Rurouni Kenshin, eat your heart out. Mugen has arrived.

The lead samurai in Geneon's Samurai Champloo is the antithesis to Samurai X's moody, brooding character. Where Kenshin would honor his foes, Mugen grinds his steel-toed heels into them while they're down. Kenshin would banter with an enemy, trying to discern a way around combat. Mugen calls them "bitches" and urges them to attack.

We're in love.

Samurai Champloo is an anime filled to the brim with attitude. The opening animation, the warning before the show that Samurai Champloo isn't historically accurate ("Like we care. Now shut up and watch the show") the dialogue, cut scenes, the characters, and especially the fights, Samurai Champloo is all about how much 'tude you can fit into one episode.

Incorporating the Okinawan word for "mixing," Samurai Champloo has the old Japan setting for samurais and corrupt governments, but adds a decisively modern urban tone to the dialogue and music.

The editing of Samurai Champloo is where this is most apparent: to the sound of a record being dragged repeatedly back across the needle, matching flashes of action appear, making for one of the coolest segues in anime.

And rap in a samurai anime!? Who would've thought this could work, and work so well? Both American and Japanese hip-hop artists contribute to an outstanding score, including fat john, Tsutchie, Nujabes, and FORCE OF NATURE.

Samurai Champloo follows the unlikely alliance of two very different swordsmen: Mugen and Jin. Mugen drinks and womanizes, Jin is the traditional warrior that would get along great with Kenshin. After escaping execution for their part in a deadly restaurant battle (Mugen's fault, of course) they agree to help a young girl, Fuu, find a mysterious samurai "who smells of sunflowers."

The differences between Mugen and Jin become amplified toward the midway point of this volume, when the group is split up in the third episode (of four). Mugen joins a gang stealing from the poor. Jin becomes the body guard of one of the men the gang stole from.

But of course, they can't be separated for long in this road trip that really doesn't have a destination.

Samurai Champloo is directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, who did the animation portion of Kill Bill, and it's apparent in the similar way the screen bobs back and forth and up and down during some action scenes. Gives those sword fights a real feel of movement.

One thing about the animation is that the further you get away from characters, the less defined they are. A style? A cost-cutter? You be the judge.

If you were thinking Mugen looks like an anorexic version of Spike from Cowboy Beebop, you won't be surprised to learn Shinichiro Watanabe is the creative director here. But this isn't a Cowboy Beebop sequel.

Samurai Champloo is one of the more enjoyable samurai tales to come along recently. It's hardcore action, hardcore funk, and hardcore characters, wrapped in a sweet animation. And, somewhere, Rurouni Kenshin is crying.

Sharp looking DVD, with a 16:9 anamorphic widescreen presentation. Vibrant use of colors, and two fight scenes - one in a bamboo forest, the other in the restaurant - were nothing short of breathtaking to watch. Through two viewings, I noticed nothing painful in the DVD transfer.

Great use of the sound stage … we love it when slashing swords are coming at us from several directions. English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese 2.0 and DTS 5.1 sound options.

The English voice dub is upgraded. Take one line: "Isn't this 'take over the whole country' speech a sham too?" (subtitle) becomes "'Take over the country' my ass. You're even phonier than your dice." Not a big fan of Jin's English voice dub, even though it was done by Kirk Thornton, who's been involved in more than 100 anime. Maybe because what Jin has to say is very, very little. Everything else, from bombs to moans of pleasure, is solid-sounding. Those fingers sounded like they were really broken, that's for sure.

This is the only place where Samurai Champloo disappoints. There's only Geneon previews, a "Battlecry" promo video, two teaser trailers and DVD credits. The insert interview with head writer Shinji Obara was interesting, but I'd rather see the man on screen talking about what he was trying to relay to the audience.

The first 17 episodes just finished airing in Japan, and the series is slated to start up again in January, running through the first season's 26 episodes. All the raves from the fans are well deserved: This is a fresh samurai tale, which took a risk and added modern music and attitudes; it could have easily failed. Instead, Samurai Champloo earns a deserved Highly Recommended rating.

Samurai Champloo is suggested for audiences 16 and up.