Afro Samurai – An Overall Review -
Friday 15 May 2009 @ 8:08 pm | By Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte 13 Comments 
Time for a double review, this time is the turn of the epic storyline of the one and only, or at least the most remarkable, Afro Samurai.
A series and a movie with great animation, excellent storyline and, to please the fans even more, the voice of some all-time favorites, specially Samuel L. Jackson.
Created by Takashi Okazaki and produced by Studio Gonzo, you’d think a series under this group will always have high quality, and even when it hasn’t been always the case, this time they really went the extra mile. A series of five episodes and a movie released in 2007 and 2009 respectively, with voice talents of Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill in the movie and, of course, Samuel L. Jackson as the Afro Samurai himself really seems to guarantee an artistic and monetary success. Good for that.
STORY
The story is narrated through really long flashbacks, each time explaining what’s relevant and keeping the secrets until the very end. What you need to know is that Afro is seeking revenge for the dead of his father, the Number 1, by the hands of Number 2 who, after killing Number One became Number One himself. Now. . .it’s been some years and Afro Samurai is now owner of the Number 2 headband, meaning it’s going to get ugly from now on. . . trying to kill Number One and killing the ones who want the Number 2 headband at the same time doesn’t even sound easy, let alone do it!
GRAPHICS
Amazing character design, one character is more detailed than the other, doesn’t matter if it is a human, a cyborg or a complete robot. A great detail in landscapes and detail to buildings, and even though it has a lot of steampunk, it really gives the sensation you’re in the old, Edo period Japan with a lot of samurai against the Shinsengumi and all that Rurouni Kenshin stuff.
SOUND & MUSIC
Hip-Hop beats by one member of the Wu-Tang clan, the RZA. Sometimes it sounds pretty cool, other times I can’t differentiate the beats of a pro with the beats of my old Casio keyboard. Throughout the story we’ll hear fast-paced, electronic beats for the action scenes, something not really unexpected but still makes the action flow smoothly.
OVERALL
A great series if you’re fan of the Shonen genre. Lots of action, lots of Japanese culture, and great detail in every scene. A must watch, and even a must-buy!
| STORY An original tale of honor and vengeance told with a constant pace, introducing new characters every time, along with their own, personal backgrounds; makes a tighter link between the story and the audience. |
10 / 10 |
| SOUND & MUSIC Original music by the RZA. Sometimes the techno feel, other times the hip-hop beats. Not too shabby. |
8 / 10 |
| GRAPHICS Gotta say everything is greatly designed, colored, and animated. There is no second the animators let go of the quality. |
10 / 10 |
| SAMUEL L. JACKSON appeal The man that turns anything to gold when he appears, from Pulp Fiction to Snakes on a Plane, this case is not different; the only stone on the road is that his appeal shines too little due to short, fast sentences throughout the series. |
9 / 10 |
| OVERALL A true masterpiece in animation, with an exaggerated level of highly detailed blood, punches and returns from the dead, what’s there not to like? |
10 / 10 |
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Abraham 'Velcor' Duarte
David 'KidKobun' Bruno
Ivan 'Nahu' Lozano
Random J
Sol
I would have to agree, this is one of the best Anime I have seen in a while, the story is so damn deep and so much going on. Seriously amazing!
The story isn’t that deep. It’s just damn well executed =3
Agreed
10/10
I agree it wasn’t that deep but they made it work.
I love that an ACTUAL celebrity helped voice this!
I don’t believe in celebrities voicing animes, like how Astro Boy(the movie) and Ponyo were ruined
Afro Sumurai=F.A.I.L
Care to elaborate?
F.A.I.L. = The Afro
r w n u
e e s n
a s a a
k o n t
i m e i
n e c
g
almost got it 100% :p
Wait, what? LOL PWNED :P
The real treat, is watching this on blu-ray! It is GOOOOOOORGEOUS! I actually own both the Japanese import blu-ray (which is the condensed ‘movie’ version), and the US release, which was the one broken into episodes.
The sequel is pretty damn good as well. Not only is the animation amped up, it continues the story pretty well.
nice!
I hope that in the near future I can get a cheap blu ray player and this splendid movie.
[...] cancelled and if a Somali pirates game would cause the same fervor. This month we got our answer. Afro Samurai – An Overall Review – Velcor gives us his take on Afro Samurai: A great series if you’re fan of the Shonen genre. Lots [...]