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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One more time, 18 Oct 2005
Shinichiro Watanabe has done it again. Ok, so I've only seen the first volume so far, and anyone who's seen Wolf's Rain can agree not all anime that starts amazingly ends amazingly, but I do have high hopes for this series.Watanabe, one of the great deities of anime and provider of Cowboy Bebop- quite arguably one of the finest anime of all time- has now flicked back in time to create a new anime/music fusion in the form of Samurai Champloo, a slick, fresh, funny and generally pretty awesome series that plays out rebel samurai-style action to the beat of stylish hip hop. Jin is mysterious, well-dressed, bespectacled and tends to look quietly p*ssed off about something most of the time. He's our resident bishie, so we can forgive him for that. Mugen is mouthy, obnoxious, surprisingly skinny and needs a shave. The moment you see him start fighting, you'll be unable to tear your eyes away from the screen. Fuu is cute, a little ditzy, smart and very determined. It's pretty unusual to come across a female anime character who doesn't fall into one of the cliched archetypes, but Fuu manages it, and I really like her- I think it was when she started blowing things up that she really grew on me, hehe. The three of these utterly different strangers cross paths in a little restaurant, and the scene is set for a trio and an anime you'll get addicted to by the end of the first episode. This is possibly the best series out this year, as far as is possible to tell this early in the series, at least; I've already used the word slick, and I'll use it again, because it really describes this show. The character designs are interesting and individual- none of the 'all characters looking the same, just with different hairstyles' stuff a lot of more recent anime has churned out. The most impressive part about the animation, however, has to be the fight sequences. They are absolutely fantastic. No speed lines here- no passionate shouting as the camera pans a juddering freeze-frame. This is pure, solid, beautiful choreography, baby. The ultimate drool-inducer in the first volume is, unsurprisingly, a fight between Jin and Mugen, and I'm sure there'll be more jaw-dropping action to come on that score. I think Mugen's fighting style is what really does it for me- he's insane, the way he uses almost break-dancing moves and uses his feet so freely. Fantastic! Overall, this is a truly brilliant series. The animation is stunning and fluid, the music is great and really fits the mood (and I don't even like hip hop), there's plenty enough momentum to keep the storyline interesting and more awesome fights than you can shake a stick at. If you like Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, Bleach, or basically any good anime, you'll love this.
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