It's been a long time since I watched an anime with swordfights, so when I stumbled upon this one last week I immediately tried watching its first episode. However just when I thought I could finish it before Friday, our finals became unforgiving so it took a longer time for me to finish it. I know you're probably familiar with this one because I already read some reviews about it here, and so today I'm finally motivated to share my take on it. Set in Edo Japan, an unusual friendship will be formed by a series of unfortunate events. So now join me as we take a brief plunge on the quirky yet perilous journey of the odd trio in Samurai Champloo.
About the Anime
Samurai Champloo is an original anime that premiered in the spring of 2004. It aired from May 20, 2004 to March 19, 2005. This is an action-comedy anime that features the adventures of an unlikely trio—two swordsmen and a woman and it was set in Edo Japan. Since it's set in that era, it's obvious that its main themes are historical and samurai. This 26-episode-long series was animated by Manglobe and was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe.
Everything was peaceful not until one unfortunate event changed Fuu's life. Accidentally spilling the drinks she's carrying on the son of the local magistrate, Fuu was harassed by his men. Left with no choice she made a deal with Mugen, a rogue samurai who happened to stop by at their shop. With his wild and eccentric fighting style, he easily overwhelmed the men but unfortunately just when the luck was on their side, Mugen decided to pick a fight with the newcomer samurai. Since he had no intention to fight, Jin just parried and evaded his attack. However, Mugen shows no signs of wielding and so with his calm and refined sword-fighting, he fought with Mugen until they destroyed the whole shop and killed the local magistrate's son in the process.
Now about to be executed for the crimes that they've done, the two shared their names. But the night before their execution, Fuu came to their prison cell and offered them something. She asked them to be her bodyguards in exchange for helping them break out. Unfortunately, their plan to break out didn't happen that night, instead, it happened on the day of their execution. Despite their seemingly successful escape, the two were reluctant to join her, but a coin toss changed that.
An unlikely bond was formed and on their journey, they met a lot of people—both new and old acquaintances and foes. Along their way, hunger, uncertainty and distrust will plague them. Will they find the samurai—the one who smells like a sunflower—whom Fuu has been looking for? Or will their group crumble in the face of those problems?
I was quite confused when Fuu said that they were going to find the samurai who smelled like sunflower because sunflower doesn't have much smell. I once tried smelling sunflower before so I knew it didn't have any strong or distinctive smell, so how can they find him? Anyway, I knew I shouldn't overthink about that one, but I couldn't help but to do that. Its plot was a slow burn, like it doesn't focus always on their pursuit of the sunflower samurai—or is it just them getting lost along their way haha. I love that despite the serious mood of their settings, they can occasionally throw jokes—weird jokes that really cracked me up.
Like for example, that hot spring firefly scene, was something really unexpected. Amazingly, they're able to deliver comedy without making much silly faces and gestures—just witty dialogues and on-point facial expressions. Also, as for the characters it was nice how diverse they are—especially the main trio. I like that they aren't just potrayed as flat ones, rather they utilized the whole series to show the depth of their characters. I once thought that Jin would be just the usual cool guy, but as it progressed, I realized that there's more to him. I thought he'd be the one with less chance in romance, but rather he became the opposite of it. I don't want to spoil how come, but if you want to know—just watch it!
As for its visuals, it reminds me of Sara-iya Goyou and that's not surprising because they're both animated by the same studio, Manglobe. The color palettes that were used were nostalgia-inducing. It definitely gave off Edo Japan vibes and it just went well with the mix of modern hip-hop feels of its visuals. The way they animated the fight scenes was cool and I like how hooking and entertaining those scenes are. Mugen's erratic fights which kinda looks like a mix of swordplay and breakdance were really fun to watch because it matches his unorthodox samurai character. Also, Jin's precise and calm swordplay was enthralling and the way he fought just reminds me of the traditional samurai.
And now for the soundtrack, this one for me, is the most distinguishing aspect of this anime. It sounds refreshing because it's so laid back. The jazz and hip-hop vibes in it really made the anime cool, and although at first, I found the scratches on every transition quite unsettling, I soon became used to it and even became one of the details I know I won't forget from this anime. Their soundtrack definitely deviated from the usual samurai anime soundtracks because instead of using traditional instruments for background sounds or music, they mostly used modern jazz or hip-hop music and amazingly it just matched well with it. I especially like ending song on the last episode because it felt like a nice goodbye to the whole series.
Further, the VA did well in portraying their character and of 'course it's impossible to not notice that Mugen's voice is same as Zorro of One Piece. However, even though they sound the same, the VA still was able to portray Mugen's quirky behavior and the same for Jin! His voice really fits well with Jin's calm demeanor, and I certainly find it attractive hehe. By and by, the soundtrack may not be the usual ones you'll get to hear in this kind of anime, but certainly, it became one of the most memorable aspects of it.
So overall this anime is an 8.9/10 for me. Although the visuals and soundtrack impressed me, still there are some parts I find idle. I don't have anything against filler episodes, however, I find them unappealing especially if they are not that relevant to the plot. But the good thing is that they ended it on a hopeful note. It wasn't a definite end, rather it's more like an open-ended one. So if you're interested in a historical anime with both comedy and action, then clear your second thoughts and try Samurai Champloo.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime before? Or is this your first time seeing it? If you have something to share about it, then feel write it down in the comments. Well, that's all for now, minna-san~ I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne!
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime and the GIF was from the GIFs here. On the other hand, the last picture was edited in Canva.