Ranked #59

Samurai Champloo

I think I was much too young when I first watched Samurai Champloo on Adult Swim. Now that I have had a chance to grab the new DVD thinpak, I was able to rewatch and properly asses this show. Most importantly, I really would like to see this Manglobe studio get out there more. Ergo Proxy, Champloo, Bebop and all their other series have a very unique journey feel about them. They make some of the best stuff out there artistically too, so more series in the future would be a godsend.

Story; 9. It's episodical. And it's on and off, although only three or four episodes got on my nerves. The individual stories were all very cool, and enhanced by the insane and creative cast. The artistry here, you will find, is so off the hook. This series is really in a leauge of it's own even among the other Manglobe works, because the artistic flare here is much, much more over the top. In a very good way. The stories all had next feels about them, from gangland to drama, and even a very stylistic zombie episode. As expected, the philosophical value is present but also welcome in it's subtle presentation. It took a sure backseat to the fun, which I was very okay with.

Art; 10. This is the second best part of Samurai Champloo. This is the most unique, artistic anime I've ever seen. It's great, the urban theme is prevelant in large part to the lanky, streamlined drawings that moved so strangley between fluently and erraticly; it's the coolest thing you'll ever see. Colorful, creative goons abound; this series boasts a carnival of cool characters, from a Brooklyn accented baseball ninja to a double agent geisha; and i'll never forget the marijuana farming battle monks. The main cast is great too, but they wouldn't have been as great without such great side roles. Jin is my personal favorite.

Sound; 10. Anime music sucks, and there's no argument against this. It's bad; Samurai Champloo's soundtrack is something I listen to all the time. I would love this soundtrack without the show. It's a work between Nujabes, FORCE OF NATURE, and Fat Joe, as well as cameos by many rappers and MC's like Shing02; suffice to say, if you are a hip-hop and turntablism head like I am you will love this soundtrack so much. The mixing is great, the OP and ED are both awesome. Every track is a crazy soundscape, and art aside the soundtrack mixes classic japanese folk with hip hop seamlessly in a way it's a sin not to hear. Phenomenal, easily the best anime soundtrack ever.

Character; 9. Jin is a silent, reserved badass. Mugen is off the walls, with a unique combat style rooted in fairly creative breakdancing, and Fuu is the classic helpless teenage samurai girl. They are all also a satirical representation of samurai action cliches, and they are presented in this way flawlessly. I'll save details, but these three are really great characters individually and together.

Enjoyment/Overall; 9. This show is artistically unchained, musically perfect, and paced quite well. The characters are inventive beyond compare, and that journey feeling is really exclusive to this studio. I felt it more in Ergo Proxy, but this (especially with it's killer final scene) had a really really soothing, down to earth reality about it that you should experience just as much. Champloo is a great show, especially when your old enough to care. Don't pass it up. read more

What's not to like?

Champloo means mash-up or re-mix in Japanese, an this is exactly what this show is. It re-mixes the classic ronin samurai story with modern pop references, and a strong hip-hop vibe, and does it brilliantly. It's got action, it's got drama, it's got comedy, strong character development, great music, and solid direction. People I know who claim to abhor anime, still fall in love with this series.

It balances a very thin line of being a serious story with out taking itself too seriously. But like all the best stories in the world, this one shines because the characters are well developed, and the story flows through them organically instead of being forced to march forward around them. In addition to the characters, the stories, being a mash-up if you will, uses the Edo period to comment on modern society, from the sex trade, to art, to literature, to religion, and even atomic warfare. And it does so without being preachy, or condescending to the viewer. Instead of just being Important Themes that jump out at you, they work through each episode in a much more subtle fashion, something missing from a lot of anime.

I dare you not to like it. There really is nothing else like it anywhere, (except for maybe cowboy bebop which was made by the same people). This is a unique anime experience, in fact it's just a unique story experience in any storytelling medium and is definitely worth checking out. read more

Story: Well the fact that the whole thing starts off with them looking for a Samurai that smells like Sunflowers is kinda weak, but what it grows into is something that only happens in a couple of shows. One thing about this story is it kept me guessing until the end of the series at what would happen.

Animation: Personally I loved this style of animation it was very original and I have never seen a style like this again. But some people wont like this style so if you dont like it oh well.

Sound: Although I am not a big fan of hip hop music I do love this hip hop style. I don't know why. I think it is because they mix the action and sound together so well.

Character: The two main characters are just great. They are both pretty funny and and girl that they are traveling with just adds to the formula.

Enjoyment: Great fights, very funny parts and some very series parts that fit in perfectly.

Overall: If you like swords and swordsmen then this is a must. read more

Story:
Two samurai Jin and Mugen were sent to prison and where saved by a restaurant waitress Fuu on the condition that they'll help her look for the "Samurai who Smeills like Sunflowers" and so begins their great (or not so great XD) adventure. In my opinion, the series is just a buch of stand alone episodes about the trio getting into all sorts of mishaps. But it's not that bad. in fact, it's great! XD
one thing that's bugging me about the series is that it's like a history show gone wrong as there are events that could NOT have happened!


Art:
If you've seen Cowboy Bebop, then you'll porbably be familiar with the art work. The characters looks skinny or lean. There's also a few characters who might look a bit alike with Cowboy Bebop charas. Mugen for one looks like Spike from Bebop but with a rowdy attitude. The animation is great, the characters have a fluid movement, especially when they fight.

Sound:
The series STRONGEST POINT for me. Hip-hop tunes on a samurai anime, now there's something you don't see everyday. a mix of new and old...well it doesn't really go well with the samurai theme BUT it matches the characters wacky antics as well as the fights. Heck even the Opening Theme is a Rap song...a good one at that! XD


Character:
Well, the characters are pretty much unique. Mugen is a samurai who breakdances as he fights. no, his fighting style IS break dancing. Not Copoera, break dancing with sword slashes. now how cool is that. Jin specializes in the traditional samurai arts and Fuu is not much of a fighter but comes from a samurai family.

Personality-wise, Mugen is loud, short-tempered, and dresses way different from a usual Japanese of that era. His style is hip-hop.

Jin, is quiet, wears glasses, and is pretty much your everyday samurai ala Kenshin Himura.

Fuu is a former waitress who was born from a samurai clan.

THese are the first impression you'll get from them, but as the series progresses you'll get to see different sides of the characters.

Overall:

A not so typical samurai anime that's sure to head you hyped up and your head babging to the hip-hop beat.

read more

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.
Jin is 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.
read more

This is a shōnen anime series consisting of twenty-six episodes. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous television show, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown in the anime and Japanese television. Champloo comes from the word Chanpuru which means mix or mashup so the title means Samurai Remix. The series in Watanabe's normal preference, is a cross-genre work of media, blending the action and samurai genres with elements of non-slapstick comedy. It is also a period piece, taking place during Japan's Edo period. The series is interwoven with revisionist historical facts and anachronistic elements of mise-en-scene, dialogue and soundtrack. The shows most frequent anachronism is its use of elements of hip hop culture, particularly rap and the music it has influenced, break dancing, turntablism, hip hop slang, and graffiti. The show also contains anachronistic elements from the punk subculture and modernism, but less prominently.

read more

Samurai Champloo is by far one of my favourite animes of all time. It's the perfect mix of story, action, art and music.

The whole anime has this really urban feel around the entire thing; the music, the characters, and the environment. The creators really managed to get the music and the story to flow really great. The combination is so fantastic that those annoying side episodes that take away from the plot aren't annoying at all.

The story itself also actually has depth to it and this whole sort of intrigue has to who the sunflower samurai is and why Fuu wants to find him at all. And the characters are really in depth as well. So to speak, everyone has a history. And even though you know next to nothing about Mugen, Jin and Fuu you get really attached to them and you feel like you know all about their character.

And of course, the best part, the fightining. The fights have this great artistic fluidity to them, which comes from the style they're drawn in, but also the way they're animated. It's like this really great bloody dance. that's another great point to, there is a lot of blood. They don't try to suger coat the deaths at all which is what makes it great. And however odd it sounds even the spray of blood seems like it was perfectly planned.

Samurai Champloo is simply the most brutally artistic anime I have ever watched; and I love it! read more

Before I started Samurai Champloo, I had no idea it would become one of my favorite animes. I really did not realize what a treat I was in for. I read about how it utilized hip hop into the soundtrack, but I didn't realize how great it would be incorporated. One of the greatest things about the anime is the soundtrack. The story always kept me interested, always striving to watch the next episode. I think the length was perfect and I am happy to know that as far as now, there isn't any plan to make any more. The characters build up very nicely and you come to love Jin, but my love for Mugen was there from the beginning. Overall, i'd say it was one of the greatest viewing experiences i've had and I will definitely watch it again sometime soon. Don't hesitate, if you have a heart and/or a brain you'll realize this is definitely worth looking into. read more

Hello there. Trying to find out more about Samurai Champloo to see if you want to watch it? Well, let me start by making this clear: you MUST watch this anime!

There are enough sources about the general storyline, so instead I will just say that it is well-written, coherent, well-paced, and absorbing! Our three heroes, Fuu, Jin, and Mugen, go on a great journey, and will take YOU along. They travel through Japan, encounter many kinds of people, and get to do many interesting and funny things besides fighting. The numerous intentional anachronisms you can find bring a great touch of humour. You get to learn a lot about Japan too.

The character development is amazing. The main characters have distinct personalities, styles, and pasts. They form an unlikely trio considering how different they are. Fuu, Jin, and Mugen grow throughout the episodes in a very pleasant way. You will get attached to them. The other characters they encounter are for the most part very eclectic and add to the fun.

The music is some of the best anime music out there. There are a huge number of songs that bring the anime to life, give it rhythm, and are very recognisable. In fact the OSTs are well worth owning (downloading them is fairly easy too).

The art is nothing mind-blowing, but it is good and perfectly suitable for this anime. The battles are particularly interesting. The only bad detail that bothered me in some poor CGI that was used for about only 10 seconds total.

How did I enjoy this series? I watch Champloo every year. Enough said.

----------------

Forgive any mistakes, for English is not my first language ;)
It is also my first review (yes, I love Champloo THAT much!) read more

this is worthy of watching regardless of what genre of anime you enjoy. this piece encompasses more than just good series for you to take your mind off life. its very artistic and revolutionary and semi-nontraditional but still very acceptable. althought the female character is the same useless female character who complains, but bare with her because it is often time those female characters help round out the brutes. there's something for everyone to enjoy, and for those who do not really enjoy hiphop . . . well you need to broaden your horizons.


probably my best review so far. but it can only be appreciated by those who can truly see it for what its worth.
read more