Samurai Champloo

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Esta review también está en español.

A constant in the anime industry is that, in most cases the animated series are based on a manga, a novel or a video game... but there are special cases. Samurai Champloo is one of the exceptions to this rule. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (perhaps you know his previous work, Cowboy Bebop), Champloo was a great success, thanks for its excellent mix of action, comedy and hip hop music. And since this one was an original production, a manga was created to exploit another media. But instead of being a simple adaptation, this manga is totally original, with new stories ... that, luckily kept the spirit of the original creation.

The bases of the story are more or less the same in both incarnations: Fuu is a fifteen years old waitress that's saving for a journey, in which she seeks for the mysterious "samurai that smells like sunflowers". When she was about to achieve her monetary target, her store is wrecked by the fight of two mans: Mugen, an aggressive and dirty mercenary whose only interests in life are busty women, eating and fighting, and Jin, a reserved ronin who travels the country looking for a motivation. Very annoyed, Fuu tells the two bastards that not only they have to postpone their duel, but also join their voyage as her bodyguards. And this is how the journey begins for these three peculiar persons that barely stand each other (not to say that Jin and Mugen fight every now and then), in which follies, hardships, fighting and especially hunger are pretty common every day.
From there, manga an anime take different paths, but both with the same mood and spirit. Yet, manga plots, while fun and full of action, are a little simpler than his animated counterpart. To paraphrase a dead magazine from my country (R.I.P Lazer): "(Samurai Champloo) story touch thorny issues such as prostitution, corruption, falsification, prostitution, Christian's persecution, the mafia, beetle battles, homosexuality and prostitution". The paper version just skims some of these topics, such as immigrants or mobsters. Also, not many modern elements were used: no such things as baseball, graffiti or stuff like that. What we do have are several references to the present time, so don't be surprised when some anime characters or even game series (such as Dragon Quest) are mentioned.

Now, the characters.
First, Mugen. He is, undoubtedly, the character that represents the best the fusion of elements in Samurai Champloo: he wears modern clothes, earrings and traditional sandals, but with metallic soles. His fighting style, the Champuru Kendo, combines elements of break dancing and capoeira (that's the reason for his special footwear, he can break people skulls with kicks). Unfortunately, in this incarnation, Mugen uses more his sword and less his dance moves, which diminishes the spectacularity of his combats. As for his personality, just like in the anime, he's the wild, rough, brute womanizer that we all love. The main difference with his anime counterpart is that here he is a little (just a little) nicer with Fuu (mostly because there's not much time to develop their relationship), and is against xenophobia (really!). This last feature gives Mugen a little more depth, and is totally justified: he was born in Okinawa, and in that era, that was an independent territory, more related with China than Japan. Fun fact: he thinks he meet God in one of his adventures.
Now is Jin's turn. Serious, respectful, calm and cold, he's the absolute opposite of Mugen. Despite being a bit distant (although he does talk more here than in the anime), he's pretty friendly, and shares the same love for women that Mugen has. But unlike him, Jin's pretty successful... In combat, he is a more orthodox fighter, but not less deadly: every time he pulls out his sword, the opponents will end in the floor (in several pieces). And there is yet another difference between the two main swordsmen: Mugen may be more violent and aggressive, but in one occasion, he managed to cut one man's arm and, in fact, turned out funny. His style and personality make the fight intense, but less serious. But when Jin fights, no one laughs, there's almost no dialogue between the parties, and the result is always shown in a more raw way, usually with the victim on the floor and without head (or another part). In this manga, one of the most exploited traits of Jin is the contempt for the stupid Samurai loyalty. Jin is very simple in that regard: if your master isn't worthy, he doesn't deserve to be served. It's this ideological clash (with the period of time in which he lives) that made Jin travel across the country and see if he can find what worth in life. Fun fact: his pretty boy status makes him a transvestites magnet.
The main trio is completed by Fuu. Its usefulness in the story is to be the heart of the group, that means, prevent her two bodyguards kill each other. Determined and brave (or at least, all the brave you can be when you are a fifteen years old girl with no martial training or combat ability), her main role in SC is to be the link with the new characters, or being victim of kidnapping or abuse by the antagonists. Fun fact: in this manga, Fuu doesn't have her pet, a flying squirrel named Momo. To compensate for the absence rodent, in a chapter appears Mr. Samurai, a hamster that's more powerful than Jin and Mugen (word of god confirm that).
To end with the characters, a few words about the side ones. Since this is an episodic manga (I mean, one chapter, one story) there are many secondary. Sadly, many are not well worked (the author even admit that), to the point that revenge seems to be the reason for everything. Several of these poor bastards don't even have a name! (And I'm not talking about guys that barely appear, these are the co-star of the chapter!).


The art of the manga is… cyclothymic (Yes. I had to use that word). It's hard to compete with the amazing visuals of the anime, but even ignoring that, the drawings are bad occasionally. Don't get me wrong, for most time, the characters are good executed, the environments are clear enough (but without much detail) and the action flows nicely... but some pictures are just plain ugly, almost scribbles. So, it has its ups and downs, but… is decent in general.

So, to finish this review... this manga is a good side project of its anime. If you didn't understand it already, this is not an adaptation, but rather an expansion. Don't expect an ending for this manga. The story of Samurai Champloo is one, and it begins and ends in the anime. The chapters of the manga could be intercalated with the anime ones, given the episodic nature of both creations. So, if you liked the anime, you should try this one. Not as ambitious as the main product, but pretty solid by itself.
If you didn't saw the anime, I strongly recommend it: is one of the more stylish samurai shows ever. Of course, you can start with the manga if you want, since is way shorter (only two volumes vs 26 episodes)... so, it's on you.
--------
Una constante en la industria del anime es que, en la mayoría de los casos, las series están basadas en un manga, una novela o un videojuego… pero hay casos especiales. Samurai Champloo, en una de las excepciones a esta regla. Dirigida por el genial Shinichiro Watanabe (tal vez conozcan su obra anterior, Cowboy Bebop), Champloo rompió con todo y fue un mega éxito, por su excelente mix de acción, comedia y música hip hop. Y como todo gran éxito de producción original, se creó un manga, como para aprovechar otro medio. Pero en lugar de ser una simple adaptación, este manga agarra para otro lado, con historias nuevas que, por suerte, mantienen el espíritu de la creación original.

Las bases de la historia son más o menos las mismas en ambas encarnaciones: Fuu es una camarera de 15 años que está ahorrando para emprender un viaje en el que busca al misterioso “samurái que huele a girasoles”. Cuando ya estaba a punto de lograr su objetivo monetario, su local es totalmente destruido por la pelea de dos individuos: Mugen, un vagabundo sucio y agresivo, cuyos únicos intereses en la vida son las mujeres, comer y pelear, y Jin, un ronin que viaja por el país buscando una motivación. Muy enojada, Fuu les dice a los dos infelices que no solamente deben posponer su duelo para más adelante, si no que ahora deberán viajar como sus guardaespaldas para pagar su deuda con ella. Es así como empieza el viaje de estos tres pintorescos sujetos que apenas se aguantan (por no decir que cada dos por tres Jin y Mugen empiezan a pelear), en el que las locuras, las penurias, las peleas, y muy especialmente el hambre están a la orden del día.
A partir de ahí, manga y anime toman rumbos diferentes, pero ambos con la misma onda y espíritu. En lo que el manga se queda un poco corto es que, si bien divertidas y llenas de acción, sus tramas suelen ser un poco más simples que las de su contraparte animada. Parafraseando a una extinta revista de mi país “la historia (de Samurai Champloo) toca temas espinosos como la prostitución, la falsificación, la corrupción, la prostitución, la persecución de los cristianos, la mafia, la homosexualidad y la prostitución”. La versión de papel solo roza algunos de estos tópicos, como los inmigrantes o los mafiosos. Tampoco hay muchos de los elementos modernos que hicieron celebre a SC: acá no hay baseball, grafitis o cosas de ese estilo. Lo que sí está presente son varias referencias al presente, por lo que no se extrañen al ver mencionados a personajes de otros animes, como Fijiko de Lupin, o sagas de juegos, como Dragon Quest (lo cómico de estos comentarios es que solo las personas que los hacen los entienden, el interlocutor nunca tiene idea de que es lo que está hablando el otro).

Por el lado de los personajes:
Mugen es, sin lugar a dudas, el personaje que mejor representa la fusión de elementos de Samurai Champloo (al menos, de su anime): viste con ropas modernas, aros y sandalias con suela metálica (que usa para partirle la trucha a sus enemigos). Su estilo de pelea, el Champuru kendo, combina elementos de break dance y capoeira. Por desgracia, en esta encarnación, Mugen usa mas su espada y menos sus movimientos de baile, lo que le resta espectacularidad a sus combates. En cuanto a su personalidad, sigue siendo el mismo salvaje, bruto y putañero que todos queremos. La principal diferencia que puede resaltarse con su contraparte animada es que es un poco (solo un poco) más amable con Fuu (principalmente, por que no hay mucho tiempo como para desarrollar más su relación), y que se opone a la xenofobia (en serio!). Este ultimo rasgo dota a Mugen de un poco mas de profundidad, además de ser algo totalmente justificado: el nació en Okinawa, y en el momento en el que transcurre la historia, este era un territorio independiente, con mas relación con China que con Japón. Fun fact: cree que conoció a Dios.
El siguiente es Jin. Serio, respetuoso, calmado y frio, es el opuesto absoluto de Mugen. A pesar de ser un poco distante (aunque sí que habla mucho más que en el anime), es bastante amable, y comparte la misma afición por las mujeres que su compañero. Pero a diferencia de Mugen, Jin tiene mucho éxito… A la hora de pelear, es un luchador más ortodoxo, pero no por eso menos mortal: cada vez que desenfunda, el oponente termina en varios pedazos. Esa es otra diferencia que se podría marcar entre ambos personajes: Mugen puede ser mucho más violento y agresivo, pero en una ocasión se las ingenio para cortarle el brazo a alguien y que, de hecho, resultara cómico. Su estilo y su personalidad hacen que la pelea resulte intensa, pero menos seria. En cambio, cuando Jin pelea, nadie ríe, apenas hay dialogo entre ambas partes, y el resultado siempre es mostrado de una forma más cruda, usualmente con la víctima en el piso y sin cabeza (u otras partes). En este manga, uno de los aspectos que más se explota de Jin es el desprecio que siente por la lealtad estúpida de un samurái. Jin es un tipo muy simple en ese aspecto: si tu amo no merece respeto, no vale la pena servirle. Es justamente por este choque ideológico (con la época en la que vive) que Jin decide emprender un viaje y ver qué es lo que vale la pena en la vida. Fun fact: su status de niño bonito lo hace un imán para los travestis.
El trió principal lo completa Fuu. Su utilidad en la historia es ser el corazón del grupo, o sea, evitar que sus dos guardaespaldas se maten entre ellos. Decidida y valiente (o al menos, todo lo valiente que puede ser una chica de quince años que no tiene ninguna habilidad marcial), su principal papel en SC es ser, o bien nexo con los nuevos personajes, o ser víctima de secuestro o abuso por parte de los antagonistas. Fun fact: en este manga, Fuu perdió a su mascota, una ardilla voladora llamada Momo. Para compensar la ausencia roedora, en un capitulo aparece Mr. Samurai, un hámster que, según su dueño, es más fuerte que Mugen y Jin.
Para terminar con los personajes, unas pocas palabras sobre los secundarios. Al ser un manga episódico en la mayoría de los casos (o sea, un capitulo, una historia), hay varios. Tristemente, muchos no están bien trabajados (el propio autor lo admite), al punto de que la venganza parece ser la razón de la mayoría de las cosas. Varios de estos infelices ni siquiera tienen nombre! (y no hablo de tipos que pasaban caminando por ahí, si no de los co-protagonistas del capítulo!).

El arte del manga es… ciclotímico. Ya de por si es difícil competir con la explosión visual que es el anime, pero incluso ignorando esto el manga es pobre por momentos. La mayoría del tiempo está bien dibujado (aunque sin mucho detalle), pero hay cuadros que decididamente son feos, sin llegar a los garabatos de Yoshiro Togashi (HxH) o al que sea que dibujo Girlfriend of Steel (que directamente era terrible), pero por debajo de su propia media. Nuevamente, el propio autor admite esto, y se excusa diciendo que es por los tiempos de entrega. Pero bueno, es tolerable. Los protagonistas están bien retratados y la acción fluye de forma aceptable.

Así que, redondeando, este manga es un buen proyecto paralelo de su anime. Por si no lo captaron del principio, esta no es una adaptación, sino más bien una expansión. No esperen conclusión de este manga. La historia de Samurai Champloo es una sola, empieza y termina en el anime. Los capítulos del manga podrían intercalarse tranquilamente entre los del anime, dado la naturaleza episódica de ambas creaciones. Entonces, si viste el anime y te gusto, deberías leer este manga. Es un excelente complemento. Si no viste el anime… recomiendo fervientemente que lo hagas, es una de las series de samurái con más estilo que hay.

I read this series before watching the anime; to this day, it is one of my favourites. It differs from the anime in many ways, but as a standalone manga it is one of the best (even at only 2 novels) in my opinion.

A good story premise, a solid quest with three mismatched characters in a fun setting and snappy dialogue. The artwork is really something else; I've not found a match for the artists ability to capture movement quite like he does here, yet still make it easy to read and fast-paced without any obviously "slow-mo" shots which I find really take from the ... pacing.

The characters designs are basic, but effective; they are expressive, with clear characters in their mannerisms and a sense of movement unique to each character which is clever for a manga. The three characters are not stereotypical tropes, which is refreshing, and they have obvious backstory which is hinted at but not revealed in full which leaves a lot of tension to drive the plot.

The story obviously leaves something to be desired (as it ends after 2 volumes and is never resolved) but even so, each chapter can be enjoyed as an individual tale with a new cast of extras and a new location for mischief.

One of the most important things about Samurai Champloo (the manga) is the humour. These two books will make you laugh out loud, even now when I return to them after rereading them countless times. The humour is subtle and witty, with some slapstick thrown in for relief, but clever and truly amusing in a way so many mangas fall flat at.

There are problems with this manga; the story never progresses (for obvious reasons) and some of the artwork could be considered simplistic for one more adjusted to popular big name artists. In this way, I like how the story never gets dragged out or overdone; it doesn't suffer the fate of so many wonderful premises which get massively popular and extended beyond their natural lifetime.

All in all a truly enjoyable read with wit, action, gore, slice-of-life and most importantly sword-fights!

For me, it's just fair enough, but nothing more. The casual story with casual features, which didn't leave me too impressed. You know, while reading I had that impression I had seen something (too) similar so many times.

Its plot seemed very, very simple. Boring, not catchy, didn't even bring me any emotions, and it was even hard to get to the last chapter. And I'm really sorry to say that, I really thought I was going to be amazed as I've never been.

Characters were nice, but not outstanding (the standard cast of characters to release some series). They didn't even feed me with ... some memorable speeches to get excited about, so I don't have any mercy, sorry.

Art was quite okay, maybe a bit above that; I liked it. Obviously, that's too little unless I overlooked something really great, doubting the quality of that manga too early.

Probably both the small number of chapters and the lack of the final resolution killed the mood. I suppose so, but am I too optimistic? Well, having heard as people went into raptures over the series, I'll probably have to check the anime version. I hope it's better, when it comes to... managing the plot. And I hope to see some kind of the end. Any kind, actually.

At least I will listen to some jazz music.