Reviews

Samurai Champloo knows very well what it is and doesn't try to pretend to be anything else. Its episodic nature, simple premise, and one-dimensional characters is a structure that many anime series have implemented. Since its overarching plot doesn't garner a lot of focus and attention, the anime puts emphasis on its character interactions with amusing and chaotic situations. But what makes Samurai Champloo stand out from the rest is that it's not afraid to experiment in its style. Employing a killer score inspired mainly by hip-hop and rap, among other genres of music, and an oddball mix of genre conventions and settings, each arc feels separate yet highly digestible due to its familiar subject matter and straightfoward characters. It's easy to see how this anime has become a keystone series in anime culture.

Despite having said all of this, personally I can't say I loved this series. I was looking for stronger plot resolution in terms of character and some arcs fell completely flat. I actually would have liked to see more eccentricity in its style and commitment when it came to creating unique settings and situations. Still, some scenes gave me absolute chills with its beauty and mastery.

If one were to look at the series just as a product of its time, I believe that people would either view it as a masterpiece or a mess. Time has helped us understand the greatness of Samurai Champloo but a passage in time also means a change in the landscape of anime. In the media world of today where story is king, series such as Samurai Champloo simply fall to the wayside. For its time, Samurai Champloo was pretty revolutionary anime series. Today, it serves as a lasting example of what anime can do in terms of style.