Written by: Kevin Berge
If this look at this poster and question "what is this show?", you're in good company with everyone including those who have watched it. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Anime is a weird genre. It produces some of the most bizarre shows ranging from hyper-sexualized fantasies to adventure series driven by card games. One particular subgenre that causes significant division is anime action series, often as weird and off-kilter as any entertainment can be.
When I first caught a glimpse of Afro Samurai, I had no idea what to make of it. Combining Japanese flavor with hip-hop soul, it was hard to pin down exactly what I was even looking at with the show airing on Spike as something both too weird for American cartoons and too stylized for anime.
It took me a long time to revisit it, but the show never left my thoughts. How could anyone forget a series with a giant-hair sword-wielding Samuel L. Jackson and a dual-wielding teddy bear?
When I first caught a glimpse of Afro Samurai, I had no idea what to make of it. Combining Japanese flavor with hip-hop soul, it was hard to pin down exactly what I was even looking at with the show airing on Spike as something both too weird for American cartoons and too stylized for anime.
It took me a long time to revisit it, but the show never left my thoughts. How could anyone forget a series with a giant-hair sword-wielding Samuel L. Jackson and a dual-wielding teddy bear?
Basic Story Set-Up
A young boy watched his father's beheading by a man looking to become the No. 1 fighter in the world, a title that makes him completely untouchable. He allows the boy, simply calls Afro, to take the No. 2 headband, telling him to train up and return to avenge his father.
For decades, Afro trains to become the greatest warrior in this dystopian feudal Japan where everyone is after the headband that will allow him to face down the man who killed his father and reclaim the No. 1 spot for his family.
For decades, Afro trains to become the greatest warrior in this dystopian feudal Japan where everyone is after the headband that will allow him to face down the man who killed his father and reclaim the No. 1 spot for his family.
You know it's anime because no other medium is so obsessed with impossibly large hair. (Image Courtesy of: amazon.com)
Story Arc Analysis
***This section will contain spoilers for the entire series and following movie. If you have not seen them yet, skip to the Impact and Art Style section until you get a chance to watch the series.***
The Journey to No. 1 (Main Series): The search for power can be a fairly simple pursuit that has often been covered. It's a common anime cliche, but no one has done it quite like Afro Samurai. This short series spares no seconds, which includes skimping on any storytelling explanations.
So much of this anime is driven by the immediate relevance to Afro himself. While the story takes significant time looking over Afro's past, it is all for the sake of the central arc. This is a man who has spent his whole life preparing for the present moment when he can take down any challenger and get to No. 1.
Even the use of his fellow students in the story is more about the thematic impact on Afro. This is a man who has let his whole world fall apart, crippling or killing anyone who has helped him. The closest he gets to a romance is stabbed through the chest, and his former best friend Jinno is stuck in a mechanical bear suit to stay alive.
Afro is not being asked to shed tears for those he has destroyed though. This is about him getting past that. He must destroy his now vengeful friend to be able to step over him on the way to the top. While he faces threats from an organization after his headband, they are all just delaying the inevitable.
There is a powerful sense of purpose behind this condensed series that rise above its sometimes off-putting dark and wavy aesthetic. The final fight scene displays it all clearly as Afro gets what he always wanted but does not seem to care that his ultimate rival is warning him that he will not like what comes next.
Afro never really wanted power just justice, but he is left a god on a mountaintop with no desire to rule. The world below him looks up and sees only an obstacle to be overcome. He's stuck forever in this violent struggle with nothing left to strive for.
Resurrection (Movie): This follow-up movie is not that much shorter than the original series, yet it feels like it has no time to even tell a basic story. It basically just piggy backs off the work of the main series with a supposedly important story (because it relates to Jinno) and action that is awesome and breathtaking but just an extensive of the series.
The main reason to watch is to have more of the aesthetic: more Samuel L. Jackson fighting with himself as the subdued Afro and his imaginary friend, more crazy violent action, more pure dark style, more barely developed villain threats.
The Journey to No. 1 (Main Series): The search for power can be a fairly simple pursuit that has often been covered. It's a common anime cliche, but no one has done it quite like Afro Samurai. This short series spares no seconds, which includes skimping on any storytelling explanations.
So much of this anime is driven by the immediate relevance to Afro himself. While the story takes significant time looking over Afro's past, it is all for the sake of the central arc. This is a man who has spent his whole life preparing for the present moment when he can take down any challenger and get to No. 1.
Even the use of his fellow students in the story is more about the thematic impact on Afro. This is a man who has let his whole world fall apart, crippling or killing anyone who has helped him. The closest he gets to a romance is stabbed through the chest, and his former best friend Jinno is stuck in a mechanical bear suit to stay alive.
Afro is not being asked to shed tears for those he has destroyed though. This is about him getting past that. He must destroy his now vengeful friend to be able to step over him on the way to the top. While he faces threats from an organization after his headband, they are all just delaying the inevitable.
There is a powerful sense of purpose behind this condensed series that rise above its sometimes off-putting dark and wavy aesthetic. The final fight scene displays it all clearly as Afro gets what he always wanted but does not seem to care that his ultimate rival is warning him that he will not like what comes next.
Afro never really wanted power just justice, but he is left a god on a mountaintop with no desire to rule. The world below him looks up and sees only an obstacle to be overcome. He's stuck forever in this violent struggle with nothing left to strive for.
Resurrection (Movie): This follow-up movie is not that much shorter than the original series, yet it feels like it has no time to even tell a basic story. It basically just piggy backs off the work of the main series with a supposedly important story (because it relates to Jinno) and action that is awesome and breathtaking but just an extensive of the series.
The main reason to watch is to have more of the aesthetic: more Samuel L. Jackson fighting with himself as the subdued Afro and his imaginary friend, more crazy violent action, more pure dark style, more barely developed villain threats.
Don't worry, the dual-wielding teddy bear samurai is completely serious. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Impact and Art Style
Lonely, harsh, and melancholy, Afro Samurai has completely understanding of its own message. This is a story about single-minded devotion to an ideal, and it is utterly captivating. It has the feel of an epic poem brought to life where the poetic words have been transformed into visual styling.
Afro is a man possessed in a future world that is much feudal Japan as post-apocalyptic wasteland and carries a Gothic undercurrent. Nothing else is like this, probably because this isn't much of a selling point for audiences. This show would never find wide appeal.
Still, that does not stop it from standing out. The series most clearly comes as a fable of power and revenge with Afro charging forward into his long-awaited battle, not noticing the world crumbling behind him.
With a minimal color palate, the series has a distinctive flavor in aesthetic. The lines always come off a bit wavy as if everything needs to be curved. Its transition from manga to anime is fairly seamless, keeping most of the same color and vibrancy while adding motion.
Anime can often blend together, but Takashi Okazaki stands out clearly from his peers. While this makes for a distinctive experience though, Afro Samurai can often be off-putting. It is not grotesque just slightly off-kilter, which leads to an odd viewing experience.
***Note: Afro Samurai was originally dubbed in English, so there is no sub vs. dub argument. That said, it needs to be mentioned that Samuel L. Jackson in the lead role is brilliant casting that carries the anime.***
Afro is a man possessed in a future world that is much feudal Japan as post-apocalyptic wasteland and carries a Gothic undercurrent. Nothing else is like this, probably because this isn't much of a selling point for audiences. This show would never find wide appeal.
Still, that does not stop it from standing out. The series most clearly comes as a fable of power and revenge with Afro charging forward into his long-awaited battle, not noticing the world crumbling behind him.
With a minimal color palate, the series has a distinctive flavor in aesthetic. The lines always come off a bit wavy as if everything needs to be curved. Its transition from manga to anime is fairly seamless, keeping most of the same color and vibrancy while adding motion.
Anime can often blend together, but Takashi Okazaki stands out clearly from his peers. While this makes for a distinctive experience though, Afro Samurai can often be off-putting. It is not grotesque just slightly off-kilter, which leads to an odd viewing experience.
***Note: Afro Samurai was originally dubbed in English, so there is no sub vs. dub argument. That said, it needs to be mentioned that Samuel L. Jackson in the lead role is brilliant casting that carries the anime.***
Old man DJ though is a bit less serious. (Image Courtesy of: pinterest.com)
Conclusion
Afro Samurai feels extremely niche. It sacrifices so much for an aesthetic that is often bizarre if not flat out alienating, and only a careful focus reveals much of a story. However, it did absolutely work for me because I was engrossed from the start.
The show reminded me of a sparse video game, Dark Souls or Shadow of the Colossus, where the goal is unclear and the motivations are murky, but the journey reveals much to those paying attention. It is one man's journey to ruin that is both inevitable and tragic.
With action that is unlike anything else and a pace that makes most every other show and movie look sluggish, Afro Samurai stands out against any competition. Whether it appeals to everyone though is a tougher question to answer.
I expect I will revisit the anime many times to come in future years, so, for me, it is well worth checking out. I just cannot promise that this is a series that everyone will enjoy. It may even turn the majority of viewers off with its look, gore, and subtle to the point of almost nonexistent story.
The show reminded me of a sparse video game, Dark Souls or Shadow of the Colossus, where the goal is unclear and the motivations are murky, but the journey reveals much to those paying attention. It is one man's journey to ruin that is both inevitable and tragic.
With action that is unlike anything else and a pace that makes most every other show and movie look sluggish, Afro Samurai stands out against any competition. Whether it appeals to everyone though is a tougher question to answer.
I expect I will revisit the anime many times to come in future years, so, for me, it is well worth checking out. I just cannot promise that this is a series that everyone will enjoy. It may even turn the majority of viewers off with its look, gore, and subtle to the point of almost nonexistent story.