Review of Afro Samurai (Review)
Wednesday, 31st October 2007, 20:23

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Introduction
Voiced by Samuel L. Jackson - an actor who isn't generally known for his afro wearing, unless you count Jules from Pulp Fiction – Afro Samurai finally makes it onto DVD in the UK. Screened over here during the Adult Swim sessions on Bravo, it's it originated from a Japanese Manga comic, and reportedly cost over one million dollars per episode. It's a great eastern/western mix that has been gifted a second series (even if the title of this box-set doesn't suggest it).

As a young boy, Afro sees his father killed in front of his eyes in a ritualistic fight to the death. The boy grows into a badass young man who, despite the advice from his friends and teacher, can not rest until he rights the wrong done to him. Afro's fighting skills are honed as he secretly searches for the legendary Number 2 headband – the holder of this headband is the only worldly being able to hurt the Number 1, who just so happens to be his father's killer. After he takes on the mantle of Number 2, he travels a warrior's solitary path in his search for revenge, fighting off a myriad of enemies all intent owning the legendary Number 2 headband for their own chance to challenge to be Number 1. As well as enemies, occasionally allies also come along the way including Ninja Ninja (also voiced by Jackson), and the stoic warrior strives to keep his focus (and his dignity) while Ninja Ninja jabbers away (much to the audience's annoyance).

The DVD itself set is presented in a nice sturdy cardboard case, emblazoned with the beautiful artwork from the show. It's very minimal, which I quite like, and comes with some printed cards and a booklet (which is always a nice little bonus). The covers on the DVDs are also reversible, coming in either white or a nice tint of red. Don't be deceived by the jokey title and the fact that it's an animation; this is very much an adult 'toon and should be noted that it carries an 18 certificate.

Following the cartoon, expect to see a Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 game in 2008, as well as a 300 page comic book and a soundtrack CD. Further to that, rumours have it that there's a live action film currently in pre-production, so this definitely won't be the last you see of the character.

Video
Presented in 16:9, the picture looks as good as you would expect it to. Afro Samurai has been put together with great care, and it really shows. The quality is as sharp as you would expect on DVD, and looks even better with a little bit of upscaling.



Audio
With music by The RZA (who if you didn't know, worked with Tarantino on the Kill Bill soundtrack, as well as a host of other films), Afro Samurai also features the added bonus of both Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu who lend their voices to the characters.

The mix is great, and you can really appreciate the stabs and slashes of the swords during the frantic action scenes. The music wasn't quite as memorable as I would have liked, but it really lended a cool flow to the overall proceedings. To be truthful, I was paying more attention to the visuals, which isn't such a bad thing.

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