Quick Review: Samurai Shamploo
The creators of the greatest Anime TV series ever, Cowboy Bebop, have returned with an excellente new concoction. Though it lacks Bebop's sheer perfection, this new series, "Samurai Shamploo", looks to be a killer thrill ride all the same.
The premise is fairly simple, a young orphan girl sets out to find a "Samurai who smells like sunflowers". To help/protect her in her travels she has enlisted a pair of samurai. Unfortunately, the two samurai not only don't want to work for her, the also desperately want to kill each other. Yeah. Samurai #1 (it's 6am and names escape me right now) is a wild man. He lives to fight for the sheer satisfaction of bloody combat. His utterly unique fighting style looks like a blend of swordfighting, brawling, and breakdancing (that's right, you heard me). Samurai #2 is, of course, his polar opposite. He is calm, quiet, and studious, and only seeks the perfection of the blade. His fighting style is of the "one draw/one kill" school. It's like chocolate and vanilla ice cream together in the same bucket.
The introductory DVD features 4 episodes. Episode 1 has the traditional introduction to the characters and premise. Episode 2 features our crew versus a quartet of assassins. And Episodes 3 and 4 feature our group becoming briefly separated and having a string of adventures in a town run by rival Yakuza gangs.
The mood of the series is, for the most part, fairly irreverant. The fight scenes fucking kick fucking ass. The characterizations are spot on (much like Bebop, the characters only have the thinest facade of comraderie). If I'm gonna complain about anything, it's the soundtrack, which is inexplicably full of rap and hip-hop. Oh well, a minor flaw in what is otherwise one of the best Anime I've seen in quite some time.
The premise is fairly simple, a young orphan girl sets out to find a "Samurai who smells like sunflowers". To help/protect her in her travels she has enlisted a pair of samurai. Unfortunately, the two samurai not only don't want to work for her, the also desperately want to kill each other. Yeah. Samurai #1 (it's 6am and names escape me right now) is a wild man. He lives to fight for the sheer satisfaction of bloody combat. His utterly unique fighting style looks like a blend of swordfighting, brawling, and breakdancing (that's right, you heard me). Samurai #2 is, of course, his polar opposite. He is calm, quiet, and studious, and only seeks the perfection of the blade. His fighting style is of the "one draw/one kill" school. It's like chocolate and vanilla ice cream together in the same bucket.
The introductory DVD features 4 episodes. Episode 1 has the traditional introduction to the characters and premise. Episode 2 features our crew versus a quartet of assassins. And Episodes 3 and 4 feature our group becoming briefly separated and having a string of adventures in a town run by rival Yakuza gangs.
The mood of the series is, for the most part, fairly irreverant. The fight scenes fucking kick fucking ass. The characterizations are spot on (much like Bebop, the characters only have the thinest facade of comraderie). If I'm gonna complain about anything, it's the soundtrack, which is inexplicably full of rap and hip-hop. Oh well, a minor flaw in what is otherwise one of the best Anime I've seen in quite some time.
5 Comments:
Well, to explain away the rap, believe it or not, that's what's up and coming on the Asian music front. The BBC had an article on it the other day. Mostly, they talked about rap in China, which is sort of like punk in the mid 80's...where the 'bad boys' go that want to buck the system...but there was some comparison of Chinese vs. Japanese rap that said something like Japanese rap was more influenced by American gangster style. So that's that.
I was gonna recommend heading on over to animearigato.com for some cheap boxed set action, but it looks like they dumped the 'imported' DVDs and now only carry domestic copies. Man, that pisses me off. One Piece isn't even a purchasing option anymore, even though they still sell it. Looks like they've still go bootlegged, I mean imported, movies though.
wow man, you're pretty dense if you can't appreciate what they're doing with the hip-hop element in this cartoon. but i'm feeling generous so i'll drop you a hint, it's a parallel to cowboy bebops jazz elements, even if you don't dig hip-hop you still gotta respect what their doing fusing too revelutionary new genres (their style of animation and that style of music). it's fucking brilliant.
Ashley Riley
Chicago, Illinois
The show is amazing!!! I love Samurai Shamploo! The beginning music and the ending music are just right for the show. Tonight (Saturday, November 26, 2005) episode was very good! Im happy that adult swim is showing new episodes.
just to say his name is logan...
i have to agree with lucas on this one, this shit is awesome!
Post a Comment
<< Home