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Genius Party [Opening]: groovy music, I like it

Shanghai Dragon : it's cute I guess

Deathtic 4 : you ugly, not much to say

Doorbell: Saramago called, he said he did it better; some interesting ideas by the end though

Limit Cycle: Oh my god, shut up, this was so pedantic and dull. 20mins in length but felt like an hour

... Happy Machine : might feel a bit draught out but Yuasa always manages to compel you to stick around

Baby Blue : Shinkai in shambles. The most "short and sweet" out of all of them. Would love to see another anthology film or OVA by Watanabe.

I'm dumbfounded, at a loss for words

Is there anyone who can piece together Masaaki Yuasa? This man has somehow made peak fiction and doesn't even seem to struggle with it.

How can your track record have Devilman Crybaby, Night is Short, Ride Your Wave, Eizouken, and then THIS, all back to back

Abysmal lows for sure, pure bullshit on the plot, but it sort of reverts on itself and becomes mildly enjoyable?? AND then it has the balls to actually have some legit good scenes and puts forward some interesting concepts??? and to top it off it manages to pull off its theming quite well, in a ... way all of it coming together????

In ways it feels like the ""spiritual"" continuation to Crybaby, as it carries on its qualities; unfortunately, most of those are it's questionable aspects. But on another hand, it did inherit a Kensuke Ushio soundtrack, which might give some glaring dissonance with the story at times, but still gives some nice tunes. Also I guess Yuasa really liked the character of Ryo, because he is pretty much in this as well. In a certain way, watching Japan Sinks has made me question my stance with Crybaby, and honestly the rest of Yuasa's catalog.

Is it Good? up to debate, is it Bad? also up to debate.

If there's any tip i would give it is to experience this with a group of people, I'm sure you'll get some interesting reactions

I guess this would have been a fun watch if I was in my tender years. It's cute though. There's some pacing issues along the way, and some elements in it can feel a bit generic and uninteresting.
I enjoyed the characterization given to our protagonist, but it feels that everything that we need to know about her is told way to quickly.
Wish that Colorido's follow up to 'Penguin Highway' had been more visually striking. I can at least get it since Hiroyasu Ishida wasn't set as director for this one. It still manages to look comfy for most of the time. But really there isn't ... that much remarkable on this one.

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 that ... its 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.