|
Samurai Champloo 3June 21, 2004Title: Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1) Mugen and Jin decide to split up and leave Fuu.
Mugen starts working as a bodyguard for the Nagatomi crime syndicate.
But Mugen is soon confronted by the new bodyguard of the rival Kawara clan.
The End * * * RATING: B Without a doubt, this season is full of awesome samurai titles -- first Shura No Toki, then Samurai Champloo, and finally Samurai 7. Granted, all of these titles feature master swordsmen, evil villains, and long-winded quests. But despite all these similarities, there's one thing that distinguishes Champloo from the crowd. Simply put, it's style. While Samurai 7 portrays the samurai as an honorable profession that cares for the poor and needy, Champloo portrays the samurai as expert mercenaries for hire. In fact, the question of morals never enters the picture -- in this episode, Mugen chooses his profession due to a challenge of skills, and, when given the choice, Jin decides to resolve a situation by force instead of pacifism. When it comes down to it, Mugen and Jin seem uncannily similar to the bounty hunters of Cowboy Bebop -- although our protagonists have a unique calling to the blade, they both work outside the regimented boundaries of both law and tradition. As proven before, this nonchalant manner works extremely well in this situation. Unlike the rigid demarcations found in, say, Peace Maker Kurogane, our heroes are fiercely independent and, for the most part, do what they want to do. This attitude comes through quite strongly in this series, not only through the actions and fight scenes, but also through the wicked hip-hop soundscape and snarky choreography. These guys are rebels, and they aren't afraid to defy the rest of the genre. In any case, this series is definitely becoming one of the top titles of this season -- it's quite refreshing to see such an awesome trio of anti-heroes, and when you take into account the superb polish, it's clear that this title has a chance of being as good as Cowboy Bebop itself. * * * disagree? read 9 comments! * * * Related Reviews
|
 |  |
      |
