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Anyone hyped over Afro Samurai?

frostedsaiyan wrote:

I'm not too excited about it but what I am hyped about is the soundtrack. RZA is doing most the music for the series and I always like his beats. I'm just hoping the series has a strong storyline to backup the animation.

I agree, personally I am not into Rap/R&B but the RZA has done some great work with different soundtracks. I've got some high hopes for this as I hope my friends will like it so that I can bring some different anime for movie night. And it's good for the anime industry if a show like Afro Samurai does well, hopefully more anime will premiere over here or be animated for the purpose of US broadcast.

Delta

KyuuA4 wrote:

So, is this an anime or an animated series?

This is a anime series that is premiering in America before it shows in Japan.

And yes I want to see this series

"an animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market".

So is this definition true?

Quote:

"an animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market"

I'll say it right now. Samuel L. Jackson is a l33t über n3rd. He's gotten to do few nerds could ever dream of - including being a Jedi, voicing an anime character, part of an Internet meme, etc.

I hope that SPIKETV will at least promote the show a little more than they are doing now and give it a decent time slot. No matter what time it airs, I'll be watching it though.

... I was on the phone with who I presumed to be Samuel L. Jackson, this time having an actual conversation about his latest TV project, Afro Samurai. Jackson, whose films have grossed more at the box office (over $3 billion) than any other actor's in history, executive produces and lends his voice to the title character in the new animated series for Spike premiering Jan. 4.

Afro Samurai originated from a manga (an Asian-style comic book) by graphic designer and artist Takashi Okazaki, who first funded its publication in 1998. Influenced by sci-fi, spaghetti Westerns and Soul Train, Okazaki fused samurai action with hip-hop culture in a unique style, and the manga eventually caught the attention of an anime production company looking to bring new Japanese works to a worldwide audience.

So how exactly did a Japanese artist convince Jackson to produce and star in his obscure project? It was easier than you might think.

"He sent it to me!" Jackson laughs. "He's kind of a trip. He actually sent me a DVD of an animation he had put together, the original concept. I was blown away by it. I was like, 'So what do I need to do to get involved in this?' We got in touch with each other, I ended up in Japan and talking to the people that he was trying to connect with. And once we were all in sync, we just started putting it together and let it run."

What they've assembled in Afro Samurai is a visually stunning, intensly engaging work of art on the screen. In a world that's part feudal Japan, part Old West and part futuristic wasteland, solitary warrior Afro battles enemies and meets allies on his quest to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a menacing, six-shooter-wielding figure called Justice.

"I've always liked the Bushido code, that thing of honor. This guy's living to die for a specific duty - duty being everything." Jackson says of his fascination with Japanese tradition. "And I've watched a lot of samurai films over the years and just got caught up in it, read a lot of novels about feudal Japan. It's just something that strikes me. I have no idea what that is. but it's always struck me like I might have to be in that at some point. And now I am!" he laughs.

Joining Jackson on Afro Samurai's roster of voice talent are seasoned action/sci-fi film stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Blade II) and Kelly Hu (X2: X-Men United, The Scorpion King). With their experience in the genre, Perlman and Hu knew exactly what tone was needed for Afro Samurai and were able to deliver it perfectly. “[They know] how to make it come to life in another kind of way for an audience member sitting there listening to it, “Jackson says of his costars. “They can feel and understand who these characters are through their interpretation. They have a complete and terrific understanding of how to use their voices to make things come alive.”

Adding to the atmosphere is a soundtrack by Wu-Tang Clan mastermind the RZA, who composed music for Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. Influenced by samurai and Asian films, the RZA blended strings and traditional Asian music with ‘70s funk, soul and hip-hop to express the mood. “The RZA, we all knew he was going to come through with something special,” Jackson says, “The original [episode], when Afro’s a kid, sounds a lot like Shaft”

With Jackson’s clout and ability to give instant credibility to anything he’s involved in, expect Spike’s five-episode Afro Samurai series to spawn a new franchise, “We hope at some point to make a live-action film,” he says. “I’m not necessarily sure that I’ll be the star of it, but I definitely want to be producer and stay connected to it. And if it is as popular as we think, then, yeah, we’ll move on to the next phase and do some more animations, also. But we definitely want to do a live-action of the five-part series.”

…

I'm glad more networks are starting to recognize anime as a good investment. Now more cable television networks are picking up anime series, I remember when anime was rare on cable. When it was basically just on Cartoon Network and rarely on the Sci Fi channel. Now it's featured on "On Demand," and major movie stations like Encore.

Your right Deltakiral, there will be 2 versions available. The one that will broadcast on Spike that is appropriate for TV and then there will be the uncut version with a little bit of extra footage that was not able to be show on tv.

Your right Deltakiral, there will be 2 versions available. The one that will broadcast on Spike that is appropriate for TV and then there will be the uncut version with a little bit of extra footage that was not able to be show on tv.

We also wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Years from the office of FUNimation!