Forum - View topicSamurai Champloo (TV).
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rainbowcourage
 Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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Samurai Champloo (TV) Genres: action, drama Themes: historical, samurai Plot Summary: Mugen is a fierce animal-like warrior with a unique Bboying (break-dance) inspired fighting style. Jin has a more traditional style but don’t think of this as a weakness because his skills are amazing. The two contrasting samurai warriors are far from friends, yet their separate paths seem to cross anyways. Mugen is wandering aimlessly through the city when he stumbles upon a teahouse where he meets Jin and Fuu (A ditzy waitress, but don‘t think she doesn‘t have anything hidden up her sleeves). Fuu convinces them both to come with her in search of a mysterious samurai that smells like sunflowers and their journey begins. This modernized hip-hop tale breaks the barriers of the common, historical, samurai anime. ---------------------------------- Yeah, so I know it came out a while ago but I am a HUGE fan of the Anime Discussions index as a resource for new and old, so let's add this one... I'm not one for big analyses, and I'm not even qualified to do this one so if there's someone out there who has built a shrine or something feel free to do a good job on this one. Here's what Wiki had to say: Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー, Samurai Chanpurū?) is a shōnen anime series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004 through March 19, 2005 on the television network, Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous television show, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown in the anime and Japanese television communities.[1] The show was produced by the Japanese animation studio, Manglobe, Inc. The word, champloo, comes from the Okinawan word "chanpurū" (as in gōyā chanpurū, the Okinawan stir-fry dish containing bitter melon).[2] Chanpurū, alone, simply means "to mix" or "to hash." Therefore, the title, Samurai Champloo, may be translated to "Samurai Remix" or "Samurai Mashup."[3] The series is a cross-genre work of media, blending the action and samurai genres with elements of non-slapstick comedy. It is also a period piece, taking place during Japan's Edo period. The series is interwoven with revisionist historical facts and anachronistic elements of mise-en-scene, dialogue and soundtrack. The shows most frequent anachronism is its use of elements of hip hop culture, particularly rap and the music it has influenced, break dancing, turntablism, hip hop slang, and graffiti. The show also contains anachronistic elements from the punk subculture and modernism, but less prominently. and that's only half of it, a mature rating well-earned for decadent drug use- for example the episode where everyone is on pot as well as where they see the zombies, which I believe were induced by the mushrooms they ate- women*, and people getting killed left and right. I gave this a Masterpiece rating because I was so surprised with how this turned out...and I loved it. First of all, I'm not a person who will give something a masterpiece rating because it is crazy and confusing and artsy. In fact I stopped watching this series about half-way through because I was so disappointed by the coldness of the characters toward each other, sure that by that point there would be some tiny sign that Jin and Mugen cared for Fuu or each other. When I picked it up again I was gradually wowed...the plot really began to develop, and as in Cowboy Bebop their backstories really began to unfold leading up to Fuu's final confrontation with her father. Said confrontation was excellently done, Fuu said what she needed to say, dad said what he needed to say, and that was it. Not too cliche, but realistic. It also became clear how much these three- Mugen, Jin, and Fuu- needed each other, at least at that particular time in their lives, to turn the others around, and how by helping Fuu complete her pilgrimage Jin and Mugen were each in turn able to become better more humane people because they finally knew what it felt like to be cared about-- if still rough around the edges. Which is not to say that the series is preachy or, well, deep for most of it. While ridiculous, the baseball episode had me cracking up as teammates died and sword techniques became batting styles. I also really enjoyed the music. I also think Sara's story should be mentioned, because it is a great little vignette. The fact that her son is being kept hostage so that she is forced to assassinate is eclipsed by her moment of illumination, in that moment realizing that "he's been dead this whole time." Extremely sad. The ending was full of revelations for all three main characters, most notably Jin's two comments about "I've never fought for anyone but myself" implying that he is now fighting for Fuu and, symbolically, for someone else so that his sword is one of giving not just taking, and also that "[Mugen and Fuu] are my first friends." Mugen also admits that he has never found an opponent tougher than him who he has not wanted to kill until Jin. Fuu finds peace with her father and realizes her feelings for Mugen, though the three of them part at the end. Definitely bitter-sweet, sometimes just the way I like it. so send some lurvin' this way for reference's sake. Thanks a bunch Rainbow *note: though Jin gets laid twice, every woman who approaches Mugen is part of a trap for him or tricks him, and he never does have any sex  It's also implied that Fuu has feelings for Mugen, and he is the one to initially go rescue her at the end at the urging of Jin.
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ShadowTrader
 Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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I don't want to start this "discussion" with a negative note, but there is nothing to discuss here. Samurai Champloo is a masterpiece period. Analyzing it and discussing every nuance will just ruin everybody's image and memories of it and might draw unwanted criticism from people who don't have the basic undestanding of what defines a "masterpiece". |
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sanosuke32
Posts: 454 |
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Its true, samurai champloo is a masterpiece, so was cowboy bebop
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rainbowcourage
Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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Well excuuuse me. Who's the negative one here? |
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Alestal
 Posts: 605 Location: Dallas, Texas |
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At least her topic refers to an anime, and by posting this topic people can share insights and what they liked about the series. I really liked the art style, it had some of the best fighting scenes of any anime, verrryyy smooth. The music (rap  ) fit the series really well and emplified the mood. The story unraveled at a very slow pace with a lot of cramming stuff in at the end. I really liked how they grew together threw their journey, and supported each other... but when it was time to part ways they all just left and didn't expect anything from each other, a very mature and different ending.
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Aromatic Grass
 Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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Because...? This is not a fact -- it is your opinion -- and you must give reasons as to why you believe it's a masterpiece.
So what you're saying is that you don't want any intelligent discussion because someone might disagree with you? The series has absolutely no flaws? No one is asking you to discuss negativities, and I don't think rainbowcourage has any intentions of "drawing unwanted criticism." Just be glad you don't have to deal with the Naruto-hating crowd every other day. Discussing and analyzing series brings out more of the good things about it rather than the bad things. Also, if you disagree with someone and feel the need, you can always argue your point and prove to everyone that SC is the masterpiece that you claim it is. Anyway, you really need to get out more because "unwanted criticism" is everywhere. |
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Goodpenguin
Posts: 457 Location: Hunt Valley, MD |
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rainbowcourage, while I don't love 'Samurai Champloo' quite as much as others in this thread, I do think it is a very solid show. I think I was most impressed by it's bittersweet yet touching character development, that stayed 'tight' to a degree not often seen much in anime. The story flowed at a very natural pace, and nothing felt to hurried/contrived (relative to the action genre it's in), which is a small luxury in regards to most shows .
If I had to pick some flaws, on a very superficial note I'm simply not fond of the 'hip-hop' style used in the sound/art direction. On a more serious note, though one that might not bother most, I thought there was a creepy vein of Japanese revisionist history that ran through parts of the subtext. It seemed a lot of episodes wrapped up with patently ludicrous 'historical notes' about how Japan was an ultra-cool, swinging place before it 'lost it's way'. I also think it had a smattering of pronounced anti-Western sentiment, which was strange given it's thoroughly foreign 'hip-hop' themes. |
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NocturnalUX
 Posts: 448 Location: Portugal |
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I would not call it a masterpiece myself but I thought the series was very well conceived. The whole anarchronical feel that runs through every episode was extremely original and felt very fresh. It was zany at times, namely the baseball episode and the whole thing with the Dutch fellow, but also surprisingly moving. The action scenes are gorgeous to behold and extremely fluid and I loved the background art.
The characters themselves are a riot as well, my only pet peeve is minor: I wish Jin had had as much screen time as Mugen did. Mugen has a whole arc dedicated to his background while Jin's background is covered in a much more superfluous manner. As for the ending, I thought that it was perfect. Only I watched the last half of the final episode...without sound. My television went on mute for some reason and remained thus regardless of my best efforts with fidgeting with the remote control. It was really annoying since the soundtrack is one of the most important things to create a sense of atmosphere. I am not at all fond of rap *at all* but I'll concede that in this particular case it works. I still prefer the ED to the OP, though. It is rather melancholy but sweet at the same time. |
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ace52387
 Posts: 61 |
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My only real problem with this series is how contrived the development of the central plotline is. spoiler[For most of the series, you have no idea who the heck they're looking for. The revelation of the Sunflower Samurai's identity seemed as if it was unnecessarily pushed to the very end, which made the journey feel kind of pointless for most of the series.] Then again, maybe it's not the destination that matters. All of the subplots were touching, hilarious, dramatic, or at the very least, interesting.
You kind of have to give some respect to the level of creativity that went into every episode in terms of general story telling or humor. It's certainly not something you see everyday in a TV series. Sadly, Mugen and Jin strike me as characters recycled from every other shounen series. If raw entertainment is the measure, in my opinion, Champloo is quite the masterpiece. It has a satisfactory number of beautiful and dramatic action scenes, it's consistently funny, and the subplot concepts are pretty far out. The part I found most touching is when spoiler[Fuu realizes sunflowers have no scent. She realizes that association was just the result of a single memory. I believe it was in the Sunflower fields that her father left her. It kind of goes to show just how deep that cut into her.] Edit: I feel like I'm the only one who hates the opening theme sometimes  . Not that I don't like rap, I do. It just doesn't really sound like...rap. It barely rhymes, and just feels off beat to me.
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BlooDrAgOn
 Posts: 156 |
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You weren't the only one, until I realized that Shing02's rhyme scheme is pretty sick even though he has difficulty rhyming with a thick Japanese accent =[. Nujabes on the other hand probably produces some of the greatest music out there. Youtube him - you'll find some great pieces. Like most of you, I also gave this title a masterpiece rating; however if not for that "pirate" arch with Mugen, my rating would have been toned down greatly. The last scene in that arch was just insane, where spoiler[Mugen survives his encounter with "Death" and then kills that guy (forgot his name) without looking back at the girl who betrayed him (forgot her name).] It was just incredibly moving and a superb addition to Mugen's character, which contrasts to the normal arrogant Mugen that we usually see. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I love Samurai Champloo, and would give it a 9/10.
For me, Samurai Champloo was at its best when it did not take itself too seriously. My favourite episode was spoiler[the one where Mugen learnt to write, then took on the taggers at their own game]. It was simply hilarious, and touching at the same moment. For me, the weaker episodes of Samurai Champloo were still entertaining. What I saw in Samurai Champloo was amazing music (the OP is an acquired taste), well choreographed fights, VERY likeable characters, an ability to poke fun at itself, and unexpected but welcome moments of tenderness. In retrospect, I think 9.5/10 is more fitting. It remains to-date my most favourite Samurai Anime (of which I have quite-a-few). |
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Monster in a box
Posts: 671 |
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It has one of the best OPs ever, in my opinion. Better than Cowboy Bebop's even. It gets way way too much hate.
I don't really have a detailed opinion on the series. I think it lacks direction too much to be called a masterpiece, but at the same time it's very well done, and a show I can't see anyone legitimately hating. |
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ace52387
Posts: 61 |
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I just youtubed him, and the first song I came across was very good (it was "Feather"). I listened to Battlecry again, but it still sounds awkward to me . Since I'm the clear minority here, I'm just going to say it's probably just me.
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Toucanbird
Posts: 126 Location: Winona, Minnesota |
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I think what made Samurai Champloo an excellent anime was how they made the fillers (or episodes that didn't ultimately affect the plot) worthwhile. The baseball episode, the geisha spy episode, and the Mugen learns to read and write episodes were all some of the funniest I have ever seen in anime...and I watch Lucky Star.
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rainbowcourage
Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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It's funny because I can see where people come from on both sides of the show, and the music.
As for the OP alone, I think I liked the cool clever artwork and how it flowed with the song rather than the song itself. They fit very well together, but I can understand how scrutinizing the song could reveal its boringness. And the show, well, I even surprised myself with my reaction, but it really was the brilliant ending/rising action that made it a masterpiece for me. I can see how some people would find the chaos terrible/not like the show at all, but I also really liked the different ways it can be interpreted, As for "recycled characters" Jin reminds of Saito Hajime and Mugen is like the badasser version of Spike and Sonosuke Sagara rolled together (Spike for his flat-out cool factor and line delivery, Sonosuke for his impulsive bad behavior). Fuu, though, is a tougher cookie. Most characters are either way ditzier/innocent than she is or much more confident. She's really just a normal gal. |
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