Comic Con International had some amazing panels but the biggie for me was Afro Samurai. Okazaki Takashi-sensei (or ‘Bob’ to the Americans) is one of my all-time favourite interviewees and I was especially interested as my ex-editor and good friend Adam over at Seven Seas had been slaving over the manga. I was in the front row when Afro Samurai: Resurrection was announced in July and was sent a screener disc by FUNimation a couple of months ago when they were looking for quotes for marketing material.

Indeed I was about to write a review when the DVD landed on Friday morning; talk about perfect timing.

For those who missed the previous anime series and haven’t checked out the manga, Afro Samurai concerns the titular Afro, an African-American samurai who holds the Number Two hachimachi, or headband. In this stark, depressing futuristic world only the Number Two can challenge the world’s greatest ninja for the Number One headband which means Afro is constantly being approached by wannabes desiring his headband. Afro’s father was the previous Number One and his headband was stolen by Justice. The first anime series chronicled Afro’s quest to avenge his father’s murder and claim the headband for himself.

And that’s where we catch up to him. Now Number One, Afro is being systematically hunted by most of the bandits, samurai and mercenaries in Japan in defiance of the rule of the headbands. But he’s also being hunted by someone else; a beautiful woman named Sio and the bear-headed Kuma (aka Jinnosuke) and Sio’s not pretty when she’s mad. She takes the headband and leaves Afro, beaten and bruised after being dragged to his father’s grave site by Kuma, to start from the beginning once again and reclaim the Number Two headband.

Oh and there’s a catch; Sio plans resurrect Afro’s father in order to punish our favourite samurai for all the people he has slaughtered over the years.

Part of what makes this production so interesting is it’s not just a rehash of the original. Afro has to deal with all the people who hate him because he killed their friends and loved ones in the search for the Number One; revisiting his bloody trail is a major theme and indeed lurks behind Sio’s motivations and desire for revenge. Yet for the most part he has learned, seldom killing unless he absolutely has to and yet Afro is forced to do battle with a young samurai currently wearing the Number Two headband, with tragic consequences that will actually bring a tear to your eye, especially as it sets up the possibility for a sequel in a similar way to the method used in Kill Bill: Volume One. However we don’t yet know if the cycle of revenge will continue in another film.

What Afro Samurai: Resurrection lacks in an unoriginal plot, it certainly makes up for with excellent graphics, pristine voice acting (thanks to Samuel L Jackson, Lucy Liu and Yuri Lowenthal) and violence aplenty. The fact that, rather than being treated like a TV series, this is a proper movie means it’s long enough to keep you entertained and is beautifully crafted – even if it’s not for those who aren’t keen on the sight of blood.

Because it’s a GONZO production, the visuals really are amazing, each scene is crafted with all the detail expected of an anime and yet there’s an obvious foreign influence thanks to Afro and the ever bonkers Ninja Ninja; it’s the perfect fusion of two cultures in a desolate future where death walks the land wearing a headband. Indeed once you pop the DVD in a player, it’s hard to press the pause button and the amount of action and emotion keeps you glued to the screen until the credits roll.

The two-disc DVD is packed with features as well; there are featurettes, interviews with Okazaki-sensei, a sneak peek at the Afro Samurai game, a chat with The RZA and, my personal favourite, footage from the Comic Con International panel in which I spotted myself (it’s the red hair and bright red shirt that did it!) in the crowd. The fact the DVD is uncut is even better as the film itself has a nice easter egg for the observant and to cap it off there’s a detailed booklet packed full of promotional art, storyboards and forewords from The RZA, Okazaki-sensei and Kizaki Fuminori.

The Special Edition Collector’s Edition DVD is released on February 3rd by FUNimation, priced $34.98. For those of you in the UK, well you’re going to have to wait a little longer: Manga Entertainment will be releasing it on April 27th.