Afro Samurai

As a young boy, Afro witnessed the slaughter of his father, the owner of the #1 headband, at the hands of an evil warrior named Justice, who happens to be the owner of the #2 headband. Only knowing his the death of his father and how unfair life can be, Afro is alone. Now as an adult, Afro is a master swordsman and won't rest until he finds not only Justice, but revenge. 

If you follow a majority of my reviews, you know that I'm not a huge anime fan. Anime isn't bad, it's just not something I can pour my interest into. However, Afro Samurai isn't your normal anime cartoon. Blood, women, rap music and Samuel L. Jackson. Do we really need anything else? The answer? No. No, you don't 

Everything here is in top form. The animation is flawless. Especially for an action-packed series, it's unbelievable how well the animators have mastered the art of capturing an animated fight. The characters are very few, but very important. Mainly, the series consists of Afro, his (somewhat imaginary) companion Ninja Ninja, Justice and a few choice villains. And Ninja Ninja is probably the favorite here. Throughout the show, Ninja Ninja can be seen following Afro around. Giving him advice or just bashing him with obscenities, Ninja Ninja isn't afraid who hears him. Which is fortunate, since the show makes it out that Afro is the only person who can hear or see him. 

The plot is pretty basic, as explained above: Afro is seeking revenge for his fallen father and the horror he witnessed as a child. However, the plot does change. See, this blu-ray copy not only carries the first season of Afro Samurai, but also the animated movie, Afro Samurai: Resurrection. And this movie takes place after Afro's quest for revenge, so I have decided not to mention the plot so those who actually want to watch the show, can do so spoiler-free. 

The quality of the blu-ray here is beyond fantastic. I own some movies on blu-ray that I bought just because they looked good. But the animation here is complimented incredibly well. In short, i can't think of many other blu-rays that compare to this one. And that shouldn't be taken lightly. The special features contain some behind the scenes footage but nothing too new. The only feature worth watching is the "In The Booth With The Voice Talent of Afro Samurai". It might just be me, but Samuel L. Jackson screaming about death and revenge puts a pretty large smile on my face (Watch Deep Blue Sea and get back to me). Here's a complete list of the features:

-Interview with the creator, Takashi Okazaki

-Afro In-Depth

-Afro Samurai East Meets West Part 1: GONZO studio interviews and behind the scenes

-RZA music production tour

-Character commentary

-Animation production

In the end, Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions is a treat for the eyes, a quench to those suffering of blood-thirst and a must-own on blu-ray.