I recently picked up the “Afro Samurai” DVD. This was after I had rented it at the local video store, but the copy of it was so badly mangled that my XBOX 360 could not handle it, and the console’s DVD playback is not all that finicky, so it can usually play DVD’s that have been used and abused. But, what we had seen in the first few minutes of the title were so compelling that we decided to plunk down the cash to actually own it. So, after the five episodes, my impressions are still ripe with awe and wonderment. I’m not saying this is the best piece of anime out there. But it is ranked amongst my personal top ten. And maybe it’s because it’s not all that Japanese. Sure, the style is, but the storytelling is very Western-ish. And it doesn’t hurt that they got an all-star voice cast for this. You’ve got Samuel L. Jackson playing the titular character (and his weird imaginary companion), Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as the main bad guy and Kelly Hu (Kelly who? She was in the X2: X-Men United movie . . . Lady Deathstrike) also lending her vocal talents.
So, enough about the details, right? Let’s get to the story (I’ll try to keep it spoiler-free). “Afro Samurai” tells the story of a boy who sees his father, the number one warrior, killed by the number two warrior in all the land. This sparks his quest to avenge his father and take his rightful place as the number one warrior. But first, he has to find the number two head-band, or else he can’t challenge his father’s murderer. The story shows us some flashbacks to Afro’s childhood, where he is taken in by a sword master and his clan of children and treated like another member of their impromptu family. Throughout these formative years, we see Afro develop his swordsmanship skills and his search for the mystical head-band that was taken from him shortly after seeing his father’s demise. We also get present time sequences where Afro is on the search for the number one, wasting pretty much anyone who he comes in contact with. His path of destruction is almost cataclysmic in magnitude. The action scenes are top notch by the way. The animation is so fluid and dynamic that it just grabs you by the balls and takes you on one hell of a ride.
Another cool thing about this anime is that even though you’ve got samurais, ninjas and geishas, there are also computers, cell phones and androids mixed in to the atmosphere. This leads me to believe that the setting for this story is on some parallel dimension or alternate universe where these two extremes co-exist. It makes for a very cool contrast and adds flavor to the battle sequences. Especially towards the end, when Afro has to battle an old foe from the past that is now part cyborg, complete with Darth Vader-ish breathing problems, but instead of a black-phallic shaped helmet, he’s wearing a giant teddy-bear head.
The music by Rza is also to be noticed. I’m not all that into the Wu-Tang Clan (gasp! I know, blasphemy), but I like what he’s done with the scoring and also bringing in other rappers in the mix to add another layer of coolness to this project.
An interesting tidbit here as well, letting you know how good this anime title is. My wife absolutely can’t stand anime. She hates it. But, she sat through this and actually enjoyed it. She actually prompted me to buy it when we were browsing through the DVD shelves of our local megalo-shopping-center. So, if it has her endorsement, then it should also appeal to non-anime fans. Actually, this title should appeal anyone who is thirsting for some extreme kick-ass-ery. Not just fans of anime, or fans of Sam Jackson, or fans of action flicks. This is a solid recommended title for anyone that enjoys quality film-making.
*Review also featured on Analog Medium. Great group of guys.
