Okay I realise I’m fairly behind on this one, but the dvds have only just hit the UK in the last couple of months.
This 2004 series by Cowboy Bebop visionary Shinichiro Watanabe is quickly becoming my new favourite anime, mixing an Edo period setting with modern sensibilities(such as Adidas stripes on kimonos), we’re presented with a fresh style that smacks of originality from the start.
The story follows a group of three vagrants, Muden - the cookie cutter anti-hero loose cannon, Jin - the more restrained and technical ronin and Fuu an ex-waitress who provides the MacGuffin as she want the two fighters to locate a samurai who smells of sunflowers, whilst stopping the two from trying to kill each other.
I’m only two episodes in, I’ve heard the story can be at times lacking, but the fantastic fight scenes, which in execution are on par with some of the best seen on screen make up for this. The kinetic fluidity of Muden’s capoeira influenced fighting invokes the Cowboy Bebop character Spike Sigel’s moves infused with a spider-man like agility that is truly engrossing to watch.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Cowboy Bebop (obviously), Ninja Scroll or Kill Bill Vol 1.
