Afro Samurai: Resurrection

Afro Samurai: Resurrection
Screenplay by	Yasuyuki Mutou Josh Fialkov Eric Calderon
Story by	Takashi Okazaki
Directed by	Fuminori Kizaki
Starring	Samuel L. Jackson Lucy Liu Yuri Lowenthal Mark Hamill Jeff Bennett Steven Blum S. Scott Bullock Grey DeLisle Greg Eagles Zachary Gordon Phil LaMarr Liam O'Brien Kevin Michael Richardson Ariel Winter Dave Wittenberg Rza
Theme music composer	Rza
Country of origin	Japan United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Shin'ichiro Ishikawa Leo Chu Eric Garcia Arthur Smith Samuel L. Jackson
Running time	Japan: 100 minutes USA: 90 minutes
Production company(s)	Gonzo
Budget	US$ 35 million
Release
Original network	Fuji Television (Japan) Spike (USA)
Original release	January 25, 2009 (2009-01-25)

Afro Samurai: Resurrection is a 2009 Japanese-American film sequel to the 2007 Afro Samurai anime; the movie was shown on Spike TV, on January 25, 2009. American actor Samuel L. Jackson returns as the voice for Afro and Ninja-Ninja, while this time he is joined by Lucy Liu, who voices Afro's enemy Sio. Mark Hamill also joins as the voice of Sio's protector and henchman Bin while Yuri Lowenthal reprises his role of Jinno/Kuma.

Plot

Resurrection is a continuation of the original story, in which Afro fought to obtain the No. 1 headband and defeat his father's killer.

The story begins with Afro refusing to wear the No. 1 headband as the rules require, spending his days making wooden sculptures of people from his past instead of fighting. Afro has a dream, about him going fishing and still wearing the number 2 headband. After dispatching two swordsman and a group of assassins on a bridge, he sees two people crucified, one of them being his father and the other one being Justice. His father, in pain, calls Afro and begins losing flesh. Afro wakes up in scream. One dark and stormy night, Jinno and a mysterious woman named Sio attack Afro. Jinno easily defeats Afro and takes the No. 1 headband for Sio. Jinno opens the grave of Afro's father and takes the remains. Sio reveals herself as Jinno's sister and tells Afro her plans to resurrect Afro's father Rokutaro so she can torture him as revenge against Afro for the lives he has destroyed, including her brother's and her own. Sio challenges Afro to find the No. 2 headband to earn the right to challenge her.

Afro, determined to recover the No. 1 headband and his father's remains, sets off to find the No. 2 headband. At "Lady's Luck Town" in a stripper/sex club, Afro Samurai finds Brother 1 (confined to a standing wheelchair) and Brother 3. Afro wages his life on a dice game for information on the No. 2 headband. Brother 3 cheats, but Afro knows and threatens to kill him, forcing Brother 3 to identify the bearer of the No. 2 headband is a man named Shichigoro.

Afro, in search of Shichigoro, coincidentally kills the kidnapper of Shichigoro's son and prompts Shichigoro to buy him a drink. Bound by honor, they fight to the death with the No. 2 headband at stake, and upon victory, Afro continues on toward Sio. Shichigoro's adopted son Kotaro, who witnesses his father's death, sobs and then vows revenge over the dead body of his father much like Afro and Justice.

After claiming the number 2 headband, Afro confronts Sio and Jinno again, this time Sio holds the resurrected head of Rokutaro, Afro's father. He tries to attack Sio, but his attack is repelled by Jinno.

Along the way he is observed by three masked android warriors from his past. The warriors are revealed to be a part of Sio's original plan to overwhelm Afro in the final battle, but apparently had decided to battle Afro early in an attempt to finish him off before Sio had to dirty her hands.

Afro battles and defeats the three while Sio attempts to resurrect a mind-controlled version of Rokutaro. However, Rokutaro is revived before he is completely restored, leaving him merely a mindless, though apparently somewhat controllable, killing machine. Afro defeats the three and is soon confronted by Sio, Jinno, and Rokutaro. With Afro hesitant to fight his father, Rokutaro defeats and kills him (stops his heart from beating by strangling him). Jinno comes to Afro's aid, though pointless as Sio points out, in a sudden flash of selective memories of being a childhood friend and sparring partner with Afro. Landing only a few blows, Jinno is quickly killed by Rokutaro, who kills Sio in the same blow when she attempts to come to Jinno's aid. The cybernetic remains of Jinno give off an electrical surge which, conducted through the spilled blood of Sio, restarts Afro's heart. Afro apparently defeats Rokutaro and emerges from the scene wearing the No. 1 headband.

Afro walks away from the battle, wearing the No. 1 headband and clutching the No. 2 headband in right hand. He comes across Shichigoro's orphaned son, who had been following him, and hands him the No. 2, telling him to challenge him when he's ready.

In the final scene, Takimoto meets up with a mysterious person who turns out to be Justice.

Voice cast

Main article: List of Afro Samurai characters

• Samuel L. Jackson - Afro Samurai, Ninja Ninja
• Lucy Liu - Lady Sio
• Mark Hamill - Bin, Oden Shop Master
• Jeff Bennett - Brother 3
• Steven Blum - Assassins, Man #1
• S. Scott Bullock - Professor Dharman, Kidnapper
• Grey DeLisle - Ogin, Tomoe
• Greg Eagles - Rokutaro
• Zachary Gordon - Kotaro
• Phil LaMarr - Teen Afro Samurai
• Yuri Lowenthal - Jinno/Kuma
• Liam O'Brien - Shichigoro
• Kevin Michael Richardson - Blacksmith, Takimoto
• The RZA - DJ
• Ariel Winter - Sio (Young)
• Dave Wittenberg - Adolescent, Fencing Brother

Crew

• Jamie Simone - Casting and Voice Director

Music

The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai Resurrection OST was released on January 27, 2009, two days after the movie aired.

Releases

Spike TV would premiere the film on January 25, 2009. It would be released on DVD on February 3, 2009. It would become available online through the PlayStation Store in May 2009. The film also made a debut at the San Diego Asian Film Festival in October 16, 2009. The film would be added to Funimation's YouTube stream, for the July 31-August 5, 2011 stream schedule. For the United Kingdom release of Netflix, Resurrection was among one the initial titles for the January 2012 launch.

DVD and broadcast scene difference

There are a few scenes in the DVD and Spike TV broadcast edition of Afro Samurai that differ completely from each other.

• There are two different endings: In the Spike TV version after Afro reclaims the Number 1 headband, he runs into a man wearing a mask that sounds and nearly looks like Justice. In the Director's Cut edition, Afro reclaims the Number 1 headband and he runs into Ninja Ninja (who left Afro before the final fight), who tells Afro "...you know it never ends right?" Afro later walks off. Following the credits, the scene with Justice is presented.

Reception

Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network stated about Afro Samurai: Resurrection that "it's a gorgeous film," with "incredible animation, spectacular action setpieces [sic] and a thumping score by Ghostface". Zac noted that the plot is just "window dressing" and that if it's about anything it's about "cool". Zac criticized that the film as just an excuse to string fight scenes together and that the farther it goes on it becomes clearer how "weak the writing is". Hyper commends the anime for its art, saying, "stylised poses and sharp, dynamic visuals have long been a trademark element of this series, and they hold true [in the anime]."

In 2009, the film was the first anime to receive an Primetime Emmy nomination, but the American Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends won. Though film's art director, Shigemi Ikeda, won a Primetime Emmy award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation".

External links

• Official website
• Afro Samurai: Resurrection (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia