Afro Samurai Miniseries Review

Japanese animation, or anime, has always had an odd reception in the United States. Mostly regarded as kids' stuff with the likes of Pokemon or Speed Racer, many titles aimed at older people have been given short shrift.

Now, with the help of Spike TV, Afro Samurai (Created by Takashi Okazaki) has been released to the states with attention given to who the right audience is, and what they want to see. And what those people want to see is action and violence all set to a beat laid out by The RZA.

Afro Samurai is a story of revenge told from the viewpoint of the main character who also lends his name to the title. He is out to kill the wicked gunslinger, Justice, who killed his father for the Number One Headband when he was a child.

The continually busy badass Samuel L. Jackson pulls double duty in the anime providing the voice for both the stern and nearly silent Afro Samurai and the loquacious, almost entirely annoying Ninja Ninja. Ron Perlman provides the voice of Justice and Kelly Hu lends her talents to Okiku, the lover and former childhood friend of Afro.

The story is set after Afro gets the Number Two Headband (the one thing he needs in order to fight the owner of the Number One Headband) and is fighting his way to Justice. However, his path to revenge isn't so simple because the headband he wears has a little habit of attracting the kind of people that are willing to kill for it. This, of course, sets up our character in some of the most stylized and blood soaked fight scenes ever drawn for the small screen.

The action is quick and visceral using the most up to date animation possible. Every action plays out on the screen at the quickest pace possible for animation without skipping frames. Swords, guns, bows and spears fly in all directions only to have their positions confused by the spray of blood that inevitably follows.

Understand that this is by far one of the most violent and technically exacting animes released. Painstaking detail went into the swordplay that dominates the screen. Within the first five minutes of the opening fight scene with the older Afro you see an antique single shot rifle blasted in the direction of the hero. He quickly pulls out his sword, catching it right in the middle of the ball as he slices upwards. The ball shatters into hundreds of pieces is deflected to pass by Afro and have the spray hit the two men behind him. They, of course, erupt into a bloody mess.

This is just a taste of the action. One of the best fight scenes ever drawn plays out between the main character and a robot double built by his enemies. The fight moves from a bridge overlooking a giant chasm and leads into the very clouds above that bridge.

Now, this show is not all about the animation, there's music here too. The RZA, formerly of the Wu Tang Clan, provides the soundtrack. His love of kung fu films, first evidenced when he played with his former band mates, has lead him to do soundtracks, most notably Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films. As it was then is the same here, he shows a depth that spans from the thickest action filled beats to the most serene of slow wordless ballads. Of course the music sets the tone and style of the episodes, Afro Samurai is a collision of feudal Japan and the modern day. Characters use cell phones to communicate, have guns, rocket launchers high tech robotics. The funny thing is that it all works, the rap soundtrack prepares you for the clash of time and culture.

Like any good anime there is more here than just action and music, I mean, having more than two things makes something good, right?

There is a definite story, and just like "Kill Bill" before it, that is one of revenge. However, just like the Tarantino predecessor, you have to wonder if Afro's quest for revenge is truly worth the end justifying the means. While we learn about his past through flashbacks things start to creep up that make us question whether or not we should be rooting for him.

If you're starved for something new in the world of animation and are over the age of 18 you definitely want to check out this new take on the kung fu animation.