If someone already hadn't made it clear, Champloo is a apparently a Japanese word meaning Mix or Blend. The series does exactly that, bringing contemporary hip-hop motifs into late Edo period Japan.
The show is very fun and its periodic battles really work to make the two samurais [Mugen and Jin] appear much more cool. Staying in line with pre-established themes, both samurais are presented more and more difficult foes that they eventually conquer, much like any other combat oriented anime or manga.
Another element that drives the entire story is Fuu's desire to find the Samurai that smells of sunflowers. The anime elaborates and develops this plot point mid way into the series and ultimately yields an arc that gives the anime a satisfying end. Since this is an anime about a journey, it's almost like a slice of life anime.
Each quest attempts to develop the characters further, introduce more elements into the story, and strengthen the bond between the traveling trio.
The ending is bittersweet, which is my opinion, probably one of the best ways to end an anime or manga since -- the ending of a series can rarely ever be purely happy since it's ending. The ending is open ended but offers enough details to imply all the possibilities that could exist after the 26th episode comes to a close, leaving it to the viewers imagination.
To top it off, the ending presents the best example of Fuu, Jin, and Mugen being dynamic characters. They all gain something from the journey, learn about each other, and more importantly -- themselves. In a world they felt alone in, they can finally feel a sense of company or togetherness -- even as they go their separate ways.
The visuals are great. The style is fairly realistic with some exaggerated moments. Combat is highly stylized and fun with lots of movement and little pauses to think and ponder the enemy's fighting style, think about next moves, etc.
The sound is good and the music varies from hip-hip to traditional Japanese music. You may be familiar with Obokuri-Eeumi, a song sang by Ikue Asazaki, that is played during a certain episode in the series. The intro song is very somber and downplayed in spite of being hip-hop but the sad/uplifting ending themes are very nice [in my opinion].
Overall, the one thing I really liked about this anime was the connection I felt to the characters. I desperately wanted them to stay together forever[a condition commonly found with most anime and manga], but I was fully aware of the inevitable end to their journey -- Heck!, even the characters knew. Additionally, this was an anime that I felt motivated to watch. Certain anime, I get tired of watching an episode or two, but with Samurai Champloo -- I wanted to keep watching episode after episode.
If you haven't already watched Samurai Champloo, please consider watching it. The 26 episodes is definitely worth it and offers a unique experience that's rare in the anime/manga world.
If you've already watched it -- maybe it watch it again!
Thanks for your time and have a good day!
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEQtkLNTmRs] Obokuri-Eeumi
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3aNq4h0grs] Intro
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sccg1CZzi4] Ending 1
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBEwXlBaNdc&feature=related] Ending 2
