Written by: Prasoon Man Shrestha - 2022015, Grade X
Posted on: 11 January, 2021
Samurai Champloo is a 26 episode anime directed by Shinichiro Watanabe taking place in the Edo Era of Japan. Samurai Champloo is an anime that gives different vibes from any other anime. Many anime have neutral vibes where goofy soundtracks are added for no reason and the characters shout pointless catchphrases. But Samurai Champloo has a unique and aesthetic vibe where there are no pointless catchphrases and the music is very relaxing and to the point. The thing I have noticed is that many of the animes that I have watched give almost the same vibes. In an action anime when a fight scene breaks out and a character is getting beat up the fight scene stops and they start thinking for example,” That speed, that strength, where did he get these powers from?!” fully analyzing the moves of the opponent and thinking of a solution. Whereas Samurai Champloo highlights the real-life situation where there are continuous Taijutsu fight (hand to hand combat) scenes with no unrealistic dialogues.
There are three main characters in this anime who are polar opposites of each other. Fuu is one of the main characters. She is not like the other generic anime girl characters who cannot do anything and always cries out for help. She can get her things done by herself and is mostly an independent character. She travels with two of her bodyguards to find a mysterious samurai who smells like sunflowers. (A strong character like her is required so that young girls can look up to her). Mugen is an unorthodox, sarcastic, funny, and skillful samurai who just doesn’t care and is one of the bodyguards of Fuu and the main characters of the anime. Jinn is a reserved and chill character who has a super orthodox fighting style. He is also one of the bodyguards of Fuu and the main characters of the anime. The fight scenes in this anime are very well choreographed. Mugen breakdances when he is fighting his opponents whereas Jin is very fast and precise and all the fight scenes leave you in awe.
The soundtracks in the anime are one of the most important elements of the anime. The chilling lofi hip-hop soundtracks playing in the background when Mugen and Jin are beating up opponents is just amazing. The combination of hip-hop and samurai is something that I have never thought of, but it has worked out really well in the anime. The dub version of the anime is also really good as it has a natural flow to it comparing to other animes. But the anime is not in high definition 1080p as it was made in 2005. Samurai Champloo gives off a really unique vibe, style, music, etc that is so memorable. I would recommend this anime to everyone as it is a really unique and fun watch.
