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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Anime Director: Fuminori Kizaki |
In 2007 SPIKE TV brought a new and bold animated show to its network, backing a five episode anime mini-series that would cost
about a million dollars per episode. “Afro Samurai” would have to work very hard to prove that it was worthy of the amount of money
needed to pick it in the spotlight. Luckily for SPIKE TV the show was amazing, with an outstanding soundtrack and some of the best
voice acting to be heard form an animated program in a long time, and fans loved the show.
The show follows the Afro Samurai, a cold killer on his quest to avenge his father’s death. Accompanying Afro on his quest is the loud
mouth and obnoxious friend, Ninja Ninja. Along the way Afro runs into a vast number of characters that help him as well as plot the
demise of the warrior. On his search for Justice, the man who killed his father and the man holding the number one head band, Afro
must defeat every contender that stands in his way and challenges him for the number two head band. With a basic story of revenge,
viewers can expect to see a lot of gory action to be found in the story.
While the show wants people to bond with the characters, many will want to watch this show because of all the action that it provides,
and this show has plenty of it. With its incredible stylized look, “Afro Samurai” brings insane action that features several incredible one
on one showdowns to twenty on one slobber knockers. Although many will be left wanting to have a lot more meaningful action,
viewers cannot complain with what is offered, especially the Afro versus Afro fight that will be found halfway through the series.
As mentioned before, “Afro Samurai” attempts to make dynamic characters that the viewer grows to enjoy watching, so that the action
isn’t without a cause. With multiple flashback scenes, viewers get to see nearly all of the show’s characters as children, growing up
and learning to fight. While they sometimes seem to be forced, the flashbacks are a necessary part of the overall storyline, making
viewers care for Afro and all of the characters that he is forced to cut down on his quest for revenge.
Part of the reason that the show seems to have such a different style and purpose is because of the fact that the show’s creator is
Takashi Okazaki. Okazaki is an animator who has been envisioning this series ever since his school days. With an elaborate timeline
for the series, Okazaki crafted a world which could have made for a long, multi-season series, but there was only so much time that the
series had and it had to fit within those time constraints.
Although a lot of fans of the series probably wish the series could have run longer, everyone was impressed with what was there. A big
reason for this respect from the fans is the focus on the music used throughout the series. Okazaki has envisioned a hip hop
soundtrack for the series, and decided to go directly to the Wu-Tang Clan member RZA when it came to creating a soundtrack for the
series. With an impressive background in hip hop and soundtracks, the RZA came in and created a soundtrack that blew everyone
away. Each scene in the series is amplified due to the musical choices and the show can be recommended based on the music
selections alone.
Another notable portion of the show is, of course, the animation. Although Okazaki didn’t animate every frame of the show, which would
of course be a huge undertaking, he was responsible for the characters and the action which “Afro Samurai” will be remembered for.
His characters feel very realistic, but the anime world in which all of the action of the show takes place, are able to fly through the air and
perform in fantastical fighting sequences. The unique characters models and fast paced action should be commended and fans will
love every second of every fight.
Even though the series can be respected for its awesome music, fast paced action and amazing samurai scenes, it would be wrong to
not point out the few problems with the series. First of all, viewers will notice that the writing of the series is very weak. Each character
has stale dialogue, which makes the superb voice acting seem to be very wasted. While viewers will love the cool factor that the show
is supposed to portray, it seems to be a little overused. Second, Ninja Ninja is hard to watch. For the first half hour of the series it is
very obvious what his surprise is, and while many will respect the storytelling, his obnoxious attitude is too distracting at times. Viewers
will be disappointed to see that nothing in the series is really a surprise. Finally, the series seems way too short for the story being
told. While it makes for a great feature length movie, this five part mini-series, and all of its fans, could have benefited from being
longer. Certain enemies are taken care of too quickly and some of the stories seem to be forced. With more time, more back story
could have been given, giving more attention to the important scenes.
Even with its problems, “Afro Samurai” is a technical achievement which wonderfully blends Eastern and Western cultures together to
make a series which makes for a necessary viewing for anime fans. For those who enjoy great music, kung fu action and amazing
graphics, this is a show to check out.
about a million dollars per episode. “Afro Samurai” would have to work very hard to prove that it was worthy of the amount of money
needed to pick it in the spotlight. Luckily for SPIKE TV the show was amazing, with an outstanding soundtrack and some of the best
voice acting to be heard form an animated program in a long time, and fans loved the show.
The show follows the Afro Samurai, a cold killer on his quest to avenge his father’s death. Accompanying Afro on his quest is the loud
mouth and obnoxious friend, Ninja Ninja. Along the way Afro runs into a vast number of characters that help him as well as plot the
demise of the warrior. On his search for Justice, the man who killed his father and the man holding the number one head band, Afro
must defeat every contender that stands in his way and challenges him for the number two head band. With a basic story of revenge,
viewers can expect to see a lot of gory action to be found in the story.
While the show wants people to bond with the characters, many will want to watch this show because of all the action that it provides,
and this show has plenty of it. With its incredible stylized look, “Afro Samurai” brings insane action that features several incredible one
on one showdowns to twenty on one slobber knockers. Although many will be left wanting to have a lot more meaningful action,
viewers cannot complain with what is offered, especially the Afro versus Afro fight that will be found halfway through the series.
As mentioned before, “Afro Samurai” attempts to make dynamic characters that the viewer grows to enjoy watching, so that the action
isn’t without a cause. With multiple flashback scenes, viewers get to see nearly all of the show’s characters as children, growing up
and learning to fight. While they sometimes seem to be forced, the flashbacks are a necessary part of the overall storyline, making
viewers care for Afro and all of the characters that he is forced to cut down on his quest for revenge.
Part of the reason that the show seems to have such a different style and purpose is because of the fact that the show’s creator is
Takashi Okazaki. Okazaki is an animator who has been envisioning this series ever since his school days. With an elaborate timeline
for the series, Okazaki crafted a world which could have made for a long, multi-season series, but there was only so much time that the
series had and it had to fit within those time constraints.
Although a lot of fans of the series probably wish the series could have run longer, everyone was impressed with what was there. A big
reason for this respect from the fans is the focus on the music used throughout the series. Okazaki has envisioned a hip hop
soundtrack for the series, and decided to go directly to the Wu-Tang Clan member RZA when it came to creating a soundtrack for the
series. With an impressive background in hip hop and soundtracks, the RZA came in and created a soundtrack that blew everyone
away. Each scene in the series is amplified due to the musical choices and the show can be recommended based on the music
selections alone.
Another notable portion of the show is, of course, the animation. Although Okazaki didn’t animate every frame of the show, which would
of course be a huge undertaking, he was responsible for the characters and the action which “Afro Samurai” will be remembered for.
His characters feel very realistic, but the anime world in which all of the action of the show takes place, are able to fly through the air and
perform in fantastical fighting sequences. The unique characters models and fast paced action should be commended and fans will
love every second of every fight.
Even though the series can be respected for its awesome music, fast paced action and amazing samurai scenes, it would be wrong to
not point out the few problems with the series. First of all, viewers will notice that the writing of the series is very weak. Each character
has stale dialogue, which makes the superb voice acting seem to be very wasted. While viewers will love the cool factor that the show
is supposed to portray, it seems to be a little overused. Second, Ninja Ninja is hard to watch. For the first half hour of the series it is
very obvious what his surprise is, and while many will respect the storytelling, his obnoxious attitude is too distracting at times. Viewers
will be disappointed to see that nothing in the series is really a surprise. Finally, the series seems way too short for the story being
told. While it makes for a great feature length movie, this five part mini-series, and all of its fans, could have benefited from being
longer. Certain enemies are taken care of too quickly and some of the stories seem to be forced. With more time, more back story
could have been given, giving more attention to the important scenes.
Even with its problems, “Afro Samurai” is a technical achievement which wonderfully blends Eastern and Western cultures together to
make a series which makes for a necessary viewing for anime fans. For those who enjoy great music, kung fu action and amazing
graphics, this is a show to check out.
