Review of Samurai Champloo

There sure are a few reviews for this series... well I enjoyed Samurai Champloo. Honestly. I really did. What kept it in the air was definitely its characters, they were truly classic. Mugen (meaning infinite) and Jin (virtue) can easily be compared to what people from the Kalymnos Greek island describe as the two forms of manliness. Mugen runs along the course of what would be described as a 'stud' or stallion. A man who has no care for the consequences of his actions, eats excessive amounts of meat (as to prove his masculinity), an individual in all rights, and is simply wild and unkempt. Jinis the personification of this other manliness, simply put by inhabitants of Kalymnos as a family man. He is conscientious and thoughtful yet strong, a man who would sacrifice for those he values.
Fuu, I don't know any other way to put it, is the woman (Strange though it sounds as she is only around fifteen). She brings in a much needed feminine quality to the wandering trio, keeps them in line and reminds them of mental things like sentimentality. Simply said, she is the glue. She is the reason they're on the journey, the reason they stick together, and the reason they'll part.

I'm not a fan of rap or hip-hop, fortunately Samurai Champloo doesn't force the fact that it has hip-hop elements down your throat. It has just the right balance of subtlety and attitude to be good no matter what your taste in music is, and I have to admit the hip-hop culture references were a big part of the comedy for me.

If the characters kept Samurai Champloo in the air, it was the animation that got it off the ground. The pointedly cartoonish characters were drawn in a refreshing and clear manner with solid lines and not a hint of simplicity, right from the tiny cherry blossoms on Fuu's knife to the insane expressions.

The story (and I don't want to say unfortunately) is functional insofar as it allows the three characters to go on a journey, however it does allow the series to cover a vast array of Japans colorful Edo period. Including references to Van Gough, the dutch, foreign policy, christianity, and the Tokugawa governments ban on all daisho (samurai weapons).

To say this is a masterpiece is an overstatement, but to say it was a great way of using an old modus operandi for a new story is honesty.