Samurai Champloo jumps to PS2

TOKYO--Bandai is making a PlayStation 2 action game based on Japanese production studio Manglobe's Samurai Champloo television anime series. The company has opened the game's official Web site, which currently features a teaser image with silhouettes of the two main characters. Samurai Champloo is scheduled for release in Japan this winter.

Samurai Champloo was an anime series that aired in Japan from 2004 to 2005. The show took place during the Edo period (1600-1867) in Japan, with an atmosphere that incorporated modern trends such as hip-hop and street talk. The story followed a rough swordfighter named Mugen and a serene samurai named Jin, who end up joining the heroine, Fuu, on her quest to find "a samurai that smells of sunflower." The first episode of the series is available for free viewing online at Bandai's Japanese Web site (fourth from bottom).