Should I get Samurai Champloo?
What is it like without spoilers?
I like:
Cowboy bebop, His and Her Circumstances, Gundam SEED (NOT DESTINY).
I would probaly describe Samurai Champloo as something like Cowboy Bebop(made by the same group at least) but as sort of a mix of surreal Hip-Hop and traditional Japanese styles. The story is loosely set in Japan about 150 years ago and follows Fuu(clumsy sidekick/bottomless pit) and her two bodyguards Mugin(a ruffian with a wild and a less perdictable fighting style which looks like break dancing kung-fu/sword fighting) and Jean(a Ronin with a more traditional samurai fighting style) as they try to find a samurai that smells of sunflowers. All the while Fuu is trying to not get themselves killed by other indiviuals, each other, and starvation while Mugin and Jean are just looking for the next fight, meal, and/or score. Also Fuu has a pet Flying Squirrel that usally hangs around until things start going downhill at which point runs away.
The show it self is very episodic with some episodes ranging from humorous, to serious, and even into twilight zone territory. Fortunatly there’s alot of action overall much of which is good (some even great like Mugin trying to fight a guy while high on Opium).
It’s not without its flaws though. Your mileage will varry depending on your tollarence of hip-hop (though to be honest it’s mostly the opening and maybe one or two other tracks with those turn table soundeffects made when a scene changes or someone says a naughty swear, but again your milage may varry).
For what its worth it seems to have its own flavor but I guess a brief summary couldn’t hurt.
Pluses: a hefty amount of action varrying from ok to great, humor abound, and a different sense of style from that of most anime.
Minuses: hip-hop/punk theme may turn some people off, a mostly non-exsistant story, and episodes that may go a bit to far out there.
It’s just as episodic as Cowboy Bebop is, but the good/plot-important episodes are piled on the ends rather than being scattered throughout. The style is interesting, but there isn’t much substance backing it up. If you can tolerate a lot of filler and a few episodes dedicated to bizzare anachronisms it isn’t terrible, but it didn’t manage to do it for me after having a damn good hook in the first few episodes and then squandering it. That’s my take on it. I loved it at first, but it was a real chore to come back to after it got taken off the air for a couple months when I was watching the fansubs.
Going by you liking Cowboy Bebop, I’d say yes. I’m 99% certain that Cid did a review for the series, so if you haven’t already made your decision, you could look that up.
I’ve only seen a little of Samurai Champloo, but if you like Bebop, you’ll definitely like this. But… does it still count as an impulse buy, if you’re asking opinions and planning it out first?
That’s exactly what I was wondering…
I liked Samurai Champloo a lot, even through what would be considered filler. It really is a lot like Bebop, just different music and a different setting. It’s a very stylish anime, that’s for sure.