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FELLAS! Has an anime ever made you feel empty after you finish it? Has it ever made you feel so immersed you feel like you're right there? Has it ever made you mad that there isn't more?

Samurai Champloo is about a trio who go on a journey to find a samurai who smells of sunflowers that is directed by Shinchiro Watanabe (who is also known for directing the famous Cowboy Bebop). It's mostly episodic as they travel across Japan looking for the samurai. The episodes themselves are
above average to baseball episode but I can still recall what happened in each one as of ... now.

The animation is ahead of its time. Compared to shows like Inuyasha or Bleach that were airing at the time, Samurai Champloo is one of the most beautiful shows of the mid-2000s. I'd say the animation is on par with FMAB at it's best. The setting is idealistic, taking place near the end of the Edo-period in Japan, in a simpler time where everything wasn't industrialized and it was just PURE nature (and cities but Japan didn't have factories in the Edo period as Japan was still in isolationism and the U.S had only traded with Japan once in 1845 (when the anime takes place because of baseball episode)).

The ost, in short is one of the defining parts of the show. Composed by Nujabes (a lofi-hip hop artist), the ost is full of bangers and feel good songs like Battlecry (by Nujabes) Shiki no Uta (by MINM and Nujabes) and San Francisco (by MIDICRONICA) just to name a few. The music really helps the atmosphere and I still listen to the soundtrack at least twice a week.

I don't know what to say about the characters except they were had a lot of chemistry as a group and I found them very relatable. Mugen is kind of the borderline crazy (but funny crazy) self taught Samurai while Jin is a stoic ronin who has honed his skill over years of training. He's also kind of attractive we ain't gonna talk about that. Now the 3rd in the trio, Fuu, is definitely my least favorite out of the 3 but that doesn't mean she's unlikeable. She can be a bit annoying at times but at least she's not one of those girls that can't do anything and need to others to save her.

I enjoyed the hell out of this show with my dad and I think the last 3 episodes and stories that are told throughout their journey are some of the best in anime and I give this a 10/10 watch Samurai Champloo for Jin.


* THE BASEBALL EPISODE IS THE GREATEST FILLER EPISODE I HAVE EVER SEEN HANDS DOWN. I MEAN MUGEN DEMOLISHES AN ENTIRE TOWER WITH HIS PITCH. IT REALLY REMINDS ME OF THE KICKBALL EPISODE IN THE BOONDOCKS
p.s go watch The Boondocks too it's really good until the 4th season.

This is my first review of an anime so don't expect anything special. I'm just going to tell you all my thoughts.

*MINOR SPOILERS

The story was good
I thought the story was excellent as it was able to keep me invested till the very end. I thought the the ending was kind of half-assed in my opinion but I still love it with a burning passion. I love how every interaction that any character has is used in someway or another many episodes later. I don't want to spoil anything important so I'm just going to say that yes, the first couple episodes are very average ... but the pay off for sitting through it is a world rich with lore and great worldbuilding.

THE ART INTRIGUED ME
But for real the art style is pretty unique and it took me at least 4 episodes to get used to it but that ain't SHIT. The animation is top-tier and exactly what you would expect from studio Bones. If you do not look at what studio does the animation, I wouldn't blame you. I didn't notice who animated a show until I watched Hunter x Hunter 4 years ago and at that point I had been watching anime for at least a year. The art style is mostly true to the manga and I appreciate that very much.

THE SOUNDTRACK HAS VIBES
That is all I have to say about the ost.

The CHARACTERS ARE GOOD
I really like the chemistry between Maka and Soul. Black Star is a little asshole at first but he gets better the more episodes you watch. I found that I like Death the Kid the best as he has the perfect amount of badassery and combine that with the symmetry problem and you got one of the funniest characters behind some of the teachers and Death. Also none of the main cast ever gets sidelined into irrelevancy either and I'm glad they don't.

*EXTRA THOUGHTS
OK AM I NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THOUGHT THAT IT WAS WEIRD IN EPISODE 5 WHEN PROF. STEIN TELLS MAKA SHE HAS REALLY NICE SKIN LIKE I KNOW HE WAS PUTTING UP AN ACT BUT THAT WAS JUST UNECESSARY AF. Also Maka's father is great and her mother is TRASH.

That's all 10/10