Let the killing for the Number 2 headband begins!

Seeing his father perish at the hands of "Justice" in a duel for the Number 1 headband at an early age, Afro was stricken with emotions of hatred and revenge and endured a turbulent childhood. Unable to protect the Number 2 headband from other samurai immediately after his father's death, Afro, now part of a samurai dojo and trained by master swordsman, covertly seeks the headband while he continues to hone his skills.  He knows that in order to confront his father's killer, he must obtain the headband once again. However, his quest for revenge pits him against the man who trained him and the friends he knows and trusts.

Needing to posses the headband, his name quickly ascends to Number 2, but his path to Justice is anything but quick, as he knows acquiring the headband leads to a life of killing. Now he must confront and kill warriors and an occult group (The Empty 7) that are trying to take the headband from him in the hopes of gaining the god-like status of being number one.

The story is a simple, traditional story of revenge that is embodied in Japanese culture mixed with western culture, originating from a 10-year concept by Takashi Okazaki.  The series takes the Japanese traditional culture to the extreme as hip-hop music and technology predominately appear in an era that resembles "fuedal" Japan, let alone an antagonist, that is a gun-slinging cowboy. The series uses flashblacks to Afro's past to explain the how's and why's in the entire story - a well-written subplot to answer the questions buried in the plot. Unlike Samurai Champloo, which also mixed hip-hop with Japanese culture, Afro Samurai is darker and
edgier.

The Director's Cut DVD comes with unedited dialog and an addition 15 minutes of footage never before seen on Spike TV, which aired the 5-episodes series from January 4 through February 1, 2007. And to make all the unedited dialog work, the best-cussing entertainer in the movie business, Samuel L. Jackson, lends his voice to the man with a few words and to his alter-ego Ninja Ninja, who comments on everything from what Afro does to his surroundings, emphasized in Ebonics context. Actor Kelly Hu plays the young girl Otsuru and would later voice Okiku, the woman that would care for Afro, but is an agent for the Empty 7, and Ron Perlman plays the sinister and the Number 1 headband holder, Justice.

The DVD comes with a clear sleeve slipcase and a magnetic three-fold case box that holds the two-disc special edition. It happens to be one of the best-looking box sets I've run into, as it displays all the characters on each fold of the box.

EXTRAS:
In the booth – Contains voice talent of Afro Samurai, talks about the making of Afro Samurai, and interviews with the top actors, co-producer Eric Calderon, and creator Takashi "Bob" Okazaki  and his concept and the mixture of everything that he loves about both cultures that led to the creation of Afro Samurai.

RZA Music Production Tour illustrates the evolution of the music of Afro Samurai, from the storyboards to becoming an important concept of the series.

Character Profiles with commentary by Co-Producer: Eric Calderon is a nice extra in the disc as he gives detailed information and ideas about the characters in the show.

IN SUMMARY:
A great fusion of Japanese and western culture, is what make Afro Samurai stand out from traditional live-action and animated samurai shows.  This is samurai to the extreme!

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