Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The true tale of immortality is told by the video you see unfolding before your very eyes here, ladies and gents. Started as an initially misdirected ambition that my mad lad tanottski and I had in regard to holding our own in 2019's edition of the AllStars IC (our work in AllStars 1: youtu.be/nIU8893PY38), this project took a really unexpected shape that was so much more than a simple "hey this sounds like a samurai beat" : D

As an anime adapted after a manga I've heard a whole lot about and was really interested in myself had just come out on Amazon, I rushed over and went through it all, as 2019's Blade of the Immortal is a true feast for the eyes and soul... well, if blood is also part of the picture you're painting. Aand lots of it. (Master Sori would approve : D). A favourite of the both of us, Afro Samurai then quickly stepped out of the shadows alongside Dan's old flame, Sword of the Stranger, which we thought was a good starting point of a backstory for the killer of 100, Manji the Immortal Swordsman.

And that's how this AMV just kept growing, from the aching of a bloodied sheath on wooden floor to a mystical tale of rebirth and revenge that pits Rin Asano and her newly appointed bodyguard Manji on a truly treacherous path, as their past squirms around them like a bouquet of shadows; nonetheless, this tale is deeply engulfed in the mists of Afro Samurai's own tragedy-ridden trail that carves its way through the two's destinies, which were forever changed by encounters with the cold-blooded Afro, both thus now taking the shape of an undying, rage-filled sword that has nowhere else to go than through Afro's blackened heart.

The original theme of the vid that marked its IC state was centered around the "Four Auspicious Beasts", four mythological Chinese beasts which we meant to represent our heroes in the main plot of the AMV and that I hope you'll be able to properly identify! This is also the reason for which the video's original title under which you can find it in its original shape here (mega.nz/#!G1IXHKZI!VxHoTqNaLEGzS0w92xbxEE97PDGs0BXOFBrjCVX9BYQ) was Wilderbeasts.

But since ideas kept amassing in my tinkerbox after the IC was over, we decided to turn this into a proper Akross Con entry, a place I've wanted to see myself compete in for a looong time; can't say we have exactly managed to make something worthy of Akross's razzle dazzle, but we surely forged the path towards that, that I can say.

So enjoy the multiple quests for vengeance which intertwine in this tale of eternal struggle that tanott and I set out for you here, as ties and limbs get severed, age-old foes spring back to life, unlikely allies are made and evil is ultimately defied.

Thanks again to Dan the man (youtube.com/channel/UCmjVMHAIBEAGQDTNRNUsvKg) for his invaluable input and cooperation and for putting up with my moodiness just like every IC we've taken part in together and to all of you who watched this and supported us throughout the Akross voting, we are forever grateful (hahah, get it, immortality). Speaking of support though, the way the video carries itself presentation-wise not only here, but on the official page on akross.ru is all thanks to an immensely talented friend of mine who was excited to work on both our thumbnails and the intimidating Akross poster, check her work out here: deviantart.com/galenarie or here: instagram.com/galenarie

Akross link: https://akross.ru/index.cgi?act=video;id=5504;l=e

Prizes:
Akross: 15th Best Video (out of 70), 4th Best Action, 3rd Best Story, 3rd Best Teamwork
AllStars IC 2: 10th Best Video (out of 35) and Nina (Dynamo)'s favourite entry!


All info in the outro.

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