Take one part Cowboy Bebop, mix it with an ounce of Trigun then drink 23 cups of coffee and you're ready to go.

It's a sci-fi/western/cat and mouse huckjam which follows the adventures of an elite pseudo space pirate named "Mister"... Mister? Really? That's the best you could do? Mister is searching for a lost fortune left by the now deceased Pirate King "Bruce"... BRUCE? Are you for real? Bruce is the name of my garbage man, not a Pirate King!

Anyway, moving along. The animation is amongst the best I have seen for a while. The colour and sharpness of picture is excellent. The character designs are overall very good. Madame Marciano's 12 sisters, named after each month of a calendar year, are similar yet distinguishable and some of them are just plain saucy!

Considering that I have only viewed volume 1 of the series it is hard to say where the story line will go. I can only assume from what I viewed that the series although shallow in depth of story would be a great series for action, purdy pictures and even purdier lasses.

 

Samurai Champloo is the follow up to Shinichiro Watanabe's much revered Cowboy Bebop. Champloo, roughly translated as "mix" in Okinawa, takes a step outside of the usual and frankly stale samurai genre. Infusing an awesome hip-hop soundtrack to back up classic Edo era back drops.

The action sequences are arguably some of the best that I have seen in a series full stop. The animation itself is vibrant, crisp and down right incredible. I applaud Watanabe's decision to steer clear of Gonzo-esque CG sequences. This decision made way for some of the best and most beautiful classically animated sequences and in particular back grounds of recent years. Certain shots of water at night time are amazing.



Character designs are exceptional and varied with supporting characters receiving just as much attention from their conceptual designers and animators as our three main protagonists Mugen, Fuu and Jin. While the story itself is strong, strengthening from the first quarter onwards before tying up all loose ends for the finale, something rarely achieved by most anime series.

History buffs may very well turn up their noses at the historical inconsistencies abounding from Champloo. Just keep in mind, it's an animated TV show, not a documentary. Taking artistic liberty is easily forgiven for a series that rivals, but not quite outshines, its predecessor Cowboy Bebop.

Champloo is available across 7 individual discs or in a perfect box set from the Comic Shop.

 

It is the year 2071. Spike Spiegel is a type of bounty hunter also known as a Cowboy. His motives are ruled by the holy dollar and his history is questionable at best. He survives day to day, scraping by not only monetarily but physically as well. His partners in the war against crime: Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein, the genetically engineered dog, assist in his interplanetary bounty hunting bonanza.

The planet Earth has experienced a mass exodus due to a catastrophic accident that has left behind only those too poor to move off world. This leaves your paupers, criminals and general miscreants to run amok in a desolate den of nil justice. This suits Spike and his team just fine, how else could they afford all that Ramen?

Cowboy Bebop is somewhat of a paradox in regards to its genre, style and theme. From episode to episode you could very well go from rolling on the floor in stitches (ROFLMAO for all you net fiends) to convincing your friends that you have dust in your eye (an oldie but a goodie).



Stylistically speaking Cowboy Bebop is and was head and shoulders above anything released around the same time. The use of retro/future tech is nothing new to Anime (Last Exile) but Bebop gets it done better than most. The retro look reaffirms the feeling that Earth is a lost hope. Even down to Spike's bangin' 1970's beatnik suit.

All of this is sustained by the support of outstanding cast and writing teams. In response to all of the Anime-elite out there, I don't care what you say, the dub is excellent.

Yoko Kanno's music direction and score is most definitely one of the highlights of the series. It covers all genres from electronica to jazz and from metal to spoken word. If you ever get the chance, go out and buy this soundtrack. It is at worst, incredible.

Bebop is worth the watch, whether you are a fan of comedy, light-sci fi, action or just like pretty pictures.

Cowboy Bebop Remix, with enhanced 5.1 surround sound and all new previously unreleased special features, is available now at the Comic Shop.