Afro Samurai: Resurrection (Two-Disc Director's Cut)

Afro Samurai has found vengeance, and has sworn off fighting. You didn't think that would last, did you?

Nope, it didn't. And the past catches up to the silent afroed warrior in a big way in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" -- a wildly stylized, bloodsoaked, wildly anachronistic tale of what will happen after you get your gory revenge. And Samuel L. Jackson fits into the quiet, butt-kicking titular character like a hand in a fine leather glove.

Afro now lives in a temple where he meditates, carves little statues of Buddha, and thinks on his bloodsoaked past (cue wild flashback scene involving crazy ninjas and a river of blood).

That would make for a boring movie, so suddenly Kumo and the sexy, sadistic Sio appear, and steal both Afro's No. 1 headband and his father's remains. With his sword reforged, Afro sets out to reclaim the No. 2 headband so he can challenge Sio, and stop her from resurrecting his father (just so she can torture him).

But regaining the headband leads to a terrible cost -- a kindly man with a little son, haunted by the headband's bloody legacy. And the path to Sio's lair is riddled with grotesque henchmen who are very interested in seeing Afro dead -- and Sio herself plans to use a terrible weapon to destroy the man she hates above all else.

Like "Samurai Champloo," "Afro Samurai" is a stylized story that wears its hip-hop trappings and period Japanese flavour like badges of honor. Or headbands. Whichever. The actual story is rather thin, but it carries a heavy message about revenge -- one you get it, it will haunt you like a bloody ghost forever and corrupt others along the way. Ninja Ninja provides a little humor ("I'm gonna die, man! Or at least have a stroke... I HATE HEIGHTS!") but it can't lighten the storyline.

"Afro Samurai: Resurrection" doesn't hold itself back on the fights -- neatly sliced bodies, fountains and rivers of blood, savage beatings and some really creepy cybernetic/masked baddies who are unafraid to get dirty. The highlight is a balletic nighttime duel between Afro and Shichigoro, surrounded by deadly chains and glowing lanterns, and framed by fireworks reflected in the water.

And it leaves the way paved for a third "Afro Samurai" story. I'm waiting.

Most regular actors are terrible at voice-acting, but Samuel L Jackson could easily make a living at it if he wanted to -- both the deep, gravelly voice ("Watch... your damn... MOUTH") and the annoying jabber of Ninja Ninja. And Afro serves as an excellent anti-hero, who does some truly terrible things but is willing to pay for them.

Lucy Liu does a solid job as well, giving Sio both sensual viciousness and tenderness, and even a sort of moral core ("History will mourn the atrocities you now commit"), while Yuri Lowenthal and Mark Hamill have good small roles. And Liam O'Brian's gravelly/soft voice gives poignancy to his small but memorable role as Shichigoro.

The two-disc edition has a cluster of extras, mostly in featurette form -- a two-part making-of documentary, an interview with the creator, music composition, video game, commentary, and assorted other stuff. Mainly interesting if you really love the movie.

"Afro Samurai: Resurrection" is a solid sequel that shows what happens when revenge is swung back at you. A good, bloodsoaked anime that opens the way for more.

If you could compare the original Afro Samurai to a innovative new game, Resurrection is more of an expansion pack than a sequel. It opens up with a cliched depowering of the hero Afro and rehashes the original's plot with some twists. The quality of the animation is superb as well as the art. The music is good, but doesn't seem to be as good of an effort as the first one. Afro really doesn't go through any significant character development and by the end of the movie is right back where he was at the end of the last movie. Its fun for a rental but I regret buying it. Make sure you watch till the end of the credits for a teaser scene.

Afro Samurai has found vengeance, and has sworn off fighting. You didn't think that would last, did you?

Nope, it didn't. And the past catches up to the silent afroed warrior in a big way in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" -- a wildly stylized, bloodsoaked, wildly anachronistic tale of what will happen after you get your gory revenge. And Samuel L. Jackson fits into the quiet, butt-kicking titular character like a hand in a fine leather glove.

Afro now lives in a temple where he meditates, carves little statues of Buddha, and thinks on his bloodsoaked past (cue wild flashback scene involving crazy ninjas and a river of blood).

That would make for a boring movie, so suddenly Kumo and the sexy, sadistic Sio appear, and steal both Afro's No. 1 headband and his father's remains. With his sword reforged, Afro sets out to reclaim the No. 2 headband so he can challenge Sio, and stop her from resurrecting his father (just so she can torture him).

But regaining the headband leads to a terrible cost -- a kindly man with a little son, haunted by the headband's bloody legacy. And the path to Sio's lair is riddled with grotesque henchmen who are very interested in seeing Afro dead -- and Sio herself plans to use a terrible weapon to destroy the man she hates above all else.

Like "Samurai Champloo," "Afro Samurai" is a stylized story that wears its hip-hop trappings and period Japanese flavour like badges of honor. Or headbands. Whichever. The actual story is rather thin, but it carries a heavy message about revenge -- one you get it, it will haunt you like a bloody ghost forever and corrupt others along the way. Ninja Ninja provides a little humor ("I'm gonna die, man! Or at least have a stroke... I HATE HEIGHTS!") but it can't lighten the storyline.

"Afro Samurai: Resurrection" doesn't hold itself back on the fights -- neatly sliced bodies, fountains and rivers of blood, savage beatings and some really creepy cybernetic/masked baddies who are unafraid to get dirty. The highlight is a balletic nighttime duel between Afro and Shichigoro, surrounded by deadly chains and glowing lanterns, and framed by fireworks reflected in the water.

And it leaves the way paved for a third "Afro Samurai" story. I'm waiting.

Most regular actors are terrible at voice-acting, but Samuel L Jackson could easily make a living at it if he wanted to -- both the deep, gravelly voice ("Watch... your damn... MOUTH") and the annoying jabber of Ninja Ninja. And Afro serves as an excellent anti-hero, who does some truly terrible things but is willing to pay for them.

Lucy Liu does a solid job as well, giving Sio both sensual viciousness and tenderness, and even a sort of moral core ("History will mourn the atrocities you now commit"), while Yuri Lowenthal and Mark Hamill have good small roles. And Liam O'Brian's gravelly/soft voice gives poignancy to his small but memorable role as Shichigoro.

"Afro Samurai: Resurrection" is a solid sequel that shows what happens when revenge is swung back at you. A good, bloodsoaked anime that opens the way for more.

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