Samurai Champloo (Review)
Samurai Champloo is Scratching Meets Swordplay.
In a beautiful combination of western modernity and traditional eastern values, Samurai Champloo is one of the first and finest examples of anime that examines this thematic blend.
The series is the brainchild of director Shinichirō Watanabe, and while it might not seem fair to compare it to his previous masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop, the similarities between the two are inescapable. In the end,these comparisons prove to be its biggest downfall. But in spite of the fact that Samurai Champloo has its fair share of flaws, it’s still one of the strongest anime of the past 10 years.
The series takes place in the Edo period of Japan (think samurais and the like) and follows Fuu (Kari Wahlgren), a young girl on a quest to find a samurai who smells of sunflowers whom she believes may be her father. Joining her are two powerful warriors, the vulgar and unorthodox Mugen (Steven Blum) and the reserved Jin (Kirk Thornton). While the two are traveling alongside Fuu, they are always at each others throats threatening to attack each other at a moment’s notice. The trio set out to find a man who may or may not exist, and on the way they meet strange people across Japan and get into plenty of trouble.
Like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo’s places an incredible amount of importance on music, using it to set the tone and mood of the series, sometimes even creating the effect of a genre modifier. This series, though, focuses on hip hop (rather than Bebop’s use of jazz), using the music as its building blocks, as well as adapting a number of the elements associated with the culture. Mugen, for example, uses a style of fighting that is similar to break dancing. The anime also uses scratching as a form of censorship, “bleeping” out profanity and the like. It even goes so far as to have an episode revolving around the modern concept of tagging (a method of claiming a territory through intricate artwork spraypainted on walls). Of course, there’s also the obvious use of hip hop music, produced by the likes of Tsutchie, Fat Jon and Nujabes.
It’s impossible not to notice how two of the protagonists, Mugen and Jin, seem like a split of Cowboy Bebop’s Spike Spiegel. Mugen is brash, rude and adaptable, while Jin is calm, honorable and zen-like. While this idea might seem like an interesting approach, it also is goes a long way in defining the characters as one-dimensional. Overall, they don’t display much outward character growth. However, they remain entertaining and have an amusing group dynamic. Conflict remains at the core of this group, driving them forward and defining them. On their own the characters aren’t especially interesting, but it’s almost as though the group itself turns into a character.
Filled with incredible fight scenes and references to actual events from Japanese history, the series carves out a niche for itself. Anime fans are no strangers to sword-swinging period shows, but Champloo’s use of hip hop music and culture makes it one of the most unique series to come out of Japan. Despite its issues with characters and the unity of its overall story arc, its 26-episode run makes it a series well worth watching.
