SAMURAI CHAMPLOO

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionSamurai Champloo

REVIEWS

• 

  Yas

  96/100
  The most hip (and hop) anime you'll ever see

  "I have no desire to kill you. In fact, you're not worth killing. Killing you, would only tarnish my blade." - Jin

  Time and time again I've iterated that there's no such thing as "perfect". Perfection is impossible to have, because it's whole ideology is completely subjective. What's perfect in one thing is not necessarily going to have a unanimous agreement between people simply because their opinion on a particular thing's perfection is like I said subjective. Nevertheless we always see things get close to it. Coal mines were overtaken by steam, which in turn was overtaken by all the renewable energy. It's not perfect, it's what people think is close to perfect. Now out with the normie beginning, I'm here to talk about one such thing that has inched ever so closer to perfection. No prizes for guessing what I'm talking about. Yes. Samurai Champloo. Original review written February 12, 2018 on MAL.

  

  Samurai Champloo is a journey. Or in this case you could say the journey is Samurai Champloo. It's not just Mugen, Fuu and Jin going off on a journey. It's us viewers as well. Traveling is all about meeting different people, visiting new places and making friends here and there. But people miss the important part about traveling. The feeling that remains in us while we do the journey and once we end it. Samurai Champloo in that sense has achieved a perfection here. It beautifully showed us how our emotions go about when we travel, albeit in Edo style. 

  I haven't even stepped into the music category (which is the single quintessential reason I can keep this over anime greats like Gintama and the like). 

  The way how events unfold and move forward is so natural and realistic it made me feel as if this isn't an anime. Many people regard anime as an escape from reality, which is definitely true, but there's the other side of the coin. Anime showing us reality in a different way. Samurai Champloo takes the latter route. Either there was an independent episode or there were arcs, both excellently flowed the plot to us and left us in awe of what's next. Some parts made you grit your teeth in suspense. Why? It's because Samurai Champloo knew how to handle the emotion. Not once did I feel as if I knew the outcome of a battle when our two sword fighters were engaged with a tough opponent, and for a media like anime, or action itself for that matter, it's applaudable. Even in the final arc, I was taken aback by who lived and who didn't. No spoilers so don't worry. I was never a fan of Historical anime, but much like Gintama, it was not only bearable but enjoyable. From the first episode to the last, much like it's music, Samurai Champloo beautifully showed us the story it had to tell with one-or-none plotholes and the like. 

  

  If you've seen my list and stats, I haven't watched many Manglobe anime, yet I consider myself their fan after Samurai Champloo. The art was breathtaking. I can find no other words to describe it. Maybe groovy I guess? The fight scenes were a huge highlight of the anime, and for great reason. Unlike most other studios, Manglobe knew how to incorporate suspense and awe-inspiring knitty gritty action scenes. And for both of the main samurais, Jin and Mugen, had their own unique fighting style and the animation proved that even further. The amount of detail as well dedicated to the backgrounds and the character design as well were beautifully done.

  Samurai Champloo arguably has the best soundtrack of all time. Why? It's because there was one composer who contributed a lot to the anime, Nujabes. Battlecry has become larger than the anime itself and although it doesn't get featured much on any "best anime OP" lists that certainly doesn't mean it's not amazing. If the anime was more popular I'm sure it would get the attention it deserved. The rest? The background music went slow at times and scary at times. It perfectly did it's job as background music, to create a feeling within us which the main activity can't do, ease in emotions in us. Take for example a scene where Mugen was about to walk over to someone in rage, the drum beat that played definitely raised my hair on end. 

  Shiki no Uta had me dancing, snapping to the beat. I got so engrossed in the soundtrack overall that it took me just a few episodes to learn the lyrics by ear, something that NEVER happened to me before. It wasn't just Nujabes and Minmi doing all the brilliant work on the OP and ED respectively, but the others as well. Never have I ever seen inserted endings go on par with the actual endings, which are already so amazing no questions asked. Another thing, never have I ever turned up the volume when listening to an ED so much while watching an anime episode. If 11/10 existed, the music section and Nujabes himself for that matter, would have it given by me in a heartbeat. Pardon the pun.

  

  If you read my normie opening paragraph at the beginning, you might remember that I said nothing is perfect, even though the concept of perfection, much like right and wrong is subjective. Not being perfect doesn't necessarily mean something's bad too however. In terms of Samurai Champloo, the characters prove that point. The weakest part of the anime (if 8 is considered weak) are the characters. Mostly because of the villains. Let's start with our main characters. 

  Fuu was very irritating throughout the anime, I found myself rolling over in irritation each time I heard "Himawari o-samurai-san" since it got repeated each and every time in almost every episode. I may sound like I'm exaggerating (which is true) but this was the one thing I got pissed at each time at the anime. Apart from that her performance in the final arc did a complete 180 of my view of her. The episodes leading up to the final arc as well highlighted an amazing new door to her personality in my eyes.

  Then we have Mugen. I can see why many viewers would love a character like Mugen especially since he's so badass and in many ways cooler than Jin, ahem, literally. Since most of the episodes revolved around Either Mugen or Jin (with the final arc being the sole exception as it was focused on Fuu, but you could say it was equally focused on all three as well, but as for those two, they) got one episode or an arc dedicated to them each and it kept rotating between them until the end. This was especially good since we weren't tired of following only one person on multiple continuous arcs. His backstory, much like the other two was not the most positive thing you'd hear for a guy that badass, the middle of the anime will explain further if you're interested, I'm not spoiling anything :P. From the first episode till the end, we saw 26 tantrums, but we got 52 epic fights and quotes, literally. Don't go counting up everything now :P

  

  Jin. At first I was on Team Mugen but sooner rather than later I switched to Team Jin. Why? It's because Jin is the literal example of "cool". His backstory isn't lacking either. Rather, on a personal note I found Jin's backstory much more relevant to the plot and more badass than Mugen or Fuu's. Much like his demeanor, he silently crossed the ranks and became my favorite character in the anime. I don't know about most other people, but I loved Jin as a character because he was fleshed out as one himself. The arcs that focused on him focused in his past as well and I feel even though all three characters' pasts were equally explored, Jin's backstory was one that gave out more detail. And sadness too.

  Then why an 8? The villains. None of the villains had even half a proper motive for what they did. I expected Sara's arc to give out a well designed villain but unfortunately she too was poorly designed. So much for the drum beats and Mugen's rage. Once again, since there's no context no spoilers. Don't worry and carry on. Apart from that other villains themselves did no better. At best to contradict myself I can say the villains had half a motive but none had a full one. All of them felt cliched in on way or another and since this is the first time I used that word in this whole review that's saying something as well. Nonetheless, if not for Jin and Mugen's backstories and Fuu's final arc performance, even a 7 would be tough to achieve, let alone an 8.

  If the score and my words didn't directly show it to you, I'll make it direct, I'm a huge fan of Samurai Champloo. I came expecting something worth a 7-8 and instead got a show worthy of a 10. Faults are present yes, for that I'm willing to slice off 0.4 out of the score, but they're not worth anything more. Story? Excellent. Art? Breathtaking. Music? Listen to Shiki no Uta and let it do the talking. Characters? ..... Brilliantly designed main characters and bad villains I suppose. Nevertheless, to end this on a positive note (if all this positivity and small amount of fanboying weren't enough,) Samurai Champloo may appear to be just your everyday quiet Samurai anime with boring historical references and an even boring sound track, rest assured you will get the EXACT 180. You're gonna get the most hip (and hop) anime you'll ever see kono yarou! 

  

  P.S: Fuu was as she said the only main girl, so waifu corner is now Husbando corner for the second or third time ever I guess. Anyway to make it short. Jin best boy B)

  ...And those were glasses...

  "Kiss my ass." - Mugen

  Joking :P. Even though that's a real quote said by Mugen here's another one as apologies XD

  "If we were all the way up there, no one here'd look any bigger than a grain of sand." - Mugen

  Fun fact: I at first planned to rate this a 9 while watching (which goes against my policy of not rating unairing anime until completion but then stopped and thought "Let's see where this goes". Here I am with a 10 on my hands XD

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• 

  Pockeyramune919

  100/100
  This wacky mashup of traditional and contemporary has the right amount of charm and style to touch my heart.

  Mild Spoilers for Samurai Champloo

  I hope I don’t come across as snobbish by beginning this review by saying I often like to go off the beaten path when it comes to anime. It can be fun to watch anime or read manga that’s obscure,or the very least, ones that aren’t heavily recommended. Especially when reviewing, you feel unique and like a trailblazer. An obvious disadvantage to this is that if a lot of people haven’t seen something, it’s hard to know if it’s good or not. Your critically-acclaimed Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood)s, your Evangelions, and your Cowboy Bebops all have won in the court of public opinion. Samurai Champloo sees similar praise. What do I make of it? You can probably guess the answer - everyone loves Samurai Champloo, so why wouldn’t I? I cannot answer that question, because I’m here to advise you to believe the hype. It might feel like I’m excitedly explaining how I’ve discovered that the sky is blue, but what can I say, Samurai Champloo is a blast. If everything is as good as people say they are, I might have to stop trying to discover anime and instead stick to recommendations.

  Even when trying to judge Samurai Champloo on its own merits, it will invariably be compared to Cowboy Bebop. For one, Bebop is actually Samurai Champloo’s direct predecessor, being the previous show of creator Shinichiro Watanabe. Both shows involve genre blending, both are renowned for their soundtrack, and in the Englih dubs, both have main characters voiced by Steve Blum. Cowboy Bebop seems to overshadow Samurai Champloo. While Samurai Champloo is certainly well-acclaimed, it doesn’t seem to have as much of a presence as Cowboy Bebop - its still of the silhouettes of Mugen and Jin aren’t as iconic as Bebop’s mugshot lineup of its principal cast, Battlecry isn’t as played as TANK!!!, and when examples of masterpieces of anime are given, Samurai Champloo is curiously left out. Perhaps this is due to age, with both being equally as good, but Bebop rising to fandom prominence due to the being released first? Is Cowboy Bebop simply better? Maybe that’s the general consensus, but I found I enjoyed Samurai Champloo more.

  Samurai Champloo, taking place in Edo-period (1675 to be exact) Japan, follows Fuu, a peppy, determined, fifteen-year-old, Jin, a stoic, no-nonsense warrior, and Mugen, a brash hothead who’s always looking for a way to relieve his boredom. Mugen and Jin meet in the tea parlor that Fuu works at and immediately come to blows, impressed at the other’s strength. Fuu helps the two warriors evade execution and after winning a coin flip, has them accompany her as her bodyguards in order to find a samurai shrouded in mystery. The only thing Fuu apparently knows about this samurai is that he “smells of sunflowers.”

  Samurai Champloo features absolutely gorgeous animation and art design that looks great both during slower scenes and the fluid fight scenes. As a fan of sword fighting, I really enjoyed the fast-paced stylistic fights of the series. Jin showcases your typical, reserved, master samurai fare while Mugen’s unique fighting style imploys breakdancing, making it a sight to behold.

  It’s impossible to discuss Samurai Champloo without talking about its soundtrack, which is absolutely phenomenal. I actually listened to some of Samurai Champloo’s soundtrack well before I watched the show. Shiki no Uta was one of the most-played songs on my iPod and iPhone without even knowing its context. Needless to say, I was giddy whenever music I recognized showed up. And naturally, I almost never skipped the OP or ED. Just as Cowboy Bebop’s_ soundtrack was centered around a particular genre not commonly used in anime, Samurai Champloo is based around a particular style as well - hiphop. This is obvious in the first seconds of Champloo’s cool intro as we’re treated to the bass of a downbeat and our eyes feast on the mellow visuals of the opening before the rapper comes in. “Sharp like an edge of a samurai sword” indeed. The soundtrack is composed in part by the late and great Nujabes and as such, the music is often similar to what you’d hear in a lo-fi hiphop station. While the show also has its fair share of my energetic tracks, in general, the music reflects the cool, relaxed town of the show. For most of the show, things don’t get too dire, and no matter the situation, the gang will be absolutely cool doing it.

  

  Arurian Dance

  One thing that pleasantly surprised me about Samurai Champloo is just how tender it is. Given that this is a comedic, episodic show centered around two swordsmen who couldn’t care less about others, it makes sense that I didn’t expect Champloo to have a lot of moments where my heart was tugged. I suppose a good rule to follow when watching this show is to expect the unexpected. From a gay (who I’m happy to say isn’t characterized as a joke nor as a creep) Dutchman unable to live in Europe nor Japan due to two types of persecution to a young man who is tragically slain after he descends to thievery in order to pay for his mother’s medicne, to a mother being forced into assassination in order to protect her child, Samurai Champloo proves its more than capable enough of stepping away from the comedy in order to say something. Fortunately, Samurai Champloo only presents its viewers with the dire scenarios, not elaborating on how they’re “supposed” to feel, thus keeping the show from dipping into hamfisted territory. Heightening these scenes is the beautiful soundtrack, relaxing, but so chill that it begins to feel somber; with context, these songs can become downright bittersweet - beautiful in the instrumentation, and heart wrenching in the contexts they’re presented in. I could go on and on about the show’s music. The comedic moments are great, but without these more introspective portions, I’m not sure I’d have gotten the feeling Samurai Champloo will stay with me.

  That isn’t to say that the show doesn’t have its lighthearted moments. Samurai Champloo was always an absolute riot, and if it didn’t leave a smile on my face from how sweet it was, I was smiling from guffawing at how hilarious it can be. Whether its having the protagonists and antagonists get high as kites together as the animation conks out or seeing thuggish American navy pull out brass knuckles to win a baseball game, Samurai Champloo offered a lot of laughs. The show really struck a balance between seriousness and lightheartedness.

  The show’s juxtaposition of a typical chanbara setting and modern day concepts such as beatboxing and graffiti was extremely appealing to me. In part because it was comical and it part because it was intriguing. As always, the historical aspects were also very interesting.

  The story, similar to Cowboy Bebop is told in a vignette style, always moving forward, but jumping to an unspecified point in the future for each episode (except in the case of two-parter episodes), showing a snippet of the main characters’ journey…. I felt the anime had a consistent tone throughout, something that I can’t really say about Bebop as much as I love it. Bebop gets quite dark during its second half, making it feel a bit disjointed and making it hard to jump in anywhere for a rewatch. Champloo on the other hand maintains its flow of sometimes-taking-itself-seriously, sometimes-just-being-goofy, while overall always being a bit light in terms of internal darkness. I was surprised that the ending ended up being as happy as it did, but I enjoyed it because it didn’t make the entire journey bittersweet in retrospect.

  I have very few complaints about Champloo. Fuu could be a bit annoying and her getting kidnapped got old, but it helped that because the main characters often couldn’t care less about one another, the kidnappings often didn’t dominate the plot. I also wish we could have tracked the main characters’ development more - it seemed like it was pretty heavily backloaded towards the finale. But overall, my biggest complaint is that there weren’t more episodes. I truly did love seeing the gang’s journey and was always excited to see what situation they’d get into next. It feels a bit silly considering I finished the series in less than a month, but the group really did begin to feel like my friends. Some have criticized as the show as being all style, no substance, but maybe that’s what made me connect with the characters more and added to a light mood that fet easy to return to. Or maybe that’s just plain wrong due to the tender moments I loved so much. Or maybe there’s nothing wrong with a bit of style. Because, goddamn, is this show stylish.

  While it’s unfortunate that it took me so long to post this review after finishing the show, it helped me confirm that Samurai Champloo will stick with me for a long time and it’s not just a case of recency bias.

  
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• 

  KilluaMorales

  95/100
  Samurai Champloo is a beautiful blend of traditional Japanese themes and modern day hip-hop.

  What's up everybody! Killua Morales is back with another anime review. Before this time of the pandemic, I've rarely had time to do anything due to my work schedule, but now that my job is put on hold, I'm now able to put more time into my book I'm writing and my blogs here. Now that I've notified you on this, let's hope into the world of hip hop with Samurai Champloo. Let's begin shall we:

  ___Synopsis___

  A young woman named Fuu is working as a waitress in a tea shop when she is abused by a band of samurai. She is saved by a mysterious rogue named Mugen and a young ronin named Jin. Mugen attacks Jin after he proves to be a worthy opponent. The pair begin fighting one another and inadvertently cause the death of Shibui Tomonoshina, the magistrate's son. For this crime, they are to be executed. With help from Fuu, they are able to escape execution. In return, Fuu asks them to travel with her to find "the samurai who smells of sunflowers".

  ___Story & Characters___

  Now when you read that synopsis, you'd think that the story is just going to be a simple journey. That's until you realize that Shinichiro Watanabe is in the director's chair, so the story is going to be much more enticing and immersive which sometimes makes the anime a bit episodic in a good way. Each episode has its own story giving you sympathetic characters and diabolical characters. There were times when I thought that this show was an anthology series due to the main three being sidelined because of side characters stealing the show. Either way, you can't help but love the journey they've partaken.

  What makes this series one of the best of its kind is that it doesn't always take itself seriously. There are times when you think that this is a satire of Japanese culture because it pokes fun of it at every second. One of the ways it pokes fun of Japanese culture is through the use of modernization. While it takes place during Edo period of Japan, it decides to add hip hop into the mix through its soundtrack and of course through its characters. From Mugen's fighting style acquiring a lot of break dancing to one using a henchman to beatbox while making an introduction, it gives you an insight on Japan during the Edo period where it shows what it was like during that time. It gives you a modern take on the tyranny during that time making it very original in its own right.

  Despite the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously most of the time, that doesn't mean that it's strictly an action comedy. There are a lot of serious moments in this anime that you sometimes forget that this a comedy as well. Nothing feels forced because of how natural and realistic it feels when you learn about each of the characters. It knows how to get an emotional out of you when it brings up some serious topics like betrayal and revenge. It's a simple plot, but it's the characters that bring out the complexity behind this anime showing you the many layers under this anime

  Speaking of the characters:

  _Mugen_

  He's without a doubt the best character in the show, and it's not just because he was voiced by Steven Blum. His wild and rebellious personality is what makes him so loveable. He's the type of person that just like going with the flow of things. You see why he's the way he is through his backstory as you understand the pain of being betrayed. He's heavily aggressive and won't hesitate to fight anyone which fits his fighting style so well, aggressive and unorthodox. Despite his take no crap personality, he does have a sense of honor and loyalty showing that he's not a one-note character.

  _Jin_

  Jin is my personal favorite of the main three. This Noble ronin is well-mannered, quiet and wise, but he's just like Mugen. He hates authority but doesn't just charge forward like Mugen does. His fighting style is just like his personality. Noble, patient and honorable. Due to this, he's basically the polar opposite of Mugen, but that's what makes him a standout character. These two are more alike than they want to admit, but Jin is the spitting image of Japanese tradition and a samurai's bushido.

  _Fuu_

  To be frank, Fuu isn't a bad character, but I wouldn't necessarily call her a good character either. She's actually pretty bland compared to Mugen and Jin, but she does have her standout moments. Despite her clumsiness and her cluelessness, she can be cunning at times and is straightforward as well but not as much as Mugen. Her most common trait is her stubbornness. It can be a little annoying at times, but it does show that she's not as immature as she comes off as at times. Once she sets her mind on something, she sees it to the end and won't let anything or anyone stop her.

  All in all, the story is simple and straightforward, but it's the journey that makes it one of the fulfilling and satisfying stories of the 2000s, and the characters are what make it more complex than you would expect from your typical story about samurai.

  ___Animation & Sound___

  The art and animation by studio manglobe whom you all should know from their works including:

  Deadman Wonderland The World God Only Knows And Ergo Proxy

  Was breathtaking. The art style is very stylistic and sharp. The landscapes of Japan are beautiful showing the jaw-dropping backdrop of the country side of Japan. The art designers were not cutting any corners in this anime, and the background to this day is better than most anime released recently. Now that is a feat in of itself. There were a few scenes that were drawn in black and white making it look like a manga is literally being brought to life, and who can forget some of the scenes that looked like an acid trip.

  Then comes the character designs. There is a lot of variety in the designers showing that each character is different from the next. Of course the designs of the main three are the best. Their designs personify their personalities from Mugen's rough and rugged design to Jin's formal and studious design. Even Fuu's feminine and frilly design brings out her character.

  Of course the best part of the art and animation are the action scenes. This anime is one of the most violent anime I've seen (though not as violent as the torture pron Corpse Party or the Final Destination inspired Another). The way characters are decapitated or just having one of their limbs cut off. You can see the amount of detail put into it that it kind of makes you squeamish at times. There were about four or five times where I've nearly puked due to how gory this anime can be, but that's what makes the action scenes so realistic.

  All in all, you're in for beautiful artwork and animation.

  As amazing as the story, characters and animation are, the best part about the anime is the sound. The soundtrack especially is just beautiful. I knew that Shinichiro Watanabe had a fascination with hip hop, but to see him work together with not only a rapper from the US but also the late and great Nujabes. This really blew my mind. I actually started listening Nujabes's music not too long along, and I've come to enjoy all the music he's made during his time on Earth. After rewatching Samurai Champloo for this review, I was shocked to learn that he played a role in the soundtrack. The beautiful combination of traditional Japanese music with Hip Hop and Jazz really brings the scenes of each episode, and of course the best part of the soundtrack is the opening theme.

  This in my honest opinion is Nujabes at his best. You hear the amount of dedication in this song from the instruments to Shing02's rap. You feel the tone of the song as it emphasizes what the life of samurai is like. This is how to do an English rap for an anime whole maintaining the style the anime outs out (I'm looking at you 4Kids One Piece).

  Even though the soundtrack was godly, the voice acting was no slouch either. The Japanese was serviceable at best, but it's the English dub that really makes the anime stand out. It was as if Shinichiro intended for the English dub to be better. Steven Blum's portrayal of Mugen is the standout as you see how he brings out Mugen's rash and aggressive personality. Kirk Thornton's portrayal of Jin was another standout showing the Noble ronin's personality. Of course Kari Walgreen's portrayal of Fuu was serviceable, but it was nothing compared to Steven and Kirk.

  All in all, the Animation and Sound were what truly made this anime stand out.

  ___Final Verdict___

  What else can be said about Samurai Champloo that hasn't already been said enough. If you're into samurai themed anime, then this is definitely the anime for you as it gives you a nice twist on its formula as it adds hip hop to the mix. You have simple yet complex story with beautiful animation and Grammy worthy music. All in all, this is one of the best anime of the 21st Century so far.

  With that in mind, I can definitely say that Samurai Champloo is...

  ___GODLY!!!___
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