Let’s get one thing straight. I had no idea there was an Afro Samurai sequel. None whatsoever. In fact the only reason I attended the special screening of Afro Samurai: Resurrection was because I was down at AUSA and I was so tired from dancing at the rave all night that I needed a place to sit down. What I got was an unexpected bloody treat that combined samurai, cyborgs, and of course Samuel L. Jackson.

For those of you who aren’t part of the anime community, Afro Samurai was a series created specifically for the American market by Takashi Okazaki. It followed the travels of a young man, working his way up through ranks of powerful assassins in his quest to claim the headband of the number 1 assassin. His quest was fueled by his desire for vengeance, as his father was the previous number 1 assassin. Long story short, he meets up with, and kills a variety of people, including his old childhood friend Jinno who was brought back from the dead as a cyborg, and finally he reclaims the number 1 headband. The series was known for its satirical take on samurai genres, combining futuristic technology in a feudal Japan setting. It was also known for its star studded cast, with Samuel L. Jackson voicing Afro himself, and music being composed by The RZA and other famous hip hop artists.

Afro Samurai: Resurrection is a movie that takes place after the series is over. Afro has grown older and has refused to don the number 1 headband and continue the cycle of slaughter. Instead, he sits alone, in a cabin, sculpting Buddhas to atone for his sins … but that would make for a really boring movie wouldn’t it? A deadly sexy woman named Sio busts into his house along with Jinno who is apparently still alive. They bust him up good and proper, and take the number 1 headband for themselves. Then they taunt them saying that Afro’s father, the one person he cares about, will be the one to pay for his sins.

You may remember that Afro’s father is quite dead. In fact, that is why the whole series started in the first place. Well, no matter, Sio, who turns out to be Jinno’s brother, has contracted a mad scientist to come up with technology that will allow her to resurrect the dead. She steals the jawbone of Afro’s father’s corpse and over the course of the movie she slowly regenerates his body, taunting Afro along the way by showing him bits and pieces of his father’s incomplete flesh. Yeah, it’s as disgusting and awesome as it sounds.

Afro has two tasks. His first task is to reclaim the number 2 headband so that he has the right to challenge the number 1, who at this point is Sio. Two he wants to kill Sio but good. Afro is accompanied by his imaginary friend Ninja Ninja, a ninja who is also voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, and who represents all of the emotions that Afro discarded along his path of murder. As a result, Ninja Ninja spends most of his time smoking weed, drinking heavily, and getting lap dances, and more or less being ineffectual to the plot in any way other than to voice what Afro is thinking or feeling inside. Even so, he is invaluable to the plot as comic relief, and Samuel L. Jackson does a great job portraying the battle hardened warrior and the hedonistic goof at the same time.

The voice acting is just stellar. As I said before Samuel L. Jackson does a magnificent job as both Afro and Ninja Ninja. Lucy Liu is a creepy and dangerous addition to the cast as lady Sio, Other stellar names from the world of voice acting such as Mark Hamill, Phil Lamarr, Steve Blum, Yuri Lowenthal, and even a special appearance by The RZA himself, round out the cast nicely. This is definitely an anime you are going to want to watch dubbed, not subbed.

The fight scenes are just stupendous. They are so stylistically done and brutal that you end up feeling it deep inside you every time someone gets hit or stabbed. Limbs are severed and strewn every which way and blood flows with water. The hip hop soundtrack does a wonderful job framing each of the stellar fight scenes. Each beat ends up corresponding to some sort of attack or defense. The whole movie is extremely rhythmic which is impressive to say the least. The music drags you into the action and makes your eyes hang on every speed line and stylized animation frame. In my opinion it is rare to see a movie that incorporates its sound track into its storytelling so Afro Samurai: Resurrection is a real treat, even if you aren’t a fan of hip hop.

One thing I want to make perfectly clear, is that Afro Samurai isn’t like most animes. In fact, Afro Samurai seems to be the anime for people who don’t otherwise like anime. American hip hop culture is fused into the plot down to its very core and anyone looking for traditional Japanese storytelling will be shit out of luck. However, if you have an open mind, then you will find this fusion of American style and Japanese animation to be quite enjoyable. I’d like to say that Afro Samurai: Resurrection is something that can be universally enjoyed by anyone who likes action flicks, but then again I am an anime fan so I may be biased. However, if you enjoy samurai, ninja, hip hop, Samuel L. Jackson, or any of the other numerous hooks that make Afro Samurai: Resurrection a joy to watch, then you owe it to yourself to at least give it a chance.

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