Post by whisper on Oct 9, 2007 20:28:34 GMT 7
Samurai Champloo... one of those occasion's where it's an anime turned manga ; not the other way around.
Main Characters
Mugen: A brash vagabond from the Ryukyu Islands, Mugen is a wandering sword for hire with a wildly unconventional fighting style that resembles breakdancing and capoeira.[5] He wears metal-soled geta and carries a katana on his back, although, historically, the Tokugawa government prohibited unsanctioned men from carrying daishō or any of its components.[6] In Japanese, the word "mugen" means "infinite" or "endless."[7]
Jin: Jin is a mild-mannered ronin who carries himself in the conventionally stoic manner of a samurai of the Tokugawa era. Using his waist-strung daishō, he fights in the traditional kenjutsu style of a samurai trained in a prominent, sanctioned dojo. Jin wears glasses, an available but uncommon accessory in Edo era Japan. Spectacles -- called "Dutch glass merchandise" ("Oranda gyoku shinajina" in Japanese) at the time -- were imported from Holland early in the Tokugawa period and became more widely available as the 17th century progressed.[8]
Fuu: A young, feisty girl of approximately fifteen years of age, Fuu recruits Mugen and Jin to help her find a sparsely-described man she calls "the samurai who smells of sunflowers." A flying squirrel named "Momo" (meaning "peach" in Japanese and also short for "momonga," meaning "flying squirel") accompanies her along the way, inhabiting her kimono and frequently leaping out to her rescue when she encounters trouble.
Plot
The beginning:
The Meeting
Samurai Champloo is largely about the journey of a girl named Fuu -- accompanied by two bodyguards/travelling companions, Mugen and Jin -- across Japan in search of a particular samurai who smells of sunflowers. Fuu meets Mugen in the tea house where she is employed as a waitress. Seeing that Fuu is confronted with a band of ruffian customers, he offers to take care of the unsavory bunch in exchange for food. But, upon agreement, Mugen instigates a wider brawl via his insolence toward his opponents. Just as the fight is escalating, Jin walks into the teahouse unaware of the unfolding situation. Mugen mistakes him for an enemy and sparks a duel between the two. However their battle doesn't last long. One of the ruffians, who was maimed by Mugen, re-enters the establishment and, in a delerious state, sets the wooden restaurant ablaze. Mugen and Jin attempt to continue their battle amid the conflagration but end up passing out from smoke inhalation.
A splash of water revives the duo, at which time they discover that they've been arrested and are to be executed for the arsonous murder of a magistrate's son, who was in the teahouse. However, they manage to escape execution through their quick-wittedness, physical skill and help from Fuu, who detonates two powerful firecrackers at the execution site, diverting the captors' attention.
After the resultant mêlée and escape from the scene, Fuu recruits Jin and Mugen to her quest for the samurai who smells of sunflowers. Since they are indebted to her for the assistance in escaping execution, they agree to join her and abide by her one condition: they may not settle their duel until after the journey is over.
Then the show takes off from there.
Whisper's Quick Take:
There are only 26 episodes but it's some of the best damned 26 episodes of any anime I've ever seen. What I think really sets Champloo apart from other anime's is that there are no special moves or crazy magical anything, not even the cliche' super anime kicks with the other person being completely okay after receiving the kick. It's all real with its own creative story, not the usual anime storyline, it really brings you in. You would think that there just isn't enough time for any character development with its limited amount of episodes but each character was captured perfectly throughout the series. This show truely is love in my eyes, it stomps even Cowboy Bebop.
Main Characters
Mugen: A brash vagabond from the Ryukyu Islands, Mugen is a wandering sword for hire with a wildly unconventional fighting style that resembles breakdancing and capoeira.[5] He wears metal-soled geta and carries a katana on his back, although, historically, the Tokugawa government prohibited unsanctioned men from carrying daishō or any of its components.[6] In Japanese, the word "mugen" means "infinite" or "endless."[7]
Jin: Jin is a mild-mannered ronin who carries himself in the conventionally stoic manner of a samurai of the Tokugawa era. Using his waist-strung daishō, he fights in the traditional kenjutsu style of a samurai trained in a prominent, sanctioned dojo. Jin wears glasses, an available but uncommon accessory in Edo era Japan. Spectacles -- called "Dutch glass merchandise" ("Oranda gyoku shinajina" in Japanese) at the time -- were imported from Holland early in the Tokugawa period and became more widely available as the 17th century progressed.[8]
Fuu: A young, feisty girl of approximately fifteen years of age, Fuu recruits Mugen and Jin to help her find a sparsely-described man she calls "the samurai who smells of sunflowers." A flying squirrel named "Momo" (meaning "peach" in Japanese and also short for "momonga," meaning "flying squirel") accompanies her along the way, inhabiting her kimono and frequently leaping out to her rescue when she encounters trouble.
Plot
The beginning:
The Meeting
Samurai Champloo is largely about the journey of a girl named Fuu -- accompanied by two bodyguards/travelling companions, Mugen and Jin -- across Japan in search of a particular samurai who smells of sunflowers. Fuu meets Mugen in the tea house where she is employed as a waitress. Seeing that Fuu is confronted with a band of ruffian customers, he offers to take care of the unsavory bunch in exchange for food. But, upon agreement, Mugen instigates a wider brawl via his insolence toward his opponents. Just as the fight is escalating, Jin walks into the teahouse unaware of the unfolding situation. Mugen mistakes him for an enemy and sparks a duel between the two. However their battle doesn't last long. One of the ruffians, who was maimed by Mugen, re-enters the establishment and, in a delerious state, sets the wooden restaurant ablaze. Mugen and Jin attempt to continue their battle amid the conflagration but end up passing out from smoke inhalation.
A splash of water revives the duo, at which time they discover that they've been arrested and are to be executed for the arsonous murder of a magistrate's son, who was in the teahouse. However, they manage to escape execution through their quick-wittedness, physical skill and help from Fuu, who detonates two powerful firecrackers at the execution site, diverting the captors' attention.
After the resultant mêlée and escape from the scene, Fuu recruits Jin and Mugen to her quest for the samurai who smells of sunflowers. Since they are indebted to her for the assistance in escaping execution, they agree to join her and abide by her one condition: they may not settle their duel until after the journey is over.
Then the show takes off from there.
Whisper's Quick Take:
There are only 26 episodes but it's some of the best damned 26 episodes of any anime I've ever seen. What I think really sets Champloo apart from other anime's is that there are no special moves or crazy magical anything, not even the cliche' super anime kicks with the other person being completely okay after receiving the kick. It's all real with its own creative story, not the usual anime storyline, it really brings you in. You would think that there just isn't enough time for any character development with its limited amount of episodes but each character was captured perfectly throughout the series. This show truely is love in my eyes, it stomps even Cowboy Bebop.