4/5 Afro's Animation Was Cool But What About The Story?
  by Keith A. Jones (Philadelphia PA)
There's no doubt that Afro Samurai has a cool and simple concept and a very bloody style. In this future world of feudal Japan nothing seems to matter but two headbands that represent the two best fighters. To get to the number one fighter you must go through the number two and to get to the number two you must go trough everyone else. This way of life that nobody should have to live especially a child who has nothing but the headbands and revenge on his mind. As a child Afro saw his father who was the number one fighter at the time get massacred by a man named Justice. After the fight is over Justice takes the number one headband off of the head of Afro's father, which was not too far away from his body. Justice tells Afro something similar to what Uma Thurman said to Vivica A. Fox's daughter in Kill Bill, that if he wanted revenge he would fight him when he came for him.

Afro took those words very seriously and took a few things of his fathers including his very cool Katana. Afro immediately went from an innocent child to an almost emotionless man with a ton of weight on him as he begins his vengeful journey. Afro Samurai is a unique anime or story for that matter. You don't see too many people willing to put out a story with basically nothing but very bloody fight scenes for about two episodes before a really good story starts up. Especially in a 5 part series where the episodes are only between 20 and 30 minutes long. I can't lie because I love stuff like that and it made Afro Samurai all the more tempting to finish watching. The second is that this was a pricy anime to make costing $1 million per episode so I'm sure a few viewers from the Hip hop community were expected to watch this. Even if you're an action film fan you have to admit when there's too much action and not enough story Even in a revenge tail like Kill Bill with a certain scene that this anime could relate to 88 times over it had a mystery and story.

Afro was on the verge of being in the too much and not enough category and then a cool story hits you somewhere around the end of episode two. Flashbacks of Afro's life are showed, you see him as a kid again and the people who took him in and gave him his gritty skills. All throughout the 5 part series you see that the money was well spent because the animation is amazing and beautiful. The things that Afro does with his skills are crazy and this animation was a giant step up for anime samurai fight scene, it was flawless. The voice actors are great including Sam Jackson who is great for co-producing this and putting his foot in it.

I think it would have been cool to actually give Afro a real name, it's cool for people that take him on to call him Afro but I think he should have had a name for his other life before he became the Afro Samurai. In other words I kind of wish the story went just a bit deeper with a little bit more complexity. I think that Afro Samurai is a great series that everyone should see especially to view its beautiful quality.

5/5 AFRO COOOOOOL
  by Brent C. Lonkey
I just caught the first ep showing on Spike Tv and WOW. Insane little anime. Really worth a watch and buy. The action is fast, violent and plenty of it. Samuel Jackson does the voice for two characters(maybe more). He of course does Afro the main character, but since Afro doesn't really talk all that much, most of it goes to this other guy that follows him around, who I think might just be in Afro's head. Pretty cool plot, there's two headbands, each with a number one and a number two. Afro's dad wore number one. Until number two killed him infront of his eyes. Here's how it works. The one that wears the number one headband means no one can challenge you. You're untouchable. Only the wearer of the number two has the right to challenge. But if you wear the number two headband it means that EVERYONE and ANYONE can challenge you. And that's pretty much the plot. Afro is making his way to see and challenge number one while fighting off the others that want his number two(headband). Anyway, watch and then later buy.

4/5 Style vs. Substance
  by Matt Bloom (Livonia, Michigan United States)
Alright, so Afro Samurai set out to answer the age old question: "If you take an insanely high animation budget, a breathtaking soundtrack, spectacularly choreography fight scenes, and a well-known actor and combine it with a plot that's ludicrously stupid, will the result still be cool?" The answer is yeah... but barely. As the pinnacle of simplistic action samurai movies, this will not disappoint. In ever other way it does. Sadly, just some minimal dialogue edits could have down wonders for the overall story.
So I will assume you both saw the show on Spike TV or Youtube, and still wish to purchase the series. You are now wondering "Is the extra 15 minutes worth double the price of the edited DVDs?" No, not really; however, it does improve the story in the last 2 episodes. Here is a basic breakdown of what you missed on TV.
All the episodes contain small cuts of slightly more excessive gore, a few f-bombs, and long shots of scenery. Small snippets of dialogue were also cut here and there, especially the ninja's.
Episode one- A fallen warrior that just collapses in the edited version gives a really long speech before dropping in the uncut. The bar patrons bicker and threaten each other and a mini fight break out. The Empty Seven talk a bit more about their plans. Overall, I prefer the edited version of this episode. The dead guy talked way too long about Afro's legend and the dialogue seemed really corny and fake. The bar scene makes the whole town appear violent and psychotic. The scene where the Empty Seven talks expands their background, but their story is severely lacking and the more you show the emptier they feel.
Episode two has some additional scenes of Afro in the orphanage that was useful to the story. In a fairly boring scene, we see Afro's first taste of lemonade. There was also a sort of cute but short scene of Afro hanging out with his girl while Kuma learns about sword fighting. Nothing spectacular was cut. There is still no more explanation for how she can read dreams. Ninja Ninja is also slightly more vulgar. You see a few quick shots of the chick's [...] in an expanded sex, shower, and death scene.
Episode 3-Well we learns why the Empty Seven decided to have Afro Droid fight their other assassins. Mostly, just talking was cut. The Empty Seven battle is the same expect we see Number 3 offer Afro tea, and he just walks by.
Episode four-Okay, so important story parts were edited out here. There are some additional scenes in the orphanage where Kuma's own theories help shape Afro's decision. There's a scene were all the kids say what they would like to do before dying, and the girl says see some fireworks. Kuma also tries to persuade Afro to leave the bandanas alone, but fails.
Episode 5-We also see some more of what happened to Kuma after falling off the cliff and getting rebuilt. These scenes were probably wise to cut because they only continue to make Kuma a more sympathetic character than Afro. There is a bunch of additional dialogue regarding Justice, his goals and dreams, and the power of the bandanas. These are really important scenes that should have not been edited out. There were also a few shots of how Afro reached him, and how Justice revived his body to fight Afro. There is a SLIGHTLY expanded ending, but it really adds nothing to the story.
The extras on the second disc total 40 minutes and could easily fit onto the first DVD. The extras are mildly interesting, but if you miss them it doesn't really matter. I think this was included just to try to convince you to shell out the extra bucks.
Are these extra scenes worth the additional $15? No. The entire series, uncut, is only worth about $[...], which is the typical Ebay price.
O, and in case you're wondering, there is no Japanese audio track because this series was made in America. No Japanese language version exists.


4/5 Like chocolate and peanut butter.
  by trashcanman (Hanford, CA United States)
Come on, how could you go wrong? Afro. Samurai. Samuel L Jackson. If this isn't a recipe for awesome, I don't know what is. If the notion doesn't immediately strike you that this is the coolest concept ever, move along; there's nothing for you to see here. But if you're a fan of animated carnage and you think that Sam Jackson is the king of cool, then this series is well worth it.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world (don't they all?) and follows Afro's pursuit of the "#1 Headband" which is said to grant god-like power to the one who possesses it. Just so happens that the guy who currently possesses it killed our main man's father right in front of him at an early age, hence Afro's quest for vengeance. The trick is that nobody can challenge the owner of the "#1 Headband" unless he possesses the "#2 Headband". Needless to say, the owner of #2 is beset on all sides by every bloodthirsty yahoo who lusts for the power of the #1. That's where the endless carnage comes in. Limbs and heads fly to and fro with whimsical abandon, blood splatters everywhere, death is at pretty much every stop on the Afro-train. Along the way he encounters seductive kunoichi, cyborgs, a dual-bladed opponent in a teddy bear mask, a rocket-launching psychopath, a cybernetic double, and much, much more.

The backstory is filled in with near-constant flashbacks, some of which help alleviate the confusion of what the hell you are watching, and some of which just add to it. The series is short, real short. Like, five 20+ minute episodes short. This is enough to satisfy one's bloodlust and build a decent story, but not nearly enough to fully flesh out the world or the people who inhabit it. The series is fantastic and a great introduction to the anime art form for the curious and uninitiated, but it's not perfect. The ending kind of left me cold, as the final battle is rather anti-climactic, and it never really shows what #1's "god-like powers" entail; or if they are just a legend. All these guys seem to do once they get it is sit atop the mountain and wait for the next sucker to climb on up and challenge them. There is one confrontation that takes a full episode and half of another to conclude because it is packed so full of flashbacks. This is acceptable when you have a full season of a show to pad, but not when you've only got 5 episodes to pack with all the awesomeness one expects from a series named "Afro Samurai". Still, this one is a must-see for animation fans.

The director's cut gives us an extra dose of blood, some nudity, and a little extra much-appreciated character development that adds much to an already great series. The extra disc gives us a brief "making of" documentary and a well put together featurette profiling the many interesting characters Afro meets (and beats) during his journey. There is also a very short segment about The RZA's, excellent score. Samuel L Jackson's resume speaks for itself and his performance as Afro's companion (Afro himself rarely speaks) provides constant humorous and stylish banter that does a great job of both lightening the tone of a show where nearly every character is stoic and deadly serious -if not tragic- and giving voice to Afro's innermost doubts and fears. Ron Perlman is another who never disappoints and his performance as #1 is bone-chilling. The very sexy Kelly Hu also turns in a great contribution. Bottom line: if you like afros, if you like samurai, if you like animation, and if you like violence then this show is for you.

3/5 Style over substance applies here
  by Cloud (Canada)
Recently I got into the show Samurai Champloo, done by the man responsible for the much-praised Cowboy Bebop. That show oozes style and panache while still maintaining a compelling atmosphere and likable characters. Afro Samurai on the other hand just tries way too hard to be cool and its emphasis on that "coolness" completely robs it of anything else it wants to have when presenting this old-yet-anachronistic world. Meaning this is a show where there was more time spent on its visuals than anything else and you can very much see that is the case although the more testosterone-driven people might disagree with me.

Comprised of 5 episodes, Samuel L. Jackson plays Afro who has a boy saw his father killed right in front of him by the evil Justice. Justice wants the #1 headband which says that he is the best fighter ever. Afro, growing up and full of dreams of revenge, has the #2 headband which means only he can take on the number one. Only thing is whoever is number 2 has to fight everyone and really anyone who thinks they can take him on. And so the bulk of the series is basically Afro taking on any moron who thinks they can go after him as well as revealing backstory on old friends and how he got the #2 headband back.

First I should talk about the positives because the negatives might be a little bit extensive. Gonzo Animation, known for such titles as Samurai 7, Trinity Blood, and Chrono Crusade, Gonzo has really outdid themselves with the animation here with is just as fluid and beautiful as it should be with character designs on the mark a large part of the time which was a problem I always saw with Samurai 7. One battle, taking place in a snowfield is just as serene in its atmosphere as is some of the lighting in other places. However, the fights, while cool, have a certain overeager quality or a lack of confidence and they're almost haphazardly directed and hard to tell what's going half the time. It's here where it's easy to see it's basically a case of "if it looks cool, who cares if the action's confusing?"

Here's where I'm basically going to bomb the series. Characters aren't terribly interesting. Afro is so quiet and withdrawn that he's not the most likable anti-hero around. At least Hellsing was a likable bad***, as skillful in battle as he was cool to root for. Jackson also plays Ninja Ninja which is the antithesis of Afro's quiet demeanor. This is the Jackson you'd probably hear the most in films as he has that kind of "I'm the man" tone of voice and he quickly gets irritating. You almost wish Afro would pull a Fight Club on him (if you've seen the movie, I've probably spoiled this for you). As for the 2 other stars, Kelly Hu and Ron Perlman, playing Okiku and Justice respectively, they're barely in this. Not that they do good jobs anyway.

There's way better anime out there such as Bebop, Champloo, Kenshin, hell even Fruits Basket is better than this. Should you at least rent it and try it out? Sure. Some of you will love it and find "this **** is the bomb!" while others will find a rather hollow anime entry.