SAMURAI CHAMPLOO: VOLUME 2
May 22nd 2009 23:06
Category: Videos, Television
Original plan: Manglobe
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Chief Scriptwriter: Shinji Obara
Producers: Takatoshi Hamamo, Takashi Kochiyama & Tetsuro Satomi
Starring: David Wittenberg, Wendee Lee, Kari Wahlgren, Tony Oliver, Michael McConnohie, Lex Lang, John Daniels, Melodee M Spevack, Steve Kramer, Barbara Goodson & Kirk Thornton
Produced by: Fuji Television, Manglobe, Shimoigusa Champloos
English Version by: Geneon Entertainment USA in association with Bang Zoom Entertainment
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 100 minutes Rating: MA 15
In the grand scheme of things Samurai Champloo is one of those rarest of creatures, an anime series that was spawned straight up, one that was cooked up in the studios of its associated creators with much spicy goodness and chutzpah rather than being actually based upon a popular manga. This particular volume came to me courtesy of a good friend of mine, Dave, who generously loaned it to me so that it could be exposed to the scrutiny of the eternal emerald gaze of the Green Lantern and the results of said scrutiny then passed onto you the audience. The first time I ever saw this particular series it was on SBS on a Saturday night, if memory serves me correctly, at an ungodly hour, either after Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex or just before it. Ahhh halcyon days or perhaps nights might be the more appropriate phrase.
So just what is this particular anime all about, well assuming you have not read my review of the initial opening episodes of this series I’ll give you a bit of run down on what’s happening. Essentially according to the director of the series and one of its creators, Shinichiro Watanabe, Samurai Champloo is in essence a road trip movie, albeit one significantly different from most similar styles of features spawned in the back lots of Hollywood. The place is Japan, the time is set loosely, and I mean very loosely, in the Tokugawa era of Japanese history. Three characters are embarked on a quest to find a samurai who smells of sunflowers, Fuu, Mugen and Jin. The later two are under an obligation to Fuu for saving their lives and it is only this reason that has them tagging along with Fuu, a ditzy former waitress and the one person out of the trio who is genuinely interested in finding this sunflower samurai.
Why does she want to find this sunflower samurai? Well who knows, it wasn’t revealed in the opening episodes and it certainly isn’t enlightened upon in these particular ones either. What we do get is some insight into the background of Jin, the ronin samurai, as well as little slice of what Tokugawa Edo looked like and felt like at the height of Shogunate’s power. There are four separate stories within this particular volume that range from the farcical and fantastic to truly heart rendering sadness and pathos, all in all it just demonstrates that the individuals who created the series are able to be incredibly flexible with their storylines and the characters themselves are also able to adapt to the differing circumstances in which they find themselves dropped.
The drama strangely all beings with a lesson in art and artists by a Japanese police official attempting to bust a slave ring operating in the locality where he is posted. This particular official is very knowledgeable about the artists Van Gogh and Gauguin, which considering his particular period of history seems rather strange as both artists lived a hundred or so years before the events of this episode. Still that’s Samurai Champloo, the magical realism of the whole affair rather than detracting from its intent only adds to its appeal – after all the makers are intent on telling a story, not on painting a perfect historical picture. Naturally in mentioning Van Gogh the topic of sunflowers crops up, like it would, and this in turn maintains the running leitmotif of the entire saga – the samurai who smells of sunflowers.
In order to earn some cash for herself and her layabout comrades Fuu agrees to model for an ukiyo-e painter, but is all something so much more sinister. The painter is part, albeit reluctantly, of the slave ring that is kidnapping young girls, bundling them into barrels and shipping them out to the European ships sitting at anchor in the bay. This is all in breach of treaty by everyone concerned, the Europeans should only be anchoring and trading at Nagasaki and the local Japanese shouldn’t be trading with the Europeans at all, obviously someone at the top is in on the game but whom? And just how is the scheme being run and from where? Strangely without putting to much effort into it all Jin whilst engaged in shogi with an aged old man manages to gain the most from this rather farcical enterprise, winning a bag full of gold into the process.
From ukiyo-e paintings and slave rings the drama moves onto eating contests, wandering Dutchmen and the revelation that Jin used to be known in his younger days as the Edo Tour Man. A fact that draws bemused glances from Fuu and Mugen; as well as few disbelieving remarks from the wild man from Ryukyu. Still all Jin is concerned with is retrieving his two swords which were used as collateral for the free to enter into the eating contest and were then lost to the huge redheaded blue eyed Dutchman, who constantly attempts to claim he is actually Japanese and everyone else apart from Jin, Fuu and Mugen seem not to notice the incongruity of this. It only becomes remarked upon when officials of the Shogunate question various individuals about a large stranger and mention the fact do they then say something of the lines of “What you mean that guy was a foreigner?” Possibly a subtle dig at the fact that in Japanese anime and manga no one looks ‘Japanese’, thus how can this strange Dutchman not fit in as he looks in reality no different from anyone else.
All in all Samurai Champloo Volume 2 just shows how you take various historical elements, fuse them with contemporary language and pop culture and produce a series that is a real entertainer. In fact if it didn’t have that unique mix of elements I seriously doubt it would be anywhere half as good as what it is, it certainly wouldn’t be no where near as humorous. So if you have any time on your hands my advice is see if you can get your hands on a copy of this tasty treat, stick it in your DVD player or computer, press play and sit back and enjoy – possibly with a nice tall glass of some amber fluid and a few tasty little nibblies….ahhh bliss.
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Chief Scriptwriter: Shinji Obara
Producers: Takatoshi Hamamo, Takashi Kochiyama & Tetsuro Satomi
Starring: David Wittenberg, Wendee Lee, Kari Wahlgren, Tony Oliver, Michael McConnohie, Lex Lang, John Daniels, Melodee M Spevack, Steve Kramer, Barbara Goodson & Kirk Thornton
Produced by: Fuji Television, Manglobe, Shimoigusa Champloos
English Version by: Geneon Entertainment USA in association with Bang Zoom Entertainment
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 100 minutes Rating: MA 15
In the grand scheme of things Samurai Champloo is one of those rarest of creatures, an anime series that was spawned straight up, one that was cooked up in the studios of its associated creators with much spicy goodness and chutzpah rather than being actually based upon a popular manga. This particular volume came to me courtesy of a good friend of mine, Dave, who generously loaned it to me so that it could be exposed to the scrutiny of the eternal emerald gaze of the Green Lantern and the results of said scrutiny then passed onto you the audience. The first time I ever saw this particular series it was on SBS on a Saturday night, if memory serves me correctly, at an ungodly hour, either after Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex or just before it. Ahhh halcyon days or perhaps nights might be the more appropriate phrase.
The drama strangely all beings with a lesson in art and artists by a Japanese police official attempting to bust a slave ring operating in the locality where he is posted. This particular official is very knowledgeable about the artists Van Gogh and Gauguin, which considering his particular period of history seems rather strange as both artists lived a hundred or so years before the events of this episode. Still that’s Samurai Champloo, the magical realism of the whole affair rather than detracting from its intent only adds to its appeal – after all the makers are intent on telling a story, not on painting a perfect historical picture. Naturally in mentioning Van Gogh the topic of sunflowers crops up, like it would, and this in turn maintains the running leitmotif of the entire saga – the samurai who smells of sunflowers.
In order to earn some cash for herself and her layabout comrades Fuu agrees to model for an ukiyo-e painter, but is all something so much more sinister. The painter is part, albeit reluctantly, of the slave ring that is kidnapping young girls, bundling them into barrels and shipping them out to the European ships sitting at anchor in the bay. This is all in breach of treaty by everyone concerned, the Europeans should only be anchoring and trading at Nagasaki and the local Japanese shouldn’t be trading with the Europeans at all, obviously someone at the top is in on the game but whom? And just how is the scheme being run and from where? Strangely without putting to much effort into it all Jin whilst engaged in shogi with an aged old man manages to gain the most from this rather farcical enterprise, winning a bag full of gold into the process.
From ukiyo-e paintings and slave rings the drama moves onto eating contests, wandering Dutchmen and the revelation that Jin used to be known in his younger days as the Edo Tour Man. A fact that draws bemused glances from Fuu and Mugen; as well as few disbelieving remarks from the wild man from Ryukyu. Still all Jin is concerned with is retrieving his two swords which were used as collateral for the free to enter into the eating contest and were then lost to the huge redheaded blue eyed Dutchman, who constantly attempts to claim he is actually Japanese and everyone else apart from Jin, Fuu and Mugen seem not to notice the incongruity of this. It only becomes remarked upon when officials of the Shogunate question various individuals about a large stranger and mention the fact do they then say something of the lines of “What you mean that guy was a foreigner?” Possibly a subtle dig at the fact that in Japanese anime and manga no one looks ‘Japanese’, thus how can this strange Dutchman not fit in as he looks in reality no different from anyone else.
All in all Samurai Champloo Volume 2 just shows how you take various historical elements, fuse them with contemporary language and pop culture and produce a series that is a real entertainer. In fact if it didn’t have that unique mix of elements I seriously doubt it would be anywhere half as good as what it is, it certainly wouldn’t be no where near as humorous. So if you have any time on your hands my advice is see if you can get your hands on a copy of this tasty treat, stick it in your DVD player or computer, press play and sit back and enjoy – possibly with a nice tall glass of some amber fluid and a few tasty little nibblies….ahhh bliss.
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