Over the holiday period, I treated myself to Samurai Champloo (anime) hoodies since I love the show so much. Samurai Champloo is in my opinion, one the best anime out there, released in 2004. The show delves into the journey of Jin, Mugen and Fuu who go on a journey to find Fuu’s father. Not only do I love the characters and storyline of the show but, also the music as well.
The soundtrack and the original songs from the anime standout from the conventional anime. The opening song of the show, which usually would be a punk rock song that builds up throughout the opening, is rather a chill hip-hop track by Nujabes ft. Shing02 named ‘Battlecry’. Nujabes was a DJ and record producer in Japan and through his experimentation of different genres e.g. soul, hiphop, jazz, his music was really ahead of its time. Though the anime is set in the Edo Period in Japan, the creator of the show wanted to merge the old with the new by adding elements of Hip-Hop to the anime.
The same vibe can be found in the ending song of the anime as well, named ‘Shiki No Uta’ and sung by Minmi. The ending track, is one of my favourite songs from any anime I’ve watched. The instrumental of the ending track is a mix of hip-hop beats and jazz, which is the foundation of modern day Lo-Fi. The lyrics of the song reflect the feelings of nostalgia, missing friends / family and reminiscing on the journeys of the past.
The anime’s OST continues the same theme of the opening / ending song with hiphop/jazz elements. For example, ‘Same Ol’ Thing’ focuses on the rhythmic bass line and slower paced drum beat. Listen to Samurai Champloo’s opening and ending song below!
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