Title: Afro Samurai
Author:
Takashi Okasaki
Literary
Level: Intermediate
Rating: 5/5
Originally released as a “dōjinshi”
(self-published print) in November of 1998 until September of 2002. This later
was adapted into an anime. The story follows Afro (also known as No. 2) in his
path of self-destruction and carnage as he searches for the man that murdered
his father in front of him as a child. Afro currently possesses the headband of
the second strongest person in the world, and he’s looking for the number one;
having the first entails the tile of godhood, but that does not concern him.
This path of revenge lead to many deaths from his own hand and those that
wanted to stop him.
Only ten chapters, around 30 pages
each. That’s all it takes to tell a story; a good one at that. The fact you
want to root for Afro yet see how callous and disrespectful he is towards
everyone that stands in front of him feels unnerving. This is a main protagonist
that feels antagonistic as he uses bystanders as meat shields to protect
himself in order to continue his way of enacting his revenge. This is a man
that is often told he is “just a human” yet his lack of morals and casting
aside his entire humanity for one man he had not seen in years makes him more
of a monster than a human. However, at the end there’s a sense of
gratification, to just laugh at him for SPOILER finding out that
No. 1 had been already dead for a long time is cathartic. Deep down there is a desire
for him to forget his quest, just settle and move on from this suicide mission.
Overall, a straight forward story with an unreasonable protagonist and
beautiful art style makes for an enjoyable one day read. Highly recommend.