Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai
TV-MA | 04 January 2007 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    Scanialara

    You won't be disappointed!

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    Doomtomylo

    a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

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    Kodie Bird

    True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

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    Ava-Grace Willis

    Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

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    Flyer78

    I loved Afro Samurai for many reasons. The story isn't the most unique you will ever find, but the great action scenes and cool art style make up for it. The fights are fast-paced and gory, and the art style is innovative and uses plenty of dark shadings to give every thing a shadowy tone.It mixes together Japanese anime culture, rap, and other things to make one AWESOME anime. And I can't review this without mentioning the great job that Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Pearlman did with their voice acting. I just wish this could have went at least 20 episodes to really extend the story. And since it was only 5 episodes, there was basically a fight in every single episode, and that takes away the feeling of drama and importance of the fights. It just feels like an actionfest at times. But for the 5 episodes that it lasted, it was a very fun and entertaining anime.

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    Wayori

    Afro Samurai is the story of a swordsman seeking vengeance for his murdered father. Haven't seen that before. In order to achieve this goal, he must defeat the number one swordsman in the world that stole the title from his dead dad. The funny thing is that this Number 1 uses two guns to fight, and yet he is the number one "swordsman." Go figure. The Number 1 and Number 2 swordsmen are labeled by these special bands saying that they're number one and number two, and as you might have guessed, the Afro is number two, and EVERYONE with a weapon wants a piece, whether or not that weapon is a sword. I can't tell what source this show ripped off more: Ninja Scroll with its "everyone wants you dead" premise and ninja sidekick or Samurai Champloo with its attempt to immerse hip-hop culture with Japanese swordsmen using the "black samurai" gimmick that mildly offended me. Great animation and action, but overall, not a good show.

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    bob the moo

    Seeking to avenge his father's death, the Afro Samurai sets out to kill the #1 fighter in all the land, a man called Justice. After earning himself the title of #2, which is required for him to be able to challenge Justice, Afro Samurai sets out on his journey to revenge. His road is a dangerous one as he must first find out the location of Justice from his foes – all of whom would seek to protect Justice and also win the title of #2 for themselves. His task is a lonely and dark one, but like it or not he has a companion in the constantly b1tching Ninja Ninja.Although it will not be to everyone's taste, Afro Samurai is a perfect example of something being pitched right at the target audience it is intended for. adult swim is the perfect home for it because it is very much targeted at young males who like their hip hop, Anime and traditions of feudal Japan. It mixes these in a great series of animations that some audiences will claim is very high on style at the expense of content. Now I appreciate that most reviews here are gushing in their praise of this series and not keen on anyone criticising it but, the thing is, those saying it lacks substance do have a point. Like I said before though, it is target audience stuff and for those into it, there will be plenty of content to support the style – those looking to be intellectually stimulated by the themes and ideals behind the characters will not get what they are looking for (but why were you looking here for those things). However for target audience the emotional core and the narrative twists will be more than enough to fill the running times of each episode and expand across the season.What the series delivers in spades though is the cool world of the samurai crossed with the violent and stylish world of Anime with a big dollop of urban culture thrown in there too. It is no surprise to find The Rza involved because again it brings it back to a product that knows what its audience. So those coming to it will be looking for certain things and it delivers it well visually. The Anime animation is slick and cool and moves with all the conventions you will be used to from the genre. The soundtrack compliments it really well because, as other things (eg Boondocks, Wu-Tang etc) have shown, the mix of ninja/samurai (yes, I know they are very different) cultures and modern hip hop seems to be an easy fit. Performance wise you gotta say that Jackson is perfect for the role and again shows that he )or his agent) can pick the roles that bring him heat from his base fans. He is really good in his dual roles and brings the dialogue alive. Of course he is well supported by a famous cast – even if they are not all given roles that are that big. Perlman has a great voice and uses it well, but while I think Hu is again a good example of targeting your audience's tastes, her voice is not her strongest feature. Generally though all voice work is good because they are matching the style of the series rather than giving performances per se.Overall then, not for everyone's tastes but in targeting its audience it is as ruthlessly efficient as Afro Samurai himself. Stylish, bloody, brooding and with an overall air of effortless cool, it is a fine series that I enjoyed. Put it this way, if you like the sound of it then you will almost certainly like it – it is that good at what it does.

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    thefade

    Well the drawing is good, the style is modern, the blood is plenty. But that doesn't make a good show. The story has been told a hundred times, the sidekick sucks with his constant babbling, and the actors' afro American slang makes it just another show using this prejudice to look stylish. In short: nothing original, but nice to look at. Because IMDb forces me to: I almost constantly had the feeling the creator watched too much Tarantino movies, especially Kill Bill. Which would be very convenient because another one did the collection of classic references for you. And partly I was reminded of another really great show: Samurai Jack. That's an example for original and greatly designed.

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