Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

hinichiro Watanabe's film noir-ish sci-fi adventure Cowboy Bebop set a new standard for cool in anime in 1998, and Samurai Champloo, an edgy mix of Edo-era martial arts and hip-hop irreverence, is a worthy follow-up. A string of coincidences brings together three misfits in a two-bit tea house: Mugen, a rebellious vagabond; Jin, a taciturn ronin; and Fuu, a nutty waitress. The sardonic Mugen lacks the polish that distinguishes a classic martial artist--he uses break dance spins and flips against his foes. Jin moves with a polish that approaches iciness: When he unsheathes his sword, he becomes a lethal work of art in motion. Fuu forces Jin and Mugen to help her find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sun flowers." As the ill-assorted trio wanders towards Nagasaki, Watanabe treats the audiences to a string of outrageous, anachronistic adventures. In Episode 18, Mugen belatedly learns to read at a smackdown elementary school, while Jin tries to settle the rivalry between the heirs to the dojo of his former sensei. The seemingly unrelated storylines collide in a no-holds-barred graffiti contest featuring Tokugawa rap lyrics, ink-brush tagging, Hiroshima homeboys, and a caricature of Andy Warhol. But Watanabe reveals the hidden significance of these nutty interludes when he brings his picaresque adventure-comedy to a close. Like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo leaves the viewer wanting more. (Rated 16 and older: violence, violence against women, profanity, brief nudity, sexual situations, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon The Pacific [Blu-ray] (2010) Courageous (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (2011) The Walking Dead: Season One [Blu-ray] Saturday Night Fever [Blu-ray] (1977) Braveheart (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] (1995) Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season [Blu-ray] (2010) Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] (2010) Mad Men: Season Three [Blu-ray] (2010) Lost in Translation [Blu-ray] (2003) An Affair to Remember [Blu-ray Book] (1957) The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (3-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] Mad Men: Season One [Blu-ray] (2011) Apocalypse Now (Apocalypse Now / Apocalypse Now Redux / Hearts of Darkness) (Three-Disc Full Disclosure Edition) [Blu-ray] (1979) Pulp Fiction [Blu-ray] (1994)