Anime Review Samurai Champloo

: Image by h-bomb via Flickr

Shinichiro Watanbe, the creator of “Cowboy Bebop” brings you the Samurai Champloo. The anime is published in a lot of countries around the world, have had many popular soundtracks and now is released in a complete DVD set, which is being reviewed here. If somehow you haven’t ever heard or seen the Samurai Champloo, its time you get acquainted.

The beginning theme paces up the series:

Samurai Champloo takes place in Japan’s Edo era, which is an anachronism-infused period piece. The series is a mix of Samurai elements and new action comedy, from slapsticks to irrelevance, Champloo is a combination of hip-hop and various counter cultures.

Anyone is who knows hip-hop is aware of Animes, but no other series has integrated the two fields as magnificently as Champloo. The ambience of the anime, soundtracks which are full of rap beats, fighting style inspired by break-dance by Mugen, the kimonos designs and influence of urban life, there are more instances to prove the point: trendy sunglasses, thugs dressed in punk style and eyebrow piercing.

The platform is very simple

A young girl, along with two recruited swordsmen goes out on a quest to one place to another, and the wild adventure hit her in her journey. The viewer can pretty easily interpret where the story began from, where is it moving and there are no points for guessing the end as well. Sadly, Champloo throws no surprises too!

The series moves on a pace that Cowboy Bebop was made to go on. Most of the episodes are complete unto themselves, while they connect the story from where it was left in the last one. While two disappointing things about the series are: The end is pretty much known and though the series as a whole is engrossing, not many episodes individually are too remarkable. They are entertaining, but not cherishable.

Mugen is the short-tempered, unrefined samurai while Jin is well-mannered and calm one. But these characteristics can be overlooked, as they play a part in the well and the combination just looks fine. The male characters have been defined in depth, though it’s not easy to understand them especially Mugen. Fuu, the female lead gels the three together and also acts as the most developed of all. She grows prominently during the journey. Other characters, somehow, are more or less changed. Fuu’s part is particularly hijacked for showing Mugen’s badassery at some points.

The other supportive characters leave any impact hardly: a huge dis-shaped man considered a monster by villagers, a blind assassin, a ninja, yakuza boss. The powerful and elegant samurai’s character is found in the whole series though, which is particularly shocking. Jin is made to fit in that role but he doesn’t justify it really.

Bottom-line: Despite no hardcore twists and turns in the story which moves at less than the pace which is required to build thrill, a not-so-great cast, Samurai Champloo is enjoyable for its anachronistic setting, personality and production values.

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