It's Cowbow Bebop without a corgi.

Let me explain what I mean. I mean that above all else, this show is about cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, style, style, style, cool, and style. Fortunately for its sake what's left is so good that I'm still giving it three stars, but I, too, am leery of ninja anime, and the fact that the dialog in this historical series is virtually interchangable with Cowboy Bebop if you don't mention spaceships (or corgis) somehow doesn't solve the problem. It's sort of like anime's version of the Genie in Aladdin.

But this is such a shame because in between all the incongruous dialog and cool posturing, there is a good story and some genuinely inspired animation. I must admit it's a show that I catch now and again, and it would no doubt improve if I were to watch it from start to finish, but the fact that I haven't bothered perhaps says something. The hip dialog gets under my skin, then I'm blown away by some of the art direction or animation.

Despite my misgivings, even I can tell it's a superior show, but it doesn't quite hit me in the breadbasket. So far. Maybe I'm too seasoned. It's certainly worth a look though, and if you don't mind feudal Japanese swordsmen talking like Tom Cruise (hey, where have I seen that before?) it might be a classic in your books.

I msut admit, I am always sceptical on anime shows mainly focused on Samurai or ninjas.They tend to have all the same formulas,Samurai Champloo is a bit of an exception. The show has stories that sometimes place it above the rest However, the "standard formula" rears it's ugly head agood amount of the time. When I say "standard formula",I mean characters talking way too long and dragging out fights.Or the the high amount of the completely unnesscary drama.Let's also not forget the oh so frequent "oh my god, he was masking true power all along". And probably the biggest blow of all is the main characters. Migen and Jin are competely emotionless, not even appealing in the least bit.Fuu is also someone who I can care less about as well.

I will still give show credit though, it truely dose deserve it. The side characters make the show more then the main ones. The stories tend to be very unique and even touching. The writers also create mysterious characters who actually have been given emotional depth.

Overall,an anime fan will most likely go nuts for this show. If only the show made more appealing main characters, then I would probably say this show is perfect.

I haven't seen much of this series on Adult Swim, but I can already see the stylings of Cowboy Bebop in machinations of this show. Like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo doesn't have too many of typical anime conventions. Nor do the characters look like typical anime characters. The graphical style and mature but outrageous themes just make it "feel" different but at the same time feel much like Cowboy Bebop. The fight scenes are intoxicating, especially when Mugen hits the floor with his unorthodox style. But this series can also get thoughtful, dramatic, and emotional at times. It certainly isn't like most other samurai animes, which is refreshing. However, the hip hop and modern themes are jarringly anachronistic, and the narrator's "our story so far" rap is painfully annoying. And some people might find it hard to care for the characters when the girl is a ditz, one guy is alway cool and unemotional, and the other guy is slightly on the fiendish side.

This is one of those rare series that you have to watch start to finish, but afterward, it's great to sit down and pick random episodes to watch again. Like Cowboy Bebop, another extremely popular work by Shinichirô Watanabe, Samurai Champloo works great both as a consecutive series and as a range of stand-alone episodes. Each show is distinct from the others and carries only basic ties to the overall plot--for example, the trio's search for the "samurai who smells like sunflowers" and the constant bickering and somewhat selfish competition between Mugen and Jin. Fuu is an entertaining and stereotypically ditzy character, although don't think she doesn't have anything up her sleeve. Watch the show and you'll know what I mean by that.

The way in which this series has been constructed is very daring and nothing at all like any samurai-based anime before it. There is a constant atmosphere of the modern urban lifestyle; in fact, one episode actually starts out IN modern urban life, realizes its error, and quickly jumps back into 1800's Japan. Additionally, the episodes are not focused on bland fight scenes that vaguely relate to the plot of the series, like many animes that I won't mention here. Certainly there are fight scenes, and many of them (be warned: some are pretty bloody), but the theme of each episode is unique and usually has more to do with Japanese history, the characters' pasts, or their interests in the men, women, or food that they encounter as they go from town to town. The stories and emotions conveyed in each episode are powerful and moving in a way that few TV shows can compare. Those who have seen Cowboy Bebop will notice another similarity between the two series in the recurring themes of food, hunger, and lack of money.

The soundtrack for the show is, in my opinion, interesting at best. Much of it seems to be an odd mix of hip-hop and a more cinematic, almost new age style of music. I wouldn't hold it over Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack, but I suppose I'd prefer it over the soundtracks of many other shows out there. The quality of animation, on the other hand, is very impressive for a television series. Countless screenshots could be taken from this show and hung on the wall like professional paintings. Also, the animators clearly pay attention to the subtle movements of the human body, such as the way a limp arm sways, or the way a head wobbles during speech.

When all is said and done, what really grabs my interest in this show is the characters. Mugen, Jin, and Fuu are so completely different from one another, yet they are all treated with fairly equal interest. If I had to pick a "main character" I would probably point to Mugen, but if that's the case it's only by a narrow margin. Also, it's always fun to see how they'll react to a new situation, and then how they'll react to each other's actions. On top of that, the histories of each character are a complete mystery in the start of the series, and every now and then as the episodes progress, something--an old sore, a forgotten passion, or some other secret--will appear and bring a whole new impact to the series. The only thing preventing me from giving this a full four stars is the simple fact that the idea of making an anime about samurai seems a little cliché in my book.

I have seen all the episodes except the last three, which only just came out on DVD (January 17), and I can't wait to finish the series. I strongly recommend Samurai Champloo to anyone who has the gut to see past a little blood and metal; this is pretty high quality material.