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You have to find a balance between music and story, you don't want one to drastically outweight the other.

It has the Pokemon structure, it has lots of crap that it doesn't need and some that don't help or mess with the story, and it doesn't really set up tension for the ultimate opponet.

Ya, not cut and clean.

Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー, Samurai Chanpurū?) is an anime series consisting of twenty-six episodes that began broadcasting May 20, 2004 on Fuji Television in Japan. It was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame. The show is set in a fictional version of Edo period Japan, featuring elements of action, adventure and comedy blended with an anachronistic, predominantly hip-hop soundtrack. Its name comes from the Okinawan word "chanpurū" (e.g. goya champuru), which means to mix or blend. Thus, the title may be translated as "Samurai Remix" or "Samurai Mashup", keeping with the series' blended theme.

The show is unique, in that it matches modern Japanese hip-hop music with a stylized form of samurai swordplay known as chambara, much in the same way Cowboy Bebop married science fiction to blues and jazz. Champloo's score predominantly features hip-hop beats by Japanese hip hop artists such as Nujabes, Force of Nature, Tsutchie, and Fat Jon, among others.

The world of Samurai Champloo is often anachronistic. Characters' costume design, attitudes and editing methods reflect heavily towards international hip-hop culture. One of the protagonists, Mugen, even fights in a style that resembles Capoeira.

Furthermore, despite its setting in the Edo period many of the words and expressions used by the characters are modern slang or English-influenced.

Geneon Entertainment licensed the show for distribution in North America almost a year prior to the show's airing in Japan. This decision was based almost solely on the reputation of its creator, Shinichiro Watanabe. On January 20, 2004, it was made public that the broadcasting rights were acquired by Cartoon Network, and the series began airing on the Adult Swim block on May 14, 2005, in the 11:30 p.m. timeslot on Saturday nights. On Saturday, November 22, 2005, the second batch of episodes (episodes 14-26) began airing at 11:30 p.m. EST/PST, but moved to Wednesday nights at 12:30 a.m. in January 2006. The airing of the final episode was March 18, 2006. The show now airs reruns every Saturday night at 1 a.m. on Adult Swim. In September 2006, CN brought on air Samurai Champloo also to Brazil and Latin America, but for Toonami.

Samurai Champloo is set to make its debut in Canada on December 24th, 2006 on the Canadian digital station, Razer.

Characters

Samurai Champloo revolves around the journey of three individuals: The brash and rude vagabond Mugen, the quiet and stoic ronin Jin, and the young, insistent Fuu.

At the beginning of the story, Fuu helps Mugen and Jin escape from a vengeful local magistrate, and she persuades them, by flipping a coin, to help her in her search for a mysterious samurai who smells of sunflowers. In the progressing adventure she will have the trouble of keeping her two companions out of trouble and from attempting to kill each other.

Like Bebop, Champloo's episodes are mostly self-contained (which has garnered it some criticism), and the show contains an extensive cast. Apart from the main trio, most characters only appear once or twice; rarely more than three times.

Main characters

Mugen

Name: Mugen
Age: 19
Profession: Vagabond, and former Pirate
Weapon(s): A Schimitar(possibly), and at the end of the series, a Claymore; a Double-edged katana; in the videogame, Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, this sword is named "Typhoon Swell"), Tanto (concealed in opposite end of scabbard)
Fighting style(s): mix of various styles incorporating rapid, irregular movements he dubs "Champuru Kendo"
Quote: "I don't give a rat's a** about going to hell. I guess it's because I feel like I'm already there!"
Appears in: All episodes

Mugen (無限) was born in a penal colony on the Ryukyu Islands (currently Okinawa), which in the Edo period was a separate kingdom with close ties to the Satsuma domain of Japan. Rude, lewd, vulgar, and nihilistic, Mugen relishes being a pain whenever he can. His name means without limitation, as the components of it are the characters for "without" and "limitation." Incidentally, he writes his name using the Infinity symbol (∞), a pun on his name, 'Mugen' is a homophone of the Japanese word for 'eternity'. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Some speculate that he is something of a throwback to Spike Spiegel's (of Cowboy Bebop fame) persona during the time previous to his falling out with his comrade Vicious.

He carries two blades, one a small tanto concealed at the end of his scabbard (only resorted to as a trump card). His more principal weapon is a unique sword sheathed across his back—possibly a shamshir (how he chanced upon such a weapon is as mysterious as how he acquired his fighting skills). His clothing is anachronistic as well, reminiscent of baggy hip-hop fashions of today. His gi functions more like a jacket and his hakama is cut off at shorts-length, resembling loose-fitting Bermuda shorts. His black hair is unkept and similar to an afro or Spike Spiegel's, being one of a number of similarities he shares with Spike. (Incidentally, in the English dub, Mugen is voiced by the same actor as Spike, Steven Blum, credited as Daniel Andrews to circumvent union regulations.)

Highly unorthodox swordplay and capoeira-esque movements (ostensibly developed by himself) make him a force to be reckoned with. (Although Mugen's fighting style does resemble capoeira, series creator Shinichiro Watanabe based it on breakdancing rather than any existing martial art.). His fighting style is probably best described by Kariya Kagetoki when they fight in Episode 25: "Interesting. You utilize erratic movements to prevent your enemies from predicting your next move." This is further evident in that his moves become increasingly erratic and unique as his opponents are more powerful. Mugen also has a tendency to parry attacks with the steel base of his geta.

He and Jin fight from time to time, but there is an undercurrent of mutual understanding between the two. Mugen's Japanese is quite rough and "Yanki"; he is illiterate until later in the show. The blue tattoos on his wrists and ankles indicate that he was once in prison. The circumstances of his imprisonment, and whether he escaped or emigrated legally, are unclear at first. It is later verified that he was to be executed for engaging in piracy. He was presumed dead when he plunged into the ocean, but survived.

Mugen seems to be the character most enshrouded in uncanny elements. For starters, he seemingly learned Hakkei (with help from Zuikou) in order to defeat Shouryuu, though he is never seen using it after that (he may have simply been mimicking Shoryuu as a tactic.) Furthermore, he seems to be incapable of dying, or at the very least has a body that is more resistant to life-threatining injuries than the average person. When on the verge of death, he appears to cross into a mystical world in the Ryūkyūan religion called Nirai Kanai—depicted in Samurai Champloo as an upside-down mirror world—overseen by the Futuchi who are dressed in black-feathered robes and carry spears. With each visit to this world he is subsequently 'rejected' after protesting that "I'm not ready to go yet." He has been brought back to life in this manner on at least three occasions. It has been speculated that his survival is because he is being preserved for a greater purpose, possibly his saving Japan from American conquest in "Baseball Blues".

Coincidentially, his seiyū, Kazuya Nakai, is also known for playing the "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro (Roronoa Zolo in the English verson), in the popular shonen anime One Piece.

Fuu

Name: Kasumi Fuu
Age: 15
Profession: Varies (usually a waitress)
Weapon(s): Tanto
Fighting style(s): N/A
Quote: "My mother and father...died when I was very little."
Appears in: All episodes

Fuu (風) is the leading lady of the show, a fifteen-year-old girl of samurai lineage, but brought up in poverty. After a not-so-successful stint as a teahouse waitress, she saves Mugen and Jin from execution and forces them to help her on a quest. She is searching for the Samurai who smells of Sunflowers, but never explains what a sunflower smells like or what the man looks like. Mugen and Jin are often reminded of their life-debt to her when they wish to fight each other, much to their chagrin. Without her father around to support them, Fuu and her mother led a difficult life until her mother died of illness.

She is a surprisingly big eater, (In one episode she entered an eating contest and was one of the last two remaining and would have likely won had she not accidentally given the sign that she gave up by squishing a bug) has a bright and trusting personality, and is strongly prone to accidents and trouble although she is quite practical. She often puts on a front of being more worldly and experienced than she actually is so as not to appear completely ingenuous in front of her bodyguards. Fuu wears a deep pink kimono with a pattern of flowers and carries a matching tanto (which she never uses, but has brandished once or twice). Attached to the tanto are three netsuke: a skull (a Christian pendant from her father), a pair of dice (probably referencing her dice-rolling skills in "Hellhounds for Hire") and a dog. A flying squirrel by the name of "Mo-mo" (evidently short for "momonga," which means "flying squirrel" in Japanese) inhabits her clothing and frequently helps out when she's in trouble. Momo also means "Peach" in Japanese, and is a popular modern pet name in Japan.

A running gag throughout the show is Fuu becoming impossibly huge after overeating, reverting to ordinary form after her stomach has digested everything. This occurs in Episodes 6, 15 & 23.

There is a serious implication that she might be in love with Mugen. It is hinted in some episodes, most notably episode 20- first Sara talks about her possible feelings to one of Fuu's "bodyguards", and then she chooses to travel further with Mugen, sending Jin with Sara. Then, in episode 24, she cries by the river and mentions Mugen in conversation with Jin, but doesn't finish the sentence. Jin uses this later (episode 25) to decide who stays and fights Kariya Kagetoki, and who runs to rescue the girl, saying: "Take care of Fuu", showing his understanding of Fuu's feelings towards Mugen.