How do you follow up an anime series like Cowboy Bebop, a hard-hitting blend of sci-fi and jazz? If you’re Shinichiro Watanabe the answer is with a hip-hop adventure set in alternate Edo-era Japan. Samurai Champloo can regularly be found near the top of best anime roundups, and if you’re looking for an excuse to revisit the beloved series, Crunchyroll has one for you: a limited-edition Blu-ray collection with a premium presentation. Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series Limited Edition arrives November 5 exclusively on the Crunchyroll Store. Fans can preorder the soon-to-be released Samurai Champloo box set for $67.49 (was $90).
Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series – Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
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Samurai Champloo’s Limited-Edition release comes with a display-worthy slipcase and the six art cards shown above. As for the extras on the disc, you’ll find clean credit sequences, concept art, a “bumper” gallery, promo videos, and trailers. All 26 episodes are included on three Blu-ray discs, and thanks to the high production values, this show really shines in high-definition. The soundtrack is also legendary stuff, and combined with the slick action, the series has become a cult-classic over the years.
On the surface, Samurai Champloo is your typical odd couple show. You’ve got Mugen, a wild and uncouth warrior forced to partner with Jin, a vagrant ronin with impeccable manners. Two fiercely independent warriors, they cross paths with Fuu, a ditzy waitress who convinces them to help her find a mysterious samurai who smells of sunflowers. The trio embark on a journey that takes them across the country, eventually leading to a climatic clash for the ages.
It’s worth noting that there’s already a standard edition Samurai Champloo release you can buy. Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series on Blu-ray is available for $32.49 (was $50) at Amazon.
More Upcoming Crunchyroll Exclusives
Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series is just one of several exciting Crunchyroll exclusives arriving soon. New Blu-ray box sets for Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super are slated to release November 5, too. Dragon Ball Z: The Complete Series and Dragon Ball Super: The Complete Series are available to preorder now for a substantial discount. Both are priced at $142.49 (was $190), which makes them the cheapest way to get both complete series. On November 30, the steelbook edition of Berserk: The Complete 1997 TV Series arrives, but this limited edition will only be printed once (no restocks), so you should secure your preorder soon.
Shinichiro Watanabe anime
If you’re looking to check out other anime series produced by Watanabe, you’re in luck as he has been fairly busy over the years. Cowboy Bebop is still considered to be one of his best; Kids on the Slope is a coming-of-age tale about Japanese teens in the ’60s who bond over their love of jazz music; and Space Dandy is a space-opera that follows a “dandy” guy on his sci-fi adventures.
Watanabe’s next series, Lazarus, is scheduled to launch in 2025 and it sounds like an intriguing mystery series. Set in the future, the show will focus on a task force of agents hunting for the mysterious Dr. Skinner. In 2052, the doctor released a miracle drug that found widespread adoption, but in 2055, he announced that the drug has a three-year half-life and everyone who took it will die. With the clock ticking, it’s up to these elite operatives to find Skinner and the potential vaccine he has knowledge of, if they want to avert a global catastrophe.
