Typical Meets Unique In A Really Cool Blend
Afro Samurai tells the tale of a young warrior who is on a lifelong path of vengeance after his father is decapitated right before his own eyes when he was still a child. As Number 1, his father was challenged by one of his own best friends, who was Number 2. Number 2 mysteriously beats Number 1 in this fight, killing him, so that he now becomes Number 1. These numbers we very quickly discover represent a long running tradition of violence. There are two headbands, marked 1 and 2, and the possessor of number 2 is the only one that may challenge the possessor of number 1. To have both headbands is said to give one a god’s like power, making them untouchable. To have just number 2 means that you will face a life of violence as everyone who thinks they can fight will challenge you, constantly.
And so, after Justice, the evil warrior who wears a cowboy hat, spurs on his boots, and fights with two long six shooters (and later we discover, a hidden weapon), kills Afro’s dad, Afro at this young age becomes hell bent on getting good enough to claim Number 2 and, eventually, exact his revenge on Justice, the Number 1. Over the course of five episodes, totaling around 130 minutes, we follow Afro’s path from youth to present day as he works his way towards a very tall mountain where it is said Justice awaits. Along this path, Afro runs into dozens of enemies, mostly faceless and nameless, but also some memorable foe like the man from the bar that uses a crossbow with a grenade launcher attachment, and of course The Empty 7, a cult who believes they deserve the god powers of the headbands but know they are not skilled enough to challenge Afro or Justice head on.
All the while, the mix of cultures and ideals in Afro Samurai is nothing short of interesting and unique. The Empty 7, for example, look like old Buddhist monks, with long white beards and shaved heads, but they speak like driven southern preachers, use cell phones, one even has a cybernetic arm, and another, number 3, constantly rocks out to his headphones. Justice is another example of this cross-blending of ideas and cultures; how odd to see a tall, decaying man who looks like a ghost out of a western do battle with six shooters in a time that belongs to the blade? The musical artist RZA, who was behind the music in Afro Samurai, provides a blend of hip-hop, hard rock, rap, 70s soul, and percussions from Asian cinema that is also nothing short of unique and interesting. In just about every area that one looks, you can see this fusion of different ideals and cultures that as a whole, make for something you probably haven’t seen before.
What most anime fans have seen before, however, is the over the top violence and, in this series, to a lesser degree, sexuality. As with most violent anime, everyone’s blood pressure is super high, and nothing is more potent at letting it flow, or shower I should say, than the blade of a samurai. So expect all of the bloody, gory violence anime of this particular genre are known for, and some of the nudity and sexuality, too. Whether you like this is up to you, I personally think it’s just part of the genre and it’s permissible and forgettable.
Afro Samurai On Blu-ray
This season one director’s cut of Afro Samurai on Blu-ray looks and sounds very good. You wouldn’t expect anything less from animation, but you never quite know. I didn’t see any major problems with this transfer, although it wasn’t as high res/eye-popping as I thought it would be. However, as far as the quality and style of animation, all is quite well and impressive. In terms of audio, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is included.
Having not seen the original run of Afro Samurai on SpikeTV, some of this Director’s Cut was lost on me as far as the differences go, but from the back of the box: this release is unedited, both in terms of dialogue and picture. Also, the ending is extended and there is an additional fifteen minutes of never before seen footage.
For the extra features, there aren’t many, but they’re brief and different enough to be interesting. These are all presented in SD:
In the Booth: The Voice Talent of Afro Samurai – About fifteen minutes in length, we get to hear interviews featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, Kelly Hu, and co-producer Eric Calderon, as well as Takashi Okazaki, the creator of Afro Samurai.
RZA Music Production – This four minute piece includes RZA talking about his inspirations and reasons for doing the music it the way he did. Footage includes shots from the studio where the recordings were made.
Character Profiles – Eric Calderon, co-producer of the show, spends about twenty-three minutes profiling the main characters of the show and talking about meetings and ideas he and Okazaki had.