Japanese animation is highly-esteemed both within Japan and outside of the country. Most of the Japanese animation that foreigners have seen are probably Japanese animation with English subtitles or dub. Afro Samurai is not a new (filmed in 2007) but it's a new style of Japanese animation in a sense that Japanese and the US collaborative film and the screenplay is English.
The original comic was self-published by Takashi Okazaki and GONZO produced it as 5 episode long, which had a high television rating in the US's Spike TV in January 2007. The movie version was released in May 2007. The movie is obviously targeting the Japanese subculture fans within the US and it's brought back to Japan. Afro Samurai who is the main character in the story, presumably it just happened that way, nicknamed after his hairstyle and has sort of a Samurai spirit in the sense that he is in consistent in his beliefs of revenge, battle and friendliness, which is a stereo typical image of old Japan "Samurai ". That might be fascinating those anime otaku in other nations.
If the plot was made by Japanese staff and creators only, the film wouldn't be fascinating and would be just a boring film by halves mimicking the Western culture. Samuel L. Jackson or Phil LaMarr joined the film as voice actors and the hip-hop music is used, and the touch of animation is very stylish and aesthetic which is trying to attract them. The story is very bloody, gore and revenge. Afro Samurai gives his word of honour to be on the top of success when his father was killed by Justice in front of him in his childhood.
The tone of the film makes a bit alike "Kill Bill" or "Sin City". So for those who like more sensitive and complicated stories such as "Ghost in the Shell" or "Innocence" or "Akira", this may not be very intrigued.
The original comic was self-published by Takashi Okazaki and GONZO produced it as 5 episode long, which had a high television rating in the US's Spike TV in January 2007. The movie version was released in May 2007. The movie is obviously targeting the Japanese subculture fans within the US and it's brought back to Japan. Afro Samurai who is the main character in the story, presumably it just happened that way, nicknamed after his hairstyle and has sort of a Samurai spirit in the sense that he is in consistent in his beliefs of revenge, battle and friendliness, which is a stereo typical image of old Japan "Samurai ". That might be fascinating those anime otaku in other nations.
If the plot was made by Japanese staff and creators only, the film wouldn't be fascinating and would be just a boring film by halves mimicking the Western culture. Samuel L. Jackson or Phil LaMarr joined the film as voice actors and the hip-hop music is used, and the touch of animation is very stylish and aesthetic which is trying to attract them. The story is very bloody, gore and revenge. Afro Samurai gives his word of honour to be on the top of success when his father was killed by Justice in front of him in his childhood.
The tone of the film makes a bit alike "Kill Bill" or "Sin City". So for those who like more sensitive and complicated stories such as "Ghost in the Shell" or "Innocence" or "Akira", this may not be very intrigued.