And funny I only started writing stuff AFTER the whole thing has ended. There'll be little anxiety in this entry because the ending set our heart at peace. Our great heroes lived to embrace each of their new journey. After successfully riding themselves of the ghosts in the past, they now set out on a refreshing new life, knowing they've found something precious from the destined journey which fosters an unbreakably tender bond between the trio. Awwww, how touching.
Ok now i shall start my wholesome review properly.
First of All
The Players! The samurais!
Name:
Fuu, the kanji character means 'wind', kaze, which goes well Fuu's character. She's gentle and being the only female in the 'champloo group', her easy going nature is somewhat soothing and pleasant.
Age: 15
Costume & Accessories:
1.Pinkish kimono with a knot tied to the front (usu for young girls I heard, sometimes for prostitues coz it's easier for them to untie n undress, unlike married or what they call 'decent' women who have knots tied to the back. Oops i wandered off the topic) and also normal looking wooden sandals
2.Momo-san , the grey-back flying squirrel which has a patch of lighter coloured creamish fur on her stomach and also a X shaped scar (scar? well i assume it's a scar). The most amazing thing about this squirrel is, she tends to disappear in times of crisis and when Fuu most needs her and reappears out of no where. For example in the last episode, momo-san's never around when Fuu's kidnapped n beaten, but comes back (from??) in the end where they're about to part ways.
3.Pinkish Kanto (a short dagger)
Well, everything about her is kind of pink. But it's a very beautiful Kanto with a linqour cylindrical-shaped shiled, with lots of nitty gritty accessories dangling from it (a skull in which a christian cross could be seen inside, and a dog)
on the right is Fuu's kanto, not very clear
picture taken from Amalgam episode 6 guide
Character-wise:
very bubbly and energetic, wide-eyed. One word : cute
complains a lot (especially in episode 12 disordered diaries, she uses lots of 'mo', i guess it means 'geez' 'what the hell' along that line)
She eats a lot!! and the amazing thing is, she bloats up twice her original size after a BIG MEAL and even her voice changes after she bloats up!! It sounds totally hilarious. [All pictures here taken from Amalgam Episodic Guide]
from episode 6 stranger searching
the trio participated in the 'Fourth Annual Eating Contest' in Edo, Fuu could have won the title if not for the annoying fly which made her clap her hands, a gesture taken to be a 'give-up' sign.
from episode 15 bogus booty
Turns out to be a bonus blessing! Fuu (fat version) was seen with Mugen n Jin who later got into trouble. The bunch of evil doers wanted to deal away with Fuu as well and asked around passers-by if they saw a fat girl of around this n that age. And they even asked Fuu herself!(already shrank back to normal size) 'Have u seen a fat girl about your age?' 'No'Fuu answered innocently
from episode 23 baseball blues
Relationships:
with Mugen & Jin: They're the 'nakamas', comrades more like it. Jin's more like the big brother in the group, silent n composed. Mugen quarrels a lot. Fuu's the little sister who's forever annoyed about the stupid doings of the two bakaish guys.
to be continued...
A summary of samurai champloo [including the ending, spoiler-full]Well, actually i've already spit out the ending haven't I?
There goes.
Fuu, a 15 year old energetic girl (chubby in the face, kawaii ne) finally decided to set out on a journey to find the samurai with sunflower smell. A little bit of insight, Fuu's mum died of disease years back and Fuu had been working in a teahouse which was burnt down to the ground the day a bunch of annoying people (including our main characters Mugen & Jin) came and used the teahouse as their 'battle field'. Left homeless, Fuu decided to embark on the adventure, with the help from Jin and Mugen. So the trio travelled and the journey was never smooth. Mainly because, in my opinion, Jin and Mugen are equally hopeless and lousy 'bodyguards' to Fuu who was constantly kidnapped and used as bait/hostage. And Mugen who has a big attitude to almost everything and everyone (esp. Jin) never lived a day without troubles it seemd. They followed Fuu's lead and came to Nagasaki where the sunflower samurai was roumoured to be sighted. Things got complicated into the last 3 episodes[Evanescent Encounter part 1, 2 and 3] as they finally reached Nagasaki. It was introduced in previous episode(#21 if i'm not wrong) that Sunflower Samurai is in fact Fuu's father who left the family when Fuu was still small in pursuit of Christianity. He was probably the leader of the early Christianity movement which was brutally surpressed by the government and all activies were conducted underground in discrete. However, the magistrate regarded such 'deviant' movement as an eyesore and threat to the government's rule so they sent out a highly skilled samurai to kill Fuu's father and later Fuu. The man's called Kariya who deliberately let his prey guide him to the liar. That is to say, he let Fuu guide him to sunflower samurai's hideout and it worked. On the way to assassing sunflower samurai, Kariya had to settle Jin and Mugen.
It turned out the death of Jin's master was partly Kariya's evil doing. Kariya wanted to turn Enshiro's (Jin's sword teacher) school into a place where they would train assassins for the magistrate. In that era, the way of samurai was gradually dying as the cvil war ended and guns n powders took over. Sword schools were disappearing or taken over by government as was the fate of Enshiro's. However Jin resented the idea. Kariya thus ordered Enshiro to kill his own student but in self defense (sighs, Jin's wayyyy too good), Jin killed Enshiro who attacked Jin in his dorm at nightfall. (I suppose Jin couldn't really recognize the 'assassin' in the dark and just blindly defended himself until he realized he had killed his own master)
And now Jin met Kariya. Was he able to take revenge for himself and also for his master? Jin's life had been on the run ever since he killed Enshiro and that's also the reason why he wore glasses (funny) as a disguise.
Directing our attention to Mugen, three 'perverts' from his past chased him down for Mugen mutilated the body of one of the brothers back when he belonged to that small island where sinners dwelled. The 3 perverts (i'll just call them 'Team Ugly', as coined by members of Swords n Sunflowers forum) kidnapped Fuu (again!!) to get Mugen. Mugen set Fuu free but put himself in an almost fatal preposition. The fight of life n death continued.
And Fuu finally met her own father who was bedridden and on the edge of death. Fuu spilled out all the sorrows she and her mum had been through. She could have punched his father for her mum's sake but he was already so weak. The encounter was short and sad (his father after giving his final words, was killed by Kariya who defeated Jin and got to Fuu) but the purpose of the journey was fulfilled and Fuu felt contented that she finally saw her own father's face and that her father in fact love his family very much.
So what happend to Jin, Mugen and Fuu who was later threatend to be killed by Kariya? Mugen fought his own battle with Team Ugly and survived, while Jin came to Fuu's rescue despite being severely wounded by Kariya in their first confrontaton. The trio survived and after everything quieted down, on a sunny morning, they stood at the crossroad bidding each other farewell. Before parting ways, Fuu spilled that she tricked them into this journey.
'Remember I said if the coin turned out head, you guys could fight with each other all you want but if it was tail, you two have to accompany me on this journey?'
'Well, actually, it was head.'
'Geez, she tricked us.'
'Well, that's it. See you again someday'
With these words, the trio went their separate way as the music started to play.
It was sooooo moving n refreshing. I don't think I could find a proper way to express it. The ending music is from the rap group called 'midicronica', song titled 'san fransico'. It's a light beat happy song chosen for the parting. No sadness, no regrets. 'Get up get up get up and walking, good day and good sunshine'. Fuu lived her wish of seeing her father, a wish she made to the devine gods when she prayed with her mum in front of the temple. Mugen thought he'd kill anyone who's stronger than himself but he no longer felt that way anymore. His heart was finally at peace, with himself and with his daunted past. Jin had been alone all this while, fighting for himself, his skills supreme but his strength baselss. But now for the first time in his life, he thought he had friends, that he could have comrades. Each carries with them that piece of treasure as they set out on the new journey ahead. 'Mata itsu ka', Fuu says, 'till we meet again.'
Twice during the journey they parted, only to be united again by fate. Will they, just like in the past, be destined to meet again some day? For me, whether they meet or again or not doesn't matter anymore. With heart's fulfilment and warm memories of each other and of the journey surging inside of them,, they'll be courageous enough to face anything with lightened spirits, knowing they've emerged from their cacoons to embrace the wind, the fragrance of spring flowers, and that hope which idly floats in the bluest sky beyond the path they ride on.
I rewinded the ending theme, heard their goodbyes, saw that sadly lingering smile on Fuu's face, and the sparkling hope in her eyes, or was it trick of the morning sun? Mugen and Jin stood still for a while, watching Fuu walking away, then with a final glance, walked the opposite path. And the light beat music that sets ur heart flutter. There're a couple of eye catches as the 'camera' zooms in on Mugen and Jin's separate paths.
Mugen's walking along a grassy path in the village and a bird (the same bird from #17 lullabies of the lost[verse 2], probably a Japanese Robin as suggested by a member in Swords & Sunflowers forum) watched him with the same deadly composed eyes, a gaze from another world. Different from the death god's stare in episode 17 though, this time the robin seems to be watching him with thoughtful eyes, as if musing about something, then suddenly stirred n took flight, leaving the tree branch vibrating with force. We see the purple feathered bird circled freely in the sunlit sky, as if it's saying Mugen's finally escaped the shadows of his past and unchained.
Spread your wings and take flight!
Jin's walking along a narrow road one side of which's flanked by a row of Buddha statues, chided away by age and looked strangely serene. I guess Jin has finally found his peace of mind, that 'Zen' state of mind, true freedom. I remember in episode 12 - disorder diaries, in the flashback scene we saw the trio, each of them sort of 'confessed' to the monk their one of a lifetime wish and asked for guidance.
Here's the excerpt from Almalgam #12 episode guide
We see all three sitting in the temple where they stayed in #10, in cross-legged meditation postures: Jin's ruler-straight and scholarly, Fuu's less studied but dutiful, Mugen's a tangled slouch. They each get to ask the monk one question.
People are born free, they aren?t born to be bound by anything, says Jin. That?s what I?ve always thought. But isn?t that contrary to a warrior's duty? Freedom, the monk tells him, isn't something earned through suffering or pushing yourself. You must accept yourself just as you are and live according to the flow of things; that is true freedom.
I've been through so much trouble because of these two, says Fuu, that I wonder if I picked the right people to travel with. Every meeting, the monk tells her, is a chance of a lifetime. For you to have met and traveled with them is destiny, fate, no matter what you experience from now on.
Mugen just wants to know how he can become strong enough to beat Shuryuu, insults the monk?s bald head, and gets a thwack--no words of wisdom for you.
The ending echos well with it. Jin's finally free. Fuu never regrets the journey and Mugen is no longer concerned about whoever's stronger than him. And above all, the true meaning of this journey - that they learned friendship and were guided along by destiny and found what they were looking for, is most touching. Just like what the monk said to Fuu, 'every meeting, is a chance of a lifetime.' So true.
Oh I'm not sure if anyone noticed. The old man from the last episode, the 'servant' who took care of Fuu's father, made his debut appearance in the very first episode of samurai champloo. In the teahouse, the magistrate's son and his gangs were making fun of an old man who was scared stiff and spilled his tea. That's him! Only when I rewatched it did I realize. Isn't it funny.
The Adventure - Fun details
The threesome went through a lot of hassles, which could be roughly broken down into
(i) hunger/penniless
we hear stomach grumbles throughout the series and they're always out of money.
Mo... It's so troublesome to write a review. I always planned to write it brief n succinct but ALWAYS turned out explicitly detailed & long-winded. There're still so many things to fill in. I'm not even half-way through. And the summary sucks, urghhh, cries.
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list of stuff to add
basic facts about this series
- director shinichrio watanabe
- manglobe
- official links
- Jap seiyu n american cast
- character design, music, key animation etc, first airing time
character session
- Fuu: history, relationships(with the artist, the beatbox bandit baka, and more)
- Mugen
name, age, height, history, relationships(from the island, and the female ninja,
and sara...)
- Jin
name, age, height, history, relationships(shino, enchiro, kariya, his 'brother'
from the shoujo)
adventure session
- perpetually hungry
- Fuu constantly kidnapped
- 'anachronims'
- 'sidedish appearances'
geez, i'm sooooooooo worn out.SHALL NEVER ATTEMPT TO FINISH A REVIEW with just one attempt
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