The relationship between the very Japanese genre of the Samurai film and the very American genre of the western is something that goes back a long way. The parallels are obvious and so are the motifs. The relationship between rap culture and the samurai code is something much younger in its life on film and with Afro Samurai, a five-part series from uber production house Gonzo and creator Takashi Otazaki, an attempt has been made to further develop the blend.

Where the series succeeds is in its dazzling visuals and strong atmospherics. Where it slips on its own pant-leg is the story. A two-dimensional tale of revenge, the narrative does little to justify or add pounds to the relentless limb-removal service the protagonist provides. The voice-acting, featuring an over-used wise-cracking Samuel L. Jackson to pad out the dead time any great Samurai film treats as a backbone, leaves at-least one eyebrow raised whilst the poorly established “futuristic feudal Japan” helps raise the other brow just as high. It's truly an oddity to find the series imitate rather than lay waste to the wall of bad-dubbing that has plagued cross-over anime since birth with such an established cast.

Treated as five individual segments, Afro Samurai delivers pulp slasher revenge as bone-slicing and decapitating as you would expect from extreme-ish anime. Treated as a 125 minute director's cut – as you'll find on the newly released DVD edition – there will be no blame to anyone who decides to give Ghost Dog another watch instead.

Afro Samurai is not without its merits. A solid score from inventive rapper/producer The Rza (aka Bobby Digital), some rip-roaring fights and some more rip-roaring fights stir together in a pot that will leave some satisfied and others confused (this cost how much to produce?). What it boils down to in the end is whether you like your revenge served cold or with a brain.

A second series would do this brand a lot of good. Though an animated Ghost Dog series would do the world some good.

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