Oh snap, Monogatari: Second Season is about too end and with that last episode I don't think this new episode is going too help us forget what happened. Oh well hopefully we get to see some some Engaging Dialogue and Deep Plot...

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Samurai Champloo
Review by Evigishki
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Episodes- 26
Genres- Adventure, Comedy, Samurai, Shounen

Samurai Champloo is just one of those shows that I can't help but get goosebumps over every time I think back to it. The soundtrack is still incredibly present in my every day life. Seriously, if I had a nickel for every time I listened to the OST, I could actually afford the Blu-Ray sets for Champloo. Samurai Champloo is the soul successor of Cowboy Bebop, both of course directed by the legendary Shinichiro Watanabe. While right out of the gate I'll say no, Champloo does not surpass Bebop in any way, but damn it's a good ride.

Samurai Champloo, like Cowboy Bebop (yes I'll be comparing them a lot here), has one of those plots where there is a definite start and end, though each episode is generally independent (though some arcs last two episodes). The setup with Champloo is the weakest point in my opinion. Basically, there are two samurai with drastically different fighting styles. We have Jin, a very by-the-book levelheaded samurai, as well as Mugen, the hotheaded breakdancing pervert samurai. They clash in a restaurant, and between a few "whatever" things, it burns to the ground. The girl who works there, Fuu, ain't having none of that. Naturally, the two samurai get arrested, and Fuu breaks them out on one condition: They must help her find the samurai who smells of sunflowers.

As I said, a little weak on the initial plot-starter, but hey at least it's there. Samurai Champloo relies on the "rule of cool", a term sometimes used on shows such as Bebop that the flaws are overlooked just by how incredibly cool and chilled the shows are. While Champloo seemed to milk it a little more, it was by no means overwhelming or overused. In fact, I must say watching breakdancing samurais was pretty gosh darn cool. The coolest theme to Champloo in my opinion is the connection it brings to the table. It sets place in a time in Japan where wealth and power stopped coming from only family and honor, and more from just the individual. They flawlessly paired this with the hip-hop revolution over here in the 90's (correct me if I'm wrong). You'll see samurais breakdancing (yes, I know I keep mentioning it), punks spraypainting shrines, and even beatboxers delivering messages from the Yakuza. It was all there, and all so brilliant. Let's not forget the soundtrack. THE SOUNDTRACK! Nothing but incredibly smooth jazzy beats by Nujabes, a legendary Japanese name in Hip-Hop who died young unfortunately. Mix it in with other names like Force of Nature and Lil Jon, and you have an insanely perfect soundtrack. Seriously, go download it now, I don't care about your excuses.

Overall, Samurai Champloo will always stay with me. It may always be the little brother of Cowboy Bebop, but that doesn't mean you should just turn away from this. It's a standard 26 episodes, easily knocked out in a day, and trust me you might actually marathon this. Well, my AP Physics class is almost over now so I'll wrap this up. Oh also, the dub is pretty hype, I can honestly recommend it (one of the few shows I actually prefer the dub actually).


Score- 8.5/10