Review of Samurai Champloo

Shinichiro Watanabe blew me away with Cowboy Bebop, a science fiction tale with a bit of jazz music and western influences thrown in. This time around, it's Samurai Champloo, a samurai tale set in the Edo period of Japan. Of course, it wouldn't be Watanabe without the odd amalgam of genres and tropes. Champloo, also known as Champuru, is an Okinawa word meaning "blend", though I think "remix" works better. This describes the series perfectly. Samurai and Japanese history is interesting enough, but it really intrigues when a hip-hop soundtrack and urban influence is thrown in to the mix. The plot isn't anything too fancy orlayered. It focuses on Fuu and her search for the "samurai who smells of sunflowers" and her two "bodyguards", Mugen and Jin. This is just really a core plot to keep the group moving, the real fun comes with the many wild, crazy adventures they get themselves in while on the trip. The individual stories are so creative and interesting, things never get bored. One episodic could be a comedic romp focusing on the early years of baseball, or another could be a heartbreaking and violent tale of betrayal. Some of the episodes are weaker than others, and sometimes I wished the show was a bit more intelligent...but I digress. The show has it all; comedy, drama, and even more importantly, fun.

Like Bebop, the show is episodic in nature, and the only real binding ties are the main characters. Each one is well developed and interesting, with intriguing pasts that are revealed bit by bit over the course of the series (once again, similar to Bebop). Though the characters by themselves are great, it's the fantastic interaction between them all that really shines. They all have completely different ways of thinking, so it's a great formula for character interaction.

The studio behind this project is Manglobe, which I'm not very familiar with. That being said, they did an excellent job with the art and animation for this show. The action sequences are some of the most fluid and well-animated in the medium. They're top notch, and this series is around nine years old now. The urban look of the show complements the hip hop soundtrack and badass fight scenes. It's a nice departure from the usual standard samurai look that you see so often.

The soundtrack is extraordinary. Who could have known hip hop would meld so perfectly with samurai? It works perfectly with the urban, stylized art style, and makes the series even more badass than it already is. The opening theme, in particular, is a wonderful piece of music. It's also worth mentioning that beatboxing and rapping also make appearances in the show from time to time, usually in a comedic nature. I'm not quite sure if the soundtrack is up to par to Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelt's work on Bebop, but it's pretty damn close.

I know I've mentioned Bebop a lot throughout this review, but it really is unfair to dock this series because "it's not as good as Bebop". It's a great series in its own right. With beautiful animation, visceral action sequences, a memorable soundtrack, great dialogue, and interesting characters...Samurai Champloo earns a hearty recommendation.

For reference, my favorite episodes are:

5. Baseball Blues
4. Gamblers and Gallantry
3. Elegy of Entrapment (Verses 1 & 2)
2. Misguided Miscreants (Verses 1 & 2)
1. Evanescent Encounter (Verses 1, 2, & 3)