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While the classic series often dominates discussions about the best anime in history, its artistic counterpart, the iconic series, warrants comparable acclaim. The influence of this historical epic remains relevant today, most recently in Sony's premier Ghost of Tsushima line.

A Deeper Homage

This month's the new sequel, the successor to the original PlayStation 5 exclusive, enriches its nod to samurai cinema with the inclusion of Kurosawa Mode. This option offers monochrome graphics, vintage film look, and old-school sound. New options include Takashi Miike Mode, which focuses the view and intensifies blood and mud; and the anime-inspired mode, featuring a lo-fi hip-hop score influenced by the anime director’s vision.

For those curious about the second one, Watanabe is the visionary responsible for the jazz-heavy Cowboy Bebop and the hip-hop-driven the Edo-era adventure, among other notable anime.

Mixing Time Periods

Watanabe’s 2004 show the groundbreaking series combines feudal Japan with hip-hop culture and contemporary attitudes. It tells the story of the unlikely trio of Mugen, a untamed and erratic fighter; Jin, a reserved and formal ronin; and Fuu, a courageous young woman who hires them on her quest to find “the samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

While the audio landscape is ultimately his work, much of Champloo’s music was shaped by renowned musician Nujabes, who died in 2010 at the age of 36. Nujabes earns his recognition alongside Watanabe when it comes to the audio the anime is renowned for and pays homage to in Ghost of Yotei.

Artistic Blending

Much of what made Samurai Champloo stand out on the late-night block was its seamless blending of hip-hop and Asian culture. That combination has been a fixture in the music scene since the classic album in 1993, which itself stems from an whole cohort maturing on martial arts films with the martial arts legend and the iconic actor.

For many, Adult Swim and the anime served as an gateway to underground music, with producers like Nujabes, the rapper, and the electronic artist, the latter of whom went on to score the Netflix anime the historical series.

Artistic Narration

Artistic and meaningful, the series' intro sequence introduces the main characters through symbolic creatures in the visuals — the wild one struts like a bird, while Jin moves with the serene, elegant posture of a carp. Although Champloo’s central characters are the highlight of the series, its supporting cast are where the real soul of the anime lies.

There’s pickpocket the young character, who has a lonely story of perseverance in episode 7, and another character named the guard, whose encounters with the wild swordsman change him profoundly that Yamane ends up in his diaries years later. In the eleventh episode, “Gamblers and Gallantry,” the ronin develops feelings with a spouse forced into sex work named Shino and aids her flight from a establishment.

A Cohesive Journey

At initial view, the full season appears to tell a episodic adventure of the characters' quest to finding the Sunflower Samurai, but as Samurai Champloo progresses, happenings from previous episodes begin to merge to form a single, cohesive narrative. Every experience our protagonists undergo along the way has an influence on both the characters and the overall narrative.

Historical Roots

The series also draws from feudal Japanese events (the same time period as the game), seen through Watanabe’s imaginative take. Incidents like the feudal conflict and places such as the Hakone Checkpoint (which Yamane watches over) are embedded in the story.

In the beginning, woodblock printer Hishikawa Moronobu shows up and briefly fixates on Fuu as his muse. After she declines his offer, his work eventually falls into the hands of the famous painter, who, in the series' creative version, is motivated to create his famous sunflower paintings.

Lasting Influence

All of these aspects tie directly into the anime's soundtrack, giving this samurai story the kind of singular style that other productions have long sought to achieve. Series like Afro Samurai (featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA), Tokyo Tribe, and the Netflix original all attempted to mirror its fusion of music and visuals, but with diminishing returns.

the sequel has the chance to continue from where the classic anime ended, sparking a fresh surge of influence much like the anime once did. If you’re starting the game, it’s worth watching Champloo, because without it, there’d be no “the special setting,” no surge of urban-music-inspired shows, and no lasting legacy of the producer, from which the influence originates.