As mentioned in the Hellsing review, Animerated is conducting a series of anime reviews. Today, I review the first episode of the Afro Samurai OAV. First, a little background. Afro Samurai is based on the manga series by Takashi Okazai, which first appeared in Nou Nou Hau magazine in September 1999. Studio Gonzo produced the five-episode OAV under the direction of Fuminori Kizaki, who previously helmed the Blue Gender series and movie. The anime made its US television debut on January 4^th, 2007 on the cable network SpikeTV, three days after an online sneak-peek. Those familiar with the manga may notice that while the plot and significant fight sequences follow the manga, the story unfolds very differently.

Fade in. Mount Shumi, a mountain with two hand-shaped protrusions. At a shrine a dark-skinned boy stands with his father. The father is dressed in casual samurai attire: hakama, tabi, zori and katana. He also sports a large Afro tied back in a bushy ponytail with a long, flowing headband with Number 1 (in kanji) written on it. Across from them stands Justice, a menacing-looking gunslinger wearing the Number 2 headband. After a cryptic exchange, the two men fight. Sword against gun, slash versus bullet, both warriors demonstrate amazing skill and speed. Soon, however, the samurai is decapitated by Justice. Horrified, the young boy can only watch as Justice removes the Number 1 headband and callously throws his father’s head at his feet. Justice dons his prize, proclaims himself a god and challenges the boy to confront him when he is ready. A close-up shows the transition from a tearful boy to a cold and angry man. Looking much like his father, the adult Afro now wears the Number 2 headband.

That graphic opening sets the stage for the entire series. In four minutes and thirty seconds, viewers are introduced to Afro, his history, motivation and the brutal reality of his world.

After the credits, we find Afro surrounded by armed men eager to obtain the headband. Ordered to hand it over, Afro instead moves into fighting stance. Though out-manned and out-gunned, Afro engages. Displaying skill rivaling his father, Afro dodges weapons and slices bullets as he brutally cuts down his opponents. The scene is pretty gory, with blood spray aplenty to go with severed arms, legs and bifurcated heads. Much like the opening sequence, this fight highlights the violent and gruesome nature of Afro’s existence.

As the fight concludes, we see a mysterious figure in the distance observing the death-dealing Afro thru futuristic binoculars. It is obvious we will see more of this character later. The fight ends with Afro stoically uttering his first lines: “Nothing personal. It’s just revenge.” He is suddenly joined by his chattering sidekick Ninja-Ninja, who questions if Afro has any humanity left in him. Ninja-Ninja also informs Afro about the mysterious figure but is ignored by the slowly retreating hero.

Next scene, a man enters a bar filled with shady characters. Stammering with excitement, he tells of Afro’s approach. Several of the characters grunt excitedly, eager to take on Afro for the Number 2 headband. One man, hidden underneath a bamboo hat, asks the bartender about the headband. For his benefit (and ours), exposition-bartender quickly summarizes the significance of the headbands and why people seem so eager to fight a man who can easily slice them in two. To illustrate her point, Afro enter the bar just as the other patrons start fighting amongst themselves. Disregarding their stunned silence and angry stares, Afro calmly orders a drink. The largest and loudest thug taunts Afro, to no avail. Incensed, the man attacks but is effortlessly backhanded into a wall before he could land a blow. The Bruce Lee-level of badassism shakes the other thugs – once eager to challenge Afro – into paying for his drinks and the damage to the bar. Before leaving, exposition-bartender gives Afro a clue about the mysterious observer, his companions and their whereabouts.

While walking the path given to him by exposition-bartender, Afro and the magically-reappeared Ninja-Ninja are beset by another challenger. It’s Bamboo Hat, the man in the bar who asked about the headbands. Afro and Bamboo Hat quickly enter battle; but unlike the other fights, this one seems pointless. No major information is imparted, other than to reinforce the danger in possessing the Number 2 headband. Bamboo Hat does manage to injure Afro with an arrow from his crossbow/grenade launcher before Afro splits his hat (and head) open.

The mysterious stranger is seen again, observing Afro like before. He is Brother 2 of the mysterious Empty 7 Clan, who have major plans for the headband and Afro. He calls his leader, informing him of Afro’s movements. While the leader gives a sweeping semi-evangelical rant on the group’s reach and purpose, foreshadowing cutaways of characters splash across the screen. Gee, I wonder if these characters will show-up in future episodes to challenge/pester Afro?

Back on the path, Brother 6, Brother 2′s large companion, senses Afro’s injury and moves in to take him out despite protests. Pulling out an RPG, Brother 6 shoots Afro off the cliff. The episode ends as Afro falls from a questionable doom.

This review will seem harsh to most readers, especially since I like the series. You reading me out there? I liked this. But I was amazed at the sheer number of cliches. First, the setting is a feudal yet futuristic Japan. Granted, this allows Afro to pit his sword against villains using a vast array of weaponry but how often have we seen this? Every decade has a program where the ancient and modern (or futuristic) awkwardly co-exist. Rurouni Kenshin and tried-too-hard-to-be-cool Samurai Champloo, both loosely based on Japanese history, are two examples. Hanna-Barbera played with the then-and-when juxtaposing with The Herculoids and Thundarr the Barbarian before most Americans knew anything about anime.

Secondly, Afro’s revenge motivation seems…generic. Granted, if my father was inexplicably decapitated by a man armed only with a revolver, I’d want revenge, too. But little Afro could not have been completely ignorant about the headbands; his father wore one and let him watch his battles. How many men had his father killed? Did the orphans of those men cut a swath of death in vengeance? What made Afro’s quest any more righteous? Though future episodes expound on headbands, it is never revealed how Afro’s father obtained his or how long he had it.

Third was the scene with the leader of the Empty 7 Clan. As I mentioned above, while the leader rants on about Afro, we see cutaways of their villainous network. Knowing television like most of us do, we can guess Afro will face off against these characters. This minimizes the impact of the cliffhanger ending (pardon the pun). How many anime series kill of their main character in the first episode? One.

On the positive side, the animation was fantastic, as is normal for Studio Gonzo. The detail put into static background shots fortify the savage reality of Afro’s world. Fight sequences are fluid but very gory. I was neither surprised nor sickened by the violence; it is called Afro Samurai, after all. But not everyone reacts the same way to similar stimuli. So, I do not recommended this to kids, unless the kids’ parents are Snake Charmer and The Bride.

The voice cast was excellent, a combination of talent from animation (dubs and traditional), television and movies. Unless you’ve been under a rock for twenty years, you should recognize THE Samuel L. Jackson as Afro and the jabbering Ninja-Ninja. I admit, I didn’t like Ninja-Ninja at first. He’s loud, annoying and seemingly out of place next to the stoic Afro. But I realize he’s a one-man Greek chorus, commenting on events while giving voice to Afro’s thoughts, motivations and doubts. Plus, the more astute viewer can guess Ninja-Ninja’s true relationship with Afro by his frequent absences. Further, the amazing Ron Perlman breathes life into Justice, the gunslinger and object of Afro’s vengeance. I vividly recall Mr. Perlman’s dulcet tones as the master manipulator Slade in Teen Titans.

In all, I found the episode enjoyable yet clichéd. Action fans will enjoy the fight scenes, as will those with a penchant for blood-spray and gore. Having never read the manga, I can’t tell how the anime compares. There is just enough exposition to explain some things yet keep a person interested until the next episode. But more intelligent viewers will probably guess what will happen next.

PS: (Andrei) I forgot to ask StoicLion to rate this episode. Ill add the ratings later.

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