| Afro Samurai | |
 Volume one of theAfro Samurai manga remake that was first released in America byTor Books andSeven Seas Entertainment | |
| アフロサムライ (Afuro Samurai) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action,period piece,[1]post-apocalyptic[2] |
| Manga | |
| Afro Samurai! | |
| Written by | Takashi Okazaki |
| Published by | Self-funded dōjinshi |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Nou Nou Hau (dōjinshi) |
| Original run | November 1998 –September 2002 |
| Volumes | JP 1 NA 2 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Fuminori Kizaki |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Music by | RZA |
| Studio | Gonzo |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll[a] |
| Original network | FNS (Fuji TV),Wowow |
| English network | |
| Original run | January 4, 2007 – February 1, 2007 |
| Episodes | 5 |
| Anime television film | |
| |
Afro Samurai (アフロサムライ,Afuro Samurai; stylized asΛFΓO SΛMUΓΛI) is aJapaneseseinendōjinshimanga series written and illustrated bymanga artistTakashi Okazaki. It was originally serialized irregularly in theavant-gardedōjinshimanga magazineNou Nou Hau from November 1998 to September 2002. Inspired by Okazaki's love ofhip hop andsoul music, it follows the life of Afro Samurai, whose father and the owner of the No. 1 headband, was killed by a gunslinger and the owner of the No. 2 headband. Afro sets on a journey for revenge.
TheAfro Samuraidōjinshi was adapted into ananimeminiseries byGonzo in 2007, along with thetelevision film sequelAfro Samurai: Resurrection in 2009, both of which starredSamuel L. Jackson as the title character. The anime received twoEmmy nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and Outstanding Animated Program, which it won. After the release of the anime series, Okazaki remade the originalAfro Samuraidōjinshi into a two-volume manga.Tor Books andSeven Seas Entertainment licensed the title and published it under their newTor/Seven Seas imprint for aNorth America exclusive release. In addition to the miniseries,Afro Samurai has been adapted into twovideo games. For the television series and film, two soundtracks byRZA ofWu-Tang Clan and a profile book were released in Japan.
In afeudal yetfuturisticJapan, it is said that the one wearing the Number 1 headband is the greatest warrior in the world and shall possessgod-like powers. Some believe it grants immortality while others believe they received headbands from the gods themselves. The only way to obtain the Number 1 headband is to challenge and defeat the current wearer in combat. However, only the wearer of the Number 2 headband can challenge the Number 1 whereas anyone can challenge the Number 2. The Number 2 headband's current owner, the outlaw Justice, fights and kills Rokutaro in front of his young son Afro and owner of the Number 1 headband. Afro vows revenge against Justice who tells him to seek him out when he is "ready to duel a god."[3]
Years later, Afro wears the Number 2 headband. He kills a group ofassassins,criminals, andmercenaries sent by the Empty Seven Clan, for whom they seek the headband. Recalling his tragic past, Afro goes to Mount Shumi to face Jinno, his childhood friend and fellow samurai, who blames him for killing their master (who had the Number 2 headband). He defeats Jinno and tracks down Justice, who explains that there are other headbands in existence, ranging to an unspecified higher number. Claiming that he intends to use his power as the Number 1 to bring peace to all mankind, Justice reveals that he killed all headband bearers and decorated his safe house with corpses. Afro kills Justice and takes the Number 1 headband. Afro settles in as the new Number 1 while Jinno, now claiming all headbands from Justice, returns to take revenge.
InAfro Samurai: Resurrection, Jinno and his sister Sio, steal Rokutaro's body and the Number 1 headband. After killing Shichigoro and taking the Number 2 headband, Afro confronts the resurrected Rokutaro, who kills the siblings. Afro defeats Rokutaro, gives the Number 2 headband to Shichigoro's son Kotaro, and peacefully continues wearing the Number 1. Elsewhere, a unknown man meets the revived Justice.
Okazaki started drawingAfrican-American characters on items likeKleenex boxes when he was a teenager, inspired by his fondness forhip hop andsoul music. He also drew ideas from American media and their depiction of Japanese culture.[4] He started combining elements ofsamurai into his work, eventually developing the design for Afro. Okazaki began writing the originaldōjinshi, then calledAfro Samurai!, when he and his friends started independently publishing the art magazineNou Nou Hau.[5] The preparatory "issue 0" ofNou Nou Hau was released in November 1998 withAfro Samurai artwork featured on the cover.[6] Takashi Okazaki wrote the entire manga in the English direction, with elements from English and Japanese comics. He also used Afro Samurai for a cat food advertisement in the last pages of his manga book.[7] In addition to the anime production, Okazaki re-made thedōjinshi, with an increased display of artistic skill.[7] At theJapan Society from March 13 to June 14, 2009, originalAfro Samuraidōjinshi artwork (as used on issue 0 ofNou Nou Hau) was showcased at theKRAZY!: The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games exhibition.[8]
The series was originally published in the self-fundedNou Nou Haudōjinshi magazine.[5] First appearing in issue 0, thedōjinshi version was first published from September 1999 to October 2000.[6] After the release of the anime version, Okazaki recreated the originaldōjinshi.[7] Although the recreation of the original manga was created in Japan, it was first published in the United States bySeven Seas Entertainment andTor Books in twotankōbon volumes.[9] As a special supplement, thumb-nail sized clips of the originaldōjinshi were shown at the end of the first volume.[10] The English release of the manga was Tor Books and Seven Seas' first joint publication under the newly formedTor/Seven Seas imprint.[9] The manga was also released in Italy throughPanini Comics' manga publishing division Planet Manga, on April 9, 2009.[11] The manga was released in one volume in Japan on December 18, 2009. The limited edition came with all the issues of the original dōjinshi included in a separate volume.[12] A director's cut of the manga was set to be released on July 26, 2022 withTitan Comics taking over the publishing under their new "Titan Manga" imprint. However, it was delayed to December 13, 2022.[13][14]
| No. | Title | Release date | ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing personal, kid. | September 2008[15] | 978-0-7653-2123-7 | ||
| |||||
| After witnessing his father killed by Justice, Afro wears the No. 2 headband and plans to avenge his father's death. | |||||
| 2 | Death isn't the end...it's only the beginning. | February 2009[15] | 978-0-7653-2239-5 | ||
| |||||
| After killing Justice, Afro takes the No. 1 headband and challenges Jinno. | |||||
One of Okazaki's friends decided to make action figures based on characters, which were released in small amounts. After they were created, a producer from the anime studio,Gonzo, happened to find them and thought about creating an animated miniseries based on the manga. It took three years to develop, and during that time the studio created a trailer, which happened to catch the attention ofSamuel L. Jackson.[16] It was announced that the series would be a five-episode "creative collaboration", between Jackson, Okazaki and Gonzo, andWu-Tang Clan memberRZA served as a music composer.[17][18] Each episode of the anime cost $1 million.[19]
In 2006, it was announced thatFunimation (later Crunchyroll, LLC) acquired the rights to the anime series which would premiere onSpike, later that year, and that Jackson would voice Afro.[20]Afro Samurai debuted on January 4, 2007.[21] The series premiered worldwide on Spike's website, where theystreamed the first episode online. On May 3, 2007, the series premiered on Japanese television, in English with Japanese subtitles, and for the first time completely uncut.[22]
On May 11, 2007, Funimation released the firstAfro Samurai DVDs at Anime Central, at their own booth, the regularAfro Samurai: TV Version and the uncutAfro Samurai: Director's Cut. Both DVDs were released to the public on May 22, 2007.[23] On September 4, 2007, all five episodes ofAfro Samurai were released oniTunes. To promote this, Funimation released eight custom designediPods by Takashi Okazaki.[24] In 2008, Funimation released theAfro Samurai anime series ontoXbox Live inhigh definition format and also debuted onBlu-ray Disc in that year.[25][26] The series was shown at the German Film Festival in Germany.[27]
| # | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Revenge" "Number Two" | January 4, 2007 (2007-01-04) | |
As a boy, Afro witnessed Justice decapitating his father and wears the No. 1 headband. As a man, he wears the No. 2 and sets out on his journey for revenge. | |||
| 2 | "The Dream Reader" "OKIKU" | January 11, 2007 (2007-01-11) | |
Afro relives his harsh past through his dreams when he is discovered by an old friend, Otsuru (Okiku) at a riverbank who tends to his wounds. In the present day, she attempts to kill Afro, but she makes love with him. The assassins then kill Otsuru. | |||
| 3 | "The Empty Seven Clan" "THE EMPTY SEVEN CLAN" | January 18, 2007 (2007-01-18) | |
As the Empty Seven Clan continues to put pressure on Afro, he kills them and the Afro Droid. | |||
| 4 | "Duel" "KUMA" | January 25, 2007 (2007-01-25) | |
Jinnosuke (Kuma) fights with Afro about the consequence lesson of choosing revenge over family and using the No. 2 headband. | |||
| 5 | "Justice" "JUSTICE" | February 1, 2007 (2007-02-01) | |
Afro goes to Justice's lair and duels him. After killing Justice and claiming the No. 1 headband, Afro reconciles and battles with Jinno. | |||
In anAssociated Press interview in 2007, Okazaki confirmed there would be a sequel to the anime series, and that it would air onSpike.[28] In 2008, the sequel was announced to be atelevision film,Afro Samurai: Resurrection, withLucy Liu andMark Hamill joining the cast.[29] Hip hop artist The RZA returned to provide the soundtrack of the film.Afro Samurai: Resurrection debuted on Spike on January 25, 2009.[30] On July 16, 2009,Afro Samurai: Resurrection was nominated for anEmmy in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or more)" category in the61st Primetime Emmy Awards and theCreative Arts Emmy Awards. At the Emmy awards,Afro Samurai: Resurrection lost toDestination Imagination, a television film based onFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends.[31][32] The art director ofAfro Samurai: Resurrection, Shigemi Ikeda, won an Emmy for his work onResurrection, which is the first ever awarded for work on a Japanese-animated production.[33]Afro Samurai: Resurrection was the first Japanese anime to be nominated for and win an Emmy.[32] Late 2009 also saw the release ofAfro Samurai: Complete Murder Sessions on Blu-ray and DVD. A 4-disc collection of both Afro Samurai Director's Cut and Afro Samurai: Resurrection, together in one complete boxset.
Announced at the 2006San Diego Comic-Con, alive action version of the series is said to be in the making.[34] On July 21, 2011, Gonzo K.K. announced thatIndomina Group had obtained the rights to produce the film, with Samuel L. Jackson,Jasbinder Singh Mann (Indomina Group Vice Chairman and CEO), Shin Ishikawa (Gonzo Studios) as producers; Eli Selden of Anonymous Content as executive producer.[35][36] Production, however, stalled when Indomina Group suspended North American operations and shut its US office.[37]
In 2005, Gonzo had awardedNamco Bandai Games exclusive rights to publish twoAfro Samuraivideo games, as announced that year.[38] The debut trailer of the first game was released at the company's Editor's Day presentation.[39]Afro Samurai was released for theXbox 360 andPlayStation 3 on January 27, 2009.[40][41] A sequel, titledAfro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma, was released for thePlayStation 4 andMicrosoft Windows on September 22, 2015. The game was developed byRedacted Studios and published byVersus Evil.[42] AnXbox One version was planned to be released on October 9, 2015; however, after the negative reception of the game, it was never released.[43] The game was eventually delisted in November 2015, due to the negative reception.[44][45][46]
Wu-Tang Clan memberRZA produced the soundtrack for both theAfro Samurai TV series and the TV movie sequelAfro Samurai: Resurrection.[30][47] The first soundtrack for the anime series,The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai: The Soundtrack was released on January 30, 2007, byKoch Records (now known as E1 Music).[48] The second soundtrack for the TV movie,The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai: Resurrection: The Soundtrack, was also released by Koch Records on January 27, 2009.[49]
The manga series has received generally positive reviews from critics. Scott Green, writer of theAnime AICN segment ofAin't It Cool News said that the manga "is a work of design" and that it "utilizes the medium to which it is applied as a platform rather than as an ends unto itself." Scott notes that Okazaki does not have a "head for manga as a storytelling form" and that the "manga labors to show off Okazaki's design."[50]Anime News Network reviewer, Carlo Santos stated about the anime that "like most typical action-adventures, the story starts out slow and only picks up toward the middle and end when the blades really start flying" and that "Afro Samurai is hardly a complex story" and that it only has "a handful of characters and a straightforward beat-the-next-guy plotline". Carlo Santos also noted that "the original Afro Samurai manga is pretty lousy" and that Takashi Okazaki often gets lost in "incomprehensible scribbles" and "style over substance."[51] Volume 2 ofAfro Samurai also charted 147 on ComiPress' "Top 250 Manga Volumes" of February 2009.[52] TheBlu-ray of the anime series charted #16 onVideoScan's Blu-ray charts.[26] In January 2009,IGN ranked the series 90th on a list of the top 100 animated series, saying that the over-the-top violence and quirky story and characters made the show enjoyable.[53]
On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listedAfro Samurai among 38 anime and manga titles banned inChina.[54]
