Retro Review: Samurai Champloo
I don’t know what this is, but it’s super cool, right?
What is it?: Two cool sword-fighting dudes Mugen and Jin join young anime!girl Fuu to traipse across the Edo-era countryside in search of a samurai who smells like sunflowers. …Yep, that’s the plot.
What’s so great about it?: It’s COOOOOOOL - or at least that’s what the creators really want me to think. I mean they tried soooooo hard to imbue coolness into every frame of this thing. But the truth is they succeeded. The hip-hop-style soundtrack and modern slang (even breakdancing, for real) give the Edo-era story a flavor so unique you have to straighten up and pay your respect.
Weaving modern elements into a story that features actual historical figures and events does a neat job of tying Japan’s modern culture back to ancient roots. (Some of the episodes even contain little “The More You Know…” montages about the origins of different traditions, artforms, yadda yadda - so you’re learning while you watch! Yay!)
Underneath the skin, though, the show also has a huge heart. The characters seem a bit like cliches at first, but as the show progressed I got just enough of their backstories to love them all. I even got a little choked up when they tricked me into thinking the end was going to be… Just kidding, no spoilers.
Oh and the art was amazing. The art and the animation. I mean those fight sequences are some of the best that have ever been made, right?
And that one near-death dream sequence with Mugen was f*cking Art. I had to rewind and watch it a few more times before I could move on, I mean, WOW.
Can we talk about that zombie episode though? What was that about? And also that “baseball with Western assholes” one, which is hilarious if you first decide not to cringe.
Overall: Yeah, man. Loved it. I totally get why this is a classic. Although I’m glad I’m watching it now instead of a decade ago when it was popular. Now that I’m all growed up, I can fully appreciate that Champloo isn’t just cool, it’s also super smart.
Rating: Three thumbs up.
Your Champloo gif moment of zen:
