I thought since I got done watching it, I'd write a review on it.
I just posted the review on ebay as well, so chime in if you like it and if you've seen it
From AnimeNewsNetwork.com:
Plot Summary: Mugen is a fierce animal-like warrior with a unique Bboying (break-dance) inspired fighting style. Jin has a more traditional style but don't think of this as a weakness because his skills are amazing. The two contrasting samurai warriors are far from friends, yet their separate paths seem to cross anyways. Mugen is wandering aimlessly through the city when he stumbles upon a teahouse where he meets Jin and Fuu (A ditzy waitress, but don't think she doesn't have anything hidden up her sleeves). Fuu convinces them both to come with her in search of a mysterious samurai that smells like sunflowers and their journey begins. This modernized hip-hop tale breaks the barriers of the common, historical, samurai anime.
For my personal take on this: (avoiding spoilers)
It's a 26 episode Anime that revolves around Mugen and Jin helping Fuu trying to find a Samurai that smells of sunflowers. The timeline is set somewhere in the Meiji Japan era, but uses hued, faint remarks in retrospect involving modern culture, language (slang), and symbolism. The modern remarks are mostly subtle; it manages to add flair, style, and intrigue to the offset looking backdrop (thinking of the large castles, mountains and expansive natural scenery, as well as formality and culture that would have been more pronounced back then.) The music is by far fresh and modern; however, it's so tastefully done that you don't feel like your watching a "modern samurai" series. It blends in by being an accent to the character's settings, and isn't over used throughout the story line.
Besides the story that unfolds, the animation is very good. Less cinematic sequences keep the color palate rather soft and smooth and give focus to the surroundings that the characters are interacting with, such as walking by the Red Light District, the waterfalls, and forest. The action sequences liven up the screen with bold, contrasting sword movements, fluid yet stopped and structured character movement, and sense that this battle may leave our main characters in an extremely tight situation.
Short Summary:
Animation/Artwork: 9/10 (it's very clean, very very few spots they get lazy)
Audio: 10/10 (Very very cleanly done, and even has 5.1)
Dub: 10/10 (Mugen's voice sounds nearly like Spike from Cowboy Bebop, and the rest of the voice work is excellent)
Story: 8/10 (Very very good story, some episodes loose a bit of focus at the task at hand, but are still brought together very well)
Extras: 7/10 (there are some, but it's typical Geneon/Pioneer fashion)
Overall, it's like watching Zatoichi (but with three characters that can see) with a bit of modern flair mixed in. A very good recipe for a samurai Anime that actually works great. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone that likes action, a little bit of blood, and swords.
(Don't expect fan-service though.)
