Afro Samurai: Resurrection Anime Movie Review

Afro Samurai: Resurrection
Afuro Samurai
Funimation
Movie - 90 mins. - 1 disc
$39.98 (2010) Complete Murder Sessions w/First Season Blu-Ray
$34.98 (2009) Complete Murder Sessions w/First Season
$34.98 (2009) Director's Cut
$39.98 (2009) Director's Cut Blu-Ray
$29.98 (2009)
ISBN 704400079924
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Fuminori Kizaki/Jamie Simone
Studio - Gonzo

Synopsis: Afro has found his revenge and claimed the Number 1 headband from the man who killed his father.  His fight is over, but he languishes with no purpose and no friends.  It seems he is just marking time while his life slowly continues.  He has made too many enemies along the way to have any chance at a peaceful life and a new enemy soon appears.

Afro languishes after finally getting revenge for his father's murder

It's his old friend, Jinno, and his sister, Sio, who easily defeat Afro, take the Number 1 headband, and steal the remains of Afro's father, Rokutaro.  Sio is working her own revenge angle on Afro because he destroyed her brother's life.  She plans to resurrect Rokutaro and torture him.

Sio and her brother Jinno return to seek their revenge on Afro

Once again Afro is set into motion as he must track down the Number 2 headband to challenge Jinno and Sio.  She uses an evil scientist to maintain Jinno's upkeep and sets him to resurrecting Rokutaro with the goal of setting him against Afro.  He faces his greatest challenge yet as he wades through another eclectic set of warriors on his path to confront Sio, but will he be able to face his resurrected father?

Sio's creepy henchmen (and woman)

Pros: Stunning visuals (on par with the first series), great soundtrack, Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of Afro (and the annoying Ninja Ninja) along with Lucy Liu as Sio, tons of hardcore action, nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, art director Shigemi Ikeda won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation

Afro challenges the man who has the Number 2 headband

Cons: Plot is weak and predictable, less character and feeling than the first series, suffers from typical sequel curse of not being as good as the first, Ninja Ninja is still in the story

Not too happy to see this guy again - he's super annoying and apparently
a figment of Afro's mind (maybe his inner monologue or something)

Mike Tells It Straight: I watched the first series of Afro Samurai and reviewed it here.  It was a slick Japanese anime blaxploitation film with great visuals and action, but lacking a solid story.  The sequel is more of the same and didn't go anywhere new.  It still looks cool with neat character designs (a fusion of futuristic technology, modern hip-hop, and feudal Japan) and great animation.  The story is still very simple and predictable.

Gonzo gives us some truly stunning visuals

While I was glad to see Jinno return since I thought he was the best supporting character of the first series (it's the giant bear mask).  I was disappointed in his role in this sequel.  Sio runs the show and she's a truly bland villain.  I didn't think the plot could get any weaker, but I was wrong.  This movie is all about action and looking cool.  It worked for the first series after all.

Afro and Jinno in younger, happier days

This movie was nominated for an Emmy and the art director won one.  Not bad for this popular sequel although a surprise to me due to the lack of solid story.  I'd say watch this show if you liked the first one and/or want to find out what happens afterwards.  It's got all the same action and a little less story to get in the way.

Can Afro confront his resurrected father who is little more than a killing machine?

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Basilisk Anime Review

Basilisk

Funimation
Complete Collection - 6 discs
600 mins. - 24 episodes
$89.98 (2007) $49.98 (2008)
$44.98 (2009) Blu-Ray
$39.98 (2010)
ISBN 704400085161
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Fumitomo Kizaki
Studio - Gonzo

Synopsis: Two rival ninja clans, the Kouga and the Iga, with an old, deep-seated grudge are pitted against one another in a bloody showdown to the finish.  They are pawns in a political battle to name the next Shogun and now there are two lists with names slowly being written off in blood. 

Caught in the crossfire are two lovers whose union would have meant a truce between the two clans.  Now there is only tragedy as the lovers must face each other on the battlefield with no mercy!

Gennosuke and Oboro

Each clan member possesses a powerful Dojutsu technique:

• Kouga clan
• Gennosuke - heir to the clan leadership and betrothed to Oboro of the Iga clan, can cause any enemy who meets his gaze to kill themselves instead of him
• Kagerou - extremely attractive woman, her breath becomes poison when she is sexually aroused, hopelessly in love with Gennosuke
• Saemon - expert at infiltration, can impersonate anyone by making an mold of their face (they are usually dead at this point), older brother of Okoi
• Hyouma - Gennosuke's uncle, possesses the same ability as Gennosuke, but his power cannot be turned off and only works at night, he wears a blindfold and is effectively blind by choice so as not to accidentally kill his loved ones and friends, has enhanced hearing
• Gyoubu - can merge into any solid object, very large and powerful, expert at infiltration, must strip naked for his power to be effective and cannot carry weapons with him
• Okoi - tomboyish, well-endowed, younger sister of Saemon, through skin-on-skin contact with an enemy can drain their blood into herself (she must vomit up the excess)
• Jousuke - good-humored and rotund (i.e. not your typical ninja), a perverted lecher, possesses remarkable speed and agility for his size, body is the consistency of rubber and allows him to deflect physical attacks, squeeze through small openings, and attack by assuming the form of a bouncing ball
• Jubei - lacks both arms and legs, but still extremely cunning, can slither like a snake by manipulating the metal plates of his armor, his tongue is highly skilled (hear that ladies?) and can manipulate/deflect weapons, hides a dagger in his esophagus (throat, not his a$$ creep)
• Shogen - a hunchback resembling a spider, spits a sticky fluid similar to the spider's webbing, specializes in combat instead of stealth



Okoi naps with her big bro Saemon

• Danjo - elder leader of the Kouga when the truce is broken, as a young man he and Ogen, of the Iga clan, were in love and planning to be betrothed (like Gennosuke and Oboro), but a war between the two clans broke out destroying their chance at happiness, now they are bitter enemies
• Iga clan
• Oboro - heir to clan leadership and betrothed to Gennosuke of the Kouga clan, does not possess any physical ninja skills, but can negate the Dojutsu of anyone who meets her gaze
• Tenzen - usurper to clan leadership, sadistic and malicious, share his body with a symbiotic being who regenerates any wound and grants him immortality
• Akeginu - highly attractive woman, Oboro's bodyguard and confidant, secretes blood from her pores which can sprayed in her opponents eyes to blind them or spread as a fine mist to cover her attacks, in love with Koshirou
• Koshirou - Tenzen's apprentice, creates mini-whirlwinds to rip his opponents to shreds
• Jingoro - an expert assassin, loathsome and cowardly, transforms into a slug-like form where he can climb walls and squeeze through impossibly small spaces to creep upon his targets, can suffer extreme dehydration in this form and must rehydrate or risk dying, incredibly frightened of the salt water
• Hotarubi - petite and dark-haired beauty, betrothed to Yashamaru, creates swarms of glowing butterflies to distract her opponents, has a snake pet/bodyguard
• Nenki - simian features including profuse body hair (ridiculous amounts of nose hair), uses a bo staff, brash and arrogant, able to manipulate his hair as a weapon
• Rousai - eldest of the Iga, has a gourd-shaped head, can stretch is limbs to incredible lengths, power of his punches and kicks can fell trees
• Yashamaru - can manipulate steel-like strands of wire and slice his opponents to ribbons, betrothed to Hotarubi
• Ogen - elder leader of the Iga when the truce is broken, as a young woman she and Danjo, of the Kouga clan, were in love and planning to be betrothed (like Oboro and Gennosuke), but a war between the two clans broke out destroying their chance at happiness, now they are bitter enemies
• Other
• Hattori Hanzo - leader of the Shogun's intelligence group, there are four total (all sons succeeding fathers), regrets the battle between Kouga and Iga, but understands its political necessity

The Kouga clan

Pros: Great animation, voice acting is well done, spectacularly brutal action scenes, a gut and heart-wrenching story running a gamut of emotions, very brief nudity, good opening/ending themes, I watched the more expensive 2007 set and it had a ton of extras + very nice packaging

Cons: A lot of the powerful characters get killed by treachery (bastards!), all the guys have really thick eyebrows, not enough nudity

Mike Tells It Straight: I loved Ninja Scroll and have been waiting for a series to successfully follow in its footsteps (the Ninja Scroll TV series a few years back wasn't very good).  Basilisk is an emotionally charged bloodbath as ninja clan members get brutally killed with regretful blood spraying from their severed arteries.  Excellent action, great character/Dojutsu designs, and you can't help getting attached to the characters knowing full well they're going to buy it.  This show will satisfy your action craving and gives a decent story behind the senseless murder.  Highly recommended.

Gennosuke says "Look into my eyes...and die!"

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Sword of the Stranger Anime Review

Sword of the Stranger

Bandai Entertainment
Movie - 103 mins.
$24.98 (2009) $39.98 Blu-Ray
ISBN 669198200120
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Masahiro Ando
Studio - Bones

Synopsis: Kotaro, a young orphan boy, barely escapes the destruction of the temple where he lives by a band of Chinese Ming fighters.  They pursue him as a sacrifice to create an elixir able to grant eternal life to the emperor of China.  The Ming are aided by a rogue feudal lord and include a ruthless, blond-haired warrior possessing incredible skills.

Hiding out in an abandoned shrine, Kotaro and his faithful dog Tobimaru meet a wandering ronin calling himself No Name.  When Tobimaru is poisoned, No Name helps save his life and a bond is formed with Kotaro as No Name becomes his bodyguard. 

No Name has vowed never to use his sword again as penance for acts he performed as a warrior under a feudal lord.  He has a knot tied around his sword, but is still a formidable fighter without it.  A bloody showdown is on the horizon, but will the three companions survive and can No Name atone for his past?

Pros: Incredibly lush background visuals, thrilling and well choreographed fight sequences, humorous banter with boy and samurai, good ending, interesting characters, Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, Ming characters actually speak Chinese (Mandarin), decent soundtrack

Cons: Story is a bit cliche, No Name still kills albeit without a sword - makes his vow to never unsheathe his sword a bit hollow, the Ming wanting to sacrifice Kotaro didn't seem plausible, the most powerful Ming warrior was a foreigner - never explained how this guy got so good at martial arts

Mike Tells It Straight: This movie has great visuals, cool fight scenes, and some interesting characters.  Mildly lacking in the story department, but overall very enjoyable.  I think people have been waiting for a truly spectacular anime movie to come along for the past few years and put a lot of expectation on this one to deliver a transcendental experience.  Don't get me wrong, it's a really good movie in the genre, but not quite the calibre of a Princess Mononoke.  It's a solid watch and actually better than I expected. 



TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Afro Samurai Director's Cut Anime Review

Afro Samurai Director's Cut
Afuro Samurai
Funimation
Complete - 5 episodes
125 mins. - 2 discs
$29.98 (2008) Director's Cut Blu-Ray
$24.98 (2007) Director's Cut
$12.98 (2007)
ISBN 704400079801
English Audio
Directors - Fuminori Kizaki & Jamie Simone
Studio - Gonzo

Synopsis: The Number 1 headband is worn by the greatest fighter in the world and can only be challenged by the fighter with the Number 2 headband.  Number 2 can be challenged by anyone and is under constant attack.  In a battle on a snowy mountaintop the Number 2 decapitates the Number 1 and claims his headband.  The former Number 1's son is witness and vows revenge.  His name is Afro.

Afro is one bad mofo

Fast forward many years and Afro is under constant attack as Number 2.  He's on a collision course with Number 1 and cuts down all opponents in his path.  We learn the details of his heart-breaking journey.  Can he defeat the unkillable Number 1 to claim revenge for his father and the friends he sacrificed on his unrelenting journey?

Ninja Ninja is always hanging around Afro, but no one else can see him

Pros: Great packaging and lots of extras - including 15 minutes of additional footage, hip hop/samurai theme is slick, Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of Afro, some nudity, great visuals and tons of hardcore action

Afro is final battle with Justice, the man who killed his father!

Cons: Storyline is flimsy, one trick pony filled with one-liners and scenes with two macho guys staring each other down, Afro's sidekick Ninja Ninja is really annoying, Afro has no personality

Let it not be said a path to revenge does not include a sexy detour

Mike Tells It Straight: Revenge! Pure and simple. This show (movie if you want to call the episodes chapters) is an unflinching revenge tale with gruesome deaths and betrayals galore. Not very deep and singularly focused, but the visuals are pretty good. Mindless entertainment if you're in the mood.

Afro's former childhood friend - a samurai who wears a bear head

Based on a manga (doujinshi) by Takashi Okazaki it's basically a Japanese blaxploitation film.  Samuel L. Jackson adds a little street cred, but he was in the Shaft remake.  RZA of Wu-Tang Clan produced the soundtrack which is pretty good.  The melding of hip-hop, feudal Japanese culture, and futuristic technology is unique to the series.  The fact many high level stars (Jackson, RZA, Lucy Liu) attached themselves to the property is a testament to the author's concept.

This guy...is super annoying

Gonzo does great animation and visuals, the character designs are cool, and the soundtrack works really well.  It's a slick show, but the plot is really simple and Afro's imaginary friend Ninja Ninja is incredibly annoying.  I guess he's supposed to be comedy relief, but he quite possibly ruins the entire show (along with Afro's complete lack of personality).  I tried to like this show, but it was more flash than substance.  Not much replay value for me and I recommend it if you're looking for something cool to play in the background.

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