by MangaMoon

Samurai Champloo 3D panel

Remember… Fuu trying to earn a little travel money and somehow becoming part of Van Gogh’s inspiration? Fuu, Mugen and Jin need money to continue their journey. An artist named Hishikawa Moronobu offers Fuu paid modeling work. It sounds simple: sit still for a portrait and collect her fee. Inside his studio, a sunflower painting catches her attention. Those flowers remind her of the samurai she is searching for. Hishikawa talks enthusiastically about his art and the value of ordinary people as models. Fuu agrees, unaware of the danger behind his invitation. After the portrait is finished, the arrangement reveals its darker purpose. The studio is connected to a human-trafficking operation. Fuu is abducted and faces being sold, until Mugen intervenes to rescue her. Then the episode takes an unexpected turn. The portrait depicts Fuu without clothing, surrounded by sunflowers. It eventually reaches Europe, where, according to the anime’s playful fictional history, Vincent van Gogh sees it and finds inspiration for his sunflower paintings. Fuu wanted enough money to keep traveling. Her portrait ends up taking a journey of its own, carrying an ordinary mishap into an absurd little footnote in European art history.

Material: Wooden