Afro Samurai - Nothing personal... It's just revenge

Taking place in a futuristic feudal Japan with a post apocalyptic backdrop. Ronin are free to roam in a lawless world leaving behind them trails of blood and death, but there is a reason behind these rogue samurai's actions. There are two headbands floating around; the Number One and Number Two headbands. Whoever wears the Number One will achieve a God-like status with the power to rule the world. In addition, he can only be challenged by the Number Two. The wearer of the Number Two on the other hand, can be challenged by anyone.

As a young boy, Afro witnessed his father killed by a man named Justice for the Number One in a duel. Justice leaves looking forward to one day meeting Afro in battle. Years later, Afro now wears the Number Two in pursuit of Justice. While on his quest for revenge, every rogue samurai to include a clan called The Empty Seven are after Afro's life.-summary

If I never had a reason to accuse an anime of being all beauty and no brain, then I would definitely have one now, because Afro Samurai fits the term "style over substance" like no other. It makes sure to cater only to a specific audience, which are the action and eye candy crowd. Studio Gonzo has been known to deliver when it comes down to visuals. Series such as Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Basilisk more than back up this claim. Afro Samurai continues to carry their legacy.

The artwork and animation are top notch without a doubt. The battle scenes are fast paced, very fluid, and detailed. It's amazing watching bullets chopped in mid flight, only to scatter and kill people by the dozens. Plus, the animation is completely free of stills with very little reused cels. The choreography is among the best I have seen in a samurai related anime, with fights even surpassing that of Ninja Scroll, while completely crushing the completely horrid Samurai Deeper Kyo. Anyone who says the animation in Afro Samurai is lacking, either didn't see it, or are searching for reasons to hate it. Which really is uncalled for, because it has more than enough dragging it down. The artwork is splendid with some great character designs and very nice settings with a very well use of color and schemes.

The soundtrack is very good as well. East Coast hip hop artist RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan is behind the soundtrack. The beats are everything you would expect from him, and they capture the gritty feel plus the rhythm of the series. When I first saw Afro Samurai and Samurai Champloo, I didn't care for hip hop in a samurai setting. I guess it had a lot to do with the traditionalist in me, but I'll admit that it does work here. Even though I'm still not completely a fan of it. In fact, I'm not a fan of it at all.

The voice work is done by Samuel L. Jackson(Afro Samurai, Ninja Ninja), Ron Perlman(Justice), and Kelly Hu(Okiku). The voice work is average, but a majority of the time you will hear from the ultra irritating comic relief Ninja Ninja, and he never ever shuts up. The other two voice actors are barely heard from due to their short roles.

Afro Samurai also has an interesting world simply because the imagination definitely ran wild. These aren't exactly your traditional samurai's and monks. The characters are equipped with a vast arsenal of weaponry and cybernetics, that combines genres old and new; such as a monk using a cell phone, as well as ronin packing a crossbow/grenade launcher.

Now for the bad features of the series, this is the part that is completely a matter of taste. The writers focused so much on the eye candy and blood lust audience. That they completely forsake the character and plot driven crowd. All of the characters are incredibly bland, and almost no one is really likeable. Afro is not developed, his sidekick Ninja Ninja is the opposite of Afro's quiet personality, in which, he's very out spoken, loud, and upbeat. It is said, that he's actually Afro's character development. I just don't see that, because Afro simply doesn't change for better or worst. He is one of the most static characters I can think of. This doesn't necessarily make him a bad character, just not a very interesting one and easily forgettable. The rest of the characters are merely meant to push the thin plot and nothing else.

Afro Samurai is a very violent series, with lots of blood, death, and severed limbs. Followed with lots of profanity that Samuel L. Jackson has been known for. There is also a bit of fan service and an almost non graphic sex scene.

The series is five episodes with a 125 minute run time. This series is not for everyone, and I only watch it when I want simple anime. Those who love lots of bloody and gory action, shades of Ninja Scroll, will more than likely be entertained. Fans of Sam Jackson and RZA's production should give it a shot as well. The DVD set also comes with a second disk containing commentary, interviews with the voice actors, producers, and behind the scenes.

Pros:
-Very high production values
-Good blend of different genres


Cons:
-Paper thin plot
-Bland characters
-Weak ending