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While Cowboy Bebop often dominates conversations about the best anime of all time, its artistic counterpart, Samurai Champloo, merits equal recognition. The influence of this period masterpiece still resonates today, particularly in Sony's major Ghost of Tsushima series.

Expanded References

This recent the new sequel, the sequel to the original PlayStation 5 exclusive, deepens its homage to samurai films with the inclusion of Kurosawa Mode. This option offers black-and-white visuals, film grain, and vintage audio. Additional modes include Takashi Miike Mode, which enhances visual clarity and intensifies blood and mud; and Shinichirō Watanabe Mode, featuring a lo-fi hip-hop score influenced by the filmmaker's guidance.

For those intrigued about the latter, Watanabe is the mastermind who created the jazz-heavy the space opera and the urban-music-inspired the Edo-era adventure, among other notable anime.

The Blend of Eras

Watanabe’s 2004 show the groundbreaking series merges Edo-period Japan with modern music culture and current perspectives. It follows the unexpected group of Mugen, a reckless and spontaneous fighter; the calm ronin, a stoic and principled masterless samurai; and the brave waitress, a courageous teenager who enlists them on her mission to find “the warrior with a floral scent.”

While the audio landscape is primarily his design, much of Champloo’s music was inspired by renowned musician Nujabes, who tragically left us in 2010 at the young age of 36. Nujabes earns his recognition next to Watanabe when it comes to the audio the anime is famous for and honors in Ghost of Yotei.

Cultural Fusion

Much of what made the series distinguish itself on the cable schedule was its smooth integration of hip-hop and Japanese heritage. That fusion has been a fixture in hip-hop culture since Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, which itself stems from an whole cohort being raised on Kung Fu movies starring the martial arts legend and Sonny Chiba.

For many, Adult Swim and Samurai Champloo served as an entry point to chill beats, with producers like Nujabes, the rapper, and Flying Lotus, the last one of whom went on to score the Netflix anime Yasuke.

Visual Flair

Stylized and symbolic, Champloo’s opening introduces the main characters through kindred animals in the background — the wild one struts like a chicken, while Jin moves with the serene, elegant posture of a colorful fish. Although the show's main trio are the highlight of the series, its supporting cast are where the real soul of the anime resides.

There’s thief Shinsuke, who has a tragic tale of endurance in one chapter, and another character named Yamane, whose encounters with Mugen impact him greatly that Yamane ends up in his memoirs years later. In the later chapter, “the episode title,” Jin develops feelings with a spouse sold into prostitution named Shino and assists her departure from a red-light district.

A Cohesive Journey

At initial view, the full season appears to tell a episodic adventure of the characters' quest to finding the elusive figure, but as the series develops, events from previous episodes begin to merge to form a unified story. Every interaction our main characters experience along the way has an impact on both the characters and the broader story.

Historical Roots

The series also incorporates Edo-period history (the same time period as Yotei), filtered through Watanabe’s creative revisions. Events like the 1637 Shimabara Rebellion and places such as the mountain outpost (which the character guards) are integrated into the story.

At the start, traditional painter the historical figure shows up and temporarily obsesses on Fuu as his subject. After she turns him down, his work ultimately reaches the hands of Vincent van Gogh, who, in the series' fictional history, is influenced to create his renowned still-life pieces.

Lasting Influence

All of these components tie intimately into Champloo’s music, giving this period drama the kind of unique character that other works have long tried to capture. Series like Afro Samurai (featuring the renowned producer), the hip-hop anime, and the Netflix original all attempted to capture its fusion of music and visuals, but with varying success.

the sequel has the potential to pick up where Samurai Champloo concluded, triggering a renewed interest of influence much like the anime once did. If you’re starting Yotei, it’s valuable exploring Champloo, because without it, there’d be no “Watanabe mode,” no surge of hip-hop-infused anime, and no continuing impact of the producer, from which the inspiration comes.