 |
▪ | RELEASED BY: | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | ||
| ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: |
16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN |
|||
| ▪ | AUDIO: |
ENGLISH DD 5.1 AND JAPANESE 2.0 |
|||
| ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | 600 MIN | |||
| ▪ | RATING: | TV MA | |||
| ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | 06/30/2009 | |||
| ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | 06/25/2009 | |||
| ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | DAVEY C. JONES |
SYNOPSIS:
Mugen's a buck-wild warrior – violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin – mysterious, traditional, well-mannered and very strong as well. These two fiercely independent warriors can't be any more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent swordfight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers." And their journey begins…
REVIEW:
Before there was Afro Samurai, hip hop and feudal Japan action blended together better than macaroni and cheese or chocolate and peanut butter. Samurai Champloo bends all the rules and gives a kick ass samurai tale that mixes lunatic humor, chaotic action and fantastic animation all at once!
The story opens in a small village where a wily woman named Fuu notices two very different samurai. One is the disciplined and stoic Jin, the other is the rude and wild man Mugen. The two clash on first sight, being complete opposites, and set out to a duel to the death. Problem is the local constabulary has arrested them and they’re about to be put to death! Throw in one crazy rescue by Fuu involving bombs and suddenly the three are on the lam together – outlaws. Fuu has a purpose to her madness though, she gives them a big guilt trip about their obligation to her for saving their lives and uses all her wiles to coerce the two to help her find the “Sunflower Samurai”. The two agree only on the understanding that once the task is done, they’ll finish their duel to the death!
Finding the mysterious swordsman won’t be easy. The three end up on a long and zany road to their final destination. They have to dodge the law, deal with bandits, unruly and cheating casino owners, the odd assassin or twenty, and sometimes nearly entire armies! To keep themselves fed, they enter in insane food contests, Fuu tries to model only to get kidnapped, and old frenemies pop out of the woodwork left, right and center. By the time the finale comes around, the crazed comedy bows out (only partially) to an intense climax. They are led to an island, unaware that the government has sent the ultimate assassin to finish them off. If only that were their only trouble, Mugen is reunited with three brothers who have a serious grudge against him. In the final episodes, you have Mugen and Jin separated, facing off against their most lethal opponents where any moment could prove to be their last!
It’s amazing, groovy storytelling. The humor is off the hook and so is all the sword slicing action. The sword fights are some of the most awesome anyone will find in animation. Just because the show likes to make you laugh doesn’t mean it doesn’t throw a few tear jerking moments and some serious harsh times to tug the heart and bring a tear to the eye. At the same time the show is off the wall. Between the hip hop soundtrack and stunning action, viewers will be left dazzled by the imagination and fast paced adrenalin rush the show delivers consistently throughout the entire 26 episode series.
And yes, you will find out who the Sunflower Samurai is and why Fuu wanted to find him so badly.
One of the reasons the animation is so slick and like nothing ever seen before is because it was produced by studio Manglobe. If the name rings a bell, it’s because this studio also helped bring the incredible Ergo Proxy to viewers as well. It is visceral viewing all throughout, especially with the hip hop culture mix thrown in like a suave DJ on a Saturday night. If you don’t think that would fit well with an Edo period piece set in Japan, Samurai Champloo will prove you wrong and wow you!
EXTRAS:
Extra goodies include trailers of other anime titles along with clean opening and closing animation.
IN SUMMARY:
If you loved Cowboy Bebop, rush to see Samurai Champloo, the Bebop of samurai anime!