Art and Story 9/10:
Just as I would say that Cowboy Bebop is the anime representation of the Blues, Samurai Champloo has to be the anime definition of Hip Hop, especially in the character Mugen. From the soundtrack to the animation, to the way the characters conduct themselves this anime is Hip Hop. If you are not a fan of Hip-Hip, do not worry as I am not either but this anime is just too good to pass up. Funky; a word I would use to describe this, almost every minute of it from when the characters find themselves in uncommon adventures to an episode that consists of everyone getting high off the fumes of burning what I assume is either weed or opium. Do not let this persuade you to ignore this piece however, it is not just a goofy quest of three uh friends, in fact, the more you realize what exactly is going on in certain episodes the more you realize just how dark some settings are in Samurai Champloo.
The anime is played out in an episodic nature with each episode linking to the next because there is a consistent plot/quest that the characters are trying to achieve. Even if you are not a fan of anime that are episodic, do not worry for Samurai Champloo is just too good, and again, it is not completely episodic. While I can say that the whole story is not entirely original, Samurai Champloo makes up for that in everything else just as the top 4 shounen animes make the shounen cliches good.
Characters 9/10:
Along with the premise of presenting the form of Hip Hop, Samurai Champloo also excels in its main characters. Out of the three main casts, I can not say that there is one I hate. Some of you may find the main female lead to be annoying as she is typical but then again she is the whole point of the plot. Mugen is a rascal and is easy to love, Jin is quiet and reserved and hardly ever says anything but for some reason, you still like him from the moment he's introduced. Even the supporting characters that are introduced each episode and are usually only there for that episode, are likable. They don't seem just like a thrown-in character but actually part of the story and that is exactly how the show treats them.
Overall 9/10:
Samurai Champloo is definitely a show that I would recommend watching and is an anime that I would recommend to veterans and newbies alike. The voice acting is amazing, the art and animation and sound is amazing, and the characters are really likable. Samurai Champloo is an experience, just like listening to a song is. Each episode is its own song with the series being an album.
