Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

I'm not much of a hip-hop fan (I'm a hater, just hatin'), so I avoided watching Samurai Champloo despite the many recommendations for it that came my way. The few clips I had seen of the series had annoying (for me) background music and weird art, so that was that...or so I thought. Destiny arrived in the form of a bout of severe bronchitis that left me stranded in bed with nothing to do for a week and a half. Since I had exhausted all other options for entertainment by that point, I reluctantly decided to go for it with Samurai Champloo, which had to beat staring at the ceiling, right?Other fans of the series won't be all that surprised to hear that I was hooked from the very first episode I saw, notwithstanding the fact that the opening song made my eardrums bleed and still does. I really (really) do not like hip-hop, but I LOVED the way that it is incorporated into this series. Samurai Champloo would not be what it is without its musical and hip-hop influences, so I decided to suspend my judgments and go where it took me, which is a classic chanbara jidaigeki with all of the usual suspects - Fuu, the naive and feisty waitress with just enough street smarts to keep her alive (but not out of trouble); Jin, the ultimate traditional swordsman and warrior; Mugen, the wild-haired ronin from Ryukyu, with his exceptional natural talents and battle instincts; and the colorful side characters who float in and out of the episodes. At the time that Samurai Champloo was made, hip-hop was a battle cry for a new Japan, while nothing is more traditionally appealing than the jidaigeki (which in itself is a vehicle to criticize government abuses and corruption). To put the two together and tell these stories is truly inspired."Tabi ni deru" or going on a journey is a classic Japanese cultural element that is central to why Samurai Champloo is structured the way that it is. The belief that you grow exponentially as a human being through travel is so fundamental to the way that Japanese experience life that many televisions specials are based upon sending a celebrity on a "Journey Of Discovery." I have actually seen a special in which a boy-band member travels to the absolute sticks in the Chinese countryside to learn how to make fried rice. This kid is from a famous studio that takes young people from their families and raises them to be stars, usually from a ridiculously early age. I am sure that having money, fame, and fortune is nice work if you can get it, but seeing him bloom like a flower under the caring eyes of his host family, who were as far from the glitz and glamour of his life and career as you could possibly get, was kind of...special (sorry). I found it touching to see how he experienced the poverty and emptiness of the countryside contrasted with the warmth and kindness of the Chinese family who took him in and not only taught him about making fried rice, but a lot more about the richness and value of human connections. Yes, he grew exponentially. Meanwhile, I, as a member of the audience, honked in a tissue whispering "it's...beautiful...", and I also gained some excellent tips on making fried rice! Win-win, my friends - food for the body and food for the soul. That's why we have these episodes in Samurai Champloo that seem to be connected by nothing, but there is a major life lesson in every single one. Oh, it's not heavy-handed by any means - blink, and you'll miss it. These human elements, done with a lot of delicacy, are what make Samurai Champloo so amazing.The music...is...incredible. I'm ranting, but traditional singing (Ryukyu-style - somewhat like sean nos) and shamisen have its moments here, along with Nujabes and Minmi's "Shiki no Uta" (lyrics that brought images of Japan to life behind my eyelids, so beautiful). The ending credits of the episodes are full of hints about Fuu, sepia-toned and nostalgic, which kept me guessing on her bizarre quest, which at first struck me in the same way as it strikes Mugen and Jin, Fuu's unwilling companions. She's searching for the Samurai that Smells of Sunflowers - whaaaat?? I've got sunflowers in my garden, and they don't smell like anything - which is kind of the point. Please just watch it if you've come this far - I'd have to write a book to explain the story without spouting spoilers left and right. You'll get what Fuu is looking for. And what Jin is looking for. And what Mugen, who is determinedly not looking for anything, finds, despite himself.There is so much going on in this series that I often return to watch it just one more time and go away thinking on what I saw. Don't let the sword fights and non-stop action fool you. Samurai Champloo is a brave piece of social commentary on persistent and deep-rooted beliefs that are part of traditional Japanese society and are often widely and uncritically accepted by people who ought to know better. Like what? Well, the status of women is a very big one, and so is xenophobia (Mugen is from Ryukyu, and I cannot tell you how many times that I have had people tell me in all seriousness that people from Ryukyu are not really Japanese, with the implication that they are ever so slightly inferior), and let's not forget the episode with the eating contest, and the "why" behind the story of the Samurai Who Smells of Sunflowers - you don't have to agree or disagree, by the way, it's just put out there for you to see and think about.I enjoyed all of the episodes, but the ones that especially stood out for me were the two Misguided Miscreants ones, which tell of Mugen's past; the two Elegy of Entrapment ones in which our friends meet Sara, the blind shamisen player; and the last three, called Evanescent Encounter, which end the series. Just wow.I'm sorry I wrote a book instead of a review, and thank you for reading it! I hope you will give Samurai Champloo a shot, and enjoy it as much as I did.

I'm not into anime per se, but I do love a good story no matter where it's from. Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] is from the director of Cowboy Bebop, a series I'm completely in love with. Even though stories about samurai don't necessarily interest me, Mr Watanabe's involvement (and amazon.com's blu ray sale) made me pick this up on blu ray and I'm glad I did.There are some elements from Cowboy Bebop that can be seen in this which I enjoyed, down to the occasional John Woo reference (watch for birds), and the characters are interesting enough in the beginning to hold your interest until the story kicks into higher and higher gear as the show goes on. We have Mugen the maniac: born on an island where prisoners were exiled and looked to be basically raised by wolves. Fiercely independent and feral yet with glimmers of gold in his heart. There's Jin: quiet and dignified, very refined. Also fiercely independent, yet disciplined, graceful and does not waste a movement. Driving the story is Fuu, a ditzy 15 year old tea house waitress who saves their lives and extorts a promise from the two guys to travel with her and act as her bodyguards as she hunts for the samurai who smells of sunflowers.Their adventures on the way are by turns hilarious and terrifying and watching the characters grow, both personally and in their relationships with each other is a joy to watch. The story builds to a mighty climax that is worthy of Mr Watanabe's followup to Cowboy Bebop. This is a three disc set, and by the time the third disc was in my player, I couldn't stop until it was finished.The artwork is nothing short of gorgeous. These characters move among a world that look like paintings that could be displayed in the finest art galleries. I wasn't sure about a hip hop soundtrack, but it really worked in this show and I need to see if I can buy it. My particular favorite is the opening theme song which I can't get out of my head (and that's a GOOD thing). The 5.1 soundtrack sounds wonderful and the picture was crisp and clear, just as you'd expect from a blu ray release (if only Cowboy Bebop would be released on blu ray!).I haven't watched the dubbed version, but the voice actors' performances on the original Japanese soundtrack are terrific. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Koichi Yamadera (Cowboy Bebop's Spike) in one episode as well as Unshô Ishizuka (Cowboy Bebop's Jet), who appeared as a character in a couple of episodes as well as doing some voiceover narration in several more. I felt like I had moved to a new neighborhood and was treated to visits from some old friends.Even if you've never seen Cowboy Bebop, this show is very worth seeing, especially if you're fond of samurai swordplay. You'll see that aplenty in Samurai Champloo. That said, like Bebop, this is not a show for kids - I'd say it was rated PG-13 at the very least. With swordplay, you have blood and these folks aren't shy about having characters bleed on screen. I've seen more explicit results of violence in other shows and movies, but this one has enough violence that some parents might want to consider waiting until children are older before showing it to them. There is also some language that might be inappropriate to the little ears in the family, as well as some brief nudity and mature dialog.As far as I'm concerned, this has everything, great characters and relationships, easy on the eyes and ears and a story that builds and develops to a very satisfying conclusion.Highly recommended!

Fun show in a good blue ray box set.