wrong place.

When I started watching this anime, I wanted to hear the voices in japanese, thing that I never managed to, because I therefore learned that this anime was an American answer to Japan.... And I'll tell you what, they were very successful, one of the best dubbed anime I ever heard.

They managed to fit everything like the art... I mean look at the details of the characters' drawings, their particular portraits, the dark "aura" they managed to bring from this dark world and look at cool gore scenes! A nice fitting music, enjoyable action moments and all in 5 episodes. What about Samuel Jackson's voice ... coming from Ninja's mouth? It is just... Awesome!!

So basically, the story goes around a futuristic feudal Japan where there are two headbands: Headband no.1 and Headband no.2. The fighter who holds the No.1 is considered god-like, the best of the best and can only be challenged by the one who holds the No.2 one. However, everyone, but literally everyone, can challenge the No.2 holder for the headband, meaning lots of trouble for that guy. Afro's father was the No.1 holder and died against a character named "Justice". Seeking revenge, Afro got the No.2 headband and is now heading to where "Justice" is waiting for him.

He goes on as some people try to stop and kill him to get the No.2 title and at the same time we learn about Afro's past as he was training to be a great samurai. The fighting scenes are very enjoyable and the story is very simple but it is the typical good samurai revenge story. However, the characters are not that much deeply explored and explained, unlike Afro, but I personally think that it's not necessary in this case.

A nice 5-episode anime to watch in a row. Everything it needs to be an awesome samurai-way entertainment. And the final scene... It just gave me chills! :P

"It's nothing personal... It's just revenge" ~ Afro

I think some of the reviewers missed the point of this anime.

It's not trying to be thoughtful and original. It's not trying to be a masterpiece.

Rather, it's a typical samurai-looking-to-avenge-his-father story, the only difference being that here our protagonist is black, and enjoys an icy glass of lemonade. The series does manage to succeed with its characters; while they're mostly cliches, they're also humorous and light-hearted enough that one enjoys their presence.

But ultimately, this series is all about the action.

And in that capacity, this anime succeeds; the fights between Afro and his enemies are visually stunning and well-choreographed. The movements are original, the enemies are ... bizarre and detailed, and motion feels very fluid.

As with "Snakes on a Plane", the title tells you all that you need to know; "Afro Samurai" is a fun, entertaining series, which is all it ever strove to be.

I'm gonna go out ahead and say that most people should watch Afro Samurai at least once, or give the first episode a chance.

Story: The story is pretty flat, but at it's heart it follows the traditional revenge story. Samurai blaxploitation revenge even. Not at all uncommon for anime. However, this anime is genre wise ALLl over the place. The main antagonist Afro seems to be pursuing through the anime is a gunslinger, so you think a bit of a samurai spaghetti western for a moment ( think Sukiyaki Western Django ), but then he's totally fighting cyborgs. Now, you ask yourself what the hell ... just happened, but that's the thing it does it really well and fits into the Afro Samurai universe by itself that you really pay no mind.

Art: For a nation that hasn't exactly been known for it's positive portrayal of people of color ( and use of black face among other things ), I honestly think the creator got Afro right for this. I have no complaints about the animation. It flows beautifully. I don't think I could like the anime nearly as much if the art wasn't as good as it is.

Sound: The sound is very good in Afro Samurai also. The wind blowing scenes do very well, as you can hear their clothes blowing smoothly, not choppy crappy sound effects you get in a lot of anime or recycled sound effects used in some movies. The music is done by RZA, and if the name isn't familiar then you're probably not familiar with the Wu-Tang Clan. The soundtrack is dare I say it...and I think I do, "dope". It is amazing, it is a mixture of not only hip hop but some rock for some tunes. Not to mention the voice acting. Samuel L. Jackson is the icing on the cake for the voice. I could listen to this man's lines over and over again. "DO THEY SPEAK ENGLISH IN WHAT!?!"

Character: Afro is pretty flat. He only has one objective: "Get the headband."
I'm honestly not sure what compelled me to like Afro, by all means he's kind of boring minus his awesome blade skills. The other characters aren't really developed upon much, but toward the end of the series we see a lot more into Afro's thoughts through flashbacks. However, Afro himself remains stoic, even though his previous incarnation was quite animated. Due to the events we witness through flashbacks, it's safe to assume when we find Afro now he's sealed himself off. He doesn't grow through out the series visibly, I'd say he's not very round at all.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this anime. There are good animes ( that win awards ), and there are AWESOME animes. The difference is, awesome animes aren't always good or thought provoking, and good animes are not always awesome ( think A Whisper of the Heart, good anime, but not awesome ). If you're the kind of person who watches movies lots of action movies and frequently says "There weren't enough explosions." chances are you'll like Afro Samurai for it's awesome factor.

Overall. I give it an 8.

I picked this anime up one night while just walking through the anime section. I had heard it was pretty good so i wanted to check it out. To my surprise I noticed that the series was only five episodes long. They do in fact just through you into the story without a lot of backstory on any of the characters except for Afro Samurai.

Story: The story was short, but it got straight to the point. Their are two rankings of Samurai in the world, The Number One, and The Number Two. The whole series is really about Afro Samurai, being the Number Two ... samurai trying to become The Number One and Avenging his father who was killed for the number one spot. I liked the story because as it does follow the traditional style of anime, it is different in it's own right.

Art: I found the animation to be really good, but that's just in my opinion. I thought the detail of everything in the settings was animated very well, and the characters themselves as well. The gore is brought out the best way it could be without being excessive.

Sounds: The music for this anime was different being more of a rap song, with a sweet beat. It's not something you would expect in a normal anime, but compliments this show very well, and the music throughout is also very good.

Overall I would give Afro Samurai an 8, because it was very good even thought it was only five episodes, it had the copasity to be so much longer, probably even as long as a traditional anime being 25 to 50 episodes. It's a good anime that I myself would recommend to others that are looking for a action filled anime that they can watch in one sitting.

Thanks for reading, and this is my first review!! ^_^

I'm the rare reviewer that gives this movie 10's across the board and some of it is due to the fact that this series opened the door to the world of anime for me.
Story-If you like revenge stories this is a great series for you. The bandana storyline is also pretty clever.
Art- I know people that didn't like the way this was drawn, but I loved it.
Sound-Original soundtrack by RZA
Characters-Samuel L. Jackson in a duel role-'nuff said
Enjoyment-If you don't mind alot of blood you'll love it

Afro Samurai is an example of blaxploitation in anime working gallantly. We follow a revenge-driven man simply called Afro, learning more about him through flash-backs, as he strives to be the number one swordsman.

There are several things that sets this apart from typical blaxploitation titles. Most of it for the better. Firstly, it has high-quality animation that makes it look like it had a far higher budget than most titles in its genre. Its main characters are fleshed out to a greater degree than I had expected. In addition, it barely even touches upon racial stereotypes and ethnic differences. Why I think this all ... works, is that now it stands out with amazing stylized art, more relatable main characters, and conflicts that are more personal to them, rather than just racist villains who'd want to fight Afro because he's black and nothing else.

While Afro by all accounts is fleshed out in his backstory, he also suffers from being a silent protagonist. This makes Afro less interesting to watch by himself, but it fixes this problem by making his interactions with the world around him all the more contrasting and entertaining, especially with his ninja counter-part.

While I do love battle royales and tournament-anime, Afro Samurai is a gauntlet-story, where the journey mainly consists of going through one minor villain after another in order to get to the boss at the top, video-game-logic. It falls into the same trappings as most other stories of its kind, which would be several villains that are just 1-dimensional throw-aways, and a very linear journey with no particular twists. Despite not usually being a fan of the format I think it did the best it could with its plot in how it told it.

A simple plot with good music, visuals, and entertaining characters.

I was actually kind of reluctuant to watch Afro Samurai. There was no reason why, but I\'m glad I watched it.

The plot is pretty much about a man seeking revenge for a samurai killing his father. In a way, the plot isn\'t that original, but with the voice talents of samuel L jackson, it brings a little comedy into the "seriousness" of the plot.

The animation I would say is quite good, not outstanding, but not too bad. Alot of samurai action, which I would say is the main point.

The fact that it\'s 5 episodes is really a plus, because this kind of plot couldn\'t ... go on forever. So.. really, if you want to watch something short and sweet, and isn\'t drawn out, give it a go.

ive read an article in the past that samuel l jackson will voice a character named afro samurai. it made me curious because i just dont like english dubbed anime it sounds icky to my ears.

so here is my review

story: i liked the story of the show very classic samurai elements and all. with the mix of new technology elements. and a setting of a world of killing and chaos made me want to watch more.

art: very superb art and the detail is marvelous. the movement of the characters was art itself. the art has a gory element on it so it gives ... a little plus for me.

sound: the opening song was nice but not good enough for me they couldve made a better track.

character: i just loved how ninja and afro talked about stuff and the like. really made me watch more because of their chemistry.

enjoyment: i had fun to watch this its like a moving canvass. plus the way that ninja talked was tight.

overall: if you wanna watch some all out samurai action. watch this one it wont disappoint.

but there is one dissapointment for me i wished that they made this into a movie. not a 5 part anime so that the viewers could grasp the story even better.

Here's the thing about Afro Samurai - it's not a complicated tale, the characters are not really very deep, nor do they really grow very much, the plot is terribly predictable and it is filled with all the tropes. But, seriously, who the hell cares? Because you're not supposed to watch this anime with a desire to see a complex plot, novel storytelling or deep characterisation.

What you're supposed to expect when you decide to watch this series, is Samuel Jackson being a bad ass mother f*ck!ng samurai on a 5-episode-long quest for pure, bloody, decapitating revenge against the gloriously awesome Ron Pearlman. And that's ... exactly what it is.

The art is done in quite monotone and muted colour, with the exception of the bright red gushes of blood drenching almost every scene. It makes for a visual treat.

The presence of modern technology in places throws you for a loop at first, and I didn't quite get used to it, considering the environment the characters are in, but it's all part of what makes this show cool.

And then there's RZA... is there anyone better out there to make a hip-hop soundtrack to a Samurai-bent-on-revenge-themed piece of visual media? I didn't think so.

Afro Samurai is an excellent piece of bad-assery and entertainment. Don't go looking for more than Samuel Jackson just being his cool self and you'll be completely satisfied, you dig?

The instant I heard the title "Afro Samurai" I knew I had to see this series, and the fact that Samuel L. Jackson plays the main character only raised my expectations. My expectations were met.
To start (extremely) positive the animation is pristene and the direction of battle is executed exceptionally well with the animation style. Granted it the cliche blood physics are kept, but it is used to great effect during both battle and character development.
My one criticism of the story is the not so original main character motivation of revenge and the reason for it. However, the character, or rather ... characters, formed from this origin is far from predictable. As well as the underlying plot is not very imaginitive but what is seen on the surface is pure gold.
The main character(s) is pretty much unbeatable: silent type, vengance driven, efficient killing machine samurai played by Samuel L. Jackson with an afro (black), and a loud mouth, weed smoking, counterpart also played by Samuel L.Jackson with an opposite afro (white). The villains are very unique and give new meanings to: never-ending supply, creepy, robotic ninjas, gunslayer, and insane teddy bears. Their motivation is not unique i.e revenge or power but still the story behind the explained is rather moving.
One more, and final criticism I make, is sound during battle. I don't know why but I prefer to be able to tell which sound goes to what action to the extents that I think I'm supposed to. Yet, with this the awesome sound track as well as fast paced cool fighting sequences threw me off a bit.
It's fair to say I really enjoy watching this series, because I do and I watch each action and blood filled episode with a feeling of great anticipation.

Created by Takashi Okazaki, this title will be a legend in its time & for times to come. Okazaki, being from Japan, did what traditional creators HAD NOT... this was not about Samuel Jackson, Kelly Hu, & Ron Pearlman being the huge voice overs that people took to. This is a story that crosses boundaries on a much larger scale.

This is a story of "good vs. evil" told in the culture of the Japanese, placed in a future, post apocalyptic era in a multi-cultured society as we live in today. The music combined with the mixed Far East/Western scene combinations ... sets "Afro Samurai" in a place where no other creator has dared to go. Not only did "Afro Samurai" catch up with the times of our society in its visual & musical aspects, but it bridged the gap of Eastern & Western societies.

Its story is a "straight-to-the-point", "pay-attention" story; no fluff added - but it keeps your attention & makes you want more. Its 5 episodes are packed with action and a deep underlined story; anymore development would have taken away from the intensity of the story.

This is NOT your typical anime; it is the "Akira" of THIS millennium. Like all anime, it is meant to bring entertainment, but it is like fashion where it makes a statement. "Akira" made a statement in 1987 & has grown to be a classic of its kind. "Afro Samurai" made a statement in 2006 & it already has its place amongst the classics.

Hello and Welcome to TheMediaHoundsShow, I'm Andrew and today we are going to finally start the first Anime Review of the channel!!

Although first things are first, this video will contain Spoilers. If you don't want this show to be spoiled on you, leave the video... Also I want to point out that this Anime is rated 18+ as there is a gore and some adult themes within the Anime, so anyone under 18 you have been warned.

The Anime that we will be reviewing today is none other than "Afro Samurai!". A heavily Action, based Anime with a lot of sword fighting and violence.
The Manga Artist ... behind the Dōjinshi "Afro Samurai!" series was Takashi Okazaki!

The Company that made the Anime are Studio Gonzo. Studio Gonzo is a Japanese animation Studio that was owned by its corporate parent the GDH Group. Studio Gonzo are also well known for releasing other Anime's such as "Rosario & Vampire!" and "Gantz!"

As well as many Anime's, they also released many Video Games such as "Street Fighter VI!", "BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger!" and "BlazBlue: Continuum Shift!"
In the late of 2008 - 2009, the Studio Gonzo eventually got overcome by financial problems and stated its deficit was estimated over 30 million dollars. That's Quite a lot!!

Only having 5 episodes in the Anime series Studio Gonzo tells the Story of a Samurai with an Afro played by Samuel L Jackson.
On the dark path of swordsmanship in a "Futuristic" yet Feudal Japan, it is said that the one who becomes No.1 will rule the world. But the only rule in this world is that only the No. 2 is allowed to fight the No. 1. The No. 2, the Afro Samurai, travels the road looking for revenge on the man who murdered his father in front of him when he was just a boy, a three-armed gunman who is the lord of the dark swordsman's road and the current No. 1.

Afro Samurai was a Self-funded Dōjinshi, brought out 1999, releasing 10 chapters within 2 volumes. The Anime follows the Manga series somewhat but ends before the Manga. The Manga's story continues on.

The Main characters to this Anime are "Afro The Afro Samurai" and "Ninja-Ninja!" Played by none other than the legend that is Samuel L Jackson.
Other Characters in the series are "Kuma/Jinno!" his sister "Sio!" who only appeared in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection!" & "Rokutaro!" The father of Afro!
The antagonists in this series are "Brother 1, Brother 2, Brother 3, Brother 4, Brother 5 & Brother 6!" and The main antagonist "Justice!"

My Favorite Characters to this Anime series was Afro and Ninja-Ninja both played by Samuel L Jackson. I loved how different these two characters were from each other and yet they worked well together. Ninja-Ninja had his sadistic moments, with his clever unique jokes whereas Afro was calm, cool, cruel and collective letting things pass by without phasing him.

The soundtrack to this Anime is very unique; The album was produced by RZA of the Wu Tang Clan, and features big names such as Big Daddy Kane, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, and GZA.

In my opinion the Anime was excellent, it had a great story and the action really draws you in and engrosses you in it. There is plenty of Action, Blood, Comedy, Fighting & Violence in the Anime from people being cut up til Ninja-Ninja and his hilarious endeavours.

The only problems that I found with the Anime, was that there wasn't enough episodes to really get into it, it tried really hard to convey so many hidden messages throughout the series such as "violence only creates more violence", but then maybe I am being to critical as this message is easily overlooked.
There was also a Video Game brought out based on the Afro Samurai Anime, with a slight retelling brought out on the Xbox 360 and PS3. It was developed by Namco Bandai Games.

The Anime had a good OST but the Video Game OST was by far better and stranger...

I rate this Anime 4/5, it was a great Anime, had an amazing dark twisted story, amazing soundtrack, the main characters are awesome, good voice acting and what I felt let it down slightly was because it was so short, if they had of made it maybe 12 episodes rather than 5 they might of been able to build up the characters better.

I highly recommend this Anime to anyone who is interested in dark stories, Samurai's and action filled Anime's! Overall though, I enjoyed the show, and recommend it for any fans of action flicks.
Well guys, that's it for this Anime Review, hope you liked it.

Feel free to leave a Comment, like the video or Subscribe to our channel, this has been Andrew from TheMediaHoundsShow Stay Tuned
Don't forget to check us out on our Facebook page, Twitter Account, Google+ and Deviant Art. Links are in the description. Anyway Later!

This is an out of the ordinary Samurai anime with an interesting twist to it. Not only is the main Samurai character black in race but we are presented with a twisted alternate universe of Japan.

As far as story line goes there isn't much, partly because of the series only lasting 5 episodes but also that it wasn't developed that much either. The plot line of why things are the way they are in this twisted universe is not explained, we're given a VERY brief reason to why and it doesn't make much sense aside from 'everyone wants to kill everyone'. Sadly to say the ... story can be summed up in one line and that is "All warriors want to be Number One". With all its flaws and open holes in the story, it still remains interesting because there has been nothing else quite like it. Seriously, when is the next time you'll see a animation about a Black Samurai with a rippin' Afro kicking some serious butt? Probably not for a looooong time.

The art style can well referenced to being very similar -if not the same as- to the art used in Todd McFarlane's "Spawn" the TV series. It can be described as a very flowing but detailed art style with often a dark tone to it. The attention put into the finer details in the art form to make the action really come to life and defining the scene, it gives a surreal feel to the series. I particularly like this art style for its detail alone but the dark overtones really sets off really dark series like this one very well.

The characters in this series are movie motion perfect for an action series and fit greatly into their roles but something is lacking. We learn very little to nothing about the characters in the series and what we are given we have to use our own imagination to fill in, which isn't too bad I guess (again, if it was more than 5 episodes I'm sure there would have been more). Artistically the characters are well formed but they lack strong vocal characterization. What I mean to say is that most of the characters and dialogs sound as if a poor designed robot is try to articulate emotions it knows nothing about. More work could have been put in.

Overall? This is a series that should be watched just for being what it is, a super-awesome-bad-ass-black-samurai-adventure. Not the greatest animation out there but like I said before, when else are you going to run into something this different.

Want a very stylized, mindless hack-and-slash gorefest of an anime? Look no further than Spike TV and their 2007 production of Afro Samurai.

This anime is a mixed bag depending on how you approach it (as can be seen just by briefly looking through the reviews on here). If you are seeking a deep story and complex characters, this anime is going to disappoint you royally. However, if you are looking for an action-packed product to get the man juices flowing, Afro Samurai will look like the best piece of animation you have ever witnessed.

As stated, the story is about as basic as ... it gets: Boy's father is killed, boy vows revenge, boy trains up, boy kills his way to his father's murderer....you get the drift. As it is only a five-episode miniseries, you can't expect much in the form of deep subplots or a vast network of strongly developed characters (though that is not to say that this franchise doesn't have its own collection of lore to read into). The timeline of the story very flatley sees Afro cut down a challenge and proceed to the next opponent (usually stronger and more intimidating in scale than the last) until he ultimately reaches his "final boss on the top floor".

The animation and art is where this show really shines. It is extremely fluid and the darker tones of the anime really come out in its shading and dreary hues. As it was made for an American audience first and foremost, it is a very "western" piece of Japanese animation, causing it to be quite unique in the library. The piece definitely stands out in comparison to most other family members of the typical action anime genre.

This show is exclusively in Dub and with its voice cast roster, it is clear why. It features many dynamic actors who bring their chops to the table in all the right ways. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard 3) stars as Afro Samurai and his internal voice Ninja Ninja, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) provides the voice of the series' main antagonist Justice, and the likes of Kelly Hu (X2), Terrence C. Carson (God of War), Tara Strong, James Arnold Taylor, Grey DeLisle, and Steve Blum provide various supporting roles throughout the series along the way (large and small).

The characters of the series, though simple, are pretty solid and serve their purpose well. Afro Samurai himself is obviously the most developed character and receives the lion's share of the treatment on progression. Ironically, Afro himself is a fairly silent and stoic character and Jackson ultimately gets to shine through the almost-constant annoying chatter dialogue of his companion Ninja Ninja (Afro's 180° degree antithesis) more so than the actual protagonist. Besides the main character, the side characters do not see a lot of development and can suffer from a lack of depth if one decides to fixate on it (aka. shallow archetypes such as generic love interest character, typical villain posse, best friend, former master/mentor, etc.).

Your enjoyment of this show will depend on your desire to see blood.....like, a LOT of blood (Arms flying, decapitation, pierced eye sockets....the works). This anime is all about violence and you won't go over three minutes without seeing a character spill their bowels on the ground in some shape or form. Besides that, this anime doesn't hold back on cursing and swearing either (definitely more so if you watch the Director's Cut). The anime also contains a smattering of nudity throughout the first few episodes and a full sex scene in the second (The miniseries has a solid and deserved TV-MA, so you shouldn't be blind if you are considering a watch to begin with.). All in all, Afro Samurai is a mindlessly fun anime full of stylized gory action. It's really that simple. It's "nothing personal, it's just revenge."

The story is very straight forward and lacks any sort of depth, which is also affected by the shortness of episodes.
The art is amazing, very well drawn and animated.
The soundtrack is enjoyable but I feel it's not for everyone.
There is little to no character development, in fact only the main character gets serious development and all the rest are just there.
The voice acting is american, the main character being voiced by Samuel L. Jackson (but he almost never says a word...) and there are some other famous american celebrities involved aswell.
Despite its flaws I found myself liking it just for the craziness which is ... what it was going for. The anime knows what it is and accepts it. I also find this to be a very unique anime because of the japanese/american style fusion.

I first saw Afro Samurai right after it came out, the setting was less than adequate and I passed it as a moderately good show. I watched it again at a later date and was very happy that I did. Afro Samurai is a new take on an old style, it shares many of the same qualities as Cowboy Bebop and Rurouni Kenshin. The art is spectacular and the colors while very dark are rich in quality, there is a small use of heavy 3D rendering towards the end of the show but it is well done and does not detract from the rest of ... the setting. The story line of Afro Samurai is mostly about build up, yet the conclusion is short and sweet (in a manner of speaking). It is well rounded in the end and leaves one with a bittersweet feeling of social angst and a touch of pride for the character.

You know, knowing about this anime when I first discover it, I wasn’t that exactly knowledgeable of much anime as this was the time I was pretty much limited to TV via Cartoon Network on Toonami and Adult Swim when it came to anime but once seeing a preview of it, knowing that it’s going to air on SPIKE TV, who was…….um…….well, some shows. (Yeah, I don’t watch that network that much anymore) but that was the time when I was still much a teenager and now that I’m in my early 20s, I wonder if this show still holds up to today.

But are all ... the origins of the show and where it’s from?

It is originally a seinen dojinshi manga series by Takashi Okazaki, in which the artist has a love for soul and hip hop music, which like many people said about anime is that while American artists do have some inspiration from anime, sometimes the Japanese does have a bit of our influences in their material and for this time around, it’s hip hop and I love hip hop and I love the usage of it being more creative in a style like this rather than a gimmick to sell to audiences as this is an anime directly hand-made for the American audience.

On the dark path of swordsmanship in a "futuristic" yet feudal Japan, it is said that the one who becomes the No. 1 warrior will rule the world with powers akin to a god. Only the No. 2 warrior is allowed to challenge the No. 1, but anyone can challenge the No. 2. The current No. 2, the Afro Samurai, travels the road looking for revenge on Justice, the man who murdered his father (who was then the No. 1) in front of him when he was just a boy, a skilled gunman who became the current No. 1 after defeating Afro's father.

Now with the plot outline out of the way, you know that I love a good revenge storyline and that’s the overall theme for the character of Afro. The reason why Afro hunts for these headbands…..he didn’t care about the power or the fear of others or the respect of it. He was haunted by his father’s death at the hands of Justice and that was his only motive to hunt down Justice, even though he managed to break some friendships he made in his past and judging by the way it went, I’m not surprised that one of his former buddies want to end him and I completely understand it.

Does it mean I like Afro any less of a character?

No, not really? Yes, Afro is a character with some fucked-up tendencies about him but you can’t argue the fact that Afro can kick some ass and I love seeing him in action, kicking some ninja/samurai ass all around but thankfully, he isn’t some god-like fighter as he even struggles with some fights, thus making them more exciting to watch.

Plus, this is one of the few leads in an anime where the lead character is African-American and I like that they portrayed him well and not in an embarrassing, coonish way that make you want to facepalm. Also, he is a silent-type stealth character – another trait that I like in a character because it means their actions are far more important and meaningful than just talking your ass out about something that can be pointed out in less than a second.

And there’s Ninja Ninja and no, I’m not annoyed by the presence of him because he actually provides some good humor into the show and it does balance out the tragic aspects and the action scenes, so it doesn’t feel too awkward and out of place. I don’t get how people are annoyed by him considering he is about as important to the character of Afro.
Jinno (or as he called Kuma), I really do feel for this character’s motivation for wanting to take down Afro. He might sound a bit cliché with the whole “you killed my master” shtick but when that and your whole class died (with one of whom isn’t entirely dead) from being cutted down, you wouldn’t take that lightly. Otsuru (or Okiku) is one character that does have some focus on her having a crush on Afro but I feel that she was shafted early on in the start of the series, although I could see if the opposite of that would’ve happened, it could have made some more major problems than what we got.

As for the villains, the Empty 7 Clan are just some secondary villains to Justice, the main antagonist prize and while he only shows up in the beginning and the end of the show, he is still more of a threat than them as the Empty 7 Clan just wanted the #2 headband for themselves. They want that for power and yet they were so full of themselves.

Now for the animation. Yes, GONZO was in charge of the animation here and knowing its reputation and what people say about their style and as for how they’re done in the show, it is actually fitting and very appropriate from the dark atmosphere, the harsh surroundings and the desolate dystopian and futuristic setting. Also, the action and fight scenes were just downright amazing in my eyes and if you happen to be squeamish, you might want to think twice before watching because there is a lot of blood and gore. Possibly my favorite fight scene of the series is the final showdown between Afro and the Afro Droid. Maybe it may not look fancy or shiny but it’s definitely something worth noticing.

The music……(yeah, this is the part where I show my fanboyism)….If you don’t know much about me, I am a big fan of the Wu-Tang Clan but more specifically, the producer behind it, Robert Diggs aka The RZA and I’ll say that the score and soundtrack is fucking excellent but not because it just uses hip-hop in a show and it’s done right but he does take on more musical genre influences such as spaghetti-western style music to the funk fight-showdown style music to some traditional samurai/martial arts music. The point is, the music does explore a few genres fitting into the series and I appreciate that fact. The opening theme is just 30 seconds long and while it’s good, I wish I had more to listen to but the rest of the soundtrack got tracks I really got love for, mostly the song “Fury in My Eyes/Revenge” with the RZA and Thea van seijen, whom often is a go-to singer/vocalist for anything RZA or Wu-Tang related but yeah, this is that song that goes with the tone of who Afro is as a character and the choices that he made throughout his life.

Oh, the English dub……actually, no, it’s the only version because there is no Japanese voice-acting on this and this is a dub-only title (and this is actually very rare considering there is a lot of sub-only anime on the market so this is quite fair) and not only that, this is quite the star-studded cast of either well-known actors and voice actors, even ones that don’t be in a lot of anime productions, but then again, this is a Studiopolis production and FUNimation is the one distributing it, instead of using their own people. Let’s start with but who else but SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON!!!! Yes, for doing dual roles as both Afro and Ninja Ninja, I say that he delivers a great performance from both, especially for characters with different traits; Afro being the silent one and Ninja Ninja being the talkative one. Ron Perlman was great as Justice, Kelly Hu did a decent job with her being Okiku although Tara Strong as Otsuru was actually a better effort. Yuri Lowenthal as Jinno did put a great performance as well and others such as Phil Lamarr, T.C. Carson, John DiMaggio and even small appearances by Grey DeLisle, Steve Blum, Liam O’ Brien & Greg Eagles was also well-acted.

FINAL VERDICT: This anime, to me, feels like it’s made for a person like me, wanting to cross two genres that may seem a weird fit but in the end, it does work well. When people say this is Samurai Champloo mixed with The Boondocks, it does draw much of an interest in me. It feeds within the anime fan of me, the action fan in me, the samurai/martial arts fan in me, and also the hip hop side of me as well. I can’t say for others if they’ll like it but the thing is, the show isn’t some perfect work of art but it’s downright over-the-top and enjoyable.

Once again, Afro Samurai received poor reviews all around because "its storyboard is shallow".

No shit sherlock.

Afro Samurai is NOT a anime you watch if you want a deep storyboard, its an anime you watch if you want to see ass kicking. And lots of ass kicking.

Afro Samurai has good animation, great fight scenes, an amazing soundtrack that totally fits the character and good tidbits of humor inbetween all the fights to keep you enjoying this anime.

This is the anime for you if you like mindlessly awesome fight scenes, crude humor and more awesome, violent fight scenes.

So I picked this up from my local Wal Mart pretty much just because it looked interesting. When I was younger, I have heard of Afro Samurai, but I never knew exactly WHAT it was, like a video game, TV show, or just some character. But let's get down to business...

Story: 6/10

A revenge story... this shit again? Well, revenge stories are somewhat fun to watch if you like characters getting owned by the MC, but if you don't have much patience for that kind of stuff, then roll out. Afro Samurai is about, well, Afro Samurai, who's father was killed by Justice in a duel ... for the #1 headband, which is said to give the wearer god-like powers. As a fully-developed grown man, Afro finally journeys out to challenge Justice to a duel for the headband, but must first face off against other warriors who want the #2 headband that Afro wears. And... that's pretty much it. A simplistic plot doesn't work very well for me, but what I did enjoy was Afro's backstory.

Character: 6/10

As many people would probably think, Afro (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) seems like a pretty lifeless character besides his almost-flawless combat skill, but his backstory really makes up for it, showing how Afro became the heartless man he is and it was rather enjoyable to watch. Ninja Ninja (also voice by Jackson), is the major comic relief character, which is very necessary for an anime as dark as this one. Ninja Ninja was funny. Some may think he isn't, some may think he is, but with Samuel's excellent voice acting, he really brought the character to life. Although, Ninja Ninja doesn't play a very major role in the show, other than making the audience laugh. He's mostly ignored by Afro and other characters, no matter how loud or witty he is. Even though characters don't develop, I wouldn't have expected them to considering that this show is only 5 episodes long. You shouldn't expect any character development simply because the anime is just way too short to cram it in, so this character score is not going to affect too much of my final score.

Art: 10/10

1 word: hardcore. To the animators for Afro Samurai, hats off to all of you because this show probably had the cleanest animation I've seen in an anime. The detail in the fights are so dynamic that I kept replaying pretty much every single fight, especially the fight between Afro and AfroDroid which still ranks in my top 10 best anime fights. Colors are incredibly bold and dark, which played a huge role in the animation, making everything around Afro look deceiving and violent. Oh, and by the way, this show is very bloody. It's not the most violent anime I've seen; like it doesn't go as far as internal organs spewing out, but it showcases a lot of unique video game-ish ways to slice up humans with a large katana.

Sound: 8/10

I like all kinds of music; hip-hop, rap, jazz, rock, film orchestra, and almost anything else that's not head-banging heavy metal. I grew up listening to hip-hop and rap, so I'm pretty much a sucker for TV shows and films that showcase some of that type of music. The music of this show is far from anything as good as something like Samurai Champloo, but the show still showcases some tracks that caught my interest, most notably the end credits Outro theme simply because it sounds like the closest thing to an actual SC track. Caught Up by Black Knights was an excellent choice for the AfroDroid fight. If you have a good ear for music, the song basically gave the fight scene a sort of "hype" feeling to it, even though it's on a low tempo. The soundtrack is a good pick-up for people who are into that kind of music. I don't really care much for the theme song, though, simply because the rhymes are a little too sketchy even though I like the rhythm, but other than that, the music for Afro Samurai is enjoyable.

Enjoyment: 8/10

At first glance, you may enjoy the hell out of watching Afro Samurai simply because of its kick-ass action and animation...

Overall: 7/10

But once you take some time to think about it, the show is not top-tier. I could've given this anime a 6 due to its simplistic plot (but rather interesting backstory), but the animation, insane fights, and good music makes up for most of it, so it will enjoy a permanent stay in my anime collection.