Afro Samurai

I've had Afro Samurai on my list of animes to watch for a looong time. I saw the initial episode or two in my college's anime club, and I might have seen the other episodes later, but I honestly don't remember them. Now, as I sit down to properly watch them, I can fully experience them and not as a bypassing watch as it feels like I've previously viewed the series before.

Revenge stories are nothing new, and the style of this anime has basically been done before. If you've seen Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino, you'll probably get the idea. Hell, most of the actors who've played in his movies, Samuel L. Jackson and Lucy Liu, actually play major roles in this anime, with Jackson even being an executive producer, in addition to playing the lead character and Ninja Ninja. Which, I think was a perfect choice, since his best roles are ones that really let him yell and curse. It's ironic, since the main character doesn't even talk that much, but it's still touted as this huge role. I'm glad they really got the most out of him, and with a perfect way to do it.

But I'm not saying this is a mindless rehash, not at all. Both properties are stylized as hell, and due to the unbound limitations of anime, it can do A LOT more. While Kill Bill was inspired by the westerns and old samurai movies, this one is... also, inspired by those... it comes off as something all it's own.

Now, in terms of animation, it's great. Amazing, even. Actually, sometimes TOO good. My only real complaint of the anime is that the animation can get too chaotic at times and either due to that or the drab color palette often used throughout the anime, it can be hard to tell what's happening at times. While I feel this was done intentionally, and that only makes the point more impactful, regardless, I think obscuring what's going on isn't good.

Another minor complaint is the under utilization of RZA. Yeah, big names like Samuel Jackson and Lucy Liu you wouldn't expect to be attached to anime don't stop there, you got WU-TANG CLAN doing the music for this. Well, the lead of Wu-Tang. You hear some pretty clear-cut Wu-Tang Clan style music, but it feels very light. Thankfully, in Resurrection, it's better, but for the original 5-episode anime, it's a little disappointing.

This is honestly one of the most unique animes I can think of. This anime doesn't actually have a sub, and it's only done in English. Besides the fact I already stated some stars you don't expect in anime showing up, you also have plenty of regulars in the anime industry popping their heads in like Yuri Lowenthal, Steve Blum, Liam O'Brien, Tara Strong... a lot of people from pretty popular stuff, like FFX and Samurai Jack.

Of course, you have the style of the anime. It's a mix of modern-day tech and old japanese scenery, and the splashing of hip-hop influence everywhere. If theres anyone who loves hip-hop more than America, it's Japan (possibly Britian?). Samurai Champloo came out a few years before this, and you have other things coming out around the same time, like Persona 3's heavy hip-hop influenced soundtrack with Lotus Juice, Nujabes' gold years (before his unfortunate passing), Air Gear (sorta?), games like Jet Set Radio and Ollie King, etc. I can probably go on, there's a lot of love of hip-hop culture that is honestly admirable to see, like how they portray all Americans as people from Texas. Or Assholes.

Afro Samurai is rather short, even with this and the movie, you can knock it out in an afternoon. While a lot of franchises deserve more, and don't, this is definitely one that fits... but I'm honestly fine with what we got. It doesn't help that a lot of stuff now are sequels, remakes, or reboots, with a rather middling success rate on if they're good or not. Besides a re-release of the the complete collection Blu-ray, I can't think of any way better to keep the franchise preserved.

If you've seen Kill Bill, you'll like this. If you haven't seen Kill Bill, but have seen this, watch Kill Bill. And I think anyone who enjoys anime as a medium, you should watch Afro Samurai.