Review of Samurai Champloo: Volume 7

Introduction

From Shinichiro Watanabe the creator of the sci-fi Cowboy Bebop, comes a show where he turns his attention back to the feudal period of Japan, when Ronin Samurai roamed the land, when the sword ruled and honour was a fading memory. He takes a genre that has been explored many times before, and infuses it with a healthy dose of… Hip-hop! Given this and his eye for characterisation, Samurai Champloo has been a series that I have been avidly watching.

Samurai Champloo has been a mediaeval road movie, three odd characters getting into all sorts of bizarre adventures as they travelled the country on their quest. But every road movie has to have a destination, and much as I have wanted this particular road trip to keep on going, we have reached that point where it`s time to park the car and smell the sunflowers. The final, three-part story on this disc is devoted to the object of the quest, and there are no more diversions. Damn, I`m getting teary eyed already.

Former waitress Fuu wants to find a nameless Samurai who smells of sunflowers. To that end she has recruited a couple of itinerant warriors, the wild and undisciplined Mugen, and the more refined and precise Jin. The two fighters` first encounter resulted in them trying to kill each other, and it`s only because Fuu saved them from an execution that they reluctantly put aside their rivalry long enough to help her. This final volume from MVM concludes the series with three episodes.

24, 25 and 26. Evanescent Encounters Pts 1,2 and 3
Our heroes` journey has come to the attention of the Imperial Court. For their own reasons, they cannot allow the trio to complete their quest, and to that end, a master swordsman named Kariya Kagetoki is assigned the task of eliminating them. Meanwhile a trio of vagabonds are pursuing Mugen on their own dark mission of vengeance. Mugen, Fuu and Jin are blissfully unaware of all this, as they approach the end of their journey and a meeting with the Samurai that smells of sunflowers on Ikitsuki Island. Kariya challenges Mugen and Jin, while Fuu winds up kidnapped by the three vagabonds. This time, the challenge may be insurmountable, Mugen and Jin have met their match and Fuu may fall at the last hurdle. The bonds that have formed between the three will be sorely tested.

Video

Samurai Champloo gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer from MVM. The image is clear and sharp throughout, and the immaculate transfer does the splendid world design and distinctive characters full justice. The world design is worthy of appreciation, with the environments enhanced by some lush and vibrant backgrounds. This final volume sees the action taken to a new level, as both Mugen and Jin face some skilled and devastating opponents. The swordplay is brilliantly realised, with both of the main characters having their own individual styles, and the action sequences in these final episodes are a joy to behold.

Audio

You get a choice of a DD 2.0 and DTS Japanese, as well as a DD 5.1 English dub. Listening to the Dolby Japanese track, I found it to be a straightforward stereo track, with a fair bit of separation, and putting the music across well. I spot-checked the English track, and found that the soundstage opened up well with the surround track, although the show remains predominantly front-focussed. It`s an excellent English dub, with the actors suiting their characters perfectly. Dubbing has certainly come a long way since the early years of anime. You can watch the show with the signs translated, a translated English subtitle track, or no captions at all.

Features

You`ll find a jacket picture, DVD credits, and trailers for Saiyuki Reload and Gantz. Specific to the release there are 11 images in a concept art gallery, 32 images in an Eyecatch Gallery (Those frames that herald the commercials), and a 25 second advert for the video game.

Conclusion

We`re at that point in the series where I have to tiptoe around the spoilers. If you have been watching Samurai Champloo along with me, then you`ve probably been just as charmed with the rather itinerant approach to the story. Each episode delivered something different, and while there was character development and some semblance of an overall story, it wasn`t allowed to get in the way of all the fun. The downside being that it felt like all the important story elements would be left until the last minute to resolve, and it would turn out to be an afterthought.

This volume sets those fears to rest, as all three episodes are devoted to the finale, all character arcs are suitably resolved, and the story comes to a neat, if emotionally ambiguous conclusion. While the story doesn`t end the way that I expected it to, there`s no doubt that this is a resounding conclusion. I may have already mentioned this, but the action scenes are to die for. They are a cut above (pun intended) all that has come before in the series. They are faster, more intense, and the survival of our heroes is by no means assured. I did mention that the conclusion does get a little teary.

In a year of anime highlights, Samurai Champloo has ranked among the highest for me. While the quest has been completed, I`m sure that I`ll return again and again to their adventures. Like any road movie, the joy is not in the destination, but in the journey. With brilliantly written central characters like the self-assured and quirky Fuu, the ill-spoken wild man Mugen, and the fastidious and elegant Jin, it`s very easy to become engrossed in their hard, although occasionally anachronistic world.

Samurai Champloo is stylish and has attitude in spades. I have looked forward to every volume, and wasn`t once disappointed. It`s a series that just hasn`t put a foot wrong, and that`s something rare to find in a 26-episode run. If you are looking for an anime that is quirky and relentlessly entertaining, put Samurai Champloo at the top of your list.