Samurai Champloo

Review by theOtaku.com
What happens when you mix hip-hop with samurai? Answer: Total insanity.

But in the case of Samurai Champloo, that's a good thing. Wilder and looser than Cowboy Bebop, it jubilantly careens from madcap comedy to dark action and drama. Champloo has everything from flying squirrels to baseball to gay Dutchmen. So don't go into this series expecting a certain level of realism, or even the same kind of cool, elegant atmosphere as can be found in Cowboy Bebop. On the contrary, Champloo is joyfully, extravagantly over-the-top.

The three main characters are instantly assigned a particular set of traits. Fuu is a bit bossy and ditzy, but always cute. Jin is calm and reserved. Mugen, contrarily, is rough, bloodthirsty and totally un-self-conscious. Throughout the series, the characters' personalities remain fairly static. The true pleasure lies in watching how their relationships slowly, subtly change.

As is the case with virtually any episodic anime, Champloo ends up being something of a mixed bag. Some parts of the series are absolutely top-of-the-line (and it's worth noting that the dramatic and comedic episodes tend to be equally excellent--a rare feat for any series). Some other episodes, however, fall flat. Individual viewers will probably get varying mileage out of the show; fortunately, it has something to offer almost everyone, and its energy rarely flags. On the whole, the multi-part episodes are easily the best of the series, though there are also several stand-alone parody episodes which deserve to not be overlooked.

Champloo's visuals are nothing short of stunning. Though the action sequences are generally rather short (disappointingly short, some might say), they come frequently and actually increase in number and quality during the second half of the anime. The animators tend to play fast and loose with the character designs during the more frenetic and fast-paced scenes. Fortunately, the character designs lend themselves to this very nicely, and it contributes greatly to Champloo's unique style. Very rarely do the characters truly go off-model. The creative camera angles used during certain fights and comedy sequences make the series feel even more dynamic.

The music blends well with the other elements of the series; it adds tremendously to Champloo's idiosyncratic atmosphere while only dominating a couple of scenes. The idea of an anime series backed by a hip-hop influenced soundtrack ended up being greeted with great skepticism when Champloo was first announced, but Mr. Watanabe's gamble has paid off nicely.

One of the more disappointing aspects of the show is that quite a few fascinating and likeable supporting characters are introduced at different points in the series, only to vanish and never appear again. This fits in with the episodic format, and it does speak to the script-writers' talent for quickly crafting interesting characters. However, it’s hard to avoid thinking that, given a few additional episodes, Champloo could have explored its secondary cast more fully. Ultimately it isn’t a large strike against the show, as the three core characters are quite endearing and are fully capable of carrying the meandering plot on their own.

Samurai Champloo will undoubtedly be compared to Cowboy Bebop time and time again, given that Bebop is a fan favorite and that both series come from the same director. However, the two anime ultimately feel very different. Champloo’s characters do have their share of dark secrets, but they are not plagued by their pasts in the same way as the characters in Cowboy Bebop. The main similarity between the two shows is simply one of structure: Champloo, like Bebop, revolves around the episodic adventures of a small central cast.

So what are Samurai Champloo’s salient qualities? Crazy comedy, larger-than-life action, distinctive music and ravishing visuals. It isn’t a life-changing anime, and it’s not for everyone, but it is extraordinarily well-made. All in all, Champloo is among the more original historical series to come along in recent years (if one can even call it that, given how gleefully it incorporates various anachronisms). It’s definitely worth a look.
Review by theOtaku.com