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Samurai Champloo

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Samurai Champloo
File:Samurai Champloo Title.png
Still from the opening sequence of Samurai Champloo
GenreAction, Adventure, Comedy
Anime
Directed byShinichirō Watanabe
Studiomanglobe INC.
Manga
Written byShinichirō Watanabe (story)
Masaru Gotsubo (art)
Published byJapan Kadokawa Shoten

Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー, Samurai Chanpurū) is a shōnen anime series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004 through March 19, 2005 on the television network, Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous television show, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown in the anime and Japanese television communities.[1] The show was produced by the Japanese animation studio, Manglobe, Inc.

Like many other anime television series[2], Samurai Champloo is finite, and the final episode depicts the end of the story without allusion to a successive season.

The word, champloo, comes from the Okinawan word "chanpurū" (as in gōyā chanpurū, the Okinawan stir-fry dish containing bitter melon).[3] Chanpurū, alone, simply means "to mix" or "to hash." Therefore, the title, Samurai Champloo, may be translated to "Samurai Remix" or "Samurai Mashup."[4]

The series is a cross-genre work of media, blending the action and samurai genres with elements of non-slapstick comedy. It is also a period piece, taking place during Japan's Edo period. But, significantly, the series is interwoven with revisionist historical facts and anachronistic elements of mise-en-scene, dialogue and soundtrack. The shows most frequent anachronism is its use of elements of hip hop culture, particularly rap and the music it has influenced, break dancing, turntablism, hip hop slang, and graffiti. The show also contains anachronistic elements from the punk subculture and modernism, but less prominently.

Main characters

File:Champloo3.jpg
Promotional image of (from left to right) Jin, Mugen and Fuu
Main article: List of Samurai Champloo characters

Samurai Champloo tells the story of three strangers in the Tokugawa era who come together on a journey across Japan:

  • Mugen: A brash vagabond from the Ryukyu Islands, Mugen is a wandering sword for hire with a wildly unconventional fighting style that resembles breakdancing and capoeira.[5] He wears metal-soled geta and carries a katana on his back, although, historically, the Tokugawa government prohibited unsanctioned men from carrying daishō or any of its components.[6] In Japanese, the word "mugen" means "infinite" or "endless."[7]
  • Jin: Jin is a mild-mannered ronin who carries himself in the conventionally stoic manner of a samurai of the Tokugawa era. Using his waist-strung daishō, he fights in the traditional kenjutsu style of a samurai trained in a prominent, sanctioned dojo. Jin wears glasses, an available but uncommon accessory in Edo era Japan. Spectacles -- called "Dutch glass merchandise" ("Oranda gyoku shinajina" in Japanese) at the time -- were imported from Holland early in the Tokugawa period and became more widely available as the 17th century progressed.[8]
  • Fuu: A young, feisty girl of approximately fifteen years of age, Fuu recruits Mugen and Jin to help her find a sparsely-described man she calls "the samurai who smells of sunflowers." A flying squirrel named "Momo" (meaning "peach" in Japanese and also short for "momonga," meaning "flying squirel") accompanies her along the way, inhabiting her kimono and frequently leaping out to her rescue when she encounters trouble.

Apart from this trio, other characters tend to appear only once or twice throughout the entirety of the series.

Plot

See also: List of Samurai Champloo episodes 1-12 and List of Samurai Champloo episodes 13-26

The Meeting

Samurai Champloo is largely about the journey of a girl named Fuu -- accompanied by two bodyguards/travelling companions, Mugen and Jin -- across Japan in search of a particular samurai who smells of sunflowers. Fuu meets Mugen in the tea house where she is employed as a waitress. Seeing that Fuu is confronted with a band of ruffian customers, he offers to take care of the unsavory bunch in exchange for food. But, upon agreement, Mugen instigates a wider brawl via his insolence toward his opponents. Just as the fight is escalating, Jin walks into the teahouse unaware of the unfolding situation. Mugen mistakes him for an enemy and sparks a duel between the two. However their battle doesn't last long. One of the ruffians, who was maimed by Mugen, re-enters the establishment and, in a delirious state, sets the wooden restaurant ablaze. Mugen and Jin attempt to continue their battle amid the conflagration but end up passing out from smoke inhalation.

A splash of water revives the duo, at which time they discover that they've been arrested and are to be executed for the arsonous murder of a magistrate's son, who was in the teahouse. However, they manage to escape execution through their quick-wittedness, physical skill and help from Fuu, who detonates two powerful firecrackers at the execution site, diverting the captors' attention.

After the resultant mêlée and escape from the scene, Fuu recruits Jin and Mugen to her quest for the samurai who smells of sunflowers. Since they are indebted to her for the assistance in escaping execution, they agree to join her and abide by her one condition: they may not settle their duel until after the journey is over.

Stopover in Edo

Their quest takes the three on a generally southward trajectory through the largest Japanese island, Honshū. Travelling along what appears to be the Pacific coast of the isle, they arrive by ferry in the Tokugawa capital, Edo. Exploring the city at the beckoning of a mysterious red-headed stranger named Jouji, they venture through the city's bustling streets, dropping in on the Yoshiwara district and viewing a onnagata-starring kabuki performance.

Ultimately, Jouji is exposed as the pseudononymously concealed gay Dutchman, Isaac Kitching, the governor general in charge of trade for the Dutch East India Company in Japan. Kitching had absconded from his post in search of acceptance as a homosexual in Japanese society. Before Kitching's staff convinces him to return to his post (per the Shogun's decree), Fuu begs him for any clues he might have as to the whereabouts of the samurai who smells of sunflowers. After showing him an item that belonged to the mysterious sunflower samurai -- a tiny skull ornament on a string -- Kitching offers her a lead: go to Nagasaki for more clues.

Onwards to Nagasaki

Following Kitching's advice, the group then begins its trek to Nagasaki, a port city on the island of Kyūshū, the third largest and southmost isle among the four Main Islands in the Japanese archipelago.[9] Along the way, the broke and starving trio is forced into a pawn shop to barter goods so they can purchase a meal. The pawn broker isn't much interested in Fuu's tanto or Mugen's katana but, strangely, sees much value in Jin's spectacles. Reluctantly, Mugen and Fuu convince Jin to relinquish the treasured merchandise, and this allows them to feast that afternoon at a local restaurant.

During their meal, they are introduced to a flashy, arrogant but harmless man named Sakonshougen Nagamitsu and his two lackeys, one of whom beatboxes a background tune over which his master delivers high-handed soliloquies. Nagamitsu is looking to "make it big in this world" and isn't embarrassed to tell everyone about his ambitions. As documented in his scroll-written autobiography-in-progess, "The Road to Big," he originally set out to challenge the shogun to a battle, figuring that, if victorious, he would be the greatest man in all of the land. To his regret though, he mistakenly went to Osaka castle, instead of Edo castle, and so the duel never occurred. In Osaka, however, he met Ogura Bunta, who joined the beatboxing youth as one of his flunkies. Ogura told Nagamitsu of a legendary fighter named Mariya Enshirou who was undefeated in 1000 duels. If Nagamitsu could beat Enshirou, his reputation would rise considerably. Unfortunately, though, Nagamitsu was once again the recipient of disappointment, eventually learning that the master fighter was killed by his star pupil. Since that day, Nagamitsu has been searching for this murderous pupil, a man who wears glasses and goes by the name, Jin.

However, when Nagamitsu finally encounters Jin, he doesn't have a chance to challenge him. Instead, Ogura reveals that he was a pupil at Mujuushin, the same kenjutsu dojo in which Jin trained. He declares that he sucked up his pride and followed the braggart wannabe, Nagamitsu, with the hope that he might one day find Jin and exact revenge on behalf of sensei Enshirou. Ogura demands to know why Jin betrayed his master, but Jin, who insists that the situation was more complicated that it seems, does not deny the charge or make excuses. In response to Jin's high-handedness, Ogura charges at him in a jōdan-no-kamae posture, sword unsheathed, but Jin easily deflects the attack and knocks him to the ground. Ogura, realizing he is outmatched, demands an honorable death, but Jin refuses to grant it to him. Ogura then points out that many of the disciples are out to kill Jin in Enchirou's name. Jin, however, is not moved by this and suggests that Ogura tell these other students that he is ready should they choose to attack him.

Past the Hakone checkpoint

Continuing on their way, the group makes a tumultuous crossing at the Hakone checkpoint, one filled with out of control brushfire, fields of smoldering marijuana, a severed head and hundreds of sōhei desguised as tengu in the hills around Mount Fuji. Finally, when on the other side of the checkpoint, they settle in a small town plagued by random street killings by an unknown tsujigiri. Mugen gets into a battle with the tsujigiri, named Shouryuu, who, as it turns out, was a student of the Buddhist monk, Zuikou, who is housing the three in the town's monastery. Zuikou explains that he used to be a samurai himself and trained Shouryuu, who at that time was called Ukon. Ukon killed a fellow student in practice and was expelled from the dojo. Upon his return, he had changed his name to Shouryuu and had mastered a new ryūha that allowed him to attack his opponent with nothing more than his qi. Despite the fearsomeness of Shouryuu's style, Mugen diligently trains himself for the few weeks before their next encounter. When they finally meet again under the subsequent full moon, Mugen out-maneuvers Shouryuu and kills him in a local river.

The three leave that town and travel onwards to another village, where Jin falls smitten for a woman forced into prostitution to pay her husband's debts. Unable to continue with the woman in subjugation, Jin frees her and sets her adrift on a boat down the river for a nearby enkiri dera, a safehouse (usually a temple) for women ending relationships.[10] Since Edo era Japan was patriarchal, a woman was treated as property of her husband and, therefore, did not have the right to divorce and could be forced into prostitution to pay a husband's debt.

After romantically springing the woman from her servitude, the three find some respite at an inn. While Fuu goes for a bath, Jin and Mugen take a peek at her diary. In the diary, they learn that Fuu's mother died; somewhere along the jouney, she had dreams involving her corpse. She also muses on whether she did the right thing teaming up with the two guys. It is exposed that at Zuikou's temple, the warrior monk offered the three spiritual guidance. Jin was given wisdom on the nature of freedom for a samurai beholden to his master; Fuu was told that meeting Jin and Mugen was destiny, by nature; and Mugen was refused advice for his insolence.

Walking through the forrest, Mugen notices the scent of the sea. Sure enough, within moments, they are standing on a bluff overlooking a beach and endless ocean water. Down on the shore, they notice a girl sitting on a beached piece of driftwood. She recognizes Mugen and wears a headband with the same saw-toothed design as Mugen's sword strap. Suddenly, before Mugen can respond, a massive fishing net with weighted edges along with a slew of arrows fly their way. Mugen and Jin dodge the web and slice the arrows; only Fuu is mired in the netting. Raiders jump down from the bluff with the intention of looting their prey, but stop after their apparent leader fires a pistol in the air. He shirt also contains the same saw-toothed design. Mugen and the man, whom they call Mukuro, clearly know each other from the past. Mukuro says that he is shocked to see Mugen alive, having believed him sunk to the bottom of the sea. He further explains that he is not in search of booty but rather for strong men for a pirate job that is to reap in big money. Mugen explains that he has been travelling as a bodyguard for Jin and Fuu, to which Mukuro laughs at the idea of a man who has killed as many as Mugen protecting anyone.

Fuu and the girl, Kohza, who is Mukuro's sister, talk in the meantime. Kohza explains that she, Mukuro and Mugen all grew up together in the Ryukyu islands, a Japanese island chain extending between the southern tip of Kyūshū and the northern tip of Taiwan. It was a dangerous childhood, she explains, due to the fact that prisoners were often exiled there from the four Main Islands of Japan.

End of the road

The trio is also forced to face many elements of their pasts. It is revealed that Jin killed his master, Mariya Enshirou, and in a number of episodes ("The Art of Altercation"; "Lullabies of the Lost") he is pursued by students of his former dojo who wish to exact revenge. Jin is reluctant to kill these pursuers.

In the final three-episode arc, "Evanescent Encounter" (a.k.a. "Circle of Transmigration"), all three must confront their unresolved pasts. Fuu finally meets and confronts the Sunflower Samurai. Jin is challenged by a master swordsman, named Kariya Kagetoki, who is revealed as the primary antagonist of the series, although he has remained behind the scenes until this story arc. It is revealed that Kariya attempted to gain control of Jin's dojo and train its adepts for the purposes of assassination. Mariya Enshirou was ordered to kill Jin because of his opposition to the plan, and in the ensuing fight Jin killed his master in self-defense and was forced to flee the dojo. It also turns out that Kariya had the group tracked so that he could find and kill the Sunflower Samurai, Kasumi Seizou, as punishment for his role in the Shimabara Rebellion. In the course of the story, Mugen is also forced to confront three brothers seeking revenge because Mugen crippled one of them during his days of piracy.

Setting and style

Samurai Champloo employs a unique blend of historical Edo period backdrops with modern styles and references. The show relies on factual events of Edo-era Japan, such as the Shimabara Rebellion ("Unholy Union;" "Evanescent Encounter, Part I"), Dutch exclusivity in an era where edict restricted Japanese foreign relations ("Stranger Searching"), Ukiyo-e paintings ("Artistic Anarchy"), and fictionalized versions of real-life Edo personalities Mariya Enshirou and Miyamoto Musashi ("Elegy of Entrapment, Verse 2").

Incorporated within this are signature elements of modernity, especially hip hop culture, such as rapping ("Lullabies of the Lost, Verse 1"), graffiti ("War of the Words"), bandits behaving like "gangstas" (both parts of "Misguided Miscreants") and much of Mugen's character design, including a fighting style influenced by breakdancing. Champloo's musical score predominantly features hip hop beats. Certain anachronistic references are not based upon hip-hop, however, such as baseball ("Baseball Blues"), the United States and references to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki (“Cosmic Collisions").

See also: List of Samurai Champloo episodes 1-12 and List of Samurai Champloo episodes 13-26

Soundtrack

There are four full-length Samurai Champloo soundtracks, as well as two singles. The names of the full-length albums are "Masta", "Playlist", "Departure", and "Impression". Featured heavily in the soundtracks are Nujabes, Force of Nature, Tsutchie, and Fat Jon, among others. Also performing over Nujabes' beats are Japanese hip hop artists Shing02, who performs the vocals on the opening theme "BattleCry," and Minmi, who performs the ending theme "Shiki no Uta" (“Song of Four Seasons”). In May 2007, Fat Jon's Ample Soul label released a limited edition 3LP vinyl edition of the soundtrack: "Samurai Champloo: The Way of the Samurai."

Some of the songs from the show are not available on the official soundtracks. Some examples of these are the songs "Obokuri-Eemui" ("Obtain Bearing") by Ikue Asazaki from her album "Utabautayun" (played during Mugen's underwater scene in episode 14) and "San Francisco" by Midicronica from their album "#501" (the ending song in episode 26). The most famous of these is the song played during the brothel escape scene in episode 11, which uses a sample from the George Benson song "Affirmation."[11] As of 2007, the music selection has been identified as "Counting Stars," the sixth track of the HydeOut Productions 2nd Collection album.

Influences and cultural references

  • The recurring character Manzo the Saw, who both appears in and narrates several episodes, is a parody of the titular character from the Hanzo the Razor movies.[12]
  • Samurai Champloo is an example of the popular chambara film and television genre--the trademarks are a setting in the Edo Period, a focus on samurai or other swordsman characters, and lots and lots of thrilling, dramatic fights.[13] Chambara was used in the early days of Japanese cinema (when government political censorship ran high) as a way of expressing veiled social critiques, and it is possible to read Champloo as a satire of contemporary Japanese society. The show features cameos by other protagonists of the genre, such as Mito Kōmon in "Evanescent Encounter, Part 1", Ogami Daigorō from Lone Wolf and Cub in "Elegy of Entrapment, Part 1" and "Evanescent Encounter, Part 1", and Lone Wolf and Cub themselves in "Cosmic Collisions".[14]
  • In episode 5 (Artistic Anarchy), Mugen is heard to mutter (in the English dub of the series only) "damn, doing it with a squid" while looking at a book of ukiyo-e art. This is probably a reference to a Katsuhika Hokusai piece entitled Kinoe no Komatsu (The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife).[15]
  • In episode 13 (Misguided Miscreants, Part 1), Mugen's old pirating partner Mukuro has two ship mates named Ken and Ryu. The names Ryu and Ken together may be a hidden reference to the word Ryukan, which is their and Mugen's ethnicity, though it may also be a joke by the animators and script writers on the hit fighting game Street Fighter which has Ryu and Ken as the main characters.[16]
  • In episode 14 (Misguided Miscreants, Part 2), Jin's sword-against-gun battle with Mukuro is reminiscent of Sanjuro and Unosuke during the climactic final battle in Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo.[17]
  • In episode 3, Jin's introduction of his sword-skill attacking the 3 members of the Nagatomi Clan and his offer to Sousuke as a 'yojimbo', the 2 powerful opposing clans in the Village has a strong reseemblance to the setting in Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, with Jin's entry at the town resembling the scene of Toshiro Mifune's appearance in restaurant the movie Yojimbo.
  • A character named "Sabini" is featured in the zombie-filled episode 22 (“Cosmic Collisions”), a possible reference to actor Tom Savini, most famous for his appearances in George Romero's classic zombie films.[18]
  • Watanabe has stated that the movies Zatoichi and Enter the Dragon influenced his work. Mugen using his scabbard as a walking stick as well as his inverted grip of the sword at the end of episode 14 may be a reference to similar practices used in Zatoichi. Also, in episode 25 (Evanescent Encounter, Part 2) Mugen's face is scarred after being slashed by Denkibou's claws, bearing a strong resemblance to a similar Bruce Lee scar in Enter the Dragon.[5] Also, while from a distance his hair retains its trademark spiky shape, in the close-ups of Mugen, his hair has become decidedly "Bruce Lee-esque".
  • Jin originally came from a samurai background. He was training under a master to become a fighter in a kenjutsu (“study of the sword”) dojo. During this time, it can be assumed that Jin was trained in the ‘code of the warrior,’ or bushidō. Bushidō is built upon the principles of bravery, integrity and loyalty. In addition, part of the code includes a complete lack of fear when it comes to death. In fact, if a samurai was to become dishonored, he would choose to perform a ritual called seppuku. This ritual is performed by the samurai slicing his stomach, allowing his intestines to spill out. Although it may appear to only be an easy way out of dishonor, seppuku is actually only carried out by the most brave samurai, for the way that a samurai cuts his stomach is supposed to be extremely painful.[19] However, some samurai do choose to become dishonored instead of committing to the act of seppuku. These samurai are known as ronin (masterless samurai).[20]
   Jin, did not fully agree with his teacher in a few aspects.  Therefore, he killed him and took up the life of a ronin.  Like many ronin, Jin lived a sad like and took the job as a bodyguard in episode one to the young Fuu.[21]  This arrangement would assure him food and a way out of death.  Even so, he still tended to focus his energy and life on the basis of the samurai.  He still remained calm in all situations and loyal to Fuu (even if he did try to ditch her from time to time, he always came back to help her).  He remained loyal to the code of bushido even though he was only a ronin.
  • Throughout all episodes, Jin carried the weapons used by all samurai within the Edo period. Samurai were known to carry two swords, known as daisho. One of the swords was shorter, averaging between twelve and twenty-four inches, while the other sword was longer, usually ranging to be more than twenty-four inches. These swords were thought to be the samurai’s own soul. As one can see within the anime, Jin never leaves his swords unattended and treats them carefully as if they truly were his soul. In addition, Jin’s traditional ideas of the samurai are also seen through his swords, for the blade is straighter. Only the more modern sword blades tend to be curved, like that of Mugen’s.[22]
  • In episode 19, the three main characters run into a crazy character who claims to be the grandson of Francis Xavier. St. Francis Xavier was the founder of Christianity in Japan. He brought the religion to Japan in 1549, and continued to preach there until 1551.[23] His teaching methods consisted of teaching the Creed, the Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer, as well as other basic beliefs from the Bible. During his time in Japan, Xavier baptized ten thousand Japanese people.[24] However, even though Xavier’s teachings were popular, the government disliked them and thought that Christianity was an intruder and a threat to Buddhism.[25]
   The claimed Grandson of Francis Xavier randomly shows up during a scene were Mugen refuses to step on a coin with the picture of Christ on it.  The Christians in Japan were sought out this way.  If they refused to step on the picture of Christ (which was usually in the form of a coin), they were assumed to be Christian, and therefore, persecuted.  If the “grandson” had not shown up, Mugen would have been tortured or killed, for the Japanese people would have confused him to be a Christian, even though the viewers of the anime know that Mugen simply did not wish to be told what to do.
   In comparison to the treatment of Christians in Japan in the 1800’s, the grandson of Francis Xavier within the anime (though not truly the grandson) illustrates the victims of Christianity at the time.  During the 1800’s, many of the Christian meetings were disturbed by Buddhist priests.  Often, these priests would interrupt the meeting by clapping their hands, or stomping their feet.  Occasionally, they would even throw stones at the people.  The same thing happened in Francis Xavier’s “grandson’s” meeting.  It was interrupted by the main characters of the anime.  The trio showed no sympathy for the “Christian way,” which the “grandson” was preaching, nor the ganmin (mob) of followers.[26]
  • In the anime, Fuu is seen wearing a kosode style of kimono. A kosode kimono is the most common type of kimono, referring to the full-length Japanese style of clothing.[27] The design that Fuu wears is that of a pink color, with a few flowers at the ends of her sleeves, as well as at her ankles. These flowers can be assumed to be karahana, which in Japanese means “Chinese flower.” In addition, she wears a simple obi, or sash, around her waist. The obi is made to be plain so that it will not distract from the beauty of her kosode kimono.[28]
  • Jinn can be seen wearing a dofuku in the anime. Dofukus are usually shorter in length, going no longer than the buttocks of the person wearing it. This design was preferred by many military men in the past.[29] The sleeves, however, on his clothing tend to be more like the furisode kimonos. This type of kimono has long, swinging sleeves.[30] The coloring of his kimono is kon—a deep, navy-blue shade of indigo[31] and has four diamonds clustered together, forming a larger diamond on both his upper shoulders and back. Most likely, this effect of the diamonds was created using a yûzen method. This method is a dyeing method were the white (or resisted) material is either hand painted or stenciled onto the fabric—in Jinn’s kimono this would be the diamonds. Once the garment has been dyed, the areas that have been stenciled on or painted remain white/un-dyed. This is one of many forms of shibori, or dyeing of the garments.[32]
  • In episode four, the traditional dice game called Cho-Han Bakuchi is found. This is a standard Japanese gambling game which uses two six-sided dice. The dealer (Fuu’s role in the end of the episode) shakes the dice in a bamboo cup and then places it on the floor, making sure to keep the dice covered from the player’s eyes. The players then have the option to choose “cho,” which means even, or “han,” which means odd. Once all players have verbally called out their decisions, the dealer allows them to see the dice. The winner, or the one who called out the correct answer, receives all the money which had been betted. If there is more than one winner, the money is usually split up between them. Strangely enough, Fuu should not have been allowed to be a dealer. Dealers are usually men and required to remove their shirts from their bodies, proving that they are not cheating.[33] However, since Fuu was allowed to keep her garments on, being a female, she rolled up her sleeves to show the two players that she was in fact, not cheating.
  • Episode 18 focuses on two groups of young yakuza (gangs) who are constantly trying to beat each other by seeing who can graffiti the most dangerous places. This particular episode shows the youth’s individualism in Japan today. The young people of Japan seem to be seeking for ways to break out of the strict molds of their society. Therefore, more and more of the Japanese youth are conforming to more Western ideas, such as graffiti. In addition of showing non-conformity to society, the graffiti allows the youths to show their identities through what they “paint.” The groups of boys in the anime value their shumi or their “tastes” and see it as a way to stand out from the conformist crowd.[34]
  • Fuu demonstrates the change within the women of Japan. In the past, women were exploited and suppressed. They were the weaker sex. However, now-a-days, women in Japan are starting to prove to the men that they are more than just a sex object, or just only able to bare a child. Even since women were legally given the right to full equality in Japan, they have been showing their independence to the world. Fuu shows the rationale behind many of the women’s thinking in Japan. The woman may still physically be the weaker sex (the reason why Fuu requested Mugen and Jin to help her out and keep her safe), but she tends to be psychologically stronger (than both of her companions).[35] Fuu was able to convince both Mugen and Jin not to fight and help her on her journey. She tends to dominate them without them even realizing it. They believe that they are dominate and Fuu is completely helpless, but they overlook the fact that she is able to convince them to do whatever she wants throughout the entire series. She even plays with their minds in episode 12 by writing a fake diary. She purposely leaves it out for the two men to read, believing that they will find some secret information about her. However, they find themselves extremely disappointed when they realize that it was all a setup.
  • Episode 22 is the typical kaidan (horror) story. This episode symbolizes the Japanese ideas on death and ghosts. These episodes introduce the viewers to the legends of yūrei, which are ghosts that return to people in the form that they were in while still alive. Yūrei usually do not come back for revenge, but more for a purpose. As one can see in the anime, the yūrei have come back on a mission to find treasure, not to gain revenge on the three companions. The Japanese people normally do not usually draw these spirits in artwork. Instead they allow the spirits to be only seen and not recorded. Our three companions were lucky enough to run into these spirits this time.[36]

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Broadcast

Japan

Samurai Champloo premiered in Japan on May 20, 2004 on Fuji Television, and ceased broadcasting on March 19, 2005, spanning a total of 26 episodes. It was also aired in Japan on the communications satellite television network Animax, where it has been regularly broadcast.

North America

Geneon Entertainment licensed the show for distribution in North America almost a year prior to the show's airing in Japan. On January 20, 2004, it was made public that the broadcasting rights were acquired by Cartoon Network, and the series began airing on the Adult Swim block on May 14, 2005, in the 11:30 p.m. time slot on Saturday nights. On Saturday, November 22, 2005, the second batch of episodes (episodes 14-26) began airing at 11:30 p.m. EST/PST, but moved to Wednesday nights at 12:30 a.m. in January 2006. Late-night airtimes are generally used in the US to restrict children's access to complex or controversial subject matter. The final episode aired on March 18, 2006. Samurai Champloo also made its debut in Canada on December 24, 2006 on the Canadian digital station, Razer.

When the show is aired on Adult Swim, some foul language is censored. However, the censoring is achieved mostly by the use of sound effects (such as record scratching, a common sound in hip-hop music) that help the censoring blend into the show.

Latin America

In September 2006 the series was aired for the first time in Latin American countries.

Australia

SBS began airing the series on March 23, 2006 but only screened 13 episodes. As of December 8, 2007 SBS has once again begun broadcasting episodes at 2:00am Sunday EST.[37]

Portugal & Spain

The series began to air in 20th October 2007, on AXN.

Adaptations

Manga

Samurai Champloo has been adapted into a manga. It debuted in Shonen Ace on August 2004. TOKYOPOP licensed the manga in North America. Madman Entertainment licensed, released the manga in Australia and New Zealand and Panini licensed it on Brazil.

Video game

Bandai developed a Samurai Champloo video game for the PlayStation 2 entitled Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked; however, the manufacturer has stated that the game has no relation to the show. It was released on April 11, 2006 in the United States and received mixed reviews.[38]

See also

  • Chambara
  • The Edo Period of Japan in which the historically accurate parts of the series takes place.

Notes and references

  1. ^ http://www.animeuknews.net/press/31/samurai-champloo-box-set-release-details
  2. ^ http://www.koyagi.com/Parents.html#AM
  3. ^ http://www.tv.com/samurai-champloo/tempestuous-temperaments/episode/347288/summary.html
  4. ^ http://www.onetrickpony.org/anime/samurai-champloo.htm
  5. ^ a b Shinichiro Watanabe, "An Evening With Shinichiro Watanabe," Detroit Film Theater, Detroit, 8 February 2006
  6. ^ Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook, Secrets of the Samurai: A survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan (Castle Books, 1999) p. 83
  7. ^ http://www.englishjapaneseonlinedictionary.com/ResultJE.aspx
  8. ^ http://home.europa.com/~telscope/tsjapan.txt
  9. ^ http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1108.html
  10. ^ http://www.kanagawa-kankou.or.jp/english/area/kamakura.html#kamakura13
  11. ^ Note: Although "Affirmation" is often referred to as a George Benson song, in actuality Benson's version is a 1976 cover. The original version was composed and recorded by Jose Feliciano in 1975. The sample used in the track could be from either version, or a new re-recording of the song. See: All Music; Jose Feliciano, "Just Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" track listing, 1975; All Music; George Benson, "Breezin'" track listing, 1976.
  12. ^ Hanzo the Razor, e-budokai.com - Classical Japanese Martial Arts.
  13. ^ Silver, Alain, "The Samurai Film", The Overlook Press, New York, 1977, pg. 37. 0-87951-175-3
  14. ^ Silver, p. 185
  15. ^ Forrer, Matthi. Hokusai. Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1991.
  16. ^ Various, Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge. ISBN 978-1932796247
  17. ^ Compare Amalgam's entry for Jin, second and third paragraphs from bottom under "Takeda Jin;" with the last paragraph of Roger Ebert, "The Great Movies -- Yojimbo," Chicago Sun Times, April 10, 2005.
  18. ^ SAVINI.COM: The Official Tom Savini Home Page
  19. ^ http://library.thinkquest.org/C001119/life/parse.php3?src=bushido
  20. ^ http://library.thinkquest.org/C001119/life/parse.php3?src=samurai
  21. ^ http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/samurai2.html
  22. ^ http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/samurai2.html
  23. ^ Varley, Paul. Japanese Culture; Fourth Edition. Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press, 2000. pages 143, 208.
  24. ^ Lee, Kun Sam. The Christian Confrontation with Shinto Nationalism. Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1966. pages 59-60, 65, 71-72.
  25. ^ Thelle, Notto R. Buddhism and Christianity in Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1987. pages 137-138, 143, 145-146
  26. ^ Lee, Kun Sam. The Christian Confrontation with Shinto Nationalism. Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1966. pages 59-60, 65, 71-72.
  27. ^ Nomura, Shôjirô. Japanese Kimono Designs. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.
  28. ^ Noma, Seiroku. Japanese Costume and Textile Arts. New York: Weatherhill, 1974.
  29. ^ Noma, Seiroku. Japanese Costume and Textile Arts. New York: Weatherhill, 1974.
  30. ^ Nomura, Shôjirô. Japanese Kimono Designs. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.
  31. ^ Noma, Seiroku. Japanese Costume and Textile Arts. New York: Weatherhill, 1974.
  32. ^ Nomura, Shôjirô. Japanese Kimono Designs. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.
  33. ^ http://www.craps.cx/dice-games/cho-han-bakuchi.html
  34. ^ Reischauer, Edwin O. and Marius B. Jansen. The Japanese Today, Change and Continuity. USA: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2003.
  35. ^ Reischauer, Edwin O. and Marius B. Jansen. The Japanese Today, Change and Continuity. USA: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2003.
  36. ^ http://www.jstor.org/view/03852342/ap040066/04a00140/3?frame=noframe&userID=c6b284fd@iwu.edu/01c0a80a6900501d1922f&dpi=3&config=jstor
  37. ^ http://www20.sbs.com.au/whatson/?date=2007-12-9&channelID=1
  38. ^ GameRanking.com
Official sites
Unofficial sites
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