Afro Samurai Pilot

[I would not recommend watching this pilot until you have finished the main Afro Samurai media (as it does spoil what villains will be in the show and a few key plot points). That being said, on with the review:] The original 2003 Afro Samurai pilot from Studio Madhouse is only around three minutes....but oh, what a three minutes it is! Before anime studio Gonzo took the production of the anime to final product four years later, Takeshi Koikei directed and animated this promotional under the Madhouse banner. If you have seen the Spike TV miniseries and thought it was extremely stylized, this pilot promo cranks it up even more so. Plot-wise, this pilot really has none (as to be expected for short promotional created for funding purposes). It is basically a three-minute fight scene of Afro dueling his way through all the major antagonists of the main series and sequel film. The art of this promo is gorgeous and flowing. The finished project was ultimately very well-done, but this pilot leads me to believe if Madhouse had followed through with the production, it would and could have been even better (in the art department anyways). Unfortunately, Takeshi Koikei became busy with the production of the delayed anime film Redline and Afro Samurai fell by the wayside before changing studio hands and becoming a Gonzo production as it is known as today. Ultimately, the most this pilot does is show what potentially "could have been" if Madhouse had made the show. In short, enjoy this artifact if you want a few more drops of Afro Samurai before you've exhausted the related media. If you're going through withdrawals at the fact you have ran out of hip-hop samurai goodness, wander on over to Shinichirō Watanabe's Samurai Champloo and get a solid (less gory) extension to soothe your craving a little longer.

Don't listen to this girl above me. There are zero spoilers. This is a great pilot. A pilot for an anime should showcase the basic idea of the theme in which the show would like to maintain, and showcase all of the character designs the creator would like to use. The theme being an urban take on what seems like a 15th century "Sengoku jidai" taking place in a more modern world. Where de facto Samurai made names for themselves through their skill. We got to see most of the characters, but none were given any back story... there wasn't even any dialogue ("there are spoilers" LMAO). All we got to see was the art design, interesting development you'd only know if you've already seen the full show (that didn't make it into the show), well done animation, the music, and the brutality that carried over to the finished product. This is an awesome clip for someone who enjoyed the film to see. I wonder what we could have gotten from Madhouse if they took head of the actual shows production.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a PROFESIONAL reviewer I’m only a anime fan trying to give feed back to other anime fans with that said one to the review. I saw this pilot after watching the movie adaptation of the anime and for a pilot its really bad the point of the pilot is to start off or begin the story but this was sort of a short summary of what happens I DON”T RECOMMEND YOU WATCH THIS BEFORE WATCHING THE ANIME because it shows scene from the ending so this pilot is the only pilot I’ve seen that actually contains spoilers. Other then the fact that it has spoilers its alright I guess, although I don’t think rap music really goes with the whole samurai theme.

Watch only this if you just want a drop more of Afro Samurai or if you are considering to watch Afro Samurai (duly note that this is very short with no real plot, it just showcase what the anime might bring both with the art, action, music and story line, a little tiny glimpse, therefore there is no real spoilers in this one. ) I really understand why that this pilot without any doubt convinced the producers and studio to make Afro Samurai into an anime. IT MADE ME SO HYPED! even though I have seen the series and the following movie :) It makes me wanna crave for even more! I would love to be a sequel with other characters but in this setting :3 ^^

Rate of 4 english dubbed Pro(s) -art: different then what i have seen. -art: animations were smooth. Con(s) -sound: the song did not match the action you were seeing -sound: the animated effects tuned out bits of the song -art: what purpose did black and white have? -art: why start to lead into color only to kill it off? Was that the breaking point being addressed? -art: the black and white concept is not only hard on the eyes in some of the scenes but ruins definitive details. plot-very confusing. Unclear to if the trailer showed the appropriate timeline of events. Unclear to what era this being done in for you have a cellphone, robot and what appears to be an ancient backdrop for a background. character development: is lacking. What made the person be who he was? Is he even the good guy?

The Afro Samurai Pilot is an interesting little short for a few reasons. Firstly it's a pretty insightful look into the story, concepts and character designs that the main show would end up using or dropping. Second, its a great showcase of Takeshi Koike's animation style and aesthetic sensibilities. As for the short itself, it can be described as a three minute long sakuga filled hip hop music videos involving the titular Afro Samurai tearing through his enemies, with all the slick action and hyper violence one would expect from the franchise. In a sense it captures the essence of Afro Samurai. An artistically excellent action piece punctuated by hip hop beats. I've been raving a lot about the art and animation, so what would one expect. It's a mostly monochrome piece with the main colors being black white and grey. This is complemented by intense bursts of red blood spray and wrapped up in Koike's characteristic dark and one tone shadows and you get a slick looking project. The minimalist color palate and background design also makes things feel pretty abstract at times. The animation throughout is just as smooth. The backgrounds having low detail just helps to emphasize the action, making it stand out quite a bit. The music is an important aspect of the short as well. There are two tracks used in it, the first being "400 Years" by CYNE. Its a great opener for the short, using a very Japanese sounding guitar sample and punchy percussion accompanied by lyrics about emancipation. The last half is accompanied by "Next Time" by Gang Starr, a jazzier track with a verse about the artist's unmatched skill on the mic, much like Afro's skill in a fight. There isn't any dialogue in the short, but the music helps tell as much of the story as the visuals. So who is this short for? I would recommend it for three types of people. The first kind of person is the Afro Samurai super fan. If you haven't seen this yet, it's invaluable because you get to see the similarities and differences between the original and final products. The second type of person is for the sakuga and staff list nerd. Its an interesting little footnote in Takeshi Koike's career, and a showcase of some of the best animation he's put to screen. The last sort of person is the lover of both anime and Hip Hop. What it offers to them are cool action scenes, cool character designs and a good selection of tracks to boot. If you are any of these three, I'd strongly recommend checking this short out!

Yeah, it didn't change my opinion of the work. As a pilot episode, Afro Samurai Pilot essentially serves as a showcase for everything the series aims to offer. It throws intense scenes at the screen to sell the concept: sex, blood, violence, combat, hip-hop, samurai, and plenty of style. It acts almost like a calling card for the series, clearly establishing its identity and the target audience it hopes to reach. And, to be honest, the concept itself is solid. Blending feudal Japan with hip-hop elements and an aesthetic closer to Western productions could yield something truly interesting. For me, the problem lies in the execution. At times, Afro Samurai feels more like an American production using a samurai setting than a work that genuinely tries to incorporate Japanese elements naturally. That isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself, but it’s an aesthetic choice that doesn't quite appeal to me. The pilot is incredibly stylish, and it knows it. The action sequences are arguably the highlight, featuring plenty of gore and violence, while the soundtrack and hip-hop elements help forge a unique identity. Visually, it’s impossible to deny that the work grabs your attention. It certainly knows how to make a first impression and possesses a personality that doesn't go unnoticed. However, for me, style alone isn't enough to carry a work. That’s where I felt something similar to what I experienced watching Vampire Hunter D: a piece with a fascinating look and a strong aesthetic, but a plot that fails to win me over in the same way. Perhaps the biggest issue is that the pilot seems more concerned with showcasing Afro Samurai's visual identity than with presenting something that actually makes me want to follow the story. As a pilot, it needs to sell the concept, and it succeeds in doing so. But for someone who didn't connect with that aesthetic approach, there’s little left to hold one's interest. I also find it interesting how the work manages to feel so Western despite using elements strongly associated with Japan. The blend of samurai and hip-hop, along with exaggerated violence and a highly stylized presentation, creates something unique, though, for me, that uniqueness doesn't necessarily equate to quality. At times, I felt the work was trying too hard to be "cool," and that actually alienated me rather than drawing me in. Ultimately, there isn't much more to add since this is just a pilot episode. It serves essentially as a preview of the full work, so my opinion is based more on the concept presented than on a fully developed story. I remain undecided, weighing the pros and cons. I acknowledge the interesting premise, the strong visual identity, and the mix of concepts that could work very well for others. However, the execution didn't resonate with me; at times, the style ended up drawing more attention than anything else. I didn't dislike it entirely, but I couldn't quite bring myself to like it, either. It’s the sort of work where I can understand why others enjoy it, but it simply failed to win me over. Watch it if you like and draw your own conclusions. Raiting: 5/10. =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== É, não mudou minha opinião sobre a obra. Por ser um episódio piloto, Afro Samurai Pilot basicamente funciona como uma apresentação de tudo aquilo que a obra pretende oferecer. Ele joga na tela cenas fortes para tentar vender a ideia: tem sexo, sangue, violência, lutas, hip-hop, samurais e bastante estilo. É praticamente um cartão de visitas da série, mostrando de forma bem direta qual será a sua identidade e o tipo de público que pretende alcançar. E, sendo sincero, a ideia em si é boa. Misturar o Japão feudal com elementos do hip-hop e uma estética mais próxima das produções ocidentais poderia render algo muito interessante. O problema, para mim, está justamente na execução. Em vários momentos, Afro Samurai parece muito mais uma obra americana utilizando uma ambientação de samurais do que uma obra que realmente tenta incorporar elementos japoneses de maneira natural. Não é necessariamente algo ruim por si só, mas é uma escolha estética que não me agrada muito. O piloto é extremamente estiloso e sabe disso. As cenas de ação são provavelmente o maior destaque, com bastante sangue e violência, enquanto a trilha e o hip-hop ajudam a construir uma identidade própria. Visualmente, é difícil dizer que a obra não chama atenção. Ela definitivamente sabe como causar uma primeira impressão e tem uma personalidade que não passa despercebida. Só que, para mim, estilo não é suficiente para sustentar uma obra. E foi aí que novamente tive uma sensação parecida com a que tive assistindo Vampire Hunter D: uma obra com um visual muito interessante e uma estética forte, mas cuja trama não consegue me convencer da mesma maneira. Talvez o maior problema seja que o piloto parece muito mais preocupado em mostrar o que Afro Samurai é visualmente do que em apresentar algo que realmente me faça querer acompanhar aquela história. Como episódio piloto, ele precisa vender a ideia da obra, e consegue fazer isso. Mas, para alguém que não se conectou com essa proposta estética, sobra pouco para segurar o interesse. Também acho curioso como a obra consegue parecer tão ocidental mesmo utilizando elementos tão associados ao Japão. A mistura de samurais com hip-hop, violência exagerada e uma apresentação bastante estilizada cria algo diferente, mas para mim essa diferença não necessariamente significa qualidade. Em alguns momentos, senti que a obra estava tentando ser "descolada" demais, e isso acabou me afastando em vez de me aproximar. No fim, não tenho muito mais o que acrescentar por se tratar apenas de um episódio piloto. Ele é basicamente uma amostra do que viria a ser a obra completa, então minha opinião acaba sendo mais sobre a proposta apresentada do que sobre uma história desenvolvida de fato. Entre os pontos positivos e negativos, continuo ficando no meio-termo. Reconheço que existe uma ideia interessante aqui, uma identidade visual forte e uma mistura de conceitos que poderia funcionar muito bem para outras pessoas. Só que a execução não conversa comigo e, em vários momentos, o estilo acaba chamando mais atenção do que qualquer outra coisa. Não desgostei completamente, mas também não consegui gostar. É o tipo de obra que eu consigo entender por que outras pessoas gostam, mas que simplesmente não conseguiu me conquistar. Assista se quiser e tire suas próprias conclusões. Nota: 5/10.

Afro Samurai – Review The 2003 Afro Samurai pilot is a short but intriguing intro to what would later become a much more fleshed-out anime series. At around 5 minutes, it's more of a concept reel than a full episode but it still manages to pack in a good amount of personality and style. Visually, it’s gritty and sketchy, which actually works in its favor. The rough animation gives it an underground, raw kind of feel, like a visual mixtape mixing feudal Japan with futuristic tech. You get samurais, robots, and that unmistakable hip-hop influence all blended together and somehow, it kind of slaps. There’s not much in the way of plot or dialogue here, but that’s not really the point. It’s more about the tone and world-building and it does a solid job of introducing you to the strange, violent, and stylish universe Afro inhabits. You can definitely see the seeds of what would later become the full-blown 2007 series. That said, it’s not something I’d recommend as a standalone experience unless you’re curious about the origins of the show. There’s not enough meat here to really hook you if you’re going in cold. But as a pitch for a wild, genre-blending anime? It does exactly what it needs to do. If you're a fan of the series or just into experimental anime concepts, it’s worth checking out. For everyone else, maybe just jump straight to the main show.