Afro Samurai
A samurai seeks revenge in a feudal futuristic Japan.
Afro Samurai is a Japanese seinen dōjinshi manga series written and illustrated by Takashi Okazaki, inspired by his love of hip hop and soul music. It follows Afro Samurai, whose father was killed by a gunslinger, on a journey for revenge. The series was adapted into an anime miniseries by Gonzo in 2007, which won two Emmy nominations.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- period piece
- post-apocalyptic
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In a feudal yet futuristic Japan, the wearer of the Number 1 headband is considered the greatest warrior and is said to possess god-like powers. Only the Number 2 headband wearer can challenge the Number 1, while anyone may challenge the Number 2. The outlaw Justice, owner of the Number 2 headband, kills Rokutaro, the Number 1, before his young son Afro. Afro vows revenge, and Justice tells him to seek him out when ready to duel a god. Years later, Afro wears the Number 2 headband and kills assassins sent by the Empty Seven Clan. He recalls his past and goes to Mount Shumi to face his childhood friend Jinno, whom he defeats. Afro tracks down Justice, who explains there are other headbands and claims he killed all bearers to bring peace. Afro kills Justice and takes the Number 1 headband. Jinno, now claiming all headbands, returns for revenge. In Afro Samurai: Resurrection, Jinno and his sister Sio steal Rokutaro's body and the Number 1 headband. Afro kills Shichigoro, takes the Number 2 headband, and confronts the resurrected Rokutaro, who kills the siblings. Afro defeats Rokutaro, gives the Number 2 headband to Kotaro, and continues wearing the Number 1. Elsewhere, an unknown man meets the revived Justice.
Production
Okazaki began drawing African-American characters as a teenager, inspired by hip hop and soul music, and combined samurai elements into his work. He wrote the original dōjinshi, then called Afro Samurai!, for the independently published art magazine Nou Nou Hau, with preparatory issue 0 released in November 1998. Okazaki wrote the manga in the English direction, incorporating elements from English and Japanese comics. He also used Afro Samurai for a cat food advertisement. After the anime, Okazaki remade the dōjinshi with increased artistic skill. Original artwork from issue 0 was showcased at the KRAZY! exhibition at the Japan Society from March 13 to June 14, 2009.
Media
The series was originally published in the self-funded Nou Nou Hau dōjinshi magazine, first appearing in issue 0 and published from September 1999 to October 2000. After the anime, Okazaki recreated the original dōjinshi, first published in the United States by Seven Seas Entertainment and Tor Books in two volumes, with thumbnail clips of the original dōjinshi at the end of the first volume. This was the first joint publication under the Tor/Seven Seas imprint. The manga was released in Italy by Panini Comics' Planet Manga on April 9, 2009, and in Japan in one volume on December 18, 2009, with a limited edition including the original dōjinshi in a separate volume. A director's cut was set for July 26, 2022, by Titan Comics under its Titan Manga imprint, but delayed to December 13, 2022. Action figures based on characters were released in small amounts, leading a Gonzo producer to discover them and propose an animated miniseries. It took three years to develop; a trailer caught Samuel L. Jackson's attention. The series was a five-episode collaboration between Jackson, Okazaki, Gonzo, and RZA as composer. Each episode cost $1 million. Funimation (later Crunchyroll, LLC) acquired rights, and the series premiered on Spike on January 4, 2007, after streaming the first episode on Spike's website. It premiered on Japanese television on May 3, 2007, in English with Japanese subtitles, uncut with no Japanese dub.
Reception
The manga received generally positive reviews. Scott Green of Ain't It Cool News called it a work of design that uses the medium as a platform, though he noted Okazaki lacks a head for storytelling and the manga labors to show off design. Anime News Network's Carlo Santos stated the anime starts slow but picks up when blades fly, calling it hardly complex with a straightforward plot. He also said the original manga is pretty lousy, with Okazaki lost in incomprehensible scribbles and style over substance. Volume 2 charted 147 on ComiPress' Top 250 Manga Volumes of February 2009. The anime Blu-ray charted #16 on VideoScan's Blu-ray charts. In January 2009, IGN ranked the series 90th on its top 100 animated series list, citing over-the-top violence and quirky story and characters. On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Afro Samurai among 38 banned anime and manga titles in China.
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