Samurai Champloo: Episode 22

I’m not sure if it’s pure guts or plain stupidity (maybe both) that has driven the Samurai Champloo’s think-tank to conjure up a *more* stoned version of Night of the Living Dead as a follow up to the title’s strongest arc. As the series comes to a close, a lingering suspicion has taken root. With the number of trippy references in the entire show, I’m almost inclined to believe that the producers were taking some questionable substances while storyboarding a great number of episodes. Maybe this is an extension of their hallucinatory state.

Seriously, the episode totally f’d up, in a semi-good way. Heike’s non-descendant’s prose is curiously hilarious. Fuu running for her life, Jin and Mugen’s gluttonous appetite, and the weird, exaggerated screams afforded this audience member gleeful laughter.

Strange yet amusing, right? While the experimental aspect of this episode kept this viewer focused, it is also its downfall. The Sara arc pushes the storyline forward and basically provides the much needed momentum. And in one swift movement, the lute playing zombie head kills it. Such is the destiny of Samurai Champloo, or so it seems.