Afro Samurai: Season One Blu-ray

Afro Samurai: Season One

 (TV) (2007)

Action | Adventure | Anime | Drama | Fantasy



Afro Samurai is an epic tale of a black samurai's hunt for Justice who murdered his father. Composed by famed artist RZA, Afro Samurai blends traditional Japanese culture, funky technology and hip hop to create a brutally fresh entertainment experience.

For more details about Afro Samurai: Season One on Blu-ray, see the Afro Samurai: Season One Blu-ray Review

Afro Samurai: Season One Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Encoded in AVC and averaging about 20 Mbps, Afro Samurai looks quite impressive on Blu-ray. Much of the film's color palette is purposely monochromatic and starkly shaded. The singular color varies from scene to scene, being some hue of blue in one and sepia in the next. Contrasting or vibrant colors are few and far between in this series, affecting a muddled darkness that serves the mood and character of the protagonist well. One of the more emphasized colors is, of course, red, and the brilliance of the heavy blood spatter adds to the stylized look and feel of Afro Samurai. All of it captured beautifully on Blu, with excellent shadow detail and clean lines on the designs of the hand-drawn characters.

The most noticeable flaw in presentation was the occasional color banding, especially of warm tones like fire or illuminated flesh. If a color was too singular in tone and lingered on the screen too long, it was bound to be noticed. A small amount of edge enhancement was spotted here and there, but it was far from prominent. Over all, as a series with such angular art and generous amounts of detail, Afro Samurai does not disappoint on Blu-ray.

Afro Samurai: Season One Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Providing two English options on its BD, Afro Samurai comes with a killer Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix, in addition to a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. So much of a martial art film is "made" by its sound - the epic battles are always enhanced by clashing metal, the thud of flesh, and the screams of the injured. Having to create everything from scratch in its animated world - even the sound - the foley effects are superb in this series. The TrueHD track ensures the shing of unsheathed blades and the rush of wind flying past running opponents is heard in every crisp detail. Afro Samurai uses a well-balanced soundscape, with plenty of ambiance and moving characters filling the rear channels. The LFE is put to great use during several of the battle sequences.

In addition, music and dialogue are well mixed into the action. The score and the original songs, thought not muted, never overwhelm the spoken word nor the sequences themselves. The dialogue is mostly kept to the center channel, but it is clear and easy to follow, which is a good thing, as no subtitles are included in the package. This is an excellent aural presentation that does more than enough to serve in telling the story of one vengeful black samurai warrior.

Afro Samurai: Season One Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Afro Samurai US Bound Blu-ray - May 28, 2008

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