Samurai Champloo  Recommended
Publisher
Geneon / MVM
Director
Shinichiro Watanabe
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes / 25 minutes
Year
2004
Samurai Champloo Volume 5
By otaku_kei
11th Jul 06  Samurai Champloo continues its relentless onslaught into the hearts of anime fans. Whilst it may not be able to claim the ground-breaking, cult icon status of its older sibling Cowboy Bebop, this streetwise samurai tale is none the less a fan favourite amongst many. Fuu, Jin and Mugen find themselves constantly falling into battle after battle as they journey across Nippon, but as this trio fractured at the end of the last volume they have found themselves fighting for their lives in a bitter heartless world! With this latest volume of Samurai Champloo we get everything across the episodes. From the concluding part to Volume 4's finale as Fuu, Mugen and Jin all find themselves bound by more than just obligation to carry on their quest. We then get comedy provided by Jin having to adjudicate a citywide graffitti tagging competition, or the trio foiling a plot by a false Christian missionary! But much like the opening episode sets an exciting tone for this volume, the closing episode sets up yet another shocking cliffhanger that coud have far reaching consequences for our heroes... Much like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo has a lot of stand alone episodes that have no effect on the overarching plot. These episodes are entertaining and usually ramp up the more playful and comedic aspects of this show, but as this latest volume proves it is the two parter episodes that provide the real milestones for the show. From the earlier double bill Misguided Miscreants that filled in much of Mugen's history it has been these two part episodes that throw in the awe inspiring action scenes just as the opening and closing episodes on Volume 5 demonstrate. These episodes push the action right to the forefront and usual provide further insights into the main characters. Samurai Champloo moves from strength to strength and really has demonstrated just why it is considered so highly by so many anime fans, and I count myself amongst them. Its iconic style sets this show apart from the crowd. Just as exciting and engaging as Watanabe's previous effort Cowboy Bebop, this show benefits from being able to parody and play with the audience's knowledge of an actual time rather than an unknown future. Perhaps this greater emphasis on the comedic side of this show helps to make this show more accessible, but Samurai Champloo is a classic in its own lifetime! Highly recommended!
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English Language 5.1; Japanese Language 5.1; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Comceptual Art; Promo Viseo; MVM Trailers
Release information: OUT NOW
Notes: Another fine release from those ladies & gents over at MVM. This latest volume of Shinichiro Watanabe's esoteric samurai show demonstrates once again the class and quality that they put into their releases. The lacklustre extras seem to continually crop up for this show, but the A/V quality is second to none.
-- otaku_kei 11th Jul 06
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