Story- The story of Samurai Champloo is about a group of 3 people in Feudal Japan trying to find a “Samurai that smells of sunflowers”. I know this doesn’t sound like a great idea for story, at least that’s what I thought when I read the description on Netflix, but it is a great story. The story is episodic but it still pushes the plot forward in each episode. It gets more and more exciting as the 3 get closer and closer to finding the Samurai. Episodes can range from very funny light hearted episodes that will have you laughing the whole time, to badass fight episodes, to emotionally gripping and tear-jerking episodes that really make you feel for the characters. Another great thing about Samurai Champloo was that not a single episode was repetitive. The only downside to the story is that it is a bit simplistic. I rate the story 9/10
Art- The art of Samurai Champloo is very high quality and well done. It fits the whole style of the rap and Feudal Japan themes. The animation doesn’t have a single flaw to mention, the fights were animated very, very well and they looked amazing. Although it fits the themes well and it is high quality, I personally dislike this type of art because all of the characters look kind of like water paint blobs with really dark outlines around them. I give the art 9/10
Sound- The thing that makes Samurai Champloo unique is the sound of it. It seamlessly blends a weird but good rap music theme with a Feudal Japan theme (Champloo means blend hence the name, Samurai Champloo). I know that sounds weird but trust me it’s actually very good. It is one of the most unique styles in anime. The opening displays this mix very well and kind of shows you what you’re going to be getting into when you watch the show. Not only that, but the opening sounds good and gets you hyped for the cool action sequences and the fun of the adventure. The soundtrack, while not a masterpiece, still fits well with the show and its theme and adds to the immersion. Also, the ending song is superb. Definitely one of the greatest endings of all time. 10/10
Characters- This is where Samurai Champloo truly shines. The characters are on par with Baccano, Hunter x Hunter, and even Neon Genesis Evangelion. I loved all three of the main characters because they were all so unique, well developed, and generally cool people. There is Mugen: a samurai that is a badass and always gets in fights and says cool stuff; Jin: Another samurai who is more calm cool and collected, but still badass when he needs to be. Fuu: The girl who got them to help her find “the samurai that smells of sunflowers” and is funny. All the characters are absolutely hilarious. I give the characters 10/10
Enjoyment/Overall: I enjoyed Samurai Champloo very much. I laughed my ass off countless times while watching this series. Every episode was a new, exciting, adventurous, and comedic installment in the series. I give Samurai Champloo a 9/10. Don’t’ get me wrong, I love this series to death and it is probably one of the few anime series that I could see myself rewatching in the future, but a series has to truly be in a whole other league to be a 10. Samurai Champloo is basically a 9.9 for me, it’s the closest 9 to a 10 on my list.
