Monday, July 6, 2009

Afro Samurai



This is definitely that one series you will never forget. It will stay there in my top5 until the day that I die. The plot revolves around Afro - nicknamed after his hairstyle, of course - a silent and bloodthirsty master swordsman, whose quest involves seeking revenge on the man who killed his father, and claiming the title of 'Number One'; a warrior whose powers are comparable to those of a god. It actually contains two plots. One of them depicting Afro as a child, getting the Number Two headband he is wearing right now. The thing is that in this world there are two headbands. One of them is the Number One, the other one is the Number Two. The Number One is considered a god, and can only be challenged by the person wearing the Number Two. So if you have the Number Two, you are practically fucked up, because everyone is hunting you to get the chance of fighting against the god. Given only five episodes to work with, structure is pretty tight here, so there are no filler episodes or meaningless off-sides to distract from the narrative's focus. Although the series seems to lack that 'epic' journey feel, episodes are never anti-climactic. The plot of Afro Samurai is really just a detail; it's the fight scenes that are really the star of the show here. Afro Samurai is one of the bloodiest, goriest and most anatomically detailed anime series on the market, so if you've got stomach issues with splattered blood, avoid this one like unprotected sex. If, however, high-definition animated gore-porn is your thing, Afro Samurai will not disappoint. Each one of the fight scenes is beautifully created and animated to deliver some truly jaw-dropping "oh man, that's gotta hurt" reactions.

The only flaw Afro Samurai has is that it's all over way too soon. Most anime fans are used to be spoiled with at least 13 episodes, not to mention that the "default size" is 26. And while carnage tends to be the whole point of Afro Samurai, five episodes is still remarkably short. Although the series swiftly resolves itself in a fairly predictable way, there is an immense potential for spin-off projects (there's a movie already) and the show itself is re-watchable many times over, just for the gore and the bloody fights. For those of you with a blood-lust, Afro Samurai will have you screaming with delight in the middle of the night, waking you neighbors up, and forcing them to watch it with you.

ps: the label also says comedy..well, you have to watch the youtube 30-seconds video I attached..it explains where does the comedy come from...

Graphics 10/10
Sound 9.5/10
Storyline 9.5/10
Characters 9/10
Overall 9.5/10



3 comments:

Double H said...

One of my favorite!But still one episode behind...anyway nice review!! ;)

Sapphire Pyro said...

I need to watch this soon x_x

Unknown said...

If we are looking purely at action and style, Afro Samurai is definitely up there near the top.

The sequel movie was a little disappointing though.