Review of Samurai Champloo: Volume 4

Introduction

I can`t believe that we`re already past the halfway point with this series, as volume 4 now arrives for review. 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 for which I have been eagerly awaiting.

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 fourth volume from MVM contains four more episodes.

Eps 13 & 14 Misguided Miscreants Parts 1 and 2
Mugen`s past catches up to him when the trio finally make it to the ocean. At the beach, bandits waylay them, but it turns out that the leader of the group Mukuro, and the bait in the honey trap Koza grew up with Mugen. Theirs was a harsh upbringing, children of prisoners exiled to a distant island. Now Mukuro has a heist planned, and wants Mugen to be involved. There is a government ship carrying a fortune in gold due, and a spot of piracy will net a fortune. Koza wants to leave the harsh life of a bandit and appeals to Mugen for help, but Mukuro convinces him to take part in the raid. But Mukuro isn`t to be trusted.

Ep 15 Bogus Booty
A man flees in desperation from mysterious masked figures, and only pauses long enough to dump a bag in a lake, the same lake that later serves to provide food for Mugen, Fuu and Jin. While Mugen and Fuu quickly catch some fish to eat, Jin isn`t so lucky, and in frustration resorts to chasing after the fish with his bare hands. Instead of catching fish though, he nets a fortune in coins. When they get to the next city, it`s time to splurge, and while Fuu taxes her prodigious metabolism with a feast, the boys ditch her to partake of the towns red light district. But the money they have been throwing around has been forged, and the high spenders have come to the attention of the gang responsible.

Ep 16 Lullabies Of The Lost, Verse 1
Still heading west, they hear rumours of a monster haunting the forest. Mugen`s all set to go monster hunting, but Fuu accuses him of neglecting the search for the Sunflower Samurai. But when pressured she once again is reluctant to reveal any details. They get into another row, but this time end up parting company. Heading in separate directions, an enigmatic archer attacks Mugen, a masked swordsman besets Jin, and Fuu ends up hanging off a cliff.

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. This is an action packed show, and the swordplay is brilliantly realised, with both of the main characters having their own individual styles. The world design is worthy of appreciation, with the environments enhanced by some lush and vibrant backgrounds.

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

A jacket picture, DVD credits, and trailers for Ikki Tousen: Battle Vixens and Tenjho Tenge. This time around there is the added bonus of a couple of galleries. One has 10 pencil sketches of character art, while the other has 16 cel shaded character images.

Conclusion

At last we get some development regarding the Samurai smelling of sunflowers in the final episode on this disc. But Samurai Champloo hasn`t really been about the destination so much as the journey, and the characters are given greater prominence than the overarching story. This fourth volume of Samurai Champloo is another great collection of quirky episodes, thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable. It simply doesn`t matter that they aren`t getting around to the point of their excursion through Japan, as the individual episodes are so engaging. With 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.

The first two episodes on this disc are particularly satisfying, as they lift the veil on Mugen`s past, and we learn about the upbringing that led to this undisciplined wild man with a short temper. His upbringing was harsh, and we can see how it affected those around him as well. While Mugen`s attitude certainly is violent, he still has a sense of honour, one that the completely unprincipled Mukuro knows how to manipulate. Koza seems to regret her life the most, but as the story unfolds, we learn that she has learnt some hard lessons as well. The story seems on the surface to be much like any other in Samurai Champloo, with our heroes getting caught up in local events wherever they happen to be, but the shared past makes this more serious for Mugen, and the second episode in the two-parter harbours a satisfying twist and an awesome conclusion. We pull back from the drama and head into comic territory with Bogus Booty, with the three protagonists getting caught up in a forgery ring. There`s simple humour to be found in another example of Fuu`s freakish metabolism, while Mugen once again takes centre stage, as the prostitute he hires in the red light district turns out to have other, more painful talents. She`s actually a member of the secret police investigating the forged money, but her team have gotten the worse end of their encounters with the forgers. When she sees how determined Mugen is to have a good time, she casually manipulates him into doing her job for her. The main story of the Sunflower Samurai returns in Lullabies Of The Lost, as the three travellers tire of each other`s company. You`d think by now that they have realised that they get into more trouble separately than they do together, but they go their separate ways and each faces more danger. Jin has to face his past once more, as another member of his dojo is looking to best him, while there are some tantalising hints about the man Fuu is looking for. Unfortunately, this episode ends on a cliffhanger, leaving a tantalising wait for the next volume.

I ended my review for volume 3 with a lament that the overarching story was being neglected somewhat. Volume 4 has changed my opinion on that, and I find that it doesn`t really matter to me if they find the Sunflower Samurai or not. As long as the episodes are this much fun, with brilliant characterisations and intelligent scripts, then it wouldn`t bother me if Mugen, Fuu and Jin`s journey continued indefinitely. There`s no repetition in story, the adventures are all brilliantly crafted, and there isn`t a single disappointing moment. No doubt the end of the series will address the subject, but I find that Samurai Champloo is like a roller-coaster ride. The fun is to be had in the ups and downs, loops and banks, but come the end, you`ll be sad that it`s over. But why borrow trouble? The end is still a couple of volumes away. Volume 4 on the other hand is top class anime, and well worth savouring.