Anime: Afro Samurai

          Afro Samurai is a story of vengeance. Afro is the main character, who has embarked on a ruthless quest.  He chose this because when he was a boy he witness his father's death.  He died in a duel for the number one headband which he was defending.  During the duel he was decapitated and Justice, the new number one threw his head at Afro's feet.  That was the moment when he lost his innocence and began to harbor a hate that eventually put him on the path of revenge.

          It's shown at the very end that there are many more headbands as Jinno (Afro's childhood friend) returns covered in them.  The rules on how they are obtain and their use is unclear.  As for the number one and two headbands it goes like this:  The one who wears the number one head band is considered to be the fiercest warrior in the world and shall posses the powers of a god.  (It's the god powers that draws so much attention.)  To obtain the number one headband you must kill the current Number One. (Here's where it gets interesting.) To gain the right to challenge the #1 (Number One) you must already be in possession of the number two headband.  The problem with being the Number Two is that anyone can challenge you. (Quick recap: Only the #2 can challenge the #1, but anyone can challenge the #2.)

          It is this point that makes being the #2 (currently Afro) so hard.  You must be skilled because if not you won't last with it.  Afro's journey to Mount Shumi is chronicled in five episodes.  Along the way there are many that want the number two headband for themselves and Afro must accept every challenge or forfeit it.  There's a lot of action (Some of it is over the top) and blood.  Afro cuts his opponents down with brutal efficiency and you aren't spared any of it.  There's also some fan service in the show.  Most notably the soft core porn scene near the end of episode two.  The rest is provided by Brother 1 side-girl, but she doesn't appear much. (This isn't one of those shows that only get by on fan service.)    

          I feel like there is some East vs. West (Not coast) undertones in Afro. With Hip-Hop having a strong influence on the designs and the show being set in feudal Japan. (A futuristic feudal Japan.)  It becomes more apparent when you consider Justice.  He's a cowboy and Afro's nemesis. (Nothing says western culture like cowboys.) Need I say more?  Cowboys vs. Samurai.  Take it how you will, but in the end Afro Samurai is a raw & gritty mash up of east and west cultures that when combined make for a damn good show. 

-Don't Just Be A Robot, Be Happy

Game: Heavenly Sword

          Heavenly Sword (a PS3 exclusive) came out a year after PS3 was released.  Many games have come out since then and yet I still can't really think of any that are acted out so well.  The writing and the voice acting are incredible. The characters in Heavenly Sword are great.  When all this comes together the result can only be an unforgettable game. I enjoyed the cinematics,  not only because of the need to know how things progressed but how these scenes were acted out. HS (Heavenly Sword) truly blurs the line between the movie and gaming industry.

          HS's backdrop is that there was a great war threatening mankind.  An evil Raven King lead a massive army that destroyed everything in their path. (Kind of like Sauron from Lord of The Rings.) When all hope is lost the heavens sent a warrior to face the Raven King.  With the "Heavenly Sword" at hand the warrior dispatches the king and restores peace to the world, but that peace didn't last.  Once he killed the Raven King he disappear leaving behind his weapon.  Man quickly  became corrupted by the power and began to kill each other to posses it.  That senseless violence is what started the clan, they take the sword (never using it) in hopes to end the bloodshed. They release a short five episode animated series as a prequel to the game.  Poki3 over at youtube did us all a favor and combined all five episode into a short ten minute video. (Yes, two minutes per episode average.)

          The game has beautiful vistas.  The scenery in each chapter are like works of art in themselves. You fight through a snow fortress, forest temple, and valleys bridges that seem to be linked by castle-like pillars. (check out chapter 2, if you didn't get that last one.) This coupled with the soundtrack creates rich environments, that are gratifying. The best term I can come up with to desricbe the music is ethnic orchestra. (It is so good that I got the soundtrack on my iPod.)  In this orchestra they mix traditional western instruments with eastern instruments to form a powerful, yet organic sound.

          You play as Nariko and Kai.  Both are part of the clan that has been protecting the sword for centuries.  Nariko is skilled with swords and face to face combat.  She is the one who actually breaks the sacred code, never to wield the Heavenly Sword.  Once Nariko starts using the sword you can use it in many ways.  The default stance, known as the speed stance has an equal amount of speed and damage.  In this stance the sword takes the form of two blades.  In range stance, the sword become two chain blades that she uses to to kill enemies at a distance.  Range stance is the fastest but the weakest of all three stances.  Finally the power stance, is the strongest and slowest of all stances.  It takes the form of a giant two handed sword.  You can quickly switch between all of these to preform some interesting combos.

          Kai is an archer.  Usually when you play as her, she is stationed in one spot from which she must kills everything in sight. (It's like a sniping mini-game.) Here you are going to get acquainted with what the game refers to as "after touch".  After touch is a feature in the game where you use your SIXAXIS controller's motion-sensing capabilities to guide projectiles to their target. (Kind of like sniping with Max Payne, only you can control the bullet after you shoot it.)  I think there's one stage where you actually walk around with Kai.  In it you come to find she can't fight, so your best bet is to keep bad guys away.  If they get to close run away, turn and shoot.

          Okay now to address the elephant in the room, God of War.  God of War I and II were both release before Heavenly Sword.  The developers over at Ninja Theory admitted that the games had an influence on their project.  They even put Kratos's armor  (from GOW II) and weapons on display in a section of the game to pay their respects.  To pay To me the one of main similarities is the red and white design of both Nariko and Kratos.  The only other thing that comes to mind is Nariko's range stance,  where her weapons are exactly like the one from God of War's.  After that there are none. Besides, it's another option when your looking for an action-adventure game.  I don't see anyone complaining that FPS (First Person Shooters) are all just reskined guns and enemies of each other.  

 -Don't Just Be A Robot, Be Happy