AFRO SAMURAI

Thematically wise packs more of a punch than its animated counterpart, albeit still fixated on style over all. Too bad, because it had a solid basis to tackle various sensitive topic, be it the universal ones or America-Japan specific.

Afro's path is depicted by black & white panels, more than often splattered with red color of blood. It looks beautiful and evocative in wider frames, however most of the action blurs out in smaller ones and becomes unclear. Usually not a problem, but in a work that relies heavy on visuals it becomes a rather prominent one.

What it does better than anime is how it portrays Afro. It villainizes him as a person who doesn't refrain from most despicable of methods in order to accomplish his quest. He moves forward with inhuman determination, blind to all the admonitions and ultimately pays for it in the most poetic way.

Okazaki drew inspiration from samurai and blaxploitation movies of 70s, albeit only scratched at their surface. In return we have a work set on a narrow path of vendetta, ridden with questionable cultural idiosyncrasies. Shame that there was such a -- presumable -- lack of vision, or perhaps inexperience for a better execution. After all, this is his first work.

If anime left you unsatisfied then this could serve as a suitable add-on or improvement even.

Afro Samurai follows the lone protagonist Afro in his journey to avenge his father and claim the title of the strongest warrior. Along the way, we discover the sacrifices he has made and how far his revenge will take him. The setup and delivery is very basic, with Afro cutting down any and all who stand in his way, in the goriest and most graphic way possible. In terms of story and characters, there isn't anything particularly special, however, the delivery makes up for this, presenting amazing scenes which keep you hooked.Whilst many people have seen the anime, very few have read this manga adaption, which was released after the anime. I was skeptical of whether it could live up to the anime, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite being only 2 volumes long, i found the manga to be very enjoyable, as it retained most of the anime's story line, whilst also adding a few twists and changes. The artwork is very enjoyable, with battles drawn in immaculate detail in amazingly designed scenery and locations. Overall, if you're a fan of the anime, you'll definitely enjoy this.

Review in English and Portuguese
Review in English:
Story: 5/10 the story is kind of vague, causing a lot of confusion, which is simply an objective of the MC to kill Number 1 because he killed his MC’s father to become Number 1. Only that there are some things that confuse a lot, because Number one after killing MC’s father tells him to be number 2 and go after him for revenge, but in the middle of a Flashback it’s another person who is in the number 2 range and is the MC’s master he needs to kill him to get it, apart from the million bore of script and that suddenly changes to some situation
Art: 9/10 Art is extremely beautiful I think one of the few good points of the manga itself, because basically the manga is just unbridled fighting and the fights are very good and beautiful
Characters: 1/10 All characters are very boring, you can't like any of them because they have a good development in them
Overall: 5/10 If you want a manga with wild streak beautiful art and good fights this is the manga for you
Review in Portuguese:
História: 5/10 a história é meio vaga trazendo bastantes confusões,que simplesmente é um objetivo do MC matar o Número 1 pois ele matou seu o pai do MC pra se tornar o Número 1.Só que há umas coisas que confundem muito,pois o Número um após matar o pai do MC fala pra ele ser o número 2 e ir atrás dele por vingança, só que no meio de um Flashback é outra pessoa que está com a faixa de número 2 e é o mestre do MC ele precisa matar ele pra consegui-lá,fora os um milhão de furo de roteiro e que do nada troca pra alguma situação
Arte: 9/10 A arte é extremamente bonita eu acho que um dos poucos pontos bons do mangá em si,por que basicamente o mangá é só luta desenfreada e as lutas são muito boas e bonitas
Personagens: 1/10 Todos os personagens são muito chatos ,tu não consegue gostar de nenhum por ter um desenvolvimento bom neles
Em Geral: 5/10 Se você quiser um mangá com porradaria desenfreada arte bonita e boas lutas esse é o mangá pra você