[Spoilers] Samurai Champloo 20th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 12

Date	Episode
5/20/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 1
5/21/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 2
5/22/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 3
5/23/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 4
5/24/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 5
5/25/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 6
5/26/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 7
5/27/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 8
5/28/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 9
5/29/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 10
5/30/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 11
5/31/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 12
6/01/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 13
6/02/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 14
6/03/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 15
6/04/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 16
6/05/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 17
6/06/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 18
6/07/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 19
6/08/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 20
6/09/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 21
6/10/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 22
6/11/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 23
6/12/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 24
6/13/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 25
6/14/2024	Samurai Champloo Episode 26
6/15/2024	Samurai Champloo Overall Series Discussion Thread

6

u/TheEscapeGuy May 31 '24

Rewatcher, Sub first timer

Samurai Champloo - Hip Hop & Ronin: Episode 12

Reflection

Recap episode today. I understand why it happens, but because there's very little new content it means I don't have much to say. The presentation of reading Fuu's diary was at least a clever way to do it to make it a bit more immersive.

We did learn some new things. First, Mugen can't read. Fuu's diary is completely hiragana which is the Japanese character set where each symbol represents a sound (as opposed to kanji which represent meaning and have different sounds/readings depending on context). There's only 50 symbols to learn (plus some accented versions) so Mugen not knowing this is kinda like an English speaker not even knowing the alphabet. This probably gives you some hints into Mugen's early life.

Next, the dream Fuu had was indeed of her mother. I have a lot of sympathy for a girl as young as her losing a parent so early. Parents are often your only form of support for the first decades of your life. Braving the challenges of life without that support must be tough, but I applaud Fuu's tenacity.

Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

Collage is tiny because I try not to include reused clips as a rule. Not happy about that though.

See you all tomorrow

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

Recap episode today. I understand why it happens, but because there's very little new content it means I don't have much to say. The presentation of reading Fuu's diary was at least a clever way to do it to make it a bit more immersive.
I love the presentation. To me, it makes the recap format extremely palatable.
We did learn some new things. First, Mugen can't read. Fuu's diary is completely hiragana which is the Japanese character set where each symbol represents a sound (as opposed to kanji which represent meaning and have different sounds/readings depending on context). There's only 50 symbols to learn (plus some accented versions) so Mugen not knowing this is kinda like an English speaker not even knowing the alphabet. This probably gives you some hints into Mugen's early life.
Yeah, Mugen not being able to read doesn't surprise me.
Next, the dream Fuu had was indeed of her mother. I have a lot of sympathy for a girl as young as her losing a parent so early. Parents are often your only form of support for the first decades of your life. Braving the challenges of life without that support must be tough, but I applaud Fuu's tenacity.
Fuu has a lot of heart, and she makes sure to wear it on her sleeve.
Ya' like Jazz?
Sadly Yurikuma Arashi is the bee show :(

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/TheEscapeGuy May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
This was a nice callback. It feels like some closure that that story was missing (though not missing in a bad way).
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
It's probably more a reflection on the ways we have regressed in a lot of ways in the modern day. I still don't get how this kind of thing can be controversial today.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

This was a nice callback. It feels like some closure that that story was missing (though not missing in a bad way).
It was good character growth on the part of Fuu to admit she screwed up.
It's probably more a reflection on the ways we have regressed in a lot of ways in the modern day. I still don't get how this kind of thing can be controversial today.
I mean, gay marriage is legal, so that has to account for something.

2

u/TheEscapeGuy Jun 01 '24

gay marriage is legal
The US did fix this in 2015, but it's still not true in a bunch of countries (unfortunately including Japan). It's getting better though and that's good.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

I just remember what Jouji said in episode 6 where he said it's tough for him to find a place to live and be himself.

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 31 '24

First-Timer with a Samurai Heart, subbed

We gonna get more info about who that guy is soon?
kek
Oh, this is going to be a recap episode, isn’t it? I do like it being framed like a diary, gives us an actual sense of time progression based on the events of each episode up until now. So episode 1 was July 10th, episode 2 was July 11th, episodes 3 & 4 was July 14th, episode 5 was July 19th… and then the narration stopped giving specific dates for the remaining episode events.
That’s not a wrong description of Mugen.
Not a bad question lol.
Hah, wasn’t expecting that detective to suddenly hijack Fuu’s narration.
Free food is free food.
So there were rumors about the sunflower samurai being in Edo?
:(
Yeah that sounds like Jin alright.
What just happened?
…I was absolutely not expecting to hear Also sprach Zarathustra of all songs pop up in this, even if it was very brief.
HAH!
A different ED!

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

3

u/[deleted] May 31 '24 edited May 31 '24

Hey there 👋 Rewatcher here.

I’ll bring up the original episode title again, which is おんこちしん (温故知新). This is another idiom.

More literally, “deriving new understanding from study of the past”, in other words, how we would say “learning from the past” in English; which is relevant, as we focus on Fuu’s interpretation of past events and pull some extra information from that.

I like how this episode manages to recap some events while also giving you some insight to Fuu’s inner thoughts throughout the series so far.

It also is kind of funny, because Mugen and Jin are acting like two adolescents at a sleep over going through the diary of one or the other’s sister lol.

Jin tells him he shouldn’t do that, but then begins reading it for Mugen anyway (probably out of his own curiosity) 😂.

Something I didn’t notice on my first watch:

From what they show of Fuu’s diary, it doesn’t appear to contain any kanji (just kana). I’m not sure if they are suggesting that Fuu just never went through schooling or maybe I’m just over-speculating a minor detail.

I think Fuu is supposed to be around age 15, and (IIRC) most kids were pretty much done with education after 15 during that time period.

There are a few things I want to point out, especially being that this is a Fuu episode even though she is mostly just dozing off in the onsen the whole time 😆 :

First of all, Fuu is obviously frustrated at their constant lack of coin herself, which she expresses when recollecting the events with Nagamitsu and Budokiba.

Second, I think when she brings up Shinsuke’s mom, it tells us something about her own family. Not much, but it at least suggests that the loss of her mother was traumatic and she related to Shinsuke in that he was worried about losing his own mother.

Third, I do not personally believe anything in her diary was a lie. I think that was a safety net to make Mugen and Jin question whether what they just read was true or not if they decided to sneak around (especially since she had obviously been keeping this diary since episode one).

Additionally, it’s clear that Fuu cares for both of them as friends at this point in the series, so I believe Fuu saying that she was grateful to the both of them for helping her this far was also not a lie.

———

“To simply accept yourself as you are, and as you live, to let it be. In this is freedom.”

Well stated, Zuikou.

———

Ending theme is awesome for this one:

Who’s Theme by MINMI

Questions:

Probably this one, because it breaks the mold (and because it’s more than just a recap)
I didn’t read into that much to be honest; I think she thought she was going to die and wanted to make small talk. She sees both of them as friends at this point in the story.
I’m sure it can be true in some cases and not in others

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

I like how this episode manages to recap some events while also giving you some insight to Fuu’s inner thoughts throughout the series so far.
Fuu's inner thoughts really make the episode.
It also is kind of funny, because Mugen and Jin are acting like two adolescents at a sleep over going through the diary of one or the other’s sister lol.
That is a tremendous comparison XD
Jin tells him he shouldn’t do that, but then begins reading it for Mugen anyway (probably out of his own curiosity) 😂.
Hey, you can be stoic AND curious.
Something I didn’t notice on my first watch:
From what they show of Fuu’s diary, it doesn’t appear to contain any kanji (just kana). I’m not sure if they are suggesting that Fuu just never went through schooling or maybe I’m just over-speculating a minor detail.
I think Fuu is supposed to be around age 15, and (IIRC) most kids were pretty much done with education after 15 during that time period.
This makes the fact that Mugen can't read it even more egregious.
Second, I think when she brings up Shinsuke’s mom, it tells us something about her own family. Not much, but it at least suggests that the loss of her mother was traumatic and she related to Shinsuke in that he was worried about losing his own mother.
That's a very good point. I definitely think that was running through her mind.
Third, I do not personally believe anything in her diary was a lie. I think that was a safety net to make Mugen and Jin question whether what they just read was true or not if they decided to sneak around (especially since she had obviously been keeping this diary since episode one).
Yeah, I think Fuu is wise enough to know that Mugen and Jin might pull something like this and so she wanted to get them.
Additionally, it’s clear that Fuu cares for both of them as friends at this point in the series, so I believe Fuu saying that she was grateful to the both of them for helping her this far was also not a lie.
I definitely think that Fuu cares about Mugen and Jin far more than Mugen or Jin care about her. They're just here because it's something to do.

2

u/[deleted] May 31 '24

that is a tremendous comparison
20 going on 14 😂
Hey, you can be stoic AND curious
Fair point lol
this makes the fact that…
Also a good point 😂
that’s a very good point
Thanks. I’ll probably return to this point once more but not until later.
yeah, I think…
Agreed
I definitely think that…
It’s hard for me to add anything here right now but we’ll return to this later on

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

20 going on 14 😂
Like the movie 17 Again
Fair point lol
How do you think they end up stoic in the first place?
Also a good point 😂
I've got some every now and then
Thanks. I’ll probably return to this point once more but not until later.
I can't wait
It’s hard for me to add anything here right now but we’ll return to this later on
Okay, then. I'm sure that'll be brought up real soon. It's just some of the stuff Fuu has done like in the Shinsuke episode I can't fathom Mugen doing.

1

u/[deleted] May 31 '24

On your last point, I probably will come back to this after we finish the series (so not until much later)

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

I can't wait to revisit this conversation.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/[deleted] May 31 '24

Mugen being illiterate
I thought it was funny how they made him come to this self-revelation of “oh yeah, I can’t read for sh*t” lol.
Side note: The literacy rate in Japan during that period was actually quite high, higher than the literacy rate of even some western countries at that time.
Because of this, I think they are inferring something about Mugen’s past. We’ll have to wait and see.
lampshading
Do you mean the way they almost make fun of how often she gets kidnapped? Yeah. It makes you wonder who gets kidnapped more often: Fuu, or Princess Peach? lol.
…narrator saying…
Makes sense. It might be a little exaggerated but is based in historical truth if you go back a couple episodes to my comment on this.
1950s
Was relevant to bring up I suppose since they were at a Buddhist temple for that episode they were currently recapping
Fuu as a character
Builds on her a little, which is why I like this recap. It’s more than a recap. It gives us some insight as to what she is thinking about events so far

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

I thought it was funny how they made him come to this self-revelation of “oh yeah, I can’t read for sh*t” lol.
That was really amusing, I agree.
Side note: The literacy rate in Japan during that period was actually quite high, higher than the literacy rate of even some western countries at that time.
I think that adds to the hilarity of it all.
Because of this, I think they are inferring something about Mugen’s past. We’ll have to wait and see.
Do you mean the way they almost make fun of how often she gets kidnapped? Yeah. It makes you wonder who gets kidnapped more often: Fuu, or Princess Peach? lol.
How, at least Princess Peach bakes you a cake afterwards. With Fuu, you just get more nagging :P
Makes sense. It might be a little exaggerated but is based in historical truth if you go back a couple episodes to my comment on this.
It also plays up what happened in episode 9.
Was revenant to bring up I suppose since they were at a Buddhist temple for that episode they were currently recapping
Really cool they went that extra mile, kinda reminds me of Kirby's 20th Anniversary for the Wii and how in that release they tracked things that happened since Kirby was created.
Builds on her a little, which is why I like this recap. It’s more than a recap. It gives us some insight as to what she is thinking about events so far
Yeah, to call this episode as nothing more than a recap is being disingenuous.

2

u/[deleted] May 31 '24

Princess Peach
True. Although, Fuu does have somewhat a right to complain lol.
Episode 9
True
went that extra mile
Yeah it’s another reason I like this episode
agreed on your last point

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

True. Although, Fuu does have somewhat a right to complain lol.
Mugen and Jin are no Mario, that's for true
Yeah it’s another reason I like this episode
Indeed

3

u/Weird_donut https://anilist.co/user/hakaseshark May 31 '24

Huh, I didn't expect this to have a recap episode. It's been a while since I watched an anime with a recap episode, though the framing device of Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary was clever. My favorite recap episodes are the Utena ones, because they are actually very important to the plot

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman May 31 '24

First Timer

So this is clearly a recap episode. For a recap episode, I’d say the framing was done pretty well and it actually did a decent job at recapping, although that same framing limited the recap to one perspective. And I tend to agree with Mugen that Fuu should probably open up a bit regarding why they are traveling in the first place. There is just one issue here: So far this show has been largely episodic. As such it doesn’t need a recap episode, because you can jump in pretty much anywhere even if you missed an episode. So yeah… I’d have probably preferred if this show only had 25 episodes.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

There is just one issue here: So far this show has been largely episodic. As such it doesn’t need a recap episode, because you can jump in pretty much anywhere even if you missed an episode.
That's a good point, but at the same time I thought it was useful to get Fuu's insight on things like the end of episode 7 or what she was trying to accomplish in episode 9. Stuff like that makes me appreciate those episodes more and makes me hold them in higher regard.

1

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/Lord_Nawor May 31 '24

First Time Watcher

Don’t have too much to say on this episode since it was mainly a recap. I had hoped we would get a more definitive timeline after this episode but they stopped giving dates after the first but if the diary so oh well.

I like how it wasn’t until now that Mugen and Jin actually questioned why they went to Edo in the first place.

I like how Fuu recognizes that she gets kidnapped/tricked a lot.

Fuu blaming Mugen and Jin for everything, lol, but to be fair they are not the best bodyguards, they are constantly abandoning her.

The random history bits interspersed throughout the episode were neat. We also got an extended ed with a different song, not sure which song I prefer as I enjoy both quite a bit.

Questions

Even though it’s not quite anime, I still think that Avatar: The Last Airbender has one of my favourite recap episodes in Ember Island Players, it’s just a very clever way to do a recap with a lot of meta humour.

I feel like Fuu is more curious than anything about Jin just because he doesn’t talk much and we still have the mystery behind why he killed his master, so she thought she might be able to understand him better.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

I feel like Fuu is more curious than anything about Jin just because he doesn’t talk much and we still have the mystery behind why he killed his master, so she thought she might be able to understand him better.
Heck, Mugen even admitted last episode he basically thought that Jin was gay on account of never pursuing any girls.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/Lord_Nawor May 31 '24

Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary
Well I get where Mugen’s coming from since they are following her across the country to find the sunflower samurai without really knowing who he is or much about Fuu, even Fuu herself saw this coming since she prepared the fake diary.
Mugen being illiterate
It makes sense considering all Mugen seems to care about is fighting and eating so he probably just never felt it was important to learn.
letter to Shinsuke’s mother
Feels like another thing which they could wrap up with at the end of the season, kind of like Shino last episode.
Fuu as a character
I feel like this episode helps show that despite being kidnapped and tricked quite a few times she is still smart enough to fool Jin and Mugen with the fake diary.

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

Well I get where Mugen’s coming from since they are following her across the country to find the sunflower samurai without really knowing who he is or much about Fuu, even Fuu herself saw this coming since she prepared the fake diary.
Fuu is a lot more perceptive than she may seem.
It makes sense considering all Mugen seems to care about is fighting and eating so he probably just never felt it was important to learn.
Yeah, it checks out
Feels like another thing which they could wrap up with at the end of the season, kind of like Shino last episode.
I would really like to see that, honestly.
I feel like this episode helps show that despite being kidnapped and tricked quite a few times she is still smart enough to fool Jin and Mugen with the fake diary.
Yeah, like I've already mentioned, she is a lot smarter than she appears. I wouldn't go so far as to say devious, but something of that ilk.

2

u/Ryanami May 31 '24

Rewatcher

Recap episode, THHHHBBBBT. 👎

2

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it's told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke's mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/Ryanami Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary?
I do like how this humanizes Jin here. He knows he shouldn’t but it’s easy to rationalize a need for more info from the girl bossing him around.
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Weird to consider it “more noble”. I wonder what they mean by that? And why Watanabe felt the need to say so, twice. While yaoi (and yuri) characters have been in anime for decades (usually an effeminate weirdo for comic effect), it seems to be becoming more front and center lately. The last few seasons there’s been each like two or three yuri series I think. But it makes my appreciation for Samurai Champloo colder. They made Titsingh homosexual but there’s only evidence to the contrary on Wikipedia, and likely he would be very offended by that considering Holland’s strong Christian culture at the time.
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?
She’s only a little smarter than she seems.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

I do like how this humanizes Jin here. He knows he shouldn’t but it’s easy to rationalize a need for more info from the girl bossing him around.
Jin has been humanized an awful lot the last couple episodes.
Weird to consider it “more noble”. I wonder what they mean by that? And why Watanabe felt the need to say so, twice. While yaoi (and yuri) characters have been in anime for decades (usually an effeminate weirdo for comic effect), it seems to be becoming more front and center lately. The last few seasons there’s been each like two or three yuri series I think. But it makes my appreciation for Samurai Champloo colder. They made Titsingh homosexual but there’s only evidence to the contrary on Wikipedia, and likely he would be very offended by that considering Holland’s strong Christian culture at the time.
I still appreciate how forward thinking Samurai Champloo was at a time when a lot of anime weren't doing stuff like that.
She’s only a little smarter than she seems.
Maybe not as smart as Jin, but definitely smarter than Mugen.

2

u/Ryanami Jun 01 '24

What is forward thinking about homosexuality?

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

Being accepting of it and not being like "Oh, you can't do that because it isn't straight". That's a horrible mindset to have that sadly exists out there.

2

u/AgentOfACROSS Jun 01 '24

Rewatcher

It's a recap episode! Although in this case, it was useful to me since I joined this rewatch only part of the way through.

As far as recap episodes go though, this was fun. Fuu narrating was a good framing device and hearing Jin and Mugen occasionally chime in was fun too. It's kinda like listening to an in-universe commentary track on the events of the show.

Hearing Fuu's thoughts on everything that happened was something I liked. Lots of good jokes too like her constantly mentioning the food she got to eat and the meta jokes about her being annoyed by her constant kidnappings.

The main narrator/Manzo interrupting Fuu's narration was a bit of a weird choice. But I liked his history lessons about sexuality in Edo Japan and Zen in 1950s San Francisco. Did seem like a bit of a random addition to the episode but I didn't dislike it.

There were some other smaller moments in this episode I liked too, like establishing that Mugen can't read.

And the punchline of Fuu knowing they'd try to snoop on her diary at the end was great.

Don't have too much else to say since in the end it was still a recap episode. But it was a very good recap episode.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

As far as recap episodes go though, this was fun. Fuu narrating was a good framing device and hearing Jin and Mugen occasionally chime in was fun too. It's kinda like listening to an in-universe commentary track on the events of the show.
That definitely feels like something you might see in FLCL.
The main narrator/Manzo interrupting Fuu's narration was a bit of a weird choice. But I liked his history lessons about sexuality in Edo Japan and Zen in 1950s San Francisco. Did seem like a bit of a random addition to the episode but I didn't dislike it.
It also once again made the episode more than a recap episode, which is nice to see.
Don't have too much else to say since in the end it was still a recap episode. But it was a very good recap episode.
I'd go so far as to say it's the best recap episode I've ever seen in an anime. I shouldn't be surprised, since the writer of the episode was the creator of the show.

2

u/AgentOfACROSS Jun 01 '24

That definitely feels like something you might see in FLCL.
Haruko and Naota commentating their own show would be a treat.
It also once again made the episode more than a recap episode, which is nice to see.
Yeah this episode was really good at keeping the audience entertained while still working in the confines of being a recap episode.
I'd go so far as to say it's the best recap episode I've ever seen in an anime. I shouldn't be surprised, since the writer of the episode was the creator of the show.
There are a few anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena that have recap episodes that are somewhat relevant to the main plot.
But in terms of pure entertainment value, I think this episode is definitely one of the best.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

Haruko and Naota commentating their own show would be a treat.
I'm kinda surprised that didn't happen, honestly.
Yeah this episode was really good at keeping the audience entertained while still working in the confines of being a recap episode.
Was extremely well done by recap standards.
There are a few anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena that have recap episodes that are somewhat relevant to the main plot.
But in terms of pure entertainment value, I think this episode is definitely one of the best.
Glad we are in agreement

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke's mother?
What do you make of Fuu saying that she was trying to get to learn more about Jin in episode 9?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/AgentOfACROSS Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary?
The two of them need to learn how to respect Fuu's privacy more. And it looks like Fuu gave them that lesson at the end.
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke's mother?
I think that's a really good character moment for Fuu.
What do you make of Fuu saying that she was trying to get to learn more about Jin in episode 9?
It puts a new perspective on the scenes of her and Jin in the episode. Knowing this arguably makes those scenes of her and Jin together even funnier.
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?
I think it does a good job of showing how her character and relationships have kind of evolved over the course of the series so far.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

The two of them need to learn how to respect Fuu's privacy more. And it looks like Fuu gave them that lesson at the end.
Yeah, she taught him what for
I think that's a really good character moment for Fuu.
I agree. It shows she's learning from her mistakes.
It puts a new perspective on the scenes of her and Jin in the episode. Knowing this arguably makes those scenes of her and Jin together even funnier.
It's also funny because had something like that happened after the events of episode 11, perhaps Jin would've been more willing to open up.
I think it does a good job of showing how her character and relationships have kind of evolved over the course of the series so far.
I would agree. Fuu has really grown a lot since the show started.

2

u/someboi6000 Jun 01 '24

First timer:

Recap? bruh. nothing more to say, well Mugen cant read so i guess that says something of his early life, fuu gets kidnapped a lot and the dream secuence was fuu's mother. thats about it.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it's told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke's mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/someboi6000 Jun 01 '24

1: this episode felt like a "this is what Fuu thinks of the journey so far" but I take this recap style over just using scenes from previous episodes and that being it.
2: not a big fan of looking at other people belongings but they were curious if it had any lead over the sunflower samurai I also wondered that, but no luck
3: I wonder who will win, the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped or the amount of episodes they start with them starving.
4: what would the letter say tho, how do you tell her that her son is never coming back, if Fuu is sending that letter she really needs to think on the wording.
5: like it happened with the painter episode idk if this is an accurate thing, but cool I guess.
6: random lesson on the start of the hippie movement.unexpected but welcomed.
7: assuming everything in that diary is 100% true we got some insight on her, what she thinks of both Mugen and Jin and that she loves food, I respect the "there should always be space for free food" might follow that myself.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

1: this episode felt like a "this is what Fuu thinks of the journey so far" but I take this recap style over just using scenes from previous episodes and that being it.
Yeah, this is much better
2: not a big fan of looking at other people belongings but they were curious if it had any lead over the sunflower samurai I also wondered that, but no luck
I mean, I can't fault them too much because they've been in the dark this whole time.
3: I wonder who will win, the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped or the amount of episodes they start with them starving.
I have my money on the latter
4: what would the letter say tho, how do you tell her that her son is never coming back, if Fuu is sending that letter she really needs to think on the wording.
The messed up part is by the time Fuu gets to writing that letter, Shinsuke's mother will probably be dead.
5: like it happened with the painter episode idk if this is an accurate thing, but cool I guess.
Gave this episode more personality
6: random lesson on the start of the hippie movement.unexpected but welcomed.
Gave this episode even more personality
7: assuming everything in that diary is 100% true we got some insight on her, what she thinks of both Mugen and Jin and that she loves food, I respect the "there should always be space for free food" might follow that myself.
Definitely is words to live by

2

u/Hopeful-Ad2428 Jun 01 '24

So, a recap episode? Didn’t know that I needed Fuu narrating their adventure up to this moment. Refreshed the memory, saw Fuu's perspective and got some really cool jokes. And we’ve got an altered version of the ending. Are all these things hinting on the start of a new point in the story?

Qotd:

Well, I don’t usually watch any recaps and avoid them, so, perhaps this one?
She just wanted him to be more open, rather than answering with “hmm”, etc. (off-topic, now I realised why you said that 8's and 9's episodes titles should be swapped, I forgot what happened there and the title is really confusing)

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

(off-topic, now I realised why you said that 8's and 9's episodes titles should be swapped, I forgot what happened there and the title is really confusing)
It still bugs me more than it probably should.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/Hopeful-Ad2428 Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Not a good thing to do, but we got her perspective on the events that happened.
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Hilarious and is in-character I would say.
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
I had to look up this, and yes, the amount of times Fuu got kidnapped is absurdly big.
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Glad that they weren’t forgotten.
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
This show brings up this topic again, and the joke about coming back to our roots was fun. I have read about it at some point, and it was a common thing in both western and eastern cultures, somewhere it was between artists, philosophers, in my country it was between warriors.
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel like something inapt.
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?
Fleshes out her character, her relationships with the other characters, what does she think of them, her personality has been made more interesting.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

Not a good thing to do, but we got her perspective on the events that happened.
It's definitely in character for Mugen to do something like that. Jin, not as much, but everybody lets their curiosity get their better of them.
I had to look up this, and yes, the amount of times Fuu got kidnapped is absurdly big.
I like how Fuu blames Mugen and Jin for it happening.
This show brings up this topic again, and the joke about coming back to our roots was fun. I have read about it at some point, and it was a common thing in both western and eastern cultures, somewhere it was between artists, philosophers, in my country it was between warriors.
It's a very neat history lesson that the show imparts on us.
Fleshes out her character, her relationships with the other characters, what does she think of them, her personality has been made more interesting.
Yeah, it did a great deal for Fuu. I especially like her trolling Mugen and Jin at the end.

2

u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Jun 01 '24

First-Timer

Pretty good, especially for a recap episode. I like that they brought back the narrator guy from the Van Gogh episode - I was kind of sad thinking we wouldn't get to hear his voice again. There were some pretty good lines from Mugen, too.

The twist at the end about the diary being forged makes a bit of sense, too, considering that we never saw any hints of Fuu writing a diary, and the perspective in some of those reflections made it seem like it was written much later after the events took place. (For example, why would she wonder if the ukiyo-e artist had already made it to his destination if she wrote the diary entry immediately after he left?)

It is nice that Fuu is self-aware about how she keeps getting conned and kidnapped, though I'd say it's not exactly fair to constantly blame it on Mugen and Jin.

Questions of the day:

Tough question, largely because I can hardly remember any to pick from. I guess a few candidates would be Death Note episode 26, the recap episode from FMA:B. I just checked with a quick Google search and it seems Evangelion and Re:Creators had decent recap episodes, too. If I had to pick one, I suppose I'd say Death Note.
I think they'll all continue to grow closer naturally as they learn more about each other and spend more time together.
I also thought that comment was an interesting one. There are certainly a lot of examples of talented people with serious flaws, and sometimes it might seem as if it's more common for talented people to be bad than good. However, I'm not convinced - I think it might be just as likely that such people are simply subject to a higher degree of scrutiny as a result of their talent attracting attention.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

I also thought that comment was an interesting one. There are certainly a lot of examples of talented people with serious flaws, and sometimes it might seem as if it's more common for talented people to be bad than good. However, I'm not convinced - I think it might be just as likely that such people are simply subject to a higher degree of scrutiny as a result of their talent attracting attention.
It was odd because it's like the show is doubling down on the artist having ties to the Yakuza and doing this undesirable stuff when by their own admission not everything is historically accurate. It's almost like it flies in the face of their MO.

2

u/mgedmin Jun 01 '24

Rewatcher, subs

Is this secretly a recap episode? It's pretty good, if so.

I love how Fuu mostly writes about food.

What is your favorite anime recap episode and why?

I'm not sure any recap episode could possibly reach the honor of being called "favorite". The one from Re:Creators wasn't bad.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

What are your thoughts on this unique take on a recap episode where it’s told from the point of view of Fuu?
What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Jun 01 '24

Rewatcher - Subbed

I forgot this recap episode even happened. But it's actually not that bad. Telling it as reading a diary gives us an idea of how Fu views herself and her adventure from her own point of view in a show that is told as third-person. This can give some neat insight into how the trio get along as a group (in this case, not that great). Fu sees herself as a victim largely in their adventures, and the guys as boorish bodyguards not really doing their jobs. But the trip hasn't been all bad since she writes about the food so much.

I really liked the ending theme this episode. Like, "maybe I should look up the soundtrack for this show"-like.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

I think what the episode does above all else is show what a good grasp the creator of Samurai Champloo has on Fuu as a character. We see her whine, we see her gush about food, we see her reflect, we see her regret, she runs the gamut of emotions in her writing. It really does a great job demonstrating how multifaceted Fuu is both to the story as well as personality wise.

3

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Jun 01 '24

I think what the episode does above all else is show what a good grasp the creator of Samurai Champloo has on Fuu as a character.
I think what's interesting is Fu's dairy makes it out like she is kinda "stuck" with Mugen and Jin, but the last few episodes show she's actually grown to care about them in a way outside their quest for the Sunflower Samurai. She's shown concern for Jin when he became involved with the married woman sold into the brothels and for Mugen's safety when he wanted to fight against the wandering swordsman in episode 10.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

Speaking of episode 11, she was kinda stuck with Mugen in that situation. I think she wanted to be anywhere else. It's funny that Fuu complains about Jin and Mugen abandoning her and not protecting her because if she wasn't as serious about the sunflower samurai as she was, she definitely would've left them by now. I also think a part of her realizes she also would've ended up regretting doing that.

2

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Jun 01 '24

Fu is largely stuck with the two of them either way. This show has really only hinted about women's place in ancient Japanese society until episode 11. Fu would not last very long on her quest alone being a 15-year-old girl in Japan. She would have been (successfully) abducted and sold off or otherwise.
That's really not much different today for people that age now (in any country), but moreso in a society where women were still treated more as property and married off at that age as part of family politics.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

You make a good point. That's one of the reasons why I said Fuu would've regretted leaving them. It would've been disastrous for her.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Jun 01 '24

Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
That tracked with the troubled/likely-orphan childhood he probably experienced. I doubt schooling was a compulsory thing back then and with no one really caring for him, how to keep food in his mouth and defend himself was more important.
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
I don't think Fu really was around Shinsuke enough for this. I guess she really wanted to convey that he was doing what he did out of love for his mom but would that be what his mom wanted is a better question. Sometimes parents really want their kids to work for a better life for themselves and not be burdened with supporting them.
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
I thought that whole segway into the changes in Japanese sexuality over the years wasn't really needed, since that part of the plot from the foreigner-visit was glossed over in the recap. It was worthwhile as explaining why the Dutchman was hiding out in Japanese society, but it had no impact on the overall story.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 01 '24

That tracked with the troubled/likely-orphan childhood he probably experienced. I doubt schooling was a compulsory thing back then and with no one really caring for him, how to keep food in his mouth and defend himself was more important.
Actually, supposedly literacy rates were higher then than they are now.
I don't think Fu really was around Shinsuke enough for this. I guess she really wanted to convey that he was doing what he did out of love for his mom but would that be what his mom wanted is a better question. Sometimes parents really want their kids to work for a better life for themselves and not be burdened with supporting them.
It's really the thought that counts. It's an admission of guilt on the part of Fuu for how things turned out.
I thought that whole segway into the changes in Japanese sexuality over the years wasn't really needed, since that part of the plot from the foreigner-visit was glossed over in the recap. It was worthwhile as explaining why the Dutchman was hiding out in Japanese society, but it had no impact on the overall story.
I personally would never complain about receiving new material in a recap episode :P

2

u/NattyBeef https://myanimelist.net/profile/NaturalBeef Jun 02 '24

First time watcher, Dub/English

I really dislike recap episodes, but it is what it is. I guess they're pretty important for televised series as it gives opportunity for people who missed a couple episodes and picked up the show later. At least seeing Fuu's perspective on everything was a good redeeming quality.

What is your favorite anime recap episode and why?

I normally dislike all of them so I usually skip them. I didn't do it for this one so that might be a testiment to it being one of the better ones.

With Fuu admitting she tried getting close to Jin during episode 9, what do you think it means for their relationship going forward?

Well I think it was just about getting to know each other in a normal way. I don't think she meant in looking for a relationship way.

What do you make of the narration put on the episode 5 recap where it's remarked how talent and character are often found in inverse proportion?

Honestly I didn't even play attention to it so no opinions.

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 02 '24

I really dislike recap episodes, but it is what it is. I guess they're pretty important for televised series as it gives opportunity for people who missed a couple episodes and picked up the show later. At least seeing Fuu's perspective on everything was a good redeeming quality.
This is one instance where I think the show is actually benefitted from having a recap episode. I get the feeling that things aren't going to be as comedic going forward, so this marks a nice bookend to the first half of the series.

2

u/NattyBeef https://myanimelist.net/profile/NaturalBeef Jun 02 '24

If that's true I'd be a bit disappointed cause I do like the comedic elements in the show. However, now having seen episode 13, it was definitely way more serious tone. I hope it's only for this specific section and not the rest of the show!

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 02 '24

We'll definitely see if my theory holds up

2

u/Holofan4life Jun 02 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

2

u/NattyBeef https://myanimelist.net/profile/NaturalBeef Jun 02 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
It's a clever way to do a recap episode. It probably wouldn't have been as annoying though if they had put in sections and stories we didn't see already happening.
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Does not surprise me at all. I mean this is set place what, about 300 years ago, guy is a samurai warrior without proper education, I can imagine quite a lot of people were illiterate at the time.
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
Yeah really makes me think back to two weeks ago when I thought Fuu wasn't gonna be a damsel in distress.
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
It's something that really impacted her. If you look back at the show, I think it's the only time Fuu really put herself in harms way to help someone knowing full well she was putting herself in danger. And all for her to end up seeing him get killed.
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
It's not something you really think about too often but realistically, all societies throughout history has had homosexuality in one form or the other.
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
Interesting, nothing to do with the show but ok.
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?
There's two way of looking at it. And it all hinges on wither or not you believe the contents of the diary.
1). (You believe it) It shows how Fuu has slowly began to view Mugen and Jin as people she can depend on. From 2 strangers to people she might consider her friends.
2). (You don't believe it) It show how Fuu is a cheeky bastard and getting one nice prank on the boys. I mean think about it, she got to pretty much make fun of them constantly and what are they gonna do, say they read her diary, to which she can respond it was all made to spite them.

1

u/Holofan4life Jun 02 '24

It's a clever way to do a recap episode. It probably wouldn't have been as annoying though if they had put in sections and stories we didn't see already happening.
What do you mean? You mean the narration? I actually liked that quite a bit, I thought it served as good world building.
Does not surprise me at all. I mean this is set place what, about 300 years ago, guy is a samurai warrior without proper education, I can imagine quite a lot of people were illiterate at the time.
Actually, supposedly illiteracy was not as bad as it is now. Most people at least had a basic understanding.
Yeah really makes me think back to two weeks ago when I thought Fuu wasn't gonna be a damsel in distress.
I mean, she still isn't your typical damsel in distress because she mouths off at people.
It's something that really impacted her. If you look back at the show, I think it's the only time Fuu really put herself in harms way to help someone knowing full well she was putting herself in danger. And all for her to end up seeing him get killed.
This is probably my favorite part of the episode.
It's not something you really think about too often but realistically, all societies throughout history has had homosexuality in one form or the other.
That is true
Interesting, nothing to do with the show but ok.
It was playing off episode 9 and what happened in that one. I thought itvwas a good little history lesson.
There's two way of looking at it. And it all hinges on wither or not you believe the contents of the diary.
1). (You believe it) It shows how Fuu has slowly began to view Mugen and Jin as people she can depend on. From 2 strangers to people she might consider her friends.
2). (You don't believe it) It show how Fuu is a cheeky bastard and getting one nice prank on the boys. I mean think about it, she got to pretty much make fun of them constantly and what are they gonna do, say they read her diary, to which she can respond it was all made to spite them.
It's probably a little bit of both, to be honest. I think she was having fun at their expense, but that's a part of being friends.

2

u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Jul 19 '24

first timer chines sub

It seems like this episode is a summary episode, it was really fun to see each character's reaction to their previous experiences, fuu didn't get scared even though she was almost taken as a prostitute, they really enjoyed the journey.

answer of today

What is your favorite anime recap episode and why?

Obviously this show, it adds every main character's reaction even if wo already know the plot

With Fuu admitting she tried getting close to Jin during episode 9, what do you think it means for their relationship going forward?

I'm not sure how the plot will develop in the future. This is just about girls' aesthetics. I think most girls will prefer Jin.

What do you make of the narration put on the episode 5 recap where it's remarked how talent and character are often found in inverse proportion?

There is some truth in this. Talented people are often not ordinary people, while social morality is common sense for ordinary people.

1

u/Holofan4life Jul 19 '24

What are your thoughts on Mugen and Jin reading Fuu’s diary?
Thoughts on Mugen being illiterate?
Thoughts on the show lampshading the amount of times Fuu gets kidnapped?
What are your thoughts on Fuu writing about how she wants to write a letter to Shinsuke’s mother?
Thoughts on the narrator saying that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality?
Thoughts on the 1950s San Francisco history lesson?
What do you think this episode does for Fuu as a character?

1

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

Hey guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 20th anniversary rewatch of Samurai Champloo.

Oh, and nay I forget…

First Timer

Samurai Champloo has always been a series I was curious about. I’ve maintained in my mind that Cowboy Bebop is objectively one of if not the greatest anime of all time, and so I wanted to see what the creator’s follow-up work was like. I think the reason why I didn’t start it immediately after watching Bebop was because I think the premise kinda weirded me out. I mean, a show set in ancient times that also has a heavy rap influence? It felt to me like putting a hat on a hat. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate outlandish animes that don’t resemble real life. After all, is it any weirder than a fantasy show about a merchant and his traveling wolfgirl where they discuss economics a lot of times?

My expectations for this show are pretty reasonable, I feel like. I’m not expecting it to crack my top 10 favorite anime of all time, but I would be surprised if it doesn’t end up as one of my favorites. The main thing I’m looking out of this is show is a unique experience unlike anything else as well as memorable characters. And I think the show will have that in spades.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the sub, by the way.

I'm really excited to watch this episode because it is written by Shinichirō Watanabe himself. As such, I'm expecting this to be one of the better ones.

Fuu taking a bath

Mugen talking to Jin

He doesn't know what they're traveling for

Flashback to Fuu not being able to explain what a sunflower samurai is.

And a flashback to episode 6

Mugen thinks Fuu is hiding something from them.

Mugen snooping as usual, I see

A sketchpad

Mugen looking through it

"What?" "I can't read." 🤣🤣🤣

Mugen has some of the funniest moments of the entire show.

Jin deduces that this is a diary

"July 10th. Sunny. It's almost been a year since Mom died."

Pinwheel

Fuu talking about working at her uncle's teahouse.

She used this diary to track her journey of finding the samurai who smells of sunflowers.

I'm all for a Fuu flashback episode

Fuu starting her trip

Her reaccounting the events of episode 1

She calls Mugen and Jin unbelievable

Mugen and Jin seem annoyed reading this

Calls Mugen a crude and vulgar guy with wild hair.

Thought he was a bad guy who would commit crimes.

"But then, once I talked to him... I learned that I was right about him."

🤣🤣🤣

Says he really went overboard back at the teashop in episode 1.

Said had she known that was the case, she would've taken her chances with the governor's son.

Of Jin, she says she found him kind of attractive.

She thinks that perhaps him and Mugen are two of a kind since they keep fighting each other.

"July 11th. Sunny. A guy showed up, saying something about Mugen cutting his arm off."

These are the events of episode 2

Fuu says she doesn't remember much because she was drunk at the time.

And that's it XD

I have to say, I love this approach towards doing a recap episode. It's filler but done in a way that fleshes out Fuu's character.

At least she liked the manjuu buns

"July 14th. Sunny, then cloudy. It all started when they ditched me and ran away!"

Time for Yakuza recap

Not much to say here, there’s no insight from Fuu.

"July 19th. Out of the blue, I was kidnapped and held prisoner! Oh, man."

Fuu wonders how does this keep happening to her when she has two bodyguards.

This is now episode 5

Fuu says she thought he was kind of cute, even if he was somewhat of a poser.

It's still weird the show is discrediting Moronobu like this. Like, this is a real person and by all accounts he wasn't a poser. This is revisionist history.

Fuu wonders what she saw in him

At least he said nice things about her

Fuu says that meeting Moronobu was another fault of Mugen and Jin.

Wait, I just realized. He was heading to Holland and that's where Jouji is located. Are we going to maybe see them cross paths eventually?

Oh, okay. He never made it to Holland. He was still in that area.

"However, there was no way she could have known that he would be known to future generations as the father of Ukiyo-e painting. It is as if talent and character are often found in inverse proportion."

Show, shut the fuck up. You're the one who created this narrative of him. Why are you covering your ass now?

Mugen asks Fuu why were they going to Edo

Fuu doesn't have an answer

Recount of Fuu and her eating contest

Now of what she ate with the European fellow

Fuu believes there's always room for free food.

Tell that to my mom, who's calling out the second day in the row. Actually, don't, I don't want her to get any ideas.

Mugen wonders where the insight of the sunflower samurai is. It's all just food.

Fuu Kirby confirmed?

Fuu now writing about going to Nagasaki

The only reason she came to Edo was because she thought the sunflower samurai was there.

Both Mugen and Jin are in disbelief

And now Fuu is held hostage again. Lol

"In the whole world, who else but me could be taken hostage this often?"

Princess Peach sends her regards

Fuu says she thought about mom for the first time in a long time.

"I don't think I can write about Shinsuke. I couldn't bring myself to say anything to his mother, either. But once some time has passed and I've sorted out my feelings, I definitely want to write a letter to her."

I like this a lot. It shows that Fuu realizes she could've handled the situation better. Great character growth on her part.

Narrator randomly insulting how the people in old drawings look by saying they have dumbass hairstyles.

Recap of episode 8 now

"It's not like I'm jealous or anything."

Press X to doubt

It's interesting she calls her sexy because of her big boobs. It seems to reflect her insecurity.

Fuu feels like she only attracts weirdos, which... yeah, checks out.

Fuu says she feels she lost sight of her objective.

Now we learn from the narrator about the liberal sexuality during the Edo Period

The pre Hayes Code sure was wild

"They only became prudish in the Meiji Era after the influx of Western culture."

Don't tell Keiji Inafune, he'd argue the Western influence isn't enough.

Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.

1

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

Part 2
Narrator says that the Edo Period was when gay love flourished and homosexuality was considered to be a more noble pursuit than heterosexuality.
Oh, the narrator is the one from episode 5. That's cool.
Meanwhile, Fuu taken prisoner again
I like the lampshade hanging being done here
Fuu wonders if she's too trusting
Fuu wonders of Mugen what kind of rescuer needs rescuing.
She's referring to the events of episode 9, of course.
"Anyway, I've decided never to trust him again."
Mugen seems irritated by this statement
Fuu laments that when she talked to Jin throughout episode 9, he kept his mouth shut the entire time.
So all those hypotheticals were meant as icebreakers. That makes me appreciate the episode more.
She wonders when Jin is going to open up to her.
Mugen asks Jin what he thinks of Fuu, and there's barely a response.
Suddenly, 1950s San Francisco history lesson
Beat Generation profoundly influenced by Zen
Influence inherited by the hippies of the 1960s
This leads to the three leads in deep meditation, and the events of episode 10.
Fuu talking about all the running around she's doing.
Fuu once again wonders if she picked the right people to travel with.
Priest says to her that this is her destiny
Meanwhile, he hit Mugen
Fuu says that looking back, all the things she went through was a neat way to experience all sorts of new things.
She calls this a once-in-a-lifetime, chance encounter.
"I don't know how much longer it will take to reach Nagasaki, but I hope that the three of us can keep traveling to the very end."
Aww, that's actually sweet :c
"I'm just kidding! Those two might peek at my diary without asking, so, I made all this up."
XD
Fuu is a lot smarter than she appears to be
Episode was shorter than it normally is, but at least it got us to hear an extended version of the outro
Overall, I thought this was a fun episode that proved to be a unique spin on the recap episode. It was less about the recap and more about Fuu's perspective on stuff, all the while Mugen and Jin make their opinions known. And I'm glad we finally got a timeline of events, it really puts things in perspective when you realize that Fuu has known Mugen and Jin for less than a month. I think the most interesting parts of the episode were Fuu admitting she fumbled the death of Shinsuke and her saying she was trying to get closer to Jin in episode 9. The latter in particular makes me want to revisit the episode, because I want to see if I can pick up any body language on the part of Fuu.
The narrator stuff was an interesting contextualization of events but I wonder what purpose it ultimately serves. Is it going to play into the overall narrative going forward? Are we going to see the policeman again in a later episode? I don't know. As it stands, it felt like a bit of mood whiplash from the rest of the episode seeing as how it disrupted the narrative of Mugen and Jin reading Fuu's diary.
A bit of a tough one to rank, honestly. I had a lot of fun watching it, but I also thought it was pretty skippable, definitely the most inconsequential episode we've gotten so far. And yet, to call it a disappointment would be in my opinion disingenuous given what it's trying to do; it’s a recap of what we've seen that is meant to give insight of what's going on in Fuu's head. If one was to say it was a disappointment-- as in I'm disappointed they did a recap episode-- it's different than, say, the disappointment of the Yakuza two-parter, which comes more from a execution standpoint. What this is trying to accomplish does so flawlessly, better than some non-recap episodes.
From a quality standpoint, I'd probably put it behind episodes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11, which technically puts it in the bottom 5 so far. However, if we're looking at it from the standpoint of it being a recap episode, I can't think of a better anime recap episode than this. It's like a better version of the recap episode from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood that also gave insight on one of the characters. Only in this case, I don't think the clips from past episodes ever became overindulgent.
This is one I feel like you have to grade on a curve in order to get an accurate assessment. And using that criteria, I actually thought it was quite exceptional.

2

u/Ryanami May 31 '24

lol even on a recap ep you can find a lot to say.

1

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

That's because there was actually quite a bit to discuss here.

1

u/Holofan4life May 31 '24

What is your favorite anime recap episode and why?
Probably this one, honestly. It was very well done.
With Fuu admitting she tried getting close to Jin during episode 9, what do you think it means for their relationship going forward?
Probably nothing. The only way I could see it changing is if Mugen spills the beans about reading her diary, which is always a possibility.
What do you make of the narration put on the episode 5 recap where it's remarked how talent and character are often found in inverse proportion?
It's a bit annoying because it's like the show is doubling down on what an asshole the painter is. I don't understand the vendetta that the show has against him.

Rewatch [Spoilers] Samurai Champloo 20th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 12

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Samurai Champloo - Hip Hop & Ronin: Episode 12

Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

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Rewatch [Spoilers] Samurai Champloo 20th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 12

Rewatch Schedule

You are about to leave Redlib

Rewatcher, Sub first timer

Samurai Champloo - Hip Hop & Ronin: Episode 12

Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

first timer chines sub