Review of Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo, what do I think? Mugen is a crazy swordsman, Jin is a proud samurai and Fuu is a girl in search for a samurai that smells of sunflowers. For some people, enjoying history can be hard. Whether you're taught it in school, by your peers or even at the dinner table; enjoying history can be hard. Samurai Champloo isn't OVERLY historic, the atmosphere and the environment that it is played out in is just before the end of the era of samurai. It puts the use of katanas and martial law into the spotlight. Though that first paragraph might seem like a boring statement, this anime isjust the perfect mix of a triad of characters that are funny, cool and satisfying to follow. Their comedic acts serve as a soft side, to the hard one being the extremely well animated and designed fighting scenes that take place. The scenery is stunning, the story is pleasing and the characters make up for whatever doesn't glue itself together.
Story: As mentioned beforehand, the story is nice. I won't spoil anything, but they definitely reach their own goals at some point. The story also adapts several "side-stories" that are funny and simplistic in their own ways.
Art: The art can be glossy sometimes, but it meets its own criteria for mid-2000's anime. The backgrounds are stunning, the characters are colored to please the eyes and the blood splatter is extraordinary.
Sound: I am excited to say that the sound in this anime is the best one I've heard in an anime since forever. Fat Jon and Nujabes are truly a pair of great hip-hop artists, their beats flow so well through each scene, frame and setting that it is insane. The albums can be found on the internet and I strongly suggest anybody to take a listen to it if they are fans of lo-fi hiphop or just chill beats in general.
Characters: Regarding the aforementioned characters. Mugen and Jin are a great juxtaposition of each other. Mugen being the lawless, reckless fighter and Jin being the lawful, noble samurai. They make for a great combination in the several fighting scenes. Fuu is a character of her own, though I felt she was lacking a little bit of a fighting spirit, she is a loveable female protagonist who manages to get kidnapped at several points. The kidnapping can get annoying, but I know deep in my heart that she was as noble as Jin and as reckless as Mugen. She duct-tapes the relationship between the three in an admirable fashion.
Enjoyment: This anime will make you feel good and sad, but the enjoyment is where I place my money. History was never my thing, but after all the 26 episodes I am more interested in History than anything. The enjoyment that this anime gave me invoked different interests that I didn't know I had before.
Overall: This anime is great, it's far from being a masterpiece, but it's great. Even though it's so great, it's like going to disneyland. You'd definitely need a break from any type of shounen after watching this. Just like anybody would need a break from going to disneyland. The soundtrack, the story and the characters made for a great anime. I am thoroughly pleased.
Are you a Samurai Champloo?