Samurai Champloo (2004)

Start here if you miss the way Cowboy Bebop makes a soundtrack part of the storytelling. Director Shinichiro Watanabe gives a restless trio a reason to cross Edo-era Japan, and Nujabes and the other soundtrack artists give the detours their own hip-hop rhythm. The long search leaves room for an episode to be funny, rough, or sad on its own terms.