Afro Samurai [Blu-ray] [2006]

I have to agree with the previous reviewer's assessment on this film getting four stars in general, but at a price just slightly higher than a rental, it could easily get five stars as well.

The story line is entertaining, the animation is high-budget, very cool looking stuff. It is a darkly depicted world with lots of greys, dark colors, amid splashes of violent red as heads roll, limbs go flying, and people get cleaved in two.

Don't be put off by the soundtrack, I dislike rap for the most part, but it does not bother me one bit in this film. It really fits in with the style of the cartoon, the attitudes, and the characters. On top of that, it is really just background filler, sometimes you hardly hear it playing in the film. It is not in your face, subwoofer slamming music that will annoy your neighbors, which in turn allows you to pump the volume for those cool fight scenes. In fact, I think they could easily have mixed the volume higher on the music myself. So if you are expecting the in-your-face thumping bass and loud soundtrack music, you will be disappointed.

Samuel Jackson's voice-over is brilliant. Any fan of Sam will really enjoy this as a perk.

As for the blu-ray itself:

As a big, big plus, there are no previews, no "don't steal this movie" rubbish, it skips almost directly to the main menu.

It contains five chapters, each about 24 minutes or so plus some extras.

Picture:

The lines are clean, the animation is very good, and the 1080P/24 really delivers this anime the way the director intended it. Five stars for picture quality, though if you are new to anime like me, don't expect Ratatouille quality animation as it is simply another style.

Sound:

Dolby True HD. At times the sound is brilliant, but the mixing is off in a few scenes. The music could have been mixed much louder, and the rear channels could use some more umph. The subwoofer rarely gets a workout, and that is a shame because there are some scenes which could have been well enhanced with some heavy bass. Overall a decent HD sound job, but you won't be showing off your speakers with this movie. Three stars for sound.

Languages:

English Dolby True HD 5.1
English Stereo 2.0

Subtitles:
None (bummer!)

Extras:

In the Booth- Voice Talent of Afro Samurai
RZA Music Production Tour
Character profiles with commentary by Co-Producer Eric Calderon

This film gets a thumbs up from me, and at the price it is now, it is a real steal.

I completely agree with the previous reviews- Off the chain!! And that's pretty uncharacteristic for me to say, but that's the effect `Afro Samurai' has. It touches the viewer in the way only pure anime can- animation transformed into something epic. With the golden-voiced Samuel L. Jackson, flawless animation, a perfectly pitched, evocative score and an original, ultramodern storyline what might have been just a novelty appealing to only a niche market, `Afro Samurai' becomes a very real visceral experience with mass appeal.

Comprised of just five episodes totalling 110 minutes this feels more like a mini-series or a movie that happens to be split into five parts. I think it's doubtful that the quality could be replicated if it was ever turned into a proper series in the future, but I'd still tune in to see the result.

It also demands very little of the viewer, allowing you to just sit back and enjoy the action. The only downside is that it has to come to an end so soon. But for the price you can't argue with what you get for your money. Five episodes of fantastic quality with extra's and limited edition features to boot. Truly an intoxicating experience, not for the faint-hearted, but only for those who revel in an all-out animated revenge fest.

I recently purchased Afro Samurai without having seen or heard very much and I have to say that it turned out to be brilliant, a fresh take on samurai anime in terms of genre and direction. Samuel L. Jackson, voice acting a black samurai with an afro, in an anime? Brilliant! Excellent animation, bloody slicing, explosions, cool original characters, comedy, an engaging storyline, and of course a fantastic voice cast. I was tempted to pre-order this limited numbered dvd edition when it came out but if you go to amazon.com they have 'Afro Samurai - The Director's Cut' which comes as a 2 disc set and is 15 minutes longer. It also has some cool extras, and comes in a fold out case. So if you have a multi-region/region 1 dvd player and want it now that's the place to go. Wicked!!!