Review of Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is pure vibes man I sort of felt forced to write about it as it is one of the shows I’ve had the most fun with in recent memory. Still, Samurai Champloo doesn't need an introduction. If you've been associated with a weeb circle you’ve heard about it. That being from the staying power of director Shinichiro Watanabe or its soundtrack being featured on a whole sort of video essays/lo-fi playlists. Samurai Champloo is a show committed to its promise of entertainment. It doesn’t aspire to be intensively thoughtful on its themes nor overstuff its runtime with cheap thrills. This is not to say thatits down to earth moments are inconsequential, nor that its themes aren’t of any importance. Champloo may not have a perfect script on every occasion; but its strong sense of direction manages to elevate moments with simple predicaments to enthralling sequences . Likewise, on a thematic level, Champloo constantly contrasts its main cast with pletera of one shot characters to illustrate an undying sense of rebelliousness. It's really hard to not love it when the premises of each episode gets going, never stalling nor overstaying their welcome.
The setting of Champloo may not be as interesting nor fleshed out of that of Bebop's. But the episodes where all sensible historical context was thrown out of the window and just runs loose with its narrative. It can get absurd at times, but it's not dumb ridiculousness, but cool(?) ridiculousness, if that makes sense.
One cannot talk about the aesthetics of the show without bringing up its soundtrack. Those with musical literacy could pick out its range of influences and use of mix matching. On my own accord I found it quite melancholy. I listened to Nujabes through my adolescence, he being a big influence in my taste of listening habits. Getting to hear tracks like Aruarian Dance, The Million Way of Drum, and Counting Stars in the “context” they were meant to be accompanied to was very cathartic, and left me moved to a certain extent.
As I binged the first 12 episodes I had the time of my life; they encapsulate the show's greatest strengths. Going from first impressions I would say that this stretch of the show is exactly what I would like to develop on an artistic level if I was given the opportunity.
Still, it's not perfect. It's later half contains some weird decisions that don't fully pan out. I found the ending to be somewhat uneven considering what came before it, sort of losing steam along the way. Perhaps I was a bit expectful coming right after Bebop, that having a finale with an incredible impact. I acknowledge that Champloo didn't aim to be that, and its resolution fitted more with its thematic structure. Still, it's something I will think about for a while.
The groove Champloo excels is of brash charisma, and I came to love the journey it left behind. It's a show that maintains its artistic integrity through, and that being an artistic touch of unique sensibilities and influences makes it that more special to sit back, and vibe to.