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While the classic series often leads debates about the greatest anime ever made, its artistic counterpart, the iconic series, deserves equal praise. The influence of this period masterpiece remains relevant today, most recently in Sony's premier Ghost line.

A Deeper Homage

This month's the new sequel, the successor to the 2020 PlayStation 5 title, enhances its tribute to samurai cinema with the addition of the classic film mode. This feature offers monochrome graphics, film grain, and vintage audio. Fresh features include Takashi Miike Mode, which enhances visual clarity and intensifies blood and mud; and Shinichirō Watanabe Mode, featuring a lo-fi hip-hop score crafted under the anime director’s vision.

For those interested about the second one, Watanabe is the visionary behind the jazz-soaked Cowboy Bebop and the hip-hop-fueled Samurai Champloo, among other notable anime.

Fusing Past and Present

Watanabe’s 2004 series the groundbreaking series merges historical Japan with hip-hop culture and current perspectives. It tells the story of the unlikely trio of the wild swordsman, a reckless and spontaneous fighter; the calm ronin, a calm and disciplined ronin; and Fuu, a brave teenager who hires them on her journey to find “the samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

While the soundscape is fundamentally his creation, much of Champloo’s music was influenced by renowned musician the late artist, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 36. Nujabes earns his tribute together with Watanabe when it comes to the sound the anime is renowned for and references in Ghost of Yotei.

Artistic Blending

Much of what made Samurai Champloo distinguish itself on the Adult Swim lineup was its perfect fusion of urban music and Japanese heritage. That fusion has been a staple in urban art since Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, which itself was inspired by an group of youth growing up on martial arts films featuring Bruce Lee and the iconic actor.

For many, the programming block and Samurai Champloo served as an gateway to lo-fi/experimental hip-hop, with musicians like the beatmaker, the rapper, and Flying Lotus, the last one of whom went on to score the Netflix anime the historical series.

Stylized Storytelling

Stylized and symbolic, the series' intro sequence introduces the main characters through representative beasts in the background — the wild one moves confidently like a rooster, while the disciplined one moves with the serene, elegant posture of a koi. Although the show's protagonists are the highlight of the series, its secondary characters are where the true heart of the anime resides.

There’s pickpocket Shinsuke, who has a heartbreaking background of survival in a specific installment, and another character named Yamane, whose encounters with Mugen impact him greatly that he ends up in his writings years later. In the eleventh episode, “Gamblers and Gallantry,” Jin develops feelings with a spouse trafficked named the female character and helps her escape from a establishment.

A Unified Narrative

At the outset, the full season appears to tell a episodic adventure of the trio’s journey to meeting the mysterious warrior, but as the series progresses, incidents from previous episodes begin to weave together to form a connected plot. Every interaction our protagonists undergo along the way has an impact on both the characters and the overall narrative.

Period Influences

The series also draws from historical happenings (the same time period as Yotei), seen through Watanabe’s imaginative take. Incidents like the historical uprising and locations such as the security station (which the character protects) are woven into the story.

In the beginning, traditional painter the historical figure appears and briefly fixates on Fuu as his subject. After she declines his offer, his work ultimately reaches the hands of the Dutch artist, who, in Champloo’s alternate timeline, is influenced to create his iconic floral artworks.

Enduring Impact

All of these components tie directly into the anime's soundtrack, giving this warrior tale the kind of singular style that other projects have long sought to achieve. Titles like the urban samurai series (featuring Wu-Tang’s RZA), the hip-hop anime, and the Netflix original all sought to recreate its fusion of music and visuals, but with varying success.

the sequel has the potential to continue from where Samurai Champloo left off, sparking a new wave of influence much like the anime once did. If you’re diving into the game, it’s worth watching the series, because without it, there’d be no “the special setting,” no surge of hip-hop-infused anime, and no lasting legacy of Nujabes, from which the legacy stems.