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The Story Fans of Cowboy Bebop and The Animatrix have been anxiously awaiting the premiere of Shinichiro Watanabe's newest effort, Samurai Champloo, on Adult Swim. The first episode didn't disappoint, I'm happy to say, and from what I've read from folks who have seen later episodes, this series will just get better and better. Seamlessly blending hip-hop music with crisp, artsy action sequences, Watanabe brings his characters to life with an irreverance best captured in the show's opening sequence: "This work of fiction is not an accurate historical portrayal. Like we care. Now shut up and enjoy the show." Original music by Force of Nature, Fat Jon, Tsutchie, and Nujabes drives the show on a frentic pace, but the animation crew has no trouble keeping up with the score. Historically accurate or not, Samurai Champloo is set in the Edo Period of Japan, when Samurai stood at the top of the social hierarchy. Mugen is a brash, self-trained young warrior who fights with a unique breakdance style of fighting. Jin is a more traditional Samurai - quiet, calculating and controlled. These two polar opposites are bound to get into conflict, but before they can fight each other they meet up in the first episode with Fuu, a young waitress who saves both their lives. To pay the debt of their lives to her, Mugen and Jin agree to postpone fighting with each other to journey with Fuu on her quest to find the "Samurai who smells like sunflowers". To find out who this mysterious Samurai is, and why he smells like sunflowers, we'll have to watch the remaining episodes. Watanabe has been compared to Quentin Tarantino, and indeed, the first episode of Samurai Champloo evokes Tarantino's Pulp Fiction mixing timelines around by starting near the end, with the two main characters, then backing up and showing the events that led to Mugen and Jin finding themselves about to be beheaded. Like most good anime, Samurai Champloo has well-developed, interesting characters and a compelling storyline. Veteran anime scribe Dai Sato, who was a writer on both Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Cowboy Bebop, brings his talents to Champloo along with newcomer Shinji Obara and Kristi Reed, credited for the American script. What sets Samurai Champloo apart from the pack is the blending of historical culture with modern music, combined with a crisp visual design and dazzling action sequences evocative of The Animatrix, Crouching Tiger Flying Dragon, and Kill Bill Vol.1. The dialouge is funny, the action sequences are spectacular, and the storyline is intriguing. What more could an anime fan ask for? Oh, and in case you were wondering, the word "champloo" is an Okinawan word meaning a mixture, or "mixed together", hence the name Samurai Champloo, and the brilliant blending of cultures that makes this series one not to miss. Adult Swim only lists 13 episodes at the moment, but hopefully they will ultimately show all 26. Airs on Cartoon Network every Saturday at 11:30PM. |