#hes also very different from the very smooth spike spiegel

[bluinary]

Also to be a rip-off and not an homage, you need at least a SIMILAR plot to the "source" content, like.....the worldbuilding/vibe is similar. That's literally it.

The people calling cannon busters a rip off of cowboy bebop or trigun or whatever are probably the same thots who think generic shounen anime #74748 is a completely new concept and not another carbon copy of dragon ball.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Samurai Champloo, Episodes 1-4

And so we begin! In which my eyeballs take an eyeful of style, the show sets up a comfortable groove, and I have nitpicks about the way the women are treated.

The Watanabe Swing

Shinichiro Watanabe is one of the most acclaimed anime directors of all time, and not without reason. From Cowboy Bebop to Zankyou no Terror, the stories he tells all exude a unique, lived in vision that you only see with genuine auteurs. His shows all flow with a completely original style and tone, all distinct and memorable in their own ways. And Samurai Champloo is no different, fusing the bloodsoaked plains of feudal Japan with a hip-hop soundtrack to create an odd-couple adventure story with the flavor of a music video. In a way, it’s a lot like Cowboy Bebop, in that it marries a traditional hero archetype to a unique musical style to create its own sense of identity, right down to its name being reflective of that union. But the show it reminds me the most of so far is Carried by the Wind, an older Madhouse production that you should absolutely check out if you have the time, in that it’s a mostly episodic series about a pair of samurai traveling across feudal Japan, getting into all sorts of fights and adventures along the way. The one difference is that whereas Carried by the Wind was light and airy, reflecting a very road-trip like sensibility of camaraderie and charm, Samurai Champloo is dark and smooth, full of bloody battles and moody, introspective direction.

And make no mistake, just like all of Watanabe’s other shows, Champloo is stylish as hell. The colors leap between deep reds and cool blues, between leering yellows and haunted greys, between comforting greens and ominous blacks, always unified by the show’s overcast filter and lanky, jagged character designs. And the soundtrack is always grooving in the background, jamming out to low-fi hip-hop beats a full decade before that became a Youtube trend. It’s very easy to just sink into this show and let the atmosphere wash over you and carry you along. Just as Bebop had its lonely jazz and Terror had its haunting electronica, Champloo’s greatest strength is the way its soundtrack influences and directs tone, making for a uniquely engrossing experience that nobody does like Watanabe. I do wish it had kept certain stylistic flourishes from the first episode, like the record-scratch scene transitions that added a lot of tension to the scene it jumped away from, because that could’ve only made the show even cooler going forward. But Champloo’s got plenty of good to go around, and it’s clear this is going to be one engrossing journey.

The Way of the Samurai

Of course, you can’t have a journey without characters to go on that journey. And Champloo continues the Watanabe trend of the power trio of two guys- one more exuberant, one more reserved- and a girl. Hell, Mugen’s dub actor is even Steve Blum, who’s legendary turn as Spike Spiegel is part of what made the Bebop dub so impactful. They’ve all got plenty of badass to go around, from Mugen’s scrappy, chaotic bluster to Jin’s understated sense of duty. And whenever the action kicks up, hot damn is it a sight to behold. It honestly feels less like combat and more like an unusually bloody break-dancing competition, what with the crazy moves everyone pulls and the way each blow lands on the beat of the music and how the soundtrack leaps to a more energetic pulse. It’s stylish as all hell, too, with great choreography and the satisfying clash of impact that makes for an engrossing sword fight. Even Fuu’s got some moments of glory; I was all set to complain about the dumb boob physics going on with her in the first episode until I realized she had just stuffed a pair of fireworks bombs down her Yukata. Also, I think she might be a literal Disney princess, what with her helpful animal sidekick, and that’s just dandy. I imagine we’ve got a long way to go before we finally find the samurai who smells like sunflowers, but with these guys leading the charge, it’s never gonna be a boring ride.

Problems With the Past

You know, watching Samurai Champloo right now makes for an interesting comparison with Gintama, the other show I’m currently watching, because they’re both about samurai characters living roughly around the Edo period. Sure, Gintama is an irreverent lark that’s about as far from Champloo’s broody introspection as it could possibly get, but they take place in the same general social millieu. There are a lot of similar-feeling locations and buildings, and similar character archetypes that pop up in the background. And I bring this up to say that Gintama is succeeding in one key area where Champloo is struggling; not letting this particular historical period’s prejudices and biases hamper the strength and agency of its characters. Or, in more explicit terms, Gintama mostly avoids falling into the sexism of the era, while Champloo, unfortunately, often steps right in it.

That’s not to say that Champloo is outright sexist, or problematic, or whatever, because it’s clear that the sexist stuff many of the bad guys indulge in is supposed to be wrong. That’s how we know they’re the bad guys, whereas Mugen and Jin treat the women they come across with a reasonable level of respect. Even when Mugen gets cornered by an evil seductress, he keeps his characteristic cool and never lays into her for being a “whore” or any such nonsense. But there’s still, like, a lot of it. A lot of leering goons, a lot of times where Fuu is captured or put in danger with uncomfortaly rape-y undertones, a lot of times when female side characters are made victims of circumstance and have to wait for the male players to get them out of their situation. Making your villains comically sexist certainly gets the point across that they’re bad guys, but it’s also cheap and gross to put these aspects into your story and not have anything to really say about them other than “Hey, aren’t these guys nasty?”

Don’t get me wrong, Champloo is nowhere near as bad an offender in this regard as, say, Guilty Crown, and it’s still got plenty of times where Fuu plays an important role in saving the day to balance the scales (her turn as the dice roller was particularly awesome, as she was basically thrust into the role with no idea what was going on and adapted on the fly to make it work like a badass). It’s by no means a series black mark against the show... yet. But it is an uncomfortable presence that a show as slick and stylish as this one could’ve done without. Here’s hoping it only stays a minor issue going forward.

Odds and Ends

-I should mention that I’ve decided to go with the sub after all. As much as I love Steve Blum, the Japanese voices just all sound a little more fitting.

-Damn, that’s a funky opening.

-”This is a work of fiction. It is not meant to be historic fact. Like we care. Now shut up and enjoy the show.” askjdhasdsd

-I’m a little confused about the time period, because the opening scene seemed to suggest modern day, with the big city and graffiti, but this is clearly supposed to be the olden times. So what was the point of that five-second shot of contemporary Ja[an?

-lol at the restaurant lady counting dangos per life

-”And you were in the bathtub with your dong hanging out.” “That was a dream.” I’m gonna like these fuckers, aren’t I?

-Oh my god, that “geh” was such a Kumiko noise I almost want to believe Fuu is voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa, even though I know that’s not the case.

-”He doesn’t know the meaning of restraint.” “Kiss my ass.” Yeah, I like ‘em.

-”I don’t like playing coy.” That puts you above 99% of all anime characters in my book, random lady.

-Who the fuck eats crabs shell and everything I swear to god

-We did not see a full fight with that chain weapon guy, and that makes me very disappointed.

-aksjdhaskjdahsd what the fuck was that shamisan playing

And with that, we are on our way. See you next time, as the journey continues!