Samurai Shin is a manga that tells the story of two samurai on their journey to prove themselves to be honorable samurai. Links to the comic will be below, what I’m here to talk to you about is “The Prelude” EP. This a 20 minute, 11 track joint that’s coupled as a supplement to Samurai Shin Issue 1.5.
“The Prelude” EP clearly takes inspiration from the classic anime Samurai Champloo. For those who don’t know, Samurai Champloo (in my opinion) is one of the best anime’s to exist. One of the reasons I feel like that is because of the unbelieveable soundtrack that accompanied the show. Produced by Nujabees (RIP), Fat Jon and others, the soundtrack brought Samurai Champloo to life. “The Prelude” EP does the exact same thing for Samurai Shin.
It seems like the generation that grew up with Champloo and other anime are now creating content inspired and motivated by what they consumed when they were younger. Executive Producer Mikel Miles has compiled a diverse roster of artists to create this soundtrack and it flows beautifully. The EP is mostly instrumentals (as was the Champloo soundtrack) but what I love about this, is Miles was able to bring along some heavy-hitters too like Torae and M.E.D.
Tracks like “Like Water”, “Lost” and others evoke the jazzy feel we were accustomed to back in the day. Vocal tracks like “Two Katanas” & “Some Days” show the potential of artists Core Demonstration & Kuro Silence. Unfortunately on “Some Days” Torae’s role on the track is reduced to a hook, but just the fact they were able to pull him for this is impressive.
I know I’ve compared this EP a lot to the Champloo soundtracks, but it truly is the best way to describe what he have here. Rumor has it an official soundtrack for the anime is coming soon, but for now enjoy the nostalgic but advancing sounds of “The Prelude” EP. You can check out Samurai Shin HERE.