Gotsubo, Masaru. Samurai Champloo.

GOTSUBO, Masaru. Samurai Champloo. Created by Manglobe. Tokyopop. 174p. illus, c2005. 1-591-82282-3. $9.99. SA

Samurai Champloo is an action-comedy manga set during the Edo period in Japan. Fuu is a waitress who is on a quest: she wants to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers. Since it's not safe for a girl to travel alone, Fuu has two bodyguards. Well, not exactly bodyguards--you need money for bodyguards. Call them traveling companions. The first, Jin, is a samurai without a cause; the second, Mugen, is a mercenary without a brain. Jin and Mugen are polar opposites in both temperament and fighting style, so they don't like each other; however, they are so evenly matched that neither can kill the other (this is not for lack of trying).

Teens will love Samurai Champloo. This is not a historical manga by any means; the situations, characters and stylized violence remind me of a Quentin Tarantino movie. The art is action-oriented, stressing motion, with sketchy backgrounds. The strength of this tale lies in the interplay of its three main characters, none of whom are candidates for Mensa. Samurai Champloo contains vulgarity (a-hole and sbomb) and lots of unrealistic, over-the-top violence; it is recommended for libraries with manga collections. George Galuscbak, YA Libn., Montvale PL, Montvale, NJ