I was a little wary of "Afro
Samurai," when I heard about.
I was worried it might be too much like "The
Boondocks." I like Boondocks but not the Japanese version,
lol. Fortunately, "Afro Samurai" is a good blend of Japanese
themes, sci-fi and western. Calling it hip-hop because of the soundtrack
is
a stretch.
Of course, Samuel L. Jackson is the best part of the show. He may be
the coolest actor alive. What makes this series different for Jackson
is that he plays two of the main characters, Afro and Ninja Ninja.
Let's see Woody Allen do that. Anyway, "Afro Samurai" would
have been good without Jackson, but not great.
Kelly Hu
There was some hype because of Kelly Hu, but she's really only in one
episode. It's not like you listen to her voice acting and say, "Wow,
she really sounds hot." So if you're buying the DVD for Hu, you better
be a diehard fan. Did she even have lines in "X-Men II?"
The animation is "Afro Samurai" is real anime, which makes it good.
This is not "Samurai Jack." The soundtrack is pretty cool.
I wish they had done more with the Dolby 5.1. I really liked the widescreen.
The story and character development are what make this DVD rewatchable.
It's a revenge tale. Is there a samurai story that is not a revenge
tale? There are well-staged sword fights, profanity, a good amount
of blood, and even a PG-13 sex scene. This series is not on the same
level as the "Ninja Scroll" movie. But that movie was perfect,
which is a high standard.
Samuel L. Jackson
The story is partially told through flashbacks, which isn't my favorite
method, but you develop an empathy for Afro during the series. The
addition of modern technology in the story was a good gimmick that
made the series more interesting. It made me want to rewatch "Cowboy
Bebop."
You can buy the director's cut version of the DVD and get an extra
15 minutes of violence. If you wait a little while, the prices will
drop on both versions. I bought the edited version at Wal-Mart the
first week it was available.
This series is short and on one DVD. It's rewatchabe and definitely
worth owning. Another thing about rewatchablity. You'll catch a lot
more on the second viewing. There is stuff thrown in at the beginning
of the series that doesn't mean much on the first viewing. Now, that
is one of my favorite techniques.
