Alright, I’m taking a deep breath. First things first: everything you have heard about this series being super stylish, and hip like Cowboy Bebop is true. At least in the first episode. The story starts off with Fuu-chan, a waitress at a tea restaurant, getting helped out of a rough situation by a hungry swordsman, Mugen. For only 100 sweet dumplings, Mugen is willing to take on the bodyguards of a magistrate’s son and save Fuu. Meanwhile, outside, the magistrate himself is harassing a random townsperson before rounin Jin comes forth and annihilates the magistrate’s Yagyuu bodyguards (Jubei is not present). Then, of course, crazy action ensues, and finally ends with Mugen and Jin escaping with the help of Fuu. It seems that Fuu is searching for a samurai that smells like sunflower…
Doesn’t sound like anything to rave about, but let me assure you that this show is so slick, you have to watch it several times to fully appreciate it. Special thanks to Bakafish for subbing it, although in the end, I was able to understand most of the episode from just the raw version. From what I have seen so far, this series just oozes style, and the fights are so beautifully choreographed it’s almost unbelievable. Jin may be a typical badass swordsman, but Mugen’s wild capoeira-esque sword fighting style (complete with metal-plated sandals!) is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And he works for cheap! Also warranting a mention is the amazing face sucking fighting/flying squirrel known only as Momo-san. About the only thing I wasn’t blown away by was the OP, but after a few watches, I could certainly tolerate it. The ED is superb. Ok, stop reading and go download and watch Samurai Champloo.
This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1970 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
nice piece of anime
now bring on ep 3!
waiiii~!
samurai champloo became my favorite anime XO
i’ve watched it over and over and over :p
your summary is really good too =D
everybody should watch SC!!!!!!!! x3
The animation and camera direction during fights is really awesome. However, the OP really sucks as bad as the one of Baku-Ten. The ED has a pretty fucked-up beat and sounds like they recorded the next best karaoke singer – in my humble opinion. I seriously hope cheap hip-hop (and I used to like rap) doesn’t become a trend in anime. I mean it really doesn’t fit at all. Hip-hop was cool maybe 10 years ago. Well, I guess any Wu-Tang Clan fan(boy) will wet his pants in awe anyway.
Besides the music it looks actually very promising.
i honestly don’t know how you can’t like the OP theme, it has a really good beat and the lyrics tie in with the series atmosphere. Beside Naruto this ia my all-time favorite anime, everything from the fight choreography to the characters to the music is perfect. and to comment on Chris, hip hop is the best type of music for this series if you actually look at the art style and feel of this anime
Everything is totally awesome. We just watched the first episode last night on adult swim and totally fell in love with it! The animation is great and the music is the BOMBBBBB! Must see anime because it definitly owns! The OP of it is really cool how it goes from this day in age to like all the way back then with some cool hip hop mixed in it. SC is the freakin’ best evvver!
Hey… ive been a long time in the anime biz and i like what they have done with the samurai champloo series…. Putting in a american rap into the anime has seem to be doing some good for the starting of the soon-to-be dbz of the year(what i mean is dbz was one of the hottest series with over at least 100 episodes not counting cut outs) For one they should start coming out with more of the music… me being the radio fiend i am and having a station of my own… (hee hee hee pirate station) i need to get some good music… so ive been on the search for sumtin new to put on the radio… ppl have been callin for some tv music that they hear on like cartoon network or toonami(THEY HAVE TO GET THEIR OWN SITE AGAIN!!!!) or some of the other animes that have as great of music as samurai champloo—> but ive been unable to find some stuff like that… please someone send me a direct link of the download for the samurai champloo themes… starting and ending…. BTW this is a great series… i suggest going out and gettin the box issue with everything not edited out (cut outs are really annoying… they make me want to hurl *sees the sensorship blob come out of nowere* AGGHHH DARN YOU!!!!)
Samurai Champloo is my favorite anime!!! It is one of my favorite soundtracks. Mugen kicks serious butt:P
i dont care what anyone says! mugen and jin are hot
but i jst cant decide which is hotter they are both hot in two different ways
wild and sexy and cool and sweetoh goodness together thats the ultimate boy friend -if mugen wasnt such womanizer he’ed be perfect!!!!
Samurai Champloo is my all-time favorite anime- it’s right up there with Fullmetal Alchemist and The Vision of Escaflowne! The music’s great, the hip-hop? Awesome. The OP rocks my socks off. Ending theme…heh, it DOES sound like a karaoke singer, since it was mentioned above. I can say nothing but great things about this title, and I think everyone should go out and see it, asap!!! Enjoy! ^__^
SAMURAI CHAMPLOO IS ‘*ING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OBVIOUSLY FOR BLACK BROTHA LIKE MY SELF. I LOVE THE THEME SONG(S)!!!
Yeah, im fully into all hip-hop & rap stuff & da samurai champloo stuff is fully sick. Battlecry is a wicked song. The lyrics are so deep.
“I wonder why the lone-wolf don’t run with the clan,the only one with a plan”
SOME DAYS! SOME NIGHTS!
SOME LIVE! SOME DIE!
BY THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI!
SOME FIGHT! SOME BLEED!
SUN UP TO SUN DOWN!
THE SONS OF A BATTLECRY!
You all need to understand This anime to its fullest concent. I dont think you get the entire picture, for there is an entire different story at a higher density of deepness. Dont you understand its not about how good the music is or how sick the fighting scenes are, its about the honor of The Samurai. Its hard to understand living in a society that uses Guns, Grenades, and Bombs to wage war……..I think that technology is taking over…..I SAY BE AT PEACE DONT WAGE WAR OVER MATERIAL POSSESSIONS, LET GO, EVOLVE LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY!!!!!!
es mui buen la serie hay q sacar mas series como esta
Hey Tyler, you preach letting the chips fall where they may, but that in itself is not letting the chips fall where they may, you are stressed by people that dont think like you? Hmmmmm… Though mind at peace, world out of order, living in the heat, life gets colder. Oh yes I have to find my path.
Were probably on the same path, but ill tell you from experience that getting riled up over stupid people is not the way. Let loose, let the chips fall where they may, follow me into oblivion because the answers not a straight line. HELL YEAH SAMURAI CHAMPLOO ROX! The music is sweet, lyrics I agree are deeeeeep. Not so much the first part…
This show is simply amazing, i love the graphics, the story line is fresh and the characters don’t disappoint. I highly recommend it and like Kabitzin says stop reading and go watch it
If you like Nujabes,Fat Jon, or Force of Nature go here, and listen “Twenty08″ it was written to “Tsurugi No Mai” off of the “Impression” Samurai Champloo Soundtrack.