Summary
- Samurai Champloo, created by Shinichiro Watanabe, is a captivating masterpiece that combines philosophy, traditional Japan, and lofi hip-hop.
- The search for the sunflower samurai leads the trio to Fuu's father, who is now a sick old man hiding from his enemies.
- Fuu's mixed emotions of sadness and anger arise as she finds her sick father, who asks for forgiveness before being killed. Jin avenges him in a quick battle.
Samurai Champloo, created by none other than the legend himself, Shinichiro Watanabe, was a captivating masterpiece compared to his previous gem, Cowboy Bebop. Set in an alternate version of Japan's Edo period, Samurai Champloo was a unique show for its time, combining the essence of philosophical depth, traditional aesthetic elements of feudal Japan, and even a musical infusion of lofi hip-hop.
At its core, the plot revolves around three protagonists from extremely different backgrounds coming together as they embark on their quest to search for the elusive "sunflower samurai" or rather "the man who smells of sunflowers". Despite their differences, Mugen, Fuu and Jin journeys through the captivating lands of feudal Japan while overcoming obstacles and discovering their own purpose.
In Search Of The Sunflower Samurai
In an attempt of sheer desperation to find the sunflower samurai, Fuu decides to toss a coin and if it were to land on heads, Jin and Mugen will have to push back their rivalry battle for later and help Fuu find the missing sunflower samurai. Fuu wins this battle of fate and the two swordsman decide to help her with her quest. And just like that the trio now have a common purpose to fulfill and are committed to the cause.
While the series builds up the hype for this mysterious sunflower samurai, the final 3 episodes of the series titled Evanescent Encounter, part 1,2 and 3, the trio finally realize that the sunflower samurai is in fact, Seizo Kasumi, Fuu's father who is now on his deathbed, a frail and sick old man hiding from his enemies. During his younger days, Seizo was a Christian samurai and was the leader of the Shimbara rebellion, the uprising which occurred because of the dissatisfaction of heavy taxation and abuse by government officials. Because of Seizo's involvement in the rebellion the Shogunate had a warrant out for his death.
This scared Seizo, and he decided to run away to protect his wife and daughter. The reason why Fuu refers to him as the "sunflower samurai" is because her last memory of him was him running through a field of sunflowers. Throughout the years, Fuu harbored a deep hatred for her father for leaving her mother and her to fend for themselves. She decided she would give him a piece of her mind, but later towards the end of the series, Fuu is surprised to find a sick man on his deathbed, dying from an unknown disease rather than the strong samurai.
Found, But Not Lost
This revelation leaves Fuu with a mixture of sadness and anger as finding her father in this state was not something she hoped for. A sad exchange of words takes place between father and daughter as Seizo uses his last breaths to ask Fuu for forgiveness before he is killed by the assassin Kariya Kagetoki who was working for the Shogunate. Honoring the samurai code, Kariya gives Seizo the opportunity to say his last words, during which time Seizo tells Fuu that there hasn't been a day that went by where he didn't think of her and her mother. However, Seizo is later avenged by Jin who comes back to save Fuu from Kariya in a quick battle of elite swordsmanship where Jin remembers to use a techniqu e his master told him long ago, which is to leave an opening so when he is stabbed there is in turn also an opening to stab his opponent.
In the end, Seizo's caretaker is seen explaining to Fuu the reason why her father could not take her mother and her with him since he was on the run. Fuu also admits that the moment she stepped into the hut with him and even before he spoke, that she knew that it was her father even though she remembered him as a big and strong man.