THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => ENJOY => Topic started by: lingy on 20 Sep 2005, 23:00
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I finally finished watching this series.
Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー) is an anime title consisting of 26 episodes that began broadcasting on Fuji TV in Japan on May 19, 2004, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame. The show, which is set in the Edo period, is not a true historical title, but features action, adventure, and some comedy blended with an anachronistic hip-hop soundtrack. Its name comes from the Okinawan word, "champuru" (e.g. goya champuru), which means to mix or blend.
What Watanabe started with Cowboy Bebop, he continued with Samurai Champloo. Mixing a genre of anime and a genre of music that one would not think would go together, he implemented a hip-hop theme into the genre of Samurai swordplay (known as Chanbara). This is much like Cowboy Bebop, which combined science fiction with a blues and jazz theme. The score is composed of hip-hop beats by Japanese hip hop artists Nujabes and Tsutchie among others. The hip-hop influences do not end with just the soundtrack including the theme song "Battle Cry." Characters, costume design, attitudes, and even editing methods reflect hip-hop culture. Some samurai sport Adidas-like stripe patterns on their kimonos, while one of the main characters, Mugen, has a capoeira-esque fighting style that resembles the breakdancing of the 1980s. The show has many other anachronistic elements as well—elements that the show's creators seem to revel in, as evidenced the disclaimer from the first episode: "This work of fiction is not an accurate historical portrayal. LIKE WE CARE. Now shut up and enjoy the show."
The show revolves around three characters: The brash, lanky vagabond Mugen, the quiet and stoic ronin Jin, and the cute and quick-thinking waitress Fuu. Fuu helps Mugen and Jin escape from a vengeful daimyo and, in exchange, she persuades the two to help her in her search for a mysterious samurai who smells like sunflowers, with a coin toss. She will have trouble keeping the two from killing each other, though.
It honestly has more style in its opening theme than most series do in their entire run. It's incredibly funny and active with appealing characters.
After watching the entire show in one sitting, I went and watched Inuyasha, and was confused about how I never noticed that all the characters seem to stand there with only their mouths moving.
(http://www.gpstore.com.au/images/products/1470708.jpg)
Look Forward to it!
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Is the whole show finished? I'm really going to have to buy that. I watched the first four episodes (due solely to my love for Cowboy Bebop), and I found it to be ridiculously stylish. Amazing fight scenes, too.
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not sure if it's all out on dvd in english yet, but it's been all fansubbed for a while...lingy is your avatar from Arahan??
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Ah, I see. I'll wait for it all to come out on DVD and then I'll buy it all, Ithinks (as strange as it is with Spike doing the voice).
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a whole lot
Fess up. You did not write most of that at all.
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I like what I've seen of it. Unfortunetly most of the time I have to be up too early to watch Adult Swim or just forget it's on.
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a whole lot
Fess up. You did not write most of that at all.
nope ^_^ I love wikipedia though >.>;;
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not sure if it's all out on dvd in english yet, but it's been all fansubbed for a while...lingy is your avatar from Arahan??
ne? Arahan?...its from My Sassy Girl...
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I collect the DVDs as they come out, don't really watch the adult swim ones when they are on
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I actually like the opening song..well, not at first but it grew on me. It rhymed in a disconcordant way it seemed to me. That and japanese people speaking English is funny, like english speaking people speaking japanese.
The one thing I didnt like though, was that Mugen actually seemed to be getting weaker as the show progressed, and showed less and less action..
Otherwise, good show all around.
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It's probably those few episodes where it showed his past as a pirate, he was bound to get a little weird >.>;;
Shiki no Uta is a beautiful song =] I listen to it on my iPod on the way home from school.
I didn't hear any Japanese-tinted English...I thought it was perfect English...
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I watched the first couple of episodes and liked what I saw. I am a big Bebop fan, so the transition was obvious. I never got around to watching the rest 1.because none of my friends has the box set and 2. I have to work in the mornings and often miss Adult Swim.
Wait...was it on Saturday nights?
I was drunk.
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mmm saturday nights it is, It actually has suprisingly good dubbing, but dubbing nonetheless...
go SUBS!
-cringes at crappy Inuyasha dub-