Samurai Champloo Vol. 1 2004 Geneon Entertainment Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

It really was just a matter of time before anime made its way over onto UMD. While the launch of the PSP originally saw Columbia/Tr-Star as the only company interested in releasing films for the unit, and that really didn't have a shocking impact since Sony owns Columbia Pictures, but over the last couple of months, more and more companies have been showing their support for the PSP. I've actually been wondering just who would grace the growing UMD video market with the first anime releases, and low and behold, it's Geneon with quite a few things coming in the very near future.

Everyone has been talking about Samurai Champloo. I know it's all over the Cartoon Network, I have co-workers who keep telling me that I have to see it, but you have to also understand that with so many companies releasing anime these days, I can't cover everything (that's why we have other reviewers.) I did opt out of Samurai Champloo when the first volume was released on DVD, but now that it's become a little smaller, I suppose this is the best chance to at least take a look and find out if all of the ranting and raving is really accurate, or if it's just been hype that everyone has bought into.

Samurai Champloo is a period piece anime . . . . sort of. Okay, so it is set in feudal era Japan, but it's certainly not like anything that you might have seen in the Kenshin series or any of Akira Kurosawa's films. The series brings together the most unlikely trio. Do to circumstances beyond their control . . . . . wait a minute; they could have stopped what happened. Okay, so we meet Mugen and Jin, two ronin with a big attitude problem. You see, these guys are good, very good, and they are willing to take on anyone who dares to cross swords with them, for the right price usually. However, these two aren't necessarily on the same side. Being such fantastic swordsmen, the two find themselves at odds with one another immediately, and that leads to some major problems.

Both Mugen and Jin have already messed with the wrong people, and after their confrontation sets fire to a local teahouse, the two find themselves scheduled to be executed. Luckily, they have managed to attract the attention of Fuu, a former waitress of the teahouse who wants them to help her find a samurai that smells like sunflowers. However, Jin and Mugen really don't need much help in escaping, and while they would much rather finish their battle, Fuu manages to get them to work together . . . . at least for the time being.

A good deal of the hype has been around the fact that the director of Samurai Champloo, Shinichiro Watanabe, also was behind another fan favorite, Cowboy Bebop. I've never actually been a fan of Bebop and haven't quite been able to determine exactly why people think that the series is so cool. However, just because I'm not into that series doesn't mean that I'm going to immediately discount Champloo, after all, this isn't something that has Go Nagai involved with it, so there's a good chance that it's not going to be horrible from the very start. Sure enough, I have to admit, Samurai Champloo is cool.

This of course is from what could be called the new wave of anime, that being works that have been run through a computer to take care of the animation, but not necessarily using the computers themselves to try and add in visuals. The digital age really has changed the way that anime is done, and Samurai Champloo is a perfect example of what the new generation has to offer anime fans. While it may be a period piece, it certainly isn't what you might expect to find. The word cool has been used time and time again to describe the series, but I'd have to go with slick. The fights rock, the animation is outstanding if not jaw dropping at times, and Samurai Champloo has a vibe that's all it's own. I hate to even use the word, but just like it's been said, there is a hip-hop feel to the series. You will find a lot of rewinds, especially in the first episode, that blends and links scenes together. The fighting though, that's really the high point for me, especially Mugen, who happens to use a very unique combination of swordsmanship and caparella style fighting.

Usually we have seen the rather polite and nice approach in period era anime, but that's not so here. Mugen and Jin don't try and hide the fact that in reality, they just want to kill each other if they find the opportunity, but Fuu is the one who is keeping that for happening. Her real problem though tends to be that she isn't quite as seasoned when it comes to the ways of the world, and she's certainly got a lot of learn. I think that being with these two though is going to introduce her to quite a few things that she never even imagined where out there. Mugen tends to be the cool end of the spectrum, though a little hotheaded at times while Jin is a bit more calm and collected.

One thing that I haven't seen with UMD's, at least not thus far, is additional material. Instead you merely get the feature, though I have also heard that there are in fact a couple of releases that do include some bonus material. A UMD of course has less space that what a DVD would, but the compression ration used just for the video itself is fantastic. But, you aren't going to find any extra features on Samurai Champloo, and instead just two episodes. I really would love to see the amount of episodes increased to either three, or even four, and with two there at least should have been something as basic included as a clean version of the opening animation.

I'm a bit curious now that anime has made its way onto the PSP to see who is the first to release a collector's box or who figure out the right way to make the first ThinPak edition for the UMD's. That aside though, Samurai Champloo definitely is the right way to go if you're looking for anime for your PSP. It's slick, it's classy, and it's downright addictive to watch. I just wish that there were more than two episodes on the disc, but the demand for anime is certainly going to be there, and I'm sure as companies learn what can and can't be done with a UMD, I'm positive that we will begin to see a number of changes with what is available on one disc. Length aside, if you're an anime fan, if you own a PSP, this is a must have title.

Episode 1 - Tempestuous Temperaments

Mugen and Jin have a serious problem. The two swordsmen have crossed paths with the wrong group of people, they've found themselves at odds with one another, and now they have been incarcerated and are awaiting execution. It seems that only Fuu, a waitress from a local teahouse, may be their hope for escape.

Episode 2 - Redeye Reprisal

With the journey officially underway, the trio finds that things aren't going to be easy. A local village claims that an ogre has been terrorizing them, and Jin and Mugen have decided to go off in search of it. However, it seems that everything is merely a set up, and there are assassins waiting in the wings to end their trip as quickly as possible.
 

-mike-