Audience reviews
8 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
_Bubassotto_
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 natura…
Read at the sourceHypn0s_X
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, viol…
Read at the sourceBigbone99
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 col…
Read at the sourceSidewinder51
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…
Read at the sourceRomantic18
[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…
Read at the sourceProfaneValkyrie
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.
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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 ^^
Read at the sourceBlurredVision18
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 carri…
Read at the sourceshirogasai12
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.
Read at the source