Anime Review: Afro Samurai

Having heard many good things about the series, I decided to give Afro Samurai a try. This is definitely not a typical anime series for me, so I didn’t know what to expect. However, despite this not being my kind of anime, I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Afro Samurai tells the story of the appropriately named Afro on his quest for revenge. When he was a child, his father was killed right in front of his very eyes. Many years later, Afro has become the #2 samurai in Japan, and eagerly anticipates the day he will face #1, his father’s killer. The story constantly flashes back to when Afro was a child, telling the story of how he became the #2 samurai and his obsession with getting his revenge. Overall, the story is pretty weak. It’s your basic Kill Bill-style quest for vengeance story, so it’s not all that original. The pacing is also slow at times, which can cause some episodes to drag on for a bit. However, since the series is only 5 episodes long, this isn’t much of an issue.

Presentation is what Afro Samurai is all about. It’s bloody. Very bloody. The fight scenes are astonishingly well-animated. Few corners were cut in the production of this series. The exciting fight scenes deliver nothing short of a bloodbath every time. The visual style is unique as well, and it’s certainly different from what I’m used to. I was initially turned off by the gritty character designs, which just goes to show that one should never judge a book by its cover.

The voice acting is nothing short of superb. Samuel L. Jackson takes the lead role as Afro, which shows that FUNimation went all out in producing this series. Afro is accompanied on his quest by Ninja Ninja, also voiced by Jackson. Afro is very silent, so Ninja Ninja does most of the talking for him while also serving as the comic relief character. Both characters are excellent, and their voices match up to that standard.

At only 5 episodes, Afro Samurai is a very well-produced series that no one should pass up. It does have its weak points, but overall it makes for a very entertaining 2 hours of hack-and-slash action. The title is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray, so if you so desire, you can experience this blood-splattering beauty in 1080p glory.

Afro Samurai is currently on sale for DVD and Blu-ray and is licensed and distributed by Funimation Entertainment. Official series information is available at its official site.

ENJOYMENT – Great if you love nice visuals

RECOMMENDATION LEVEL – Highly recommended

REWATCH VALUE – Probably not

Purchase Afro Samurai at RightStuf

Also available on Blu-Ray