MOJ

A few times in your life you stumble upon a masterpiece which makes you forget about the brain dead boring animes you have been forcing yourself to watch during the past few days... Samurai Champloo is one such anime for me. Even though there were lose ends, i absolutley loved it. It is one of the precious few series in which the ending was to my liking. Though confusing and unrealistic at some points, it is more than a mere "must watch".

Story

As far as the story goes, it is pretty simple. This girl named Fuu meets two samurai in a coffee shop and convinces them to help her find a "samurai who smells like sunflowers" after they burn down the place fighting each other over who is better. That is basicly the main story and though this may sound boring, almost each episode has its own little story to keep you busy. It is very easy to guess how each episode will turn out to be and the twists (if there even are any) didn't work.  There are some episodes which would of been better if left out completly. Also the producers tried to mix in some futuristic stuff with the story and it didn't work out very well (quite annoying actually...like the fat "secret police" officer from the future). Overall it is simple yet really likable at the same time.

Animation

Animation was spectacular. Fight scenes were amazing and looked very real for once (almost accurate amount of gore and blood). effects were also very well done. Loved the way they blended modern day pop culture with the style of drawing. It gave a unique look to the whole thing. The characters were actually drawn good for once and matched with the personality given to them (like Mugen was said to be a "wild, stray dog" and when you look at him, you can see that they tried to make his features resemble a wild dog) Even if you can't find any other reason to watch this anime...watch it for the animation.

Sound

I almost never care about the sound in animes but this needs praise. The sound was a wonderful mix of hip hop and traditional music (mostly hip hop). The opening song was average at best but the ending song was just plain GREAT.

Characters

To me the main focus was created on the characters present and not the past. They were given some depth but nothing special. The main attraction is the their attitude to the world, those around them and themselves. They fit thier description and personality in everyway. Mugen is tough, perverted and careless. Jin/Gene is silent, thoughtful yet cold. Fuu is just clumsy and pretty. The thing i liked is that they always do whats best for themselves with little care on how it would affect their companions. The two samurais are always at each others throats while Fuu tries to keep them together. The "brotherhood" bond created between Jin and Mugen only arises because they both want to be the one to kill the other and they won't let anyone else do it. They end up protecting each others back more than stabbing it. Of course the "true" rivalry occurs when they all sit down for dinner...

Conclusion

Some episodes ruined the "fun streak" for me but overall it is an extremly enjoyable and unique experience. I recommend it to all.