Ranked #1415

Afro Samurai: Resurrection

When i first saw Afro Samurai back in 2008 I was amazed, to be honest I didn't think a concept like this would work out in the way it did. I mean here you have a black samurai, in an anime, with hip-hop music, unless we're talking Samurai Champloo this shouldn't work. But I really liked Afro Samurai, I thought it was sick and it only increased my respect for Samuel L. Jackson, so when I found out that there was going to be a sequel to the series I was over the moon... However little did I know that this sequel would end up like this.

Afro Samurai: Resurrection takes place after the events of the original series with Afro finding peace in the mountains after killing countless people because of his number 1 headband. It seems that after being on this road for so long, Afro seems to be losing his way and it is at this point when Afro is attacked by his old friend/nemesis Jinno and a mysterious female warrior named Sio, who wishes to have the head of the famous number one warrior because of the death of the people he has killed. And that my friends are basic elements of this story for this film and to be honest it sucks. The best thing about Afro Samurai was its originality and I know it's hard to follow up good material with sequels, but it seems like Resurrection really lost its 'cool' factor here, the story is basic at best and the new characters involved are just ridiculous and for some reason you want to kill Ninja Ninja in this anime. I'm happy to report that the animation and art style is still sick and beautiful and while the music hasn't got the flair of the original it's still pretty nice.

Overall Afro Samurai: Resurrection really wasn't the sequel that people wanted, the story is unoriginal and the main female antagonist feels far too simple along with all other new characters. The animation and music however are still pretty good and while it's still watchable one can't help but feel sad for the way this turned out and hope that the third installment rectifies this anime's mistake. read more

"Watch your damn mouth... cause I'm coming for my father."

This OVA begins some time after the original series of AfroSamurai where Afro is tired, sick of all the fighting knowing that it is an endless cycle. "Kill or be killed, there is no option". We see Afro in a little hut, accompanied only by a Buddha statue and multiple wooden figurines. Peaceful, but lonely.

So, when Jinno appears on a motorcycle and drags Afro by his hair through the tundra, it is appalling. In the previous installment one takes Jinno to be slayed, but he has returned along with is sister Sio who vouches revenge on Afro for making her family, and herself, suffer. For killing mercilessly. To do this Sio takes Afro's father's skull and disappears, promising to make Afro tremble by brutally tormenting his father and himself. However, before departing, she takes up Afro's number one headband and sends him on a journey to recover the second.

The art was similar to the previous episodes, this time portraying Afro as a war-stricken man who seems to have gone through many tumultuous events. The lighting is spectacular, giving you a feel for the scenery and making significant symbols jump as they are supposed to and details are down to a tee. The viewer is never disappointed, the gore assimilating perfectly with every slash and vengeful strike. The sound and music fit the anime down just right. However, it is rather difficult to discern some words that are spoken and takes you a good minute after rewinding the anime to figure out what was said.

Some of the characters, like Afro and his imaginary pal are just as awe inspiring as the previous anime. There is substantial character development but some, like Sio, will end up pissing you off in the end. Sio may look ample and plumped up, but her vendetta ends up driving her up the wall. Over and over again she speaks of revenge for the pain Afro caused and it gets really tiring after a while. After an hour into it, honestly, I just wanted to smack the bitch.

More characters are presented into the story and reveals a little more into Afro's past.

Overall [7]:
My enjoyment and overall score would have to be rated a 7. There were times when I just wanted the OVA to end, and there were times when I was anticipating what would happen next. The plot is good but a little used up. Certain things will surprise you, especially the events that happen near the end of the animation. I was rather disappointed by the way the mangaka presented the anime in this sequel, but, all in all, it is not bad to watch. read more