ThatAnimeSnob

STORY

It’s just a generic action flick about someone wanting to avenge his father’s killer, the holder of the No.1 headband. Because he is wearing the No.2 headband, he is targeted by all those who want to make a name for themselves… And that’s pretty much it. Nobody was watching it for the plot, anyways.

CAST

- Afro is another cool dude, ultra-powerful no matter what his opponent may be. He doesn’t talk much and doesn’t care about anyone else other than himself. He never tries to reason with someone and simply solves all his problems with brainless violence, making him distant.

- There is a sexy woman in the story, supposed to soften his heart. She is there to show him that happiness doesn’t involve killing a dozen people every day. But her contribution is hardly felt and in reality she’s just there for fan service.

- There is this funny imaginary guy that follows Afro everywhere. In a way, he is Afro’s inner voice of reason, and is supposed to question his motives of revenge. Again, his words are wasted on “I don’t care what you say” Afro and he becomes the comic relief in the story.

- The bad guys are typical insane megalomaniacs that engage with an obviously superior opponent but are too stupid to realize that they can’t win. The only thing they care about is wasting their lives on becoming the No.2 in the world. Why? So murderers like themselves will target them for the rest of their lives. What the hell are they thinking? They can be much better off as Afro’s lap dogs.

So yeah not much to praise when it comes to the characters.

PRODUCTION VALUES

The artwork is weird. Rough edges and as black palette colors as the samurai’s race. Kinda like a dark-themed American graphic novel, it makes it stand out compared to generic shonen and so-cute-that-you-want-to-puke moecrap.

Action scenes get all the focus. Animation and sound effects are detailed and flashy albeit improbable in physics. Villains with cool gadgets and an insane look will engage the grimace-less Afro in faster-than-sound speeds. The speed of the battles is extremely high and has no intervals. Swords versus rocket launchers and laser guns may sound ridiculous to go up against each other but then again Hollywood is famous just for being extravagant. And this series tries to follow Hollywood’s footsteps.

There is apparently a lot of air in the world of the series, as a breeze seems to run through everything and makes headbands, coats and hats to flap endlessly. This gives a non-stop movement to even stale images. You could even say that the breeze is in fact the strength of the characters’ resolve and lust for power! … Or just hot air coming out of those airheads… Whatever it is, it makes everyone a lot cooler and imposing.

The “air effect” also causes a lot of dust. As an optical trick, every action lifts considerable amounts of dust, giving the feeling that the characters are not fighting in a static image, called the background. It also helps to hide the outcome of every attack for dramatic effect although that means you never really see the finishing blow.

Music themes are a combination of rap and techno, appealing to African Americans instead of being some J-pop nonsense. They fit in a story that has a black man as a protagonist, voiced by Samuel efing Jackson. Cursing included.

LEGACY

Afro Samurai was standing out for three things. The first being the only anime with a black samurai protagonist, something which no longer applies after Netflix made the Yasuke series. The second thing was the very cool action scenes regarding sword fighting. That also doesn’t matter once shows like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen came out. That leaves us with the third thing, the protagonist being voiced by Samuel efing Jackson.

P.S. This series reminded me of the song Dust In The Wind, performed by Kansas. It is full of dust and air. And it dissolves with the slightest wind before other good Samurai-themed series.

SUGGESTION LIST
Samurai Seven
Samurai Champloo
Sword of the Stranger