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Samurai Champloo 6July 21, 2004Title: Stranger Searching Our heroes enter an eating competition in Edo.
After meeting a foreigner, they all go sightseeing.
Finally, our heroes frolic in the hay.
The End * * * RATING: C Without a doubt, the creators of Samurai Champloo are excellent at imbuing a production with humor. Although it was wholly unanticipated, it was amusing to see Fuu at an eating competition (see Kabitzin's comments), and, to top it off, the psychotic Dutchman was hilarious, especially in his ironic comparisons between BL and bushido. Still, although it's definitely a pleasure to watch Champloo, one wishes that the title would start working on character and plot development. At present, we're nearly a quarter through this series, but we've learned nearly nothing about the mysterious "sunflower samurai". Although this is tolerable in its own right, it's a shame to see that so little time and effort is spent on developing this central plot line -- our clues so far are both vague and unsubstantial. While this itself is troublesome, it's even more worrying to notice that there is absolutely *no* chemistry between our three main characters. Quite frankly, it seems that Mugen and Jin are merely Fuu's hired bodyguards, instead of her friends. Although it's possible that this group will meld in subsequent episodes, it's disconcerting to notice that the strongest relationship right now is not between our three protagonists, but rather between Fuu and her flying squirrel. Aside from these issues, it must be said that Champloo offers a rollicking ride through feudal Japan. This season seems to be exceptionally good for all samurai fans out there, and with the Gonzo's outstanding Samurai 7 available, there's plenty of choice out there for similarly-minded viewers. * * * disagree? read 15 comments! * * * Related Reviews
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