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Plot Synopsis

Fuu, a 15 year-old girl, is working part-time job at teahouse when one day meet 2 customers who ends up fighting each other and burn the teahouse to the ground. The two young samurai: Mugen and Jin were arrested and about to be executed, because the fire caused one of the government's son killed. On the day of execution, Fuu saved them and in return asked them to make a promise that they would make a journey with her in order to look for a "Samurai with a scent of sun flower". Synopsis by: Niomea

Story & Characters

Just like most of anime director Shinichi Watanabe's works, Samurai Champloo is a masterpiece. The recent samurai anime, being a mixture of what most people say "swords, samurai, and hiphop" is pretty much what makes up the series.
The main story doesn't seem too interesting. A fifteen-year-old girl, without parents or a home, meets two swordmen on the run - a ronin called Jin, and a free-style fighter called Mugen. Due to a few baffling yet interesting events, the three, who couldn't be more different from each other, end up being travelling partners to search for Fuu's "samurai who smells like sunflowers".
The main thing that brought me towards this series was how likeable the characters were. Fuu seems immature, and gets lured easily by food, but given her situation, a character could be much worse. Jin is a quiet, stoic kind of guy, but unlike the emotionless stereotypes that most often come out in anime, Jin seems like a person who has reason for his nature. Mugen's the most noticeable, not being a samurai, nor any type of named fighter. Despite the fact that he doesn't seem to care at all about his companions' lives, he's interesting and his antics can get very amusing. You find yourself rooting for him in any situation.
Because of the unrealistic setting of the series, I can't really say that the above characters are realistic, but as we are taken into their pasts and former lives, we get an idea of why they are like that, and what their goals are for now. Overal, the characters are excellent, the plot makes room for the wacky turns that Watanabe-sensei decides, creating a 26-episode adventure that you'll get addicted to.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

At first, I was surprised by the art, but not in an unpleasant manner. Samurai Champloo has a unique style that looks to fit the Edo period, yet still looks modern. Sometimes we see some clips in the beginning of an episode where some guys in yukatas who are holding on to something that looks like a stereo. That kind of designs make Samurai Champloo all the more unique.
For some reason, I thought all the girls except for the main or important ones (such as Fuu, or Jin's short-term love interest Shiho,) looked the same. Slanted eyes, red lips, and a revealing kimono. Same went for the male extras, where they were always either running away from the villians, or chasing after the main trio for their eat-and-run trick.
The scenery in the series is rather realistic, concerning the color and design.
Coloring in the art seemed to vary by the scene or mood, but to the end, the artwork held up and the quality never faltered.

Rating

8 (good)

Sound

I would have to say that Samurai Champloo is wonderful. The director mentions that music helped him think up action scenes, and that kind of music is played during the action scenes - hip hop. The slashing of swords and fast jumping action becomes some kind of a break dance routine when certain types of music are added, but when moods turn serious, the music will, too.
The opening isn't too catchy, nor is it very interesting, but it certainly has a different mood from the somber ending theme, which is a plus on the opening of the episode and the closing of it.
Just like the characteristics, the voices of the three main characters are very different. Fuu is high and is good at becoming annoyed when Jin and Mugen sometimes piss her off. Mugen's voice is low, and possesses a kind of voice that is given to all action anime protagonists. Jin has, as expected, a quiet, rational voice.
All in all, the sound isn't the greatest thing in the series, but definitely creates a unique factor in the anime.

Rating

8 (good)

Presentation

Everyone comments on how crazy this anime is, and Samurai Champloo's greatest point is just that. With its unbelievable flow, the anime is able to focus on the main point of the show to find the sunflower samurai, yet create distractions within the show that makes it so fun. Every episode is an adventure, and the unique aspects make it something unforgettable. Within its action-packed body, Samurai Champloo gives themes of friendship, loyalty, love, and pain.
One flaw that I found was of the ending of some inner stories, where new important characters came out. Some were hardly relevant to the main theme, and sometimes ended abruptly, like there was no time left in the episode to make a proper closure.
However, the overal effect of Samurai Champloo is definitely something to know about, so I strongly recommend it to anyone - even if they don't really like action, because the series has a lot more to offer than what meets the eye.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.67 (very good)

Reviewed by Rosegirl18, 2y 9wk ago