Afro Samurai: Surprisingly Good

I know, I know... the title made me hesitant too, but I'm glad I got it. Before I explain what I thought was good about it, let me preface by saying I'm not a hardcore anime fan. I've been known to watch them from time to time, but I don't have a huge collection of box sets neatly arranged and displayed in a dark basement corner. No, I'm a normal guy in his late 20's that can "appreciate" the medium.

Ok, the first thing to mention is that Afro Samurai should not be in the hands of anyone younger than 17 (in my opinion). It's over-the-top violent, has a fair amount of "dirty words" (via Sam L. Jackson's unique delivery), and even sports a sex scene. So, don't buy this for your 8 year old nephew. It's rated MA for a reason. If you're cool with all of that, definitely check it out.

Now, you may have wondered if I was serious about the Samuel L. Jackson comment. Well, I was... Sam's voice acting was actually really good, and it made me laugh more than once when he let loose a "mutha f*ckah" as only he can. Aside from Sammy, the other voice acting is top notch. I'd be willing to guess that a good amount of money went into production.

I'll spare you a detailed plot outline. Just know that the main character, who is the #2 killer in the world, is seeking to revenge his father's death who was killed by the #1. An interesting addition to the story is that as #1, you hold a god-like status, and only the #2 may challenge you. However, as the #2, anyone can challenge you. The result is our hero, the #2, is constantly under attack from those who wish to have his status as well as from others who simply wish to stop him from reaching the #1.

Afro Samurai is definitely purchase worthy in my book... even if you're not the typical anime fan.