Cowboy Bebop

What is the measure of a classic? The dictionary would suggest that a classic is: n. is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. Something that stands the test of time, is remembered fondly, and has continued appeal. Historically, the world classic itself typically imbues a connotation of antiquity- Greeks, Romans, ancient literature, artwork, even music. It inspires originality and derives from that a long-lasting impact. The audience would likely suggest a less abstract definition and instead give examples. In film, you'd get a Citizen Kane or a Sunset Boulevard or a Rear Window. In television, a wider range of things. There are even such things as "modern classics", like my beloved Ringtone Rap. In anime, the definition of classic- well... that debate is still hotly contested. One name, that continually rises up through sifting of the ever growing mound of coarse sand that is anime however, is that of Cowboy Bebop. Bebop checks off all the boxes for an enduring, beloved series- it has the characters, it's easy to follow, it's got the tunes, a tightly controlled artistic direction that sets it apart from the rest of the pack, and most importantly- it's entertaining. There is a reason why certain shows like Seinfeld, Spongebob, Andy Griffith, The Flintstones, Friends, Star Trek, and many others continued to air on TV long after their expiration date: accessibility. Many of the longest running shows on television center on a long running, slow unfolding story arc, often involving a large family or group of them- such as Dallas, the Sopranos, or Game of Thrones. They tell interwoven stories with a myriad of characters over a period of years, and as such, length of the show is hampered only by the creative output of the creators. To create such a show that, within its relatively short length of 26 episodes (everything listed above numbers in the hundreds of episodes, or will, by the end of the run) manages to cover such a wide range of topics and stories in a self contained format is a feat indeed. One of the most common criticisms of scripted shows like this are their episodic or short arc nature. The people want a singular story to follow- a goal, a direction. Episodic series often feel uneven in tone and pacing, not to mention disjointed due to the constant shift and restarting that's necessary to keep the show accessible to new viewers who may not have seen previous episodes. Cowboy Bebop doesn't necessarily rely on viewers to have seen all of the preceding episodes to be able to enjoy any given episode, and to me, this is one of the great charms the show has- the ability to pick it up wherever, and enjoy it. I think this is also why it's had lasting success on Adult Swim since its original airing in 2001. Bebop is a lot of fun to watch, no matter where in the series you pick it up; and that enjoyability is due in no small part to the writing and direction. Certain long running shows can have very interesting plots, and be loaded with poorly written characters, but still manage to garner a large viewing audience who want to follow along- shows that have intriguing concepts, but poor execution. For an episodic series like Bebop to succeed, the emphasis doesn't necessarily need to be on making every single story plot the most interesting and wacky thing out there, but rather to be anchored by /characters/ you want to watch interact and react to situations. Indeed, it is characters that drive this story, and not the other way around. A show's greatest sin is to be unentertaining. If a show is "boring", it has failed at its' most fundamental level- being entertainment. Boring, Bebop is not. The characters are unique, and how they work, play, and fight together is decidedly endearing. Each character has their charm and their wit. Spike, the central protagonist, is a mysterious James Bond-esque man of many skills- particularly in combat. Throughout the show, there are several overarching questions about his past, which are revealed through about 5 episodes throughout. However, this kind of information about the character is really just a bonus, because it takes all of one episode to know what kind of character he is: the sharp dressing, sardonic, quintessential cool- cigarettes, guns and all. He's not without depth or flaws, however. There's more behind the man than the mask of calm, cool, and collected. He is set opposite the very antithesis of calm, cool and collected in Faye- a beautiful young woman with an equally mysterious past that's explored in several later episodes. She plays an important role in the team though, instead of just being the token female or there for fanservice. She's another multifaceted character with more than meets the eye, and frequently steals the spotlight. The trio is rounded off with Jet- the "I'm too old for this crap" retired cop archetype. Jet exists as the grounded personality between Spike's frustration and Faye's outbursts, and generally serves as the voice of reason between the two extremes: his crewmates, hothead and impulsive. Soundwise, the show is superb. I make no secret of being a fan of Yoko Kanno, but this is the show that catapulted her to stardom in the anime industry. It's got a fantastic blend of moody orchestral pieces juxtaposed with the titular bebop jazz. There's funk, there's electronica, and there's even an episode devoted to heavy metal. A more diverse soundtrack you are unlikely to find, and there will certainly be something for everyone to enjoy with such a variety of tunes. As far as the voice acting goes, Steve Blum, Wendee Lee, and Beau Billingslea all do fantastic jobs as Spike, Faye, and Jet respectively. The art, too, is fantastic for the time. In 2017, Bebop could be considered an "old" anime, clocking in at a geriatric 19 years of age. Don't let the number fool you though, as the hand drawn art maintains a great consistency in quality and fluidity throughout the show's run. The show features a great variety in locales, vehicles, and characters. Due to the episodic nature, very few episodes take place in the same locations, and a number of different themes in art direction show up in the show. There are full on neo-noir episodes, complete with the black and white look, detectives, etc. and other more darkly colored ones with slow fades to reveal a what looks to be a puddle is actually blood. There are a number of western themed episodes, mafia, casino, and others. Definitely no shortage of different motifs. One of my favorite episodes was the magic mushroom episode, where, due to a food shortage, Spike, Faye, and Jet all end up eating psychedelic mushrooms they've mistaken for portabellas, and it's up to Edward to actually track down some real food. Though it's a silly episode played for laughs, it actually succeeds in taking a needed break from the action. The "Pierrot Le Fou" episode, which reminded me heavily of the 1992 Batman Animated series, involves a superhuman test subject that resembles The Penguin, who loses his mind and goes nuts, attacking anyone and everyone. The episode is downright creepy, and Spike's showdown with him at the end is quite clever, and, as mentioned before- really seems like a Batman episode. That said, and being episodic, some episodes are a mixed bag. A few that are supposed to be touching just felt a bit out of place, and others that were more comedic in tone fell a bit flat when it involved someone other than the main three. The recurring "Spike and Faye manage to screw up somehow and lose the bounty they're hunting, or they unexpectedly die" gag wears thin pretty quickly, and the formulaic nature of the first few episodes gets kinda old, too. The second half of the show is definitely where it all comes together though, and the ending was rather unexpected for a show of this t…

Cowboy Bebop is one of the few series that got recommended to me by both my real life friend and my net friends. I really wanted to like this show, I was so excited to watch this and my expectations were at an all time high which is what led me to dub cowboy bebop as the most disappointing anime ever There are definitely worse, much worse series out there of course but I never expected much from them. Cowboy bebop however, is one of the most loved anime and everything I heard about it was positive which ultimately led me to expect Cowboy Bebop to be an masterpiece that cannot be hated by anyone. Boy was I wrong Well, that's enough of that, let's get on with my review Story: Cowboy Bebop is episodic for the most part and what's worse is that it's pretty much in the monster of the week format. There are a lot of standalone episodes in the series that aren't really important but they tried to force it at the end. I didn't like most of the standalone episodes but I hated what they did at the end even more Characters: They were able to give the most of the main cast a believable back story which properly explained why they acted the way they did. Not much of Ed's past is revealed though like why she even knew how to hack and what motivates her to act the way she does. They could've inserted that anywhere given how much standalone episodes they have but they didn't Art and Animation: I don't really mind the art style but some of the scenes just took me out of the anime because of how terribly animated they were but this can be forgiven because this is a 90s anime. The animation for the wormholes in particular were absolutely nauseous Sound: I'm not a fan of Jazz so I have nothing to say about the music Enjoyment: This is one of the few anime where I actually had to push myself just to finish. I usually just drop them but given how highly acclaimed the series I held on unto hope that maybe, just maybe the next episode would be better and it wouldn't bore me out of my mind but no, that didn't happen and when I finished this series, I was just glad that it was finally over and I can finally watch something that I actually like. This series was boring from start to finish, the only exception being episode 8, the sole episode that I like Overall: It's not as good as people make it out to be and it failed to live up to my expectations but most importantly, and when I say most importantly, I mean that this is the only part that matters for me, it was boring and I didn't enjoy it which is why I'm going to give this a 6. Oh hey I just checked but my overall score for Cowboy Bebop is still a 6 if i take the average of my scores for it's separate aspects. 6.25 if I didn't count my score for the music (I divided it by 4 ofc, I'm not that dumb) I don't think numbers can properly convey how much you like or dislike a show so take this sentence as my rating: It still had some bits that I enjoyed but it was really boring as a whole. P.S. This is ofc just my opinion so don't send me death threats for this, okay? Cool?

As a fairly new anime fan I obviously started with some of the most recommnded shows, and Cowboy Bebop was one of the first. This show is considered a masterpiece thanks to the alleged fascinating characters, outstanding story and amazing music. Let's start with the latter- the Jazz soundtrack is really cool, though not notable or memorable in most of the parts. The openening theme is super cool, and I almost never skipped it (a thing I usually do). The show has a nice background story- after an accident in the hyperspace the Earth became uninhabitable, and humanity colonized the other planets and moons of the solar system. Meanwhile, crime rates have risen, and bounty hunters help the police catch criminals. In short- a fair setting for a space western. There are indeed some beautiful views and space battle scenes in here. The problems begin when the story starts being told. First, like most in of the shows in which the episodes' plots aren't tightly connected, troubles tend to get fixed to quickly. A more major problem is that the first 10 episodes are absolutely boring! If the show wasn't considered a must-watch classic that luckily has only one season, I probably wouldn't have gone past them. The 11th episode is a turning point in the manner of the plot quality, altough such episode was probably made in every show with a spaceship ever. But eventually, the biggest cause for my personal relative unenjoyment was the thing that the show is most praised for- the characters. It is true that all the main characters have mysterious troubled pasts that are explored throughout the show. However, because we know nothing of them at the beginning of the show, and their backstories are revealed way to slowly, I couldn't find even a small piece of interest in any of the characters until the very last episodes. For example, Jet's past which was the first to be revealed, is actually quite an uninteresting unoriginal cliche. Around episode 20 I realized that my favorite character is actually Ein the dog! Combining that with the boring first 10 episodes, I got a show that I would likely drop in an early stae unless I was feeling obligated to watch it until the end as a so called classic. Also, I was really bothered by the unproportional bodies of Spike and Faye, or more specifically- their extermely long legs.

What to say about this anime that hasn't already been said? I finished CB not so long ago, and it quickly became my favorite anime so far, and for very good reasons. Story: 9/10 The storytelling in this anime is one of its crowning achievements. It follows the crew of the Bebop and their struggle to make a living out of bounty hunting, showing a different "case" in almost every episode. There's a criminal on the loose, they go out to get him, at some point things go wrong (no wonder there's a recurrent theme of luck/lack of luck in this show) and after all they've done they either get a very small bounty, waste it all in one day, or get nothing at all. It sounds comical and even repetitive, but trust me, it's not. And that's because CB is a character-driven show - each of this "cases" serve to reveal a thing or two about the main characters, and how they deal with their past, which is, for most of them, pretty tragic. The "main" plot, however, is focused on Spike Spiegel, his forbidden romance, his downfall and his ascension. And it is beautifully done. It doesn't rely on clichés to get an emotional reaction out of you, it does not spoonfeed you with everything you need to know, it follows the "show, don't tell" rule to a tee... BUT exactly because of that it can also be a little slow in the beginning, so you have to be aware of that when you decide to watch it. Characters: 9/10 The one word I can say to describe the characters in Cowboy Bebop is REAL. They look and feel real. My biggest surprise was Faye Valentine. At first she looks like a shallow woman who's willing to do anything to survive, but as the plot progresses and you get to know her past, you notice how complex she actually is. I was only a little disappointed with the lack of focus given to Ed, who could've been a little more developed, and Julia, who felt to me was just there to be Spike's love interest. Vicious, the main villain, also felt a bit cliché. Apart from that, most of the characters, including Spike, of course, are brilliant and very well developed. And I'm not talking only about the main characters. A lot of the side characters are also very interesting and memorable. Art: 10/10 This anime was made in 1998, and it has better art than many anime from the 2010's. This is certainly something. The animation is incredibly fluid, the colors are spot on... I really have no complaints AT ALL in this area. Sound: 10/10 CB's soundtrack is one of its most famous aspects, and rightly so. It's very unique and varied, with songs ranging from jazz to bossa nova (!). Yoko Kanno's score brings personality to a very music-oriented show, making an already memorable scene become even more memorable. I still listen to some of the songs in this soundtrack daily. That's how good it is. Enjoyment: 9/10 Like I mentioned before, Cowboy Bebop has a rather slow start. But it gets better, and even at its most "boring" moments, it has a level of intrigue that will make you come back to it and eventually enjoy it a lot. It's definitely a very rewatchable show, and it gives a lot of "food for thought" too. Overall, there's nothing else for me to say about this anime. It's a MASTERPIECE, in every sense of the word, and a definite must-watch for anime fans, and even for those who don't like anime. Cowboy Bebop is a 10/10! See You Space Cowboy!

Cowboy Bepop. There's something about this anime that sets itself apart from everything else out there. From its amazing atmosphere to its near-flawless character design, this anime is a surefire way to make a boring weekend a lot less boring. I had heard so much about this show from many different sources, but I had never tried to watch it. Only because of a sudden urge to watch anime was I able to fully grasp how good this show is. Let me just say that the intro is definitely something to drool over like some mindless fanboy. And I don't say that often. A good intro may not affect the story, but it can really draw in viewers. Take a look for yourself (Don't worry, it's just an intro. No spoilers here. I DO have a heart, you know.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqvsUs-iQvg SOUND: 9/10 The soundtrack really is unique, and I haven't seen anything else quite like it. It can go from smooth and classy to quick and dangerous in a matter of a few seconds and you wouldn't know what hit you. The soundtrack alone is a good reason why you should watch this anime. ART: 9/10 As for the art? It might be a bit outdated, but... you know, that's because it came out in 1998. But even for its release date, it showed an exceptional amount of care and passion. The little details were what drew me in, not to mention the downright awesome fight scenes. It's clear there was a lot of dedication that went into this anime and I applaud the makers. Kudos. STORY: (Obvious spoilers.) 10/10 While the story might seem everywhere to some people, it's clearly meant to be that way. Each story arc offered a unique setting and progression. From an intelligent dog comparable to a human being to a pathogen bomb that has the ability to wipe out an entire population on a planet, you're in for a ride, folks. But I don't want to spoil any more for you. Just know that you'll be missing out if you don't watch this anime. CHARACTERS: (Yes. Take all of my virtual yes.) The character design and progression is something I rarely see in shows nowadays, excluding some of the more successful shows out there. Those are successful for a reason. I particularly love the smooth personality of the main character, and the uncle-like friendliness (While still possessing copious amounts of badassary) of his companion. There are a few more notable characters, but I'll leave them to you to discover. ENJOYMENT?: Yes. I enjoyed it. If you haven't already figured that out, then you have now. 10/10, would fangasm over again. Nuff' said, really. OVERALL: 10/10. Watch this anime. You won't regret it.

Bang Cowboy Bebop has been praised by fans and critics as the greatest anime of all-time, it set a benchmark in the 90s for animation quality, has some of the best storytelling ever written and is one of the most influential anime ever. The show is episodic by nature but has enough backstory in each character to give an over arching view. Focusing in on the Bebop crew and their not so successful bounty hunting adventures Spike, Jet, Faye and Ed make up four of the greatest anime characters ever. They each bring something amazing to the show. Ed the super hacker adds a light hearted element to the show that never seems to slow down or hurt the show in any way like so many other comic relief characters do, Jet the ex cop turned bounty hunter is kind of the father figure in the group, Faye the lovable gambling addict from the past who acts as a counter part to Spike and Spike... oh Spike, probably the coolest anime character ever, how do you not love this guy? he fights like Bruce Lee, has an amazing shot, has a dope backstory, is a total badass and has said some of the most icon quotes in anime history. The animation is some of the best I've ever seen, backgrounds are detailed, the characters designs are all very unique, the fights flow like water and oh ya this is all hand drawn animation! no cheep tricks or cutting corners every frame of this show is absolutely flawless. The soundtrack on it's own is nice but coupled with the show is like the best anime soundtrack ever.it reminds me of Martin Scorsese's 1976 masterpiece Taxi Driver in how the music seems to fuse so well with the visuals to give the viewer a one of a kind experience. Overall Cowboy Bebop is one of the greatest shows ever (anime or not), it has aged like scotch and is a must see for any and every anime fan. Until next time, see you space cowboy

"Just a cowboy ma'am" Cowboy Bebop is most likely one of the most famous anime out there. And it is, for very good reasons. It's a classic, and one of the first anime with a good English dub. The anime takes place in the future, following the adventures of Spike and Jet, bounty hunters (or cowboys) looking for cash. As they go about their adventures, they pick up a lady (Faye Valentine), a dog (Ein), and a boy (who's really a girl named Ed). Many things happen to them, and you eventually learn more about Spike and his interesting background. Story - 9/10 While having what is IMO the best ending possible in any anime, it has too many filler episodes that don't have anything to do with the actual plot. This would be fine, if they actual episodes were very good, but some of them have barely anything to do with hunting down criminals, such as the one where they purchase some sketchy mushrooms. Otherwise the main plot line of the show is amazing, and the ending wraps it all up very nicely. The backstory of some of the characters is also what makes this show fantastic. Art - 10/10 Even though it is a very old show, it still stands up there as one of the best drawn anime I've ever seen. The animation during fights is fantastic, especially for it's time and I've never seen anything like it when I first saw it on T.V. Characters are well drawn with realistic features, nothing too exaggerated like most animes nowaday. Sound - 10/10 Oh boy, where do I even start. This show has what I want to say the best soundtrack of any anime I've ever seen in my entire life. Maybe it's my bias because it's one of the first anime I've ever seen, but The Seatbelts did an amazing job and the ending theme song (The Real Folk Blues) is one of my favorite songs of all time. I constantly hum it almost all the time in fact, and some of my colleagues have even been interested to know here it is from. And the English dub is one of the first best ones out there. I really felt the emotions in this dub unlike most other dubs which are just bland. However, this one definitely stands out in terms of english dub quality. Character - 9/10 While the show did an amazing job developing Spike's and Jet's characters, I felt that Vicious and the others could've been done a little better. I still felt like I wanted to know more about them, but sadly the show didn't deliver on that aspect. However, for sure, they did an amazing job for what they did develop. Enjoyment - 10/10 I love this anime. It's another of the ones that I grew up with, and it still sticks with me even today. It was the show that really stood out to me, and probably the one that got me into watching even more anime. Even after re-watching it recently, I still felt compelled to watch it again because that's how I much I enjoyed it. The fight scenes were splendid, the ending stunning, soundtrack fantastic, there was almost no downsides, and for the ones that it has, it makes up for two fold. Overall - 9/10

Cowboy Bebop: Spoiler free review A truly surreal expirence to be had, Cowboy Bebop blends copious and subtle amounts of almost every genre. A picturesque expirence teeming with euphoria and a wonderful sense of adventure. The world is uniquley crafted and truly feels like its own. Story 7/10 Cowboy bebop has an interesting concept of potraying it's story. Being an episodic adventure, sure each episode has a different plot, but intertwined is segments from the character's pasts, taking us into the present to be projected into the future. There is very little and a lot going on all at once spanned over this 26 episodic escapade! Simply put; we start in the present, slowly unveil the past, and follow the characters into their future. Characters 7.5/10 Cowboy Bebop is more character interaction than character development, and the interactions are well composed. The main characters have a lot of major differences, but that is not to say they fit well together. They bring out the best and worst of one another, which makes for some pleasantly awesome scenarios. Although progression isn't a main focus, it is sometimes brought to the foreground through; learning who a character once was or what they were like and who they are now, or are becoming. Cowboy Bebop has a unique way of unfolding their awesome cast of characters. Art Direction 8/10 Most modern day animes by comparison still don't do what Cowboy Bebop did in 1998! Action scenes are crisp and fluid, colors are done in a nice gritty finnese for the most part. Artsy moments ranging from vibrant with color, to the serene and subtle and moments with artistic pizazz!. Music 10/10 If you're familiar with Yoko Kanno(the composer) you have already come to know her exceptional quality. This soundtrack is truly outstanding. Contemporary jazz, up-beat techno, surreal musical compositions truly every genre can be found here. For 26 episodes there is a WIDE array of tracks to be heard, and even American tracks from some well-known artists! The music brings the art direction and whole feel of cowboy bebop alive, overflowing with a truly genuine effort to combine with the anime and bring it to its peak. Every song fits every moment it is cast into, without being forced. Cowboy Bebop will capture the attention of almost any anime fan, whether they are looking for action, adventure, sci-fi, even some casual slice of life elements. Each episode is written by a different individual, but there is an overall sense of direction. Overall I give Cowboy Bebop a 8/10 Disclaimer: Some episodes can have a dramatically different feel, and I found some episodes to be personally slow. Do not let this deter you from missing out on an overall great anime! PS: If you found it helpful, or not helpful please, I implore you to contact me via message or comment! I'm really looking for critique and want to hear from the anime fans themselves! Thankyou, so much ^_^

Cowboy Bebop is a triumph of budget; a paper-thin anime with dynamic, fluid animation, a lovingly crafted eclectic soundtrack, and stylistic nuances for miles (one episode even effectively parodies blaxploitation). I don't mean that in an entirely derogatory way; it's really no surprise this is one of the major things that got people into Japanese animation, because it's an extremely fully realized show, so fully realized in fact that it's easy to overlook broad, undeveloped characters and a fanservice-vehicle female character who's dressed like a space hooker most of the time. There's not much to it, and yet there is.

I went into this show with the expectation that I might like it more but I ended up liking it significantly less. There are way too many things I could say, I am going to make it short. This will mean a lot of my thoughts will probably be not delivered as well as I wish but it is what it is. My main takeaway is that I actually do not like a single thing about this show. Don’t confuse this with dislike though. The first time I thought I appreciated its artistry, the show is factually well produced but when it comes to actual appeal, it doesn’t appeal to me whatsoever. The art is well drawn but not aesthetically unique or interesting. The colors are 90s, they aren’t vibrant, they aren’t flat. They are just colors. The character designs are cool and make sense for the setting (Faye is questionable but idc) but they do not appeal to my aesthetic sensitivities. The Ost is there. I overall liked 3 tracks in the entire show, and with liked I mean noticed and enjoyed greatly. The rest was unnoticeable or unimpressive. So basically, decent but nothing I will list in my favorite OST list. The plot – I honestly doubt there even is one. Yes, yes, there is the thematic core of Spike’s character arc that eventually reaches its climax by the end, but I felt it wasn’t overarchingly as important as other shows, especially plot driven ones. This show is a tale of a few characters, hence why it is episodic, but I failed to see relevance or major takeaways in the episodic stories towards the characters or even to just worldbuild the world. In the end it just ends up being a space show where things happen to people. I know that isn’t really a sentence that describes anything nor is it not something that could be said about everything but it is the rawest way for me to state my particular feelings towards this series. Over the span of 26 episodes, I thought 7 were good at best. I didn’t count but it was definitely not more than 9. And with good I mean good, not great not amazing. The rest was either bad, dreadfully bad, unamusing, or okay. Spike is a character that barely reacts to his surroundings so I don’t ever know what he thinks or worries about, so when his arc ends, I am just kinda… okay? I did enjoy Faye’s character backstory the most, the tape scene being the most emotionally engaging. I don’t understand how the syndicate relates to anything in the universe, or how bad they are in that universe etc. I am not ashamed to admit I do not understand some things in this show but I don’t “understand” them in a personal way that would connect me to the overall narrative in a meaningful way, not in a plot-understanding way (nobody will understand this sentence lmao). I also think Vicious is extreme toast bread villain. All he does is look ugly and quote some poetic nonsense, Spike does that too sometimes. The quoting went out of hand towards the end. All these things are still mature in a way, like they don’t offend me or are pretentious, but they are really underwhelming in many ways. When it comes to a “main” character involved in a rivalry with a villain that is actually good, Psycho-Pass is better at that. It is also better with its “episodic” narrative to expand the world, and I think PP’s worldbuilding isn’t the best. Speaking of episodic, having a “driver” MC react or engage with episodic people’s tragedies, Kino is way better at that than Spike, though Kino is a non-actor (usually). Also took away more lessons per episode in that show than I did here. Then OST and aesthetic; I have a myriad of shows I like more than this. VEG which I don’t like much because of its last few episodes also had me way more emotionally engaged than this show. I am saying all of this to justify my score basically. I am not giving Bebop a 5 because I think it is average as far as anime on a major scale go. As I already said, it is at least mature about the things it is doing, I just have seen shows that do similar things way better than it, and I am not into those shows either. I wasn’t emotionally engaged or entertained. There is not much to criticize about it as an anime production because at the time they were high tier, but they aren’t appealing to my tastes. The characters are fine but I don’t “like” them. I don’t find their team interactions special. The pacing is also egregiously slow I felt. In any case I would even say it is the exact same show as Dandy, but a bit more “mature”, but Dandy had overall more episodes I “cared” about. The last 3 episodes were honestly great. I really liked the tone, the OST was the best it ever has been and it tied the knots of the very minimal plot we have gotten so far together really well. However I still feel like it doesn’t entirely excuse the lack of consistency until this point and it also failed to round out these characters in non-trope ways. Julia just kinda represents this weird male gaze masculine power fantasy for the male character of sacrificing yourself for your loved one after they have passed, but before you do you take revenge. Basically, the plot of any B-type action film where the wife dies at the start of the film. I don’t see how this is any different. It kinda just bores me at this point. Either way, I think I heard the shot now, and this will be the last time I ever watch this show again. I am glad if you got some great catharsis from any of the character arcs, but I just did not. This wouldn’t be the first show that is a bit “older” that I watched and my main takeaway was “it certainly was monumental for its time” and it probably won’t be the last time.

Might contain light spoilers. "I'm not going there to die. I'm going to see if I'm alive" - Spike Spiegel. I don't know if you are aware of what you are living now. You were born to see masterpieces like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, Neon Genesis Evangelion... You are lucky enough to enjoy your life, your hobbies without any kind of problem, to get yourself wrapped by different stories or characters. You are lucky enough to exist in the same timeline as Cowboy Bebop, the BEST anime ever created. You think you can argue on this? Well, you CAN'T. 90s were a strange time for anime. We had experiments like Neon Genesis Evangelion, a mecha deconstruction. We had Serial Experiments Lain, a pioneer in the internet design. We had Revolutionary Girl Utena, Trigun... In 1998, Sunrise hired director Watanabe Shinichiro to direct an anime. They didn't care what that anime was about. They wanted something that was interesting enough to sell some figures. So, Shinichiro Watanabe, well known today for mixing samurais and hip-hop as well, mixed Cowboys, Jazz and space. What a shitty combination! Don't you think? You're totally wrong. After three or four episodes, Cowboy Bebop was delayed to late-night and there, he gained popularity, until becoming what is known to be the 'anime for adults' for excellence. Cowboy Bebop does not have a normal story. To be fair, I'd say that Cowboy Bebop has multiple stories, because every single chapter is like having a new one in our heads. Basically, bounty-hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black travel in their ship, the Bebop, hunting criminals for money. From there, they know femme-fatale Faye Valentine and super-hacker Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, or as we know it, Ed. As a single crew, with their personal diferences but as a team, they do their jobs. Every character has a development arc, but most important is Spike's one. He, as an ex-member of a criminal syndicate called the Red Dragon, has to deal with his past. Not only does Cowboy Bebop has amazing individual chapters but also has the BEST ending I've ever seen in an anime. The animation and character design are GORGEUS. Every fight, every new character we meet, every scenario, are specially designed to fulfill our desires. Explosions, flights, races and every single frame on this work is absolutely outstanding, to the point that I am still waiting to be as impressed as I am with Cowboy Bebop (TV show) in animation. The sound is one of the most important parts in the series, because of the sensation it gives to the viewer. Bebop has that jazzy design on purpose, and Yoko Kanno, with The Seatbelts, make possible that immersion. Cowboy Bebop is a metaphor to let your past behind you and keep going with your actual life, and the characters are always trying to remember us that the future is what matters. Do not let your past to haunt you like a ghost, forget about it and keep going. Or face it, in order to put a limit in your back. We have ex-police officer Jet Black, who can not forget about his past love, or about the arm he lost. Jet is a really nice guy that always pay his debts and wants to be in good terms with everyone. He cares about the crew like if they were his family and wants them by his side. Jet is always trying to get away of his past, but he keeps things in order to not forget about it (the watch his ex left him or the robotic arm he could have fixed). We also have Faye Valentine, a cryogenized woman that has tons of debts. Faye is always running from her past, she wants to remember but it is afraid of what that memories can bring back. Despite her cold-blooded attitude, she deeply cares for the crew, even if it is to build a place where she can be part of. Ed is the youngest member of the crew. With a positive attitude towards life, she is always searching for new things to do and learn. She has not any kind of past, but she has the role of showing us how you must enjoy every single moment of your life (while you can). And finally, the all-time favourite Spike Spiegel. Listen, I love Spike. He's handsome, freaking cool and an awesome person. Despite those obviously positive attributes, he's such a hypocrite. He's always talking about how the past will bury you, but he does not talk about how his own past has buried him to the point that he can't look to the future without looking to the past. I made this review because I recently ended the series for the second time and I can not believe how much I loved it and enjoyed this rush. Cowboy Bebop will forever be a personal favourite of mine. So, even if you don't want to carry this weight, even if you don't think you are living in the real world, even if you think that if "easy come, easy go", if you don't have a comrade or if you are an sleeping beast, you can not die without watching Cowboy Bebop at least once. So... See You, Space Cowboy.

Story Many times have I visited Cowboy Bebop, and every time we've parted company I leave with a sense of how great a conversationalist Cowboy Bebop truly is. How it tells beautiful stories with nothing but ink, paint, computers, and sound. How it seems to transcend it's own media and become something unto itself. Nothing to be worshiped or canonized, but to be viewed with a measure of respect, and perhaps awe, that such a thing ever took place at all. Cowboy Bebop, that's the story. There are cowboys and there is bebop, set against the backdrop of the future and space. The series concerns itself with the lives of Jet Black, Spike Spiegal, Faye Valentine, and Ed. The series itself tends to revolve around sorting out each characters past and reconciling it with their present selves. What sets Cowboy Bebop apart from similar series such as Outlaw Star is that these stories are actually interesting. Animation Animation directors strive for different goals. Some, like Hayou Miyazaki seek a balance between we humans and nature. The director of Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii forewarned us that advancement without restraint presented dillemas with no solutions. Shincihiro Wantanbe gave us, with Cowboy Bebop, twenty-six pictures of a world coming to terms with its past. The methods vary, with death, resignation, and an eyes wide shut attitude dominating. But never are these heady themes forced upon us with a heavy hand. They are at many times hidden behind sharp humor, attention to detail, and jaw dropping animation. Only two times are these themes truly brought to a head: at the twelfth and thirteenth episodes (parts one and two of Jupiter Jazz), and episodes twenty-five and twenty-six (parts one and two of The Real Folk Blues). And at these moments the music gets better, the animation sharper, and like true climactic moments, they stay with us long after we finish watching them. For it's time, Cowboy Bebop was about as good as television animation got. The style was classically anime, big eyes no nose, small mouth. The fighting animation is very fluid and detailed. But what most impressed me about Cowboy Bebop's animation was the variety of locals, and the lived in natures of every environment that is visited. From the Bebop itself, with its endless rooms and corridors to variety of ethnic architecture, it is truly a treat to behold. The computer graphics are dated by today's standard, but for its time was cutting edge. Sound Never before or since has such a catalog of music been assembled for an anime, any anime. The principle creator of Cowboy Bebop's music, Yoko Kanno, took the high-road. She hopped from genre to genre in leaps and bounds while never taking from the animation itself, but infusing it with a pulse that at all times seemed perfect. Sometimes characters are defined through music, like Gren, whose sax playing pronounces him melancholy, disillusioned, and cavalier. Three original soundtracks were put together for this anime, each one is distinct and non-repetitious. Listening to them on their own gives you new appreciation on the quality of Yoko Kannos gift. Characters Characters from Cowboy Bebop each have stories to tell. Each deals with its past and present as best they can, although often times not very well at all. The plot is linear as far as the time line is concerned, but there isn't a penultimate goal sought after. In terms of the classic definitions of conflict, Cowboy Bebop tends towards the man versus himself, or man versus man types of conflict. The principles of Cowboy Bebop do not seek paradigm shifts, do not seek to change the world for the better or worse, but simply to live to see another day. This struggle to live on is what makes Cowboy Bebop so enjoyable, and what gives a humanity to the principle characters that they would otherwise lack. Overall The concept of Cowboy Bebop is not original, but its execution is outstanding. The characters are not original, but how they interact with the world around them is. The music can be defined by genre, but the impact on the individual cannot. The animation has been topped over the years, the cgi definitely shows its age, but there are still moments of raw beauty that are still unparalleled. Cowboy Bebop is not a rite of passage in anime fandom, but it should be a signpost, showing you the difference between the sublime and the ordinary. 9/10 story 8/10 animation 10/10 sound 8/10 characters 9/10 overall

How can I possibly review "Cowboy Bebop"? The show has been reviewed, and re-reviewed, and talked about, and taken apart, been overrated, underrated, and just done to death that at this point my words would make about as much difference as if I were to drop a lit match onto the surface of the sun. But, maybe my words will read and maybe you the reader will be aided by them. The word I can use to describe this Anime best is cool. From the characters, to the artwork, to the soundtrack, to the dialogue. It's a smooth, fun, futuristic ride through this 26-episode series. Most episodes are stand alone with a few two part ones that deal with the big picture plot of the series. It has a massive tech-noir flavor, futuristic settings that are fogged by clouds of cigarette smoke and a jazz melody in the background. I hope the future is this cool. The characters in this show are unforgettable and grow on you very quickly. Spike Spiegel, the mellow martial arts bounty hunter with a mysterious past. Jet Black, the grizzled ex-cop with a cybernetic arm who enjoys gardening. Faye Valentine, the grifting femme fatale who always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ed, the little girl with a boys name who is a total genius and total goof, and Ein the Dog. He does dog stuff. Now, don't go into this show expecting to be blown away. The amount of praise this show gets makes it sound like it will change your life, lower your taxes, and improve your gas mileage. It's a great show. A masterpiece. But step back, take a deep breath, and watch one episode at a time when you can. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Don't binge. I find this is best way to enjoy the show. Sub vs. Dub is a surprising big win for the dub. Steve Blum, Wendee Lee, Beau Billingslea, and Melissa Fahn as Spike, Faye, Jet, and Ed play their parts to perfection and set the gold standard for every English dub before or since. If all English casts were as good as this, subtitles would not be necessary. I hope this review has helped you out and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Please enjoy "Cowboy Bebop" as much as I did. It's a great show. And a must-see for any Anime fan. 10/10. Check it out. Cheers!

Story 6/10 I mean it is not a bad story but is it really that "great"? A bunch of bounty hunters and a kid link up to go on adventures together while exploring a rather bland world set in space. The stories (episodes) could have been more exciting, with more plot twists, big reveals and emotionally driven. Frankly it was too straight forward for me to consider it anything amazing. Art 8/10 For a 90s anime it has aged very well. The spaceships are very unique and the environment represent space travel dystopian suited to its time. Sound 9/10 At first I was like "this OP is garbage and ED is okay". Then as it went on, I discovered the soundtrack within the episodes to be the best part of the series for me personally. The songs are varied, the instrumentals are atmospheric and certain tracks fitted with the scenarios perfectly. Although I warn you, I only started to appreciate it later in the series. Character 6/10 I think I would have touched a nerve with scoring the characters this low but they are mediocre. They are not particularly interesting when you compare them to something like One Piece where every character whether side or main are filled with so much personality. Spike is cool, Ed fluffy, Faye feisty and Jet a boring old man but these are pretty one dimensional (with interesting backstories I guess). But nothing about them gripped me, maybe they were too "ordinary". Enjoyment 7/10 Now I'll go into detail of what I enjoyed and didn't. As mentioned briefly, the adventures are not that exciting besides Spike episodes. Luckily he got the most screen time. Then we hit episode 12 and everything became a little more interesting with Faye's back story just starting then my interest tailed off again. By episode 20 I was a bit discouraged to finish it. Due to its episodic nature you are literally judging episode by episode. One minute it's interesting next minute it's average. It depended on the character in focus a lot of the time. Spike and Faye would captivate me briefly then Jet and Ed would bore me (bar the mushroom episode with Ed was fun). Although, it ended very strongly - Episode 24 left me with a weird feeling. Seeing that certain characters were potentially leaving made me feel sad. I can't remember when my attachment to them creeped up on me but it just did. The sound track had placed it's role perfectly. So the last few episodes were great. Suddenly everyone opened up about their true feelings and suddenly the characters came to life. But it was too little too late, it was not worth all 26 episodes. I would have rather just watched Spike/Faye related episodes or a movie that summarised it all. The Anime does very little wrong. It doesn't engage in fan service or annoying anime tropes. Everything feels authentic and true to itself. If you enjoy the characters interactions you will enjoy the episodic nature and that's the problem. It's episodic so there's no bigger story or world building to keep your imagination turning. There's nothing to get your heart racing, no complex theories to chew over, no back stories to pull your heart strings (wait Faye's nearly had me but they didn't go deep enough!). It's just every day life in space, well written with just the right amount of action. But I personally don't watch anime for this laid back sort of shows.Thus the wow factor didn't rub off on me. It didn't excite me enough. If I wasn't marathoning it, I doubt I won't anticipate an episode. I'll simply tune in if I had a spare moment.

I watched it because everyone said it is a masterpiece and must to watch but it ended up being disappointing. The overall anime is good and it had promise to be even better. In my point of view it had way too many pointless filler episodes and didn't really find good balance between being serious and laughable. I felt like the seriousness of the whole story was bit diminished by the fact that there were so many episodes just for laugh and giggles. I think that this anime would have been way better with a little bit more serious tone. It let me a bit confused. Not bad anime by any means. Its just,,,I expected it to be bit better.

First review here, new to MAL, and maybe not read that much. But still, allow me to give my point. At the time of watching Cowboy Bebop, I was watching animes since a lot of time, and I was watching many at the same time. The kind of period when you were following more than the half of the series in a season. Finally I got tired of that, and the enjoyment was not the same. And then I wanted to watch Cowboy Bebop. Why is Cowboy Bebop such a great anime? Why is it considered as a masterpiece? I wanted to know, I wanted to be part of it -if there was something to be a part of. But still, I couldn't forget Angel Beats. All my friends were telling me "man, it's so awesome". Well, check it out, it got only a 5 on my list. I'm not THE guy, but still, I was bored by this "masterpiece", or whatever my friends were telling me. So what, I started Cowboy Bebop, let the magic do its stuff alright? So I was in. It's nice, I like it. I don't see any masterpiece here but hey, who cares, we'll see later. Oh the episode is already finished? Well, I played the second. And the third. And again and again. Watching the show wasn't that amazing. But I was so in it... When the last episode finished, I understood. I realized I watched something amazing. I haven't felt something like that since my first shots with series like Steins;Gate or Madoka. Let me explain more: everything is just perfectly right, at the right time, with the right tempo and the best way to do it. It's not just something remarkable that you can point out, like SAO's first season is wonderful, but the ALO season is quite useless and really bad. Everything here is just fucking right (forgive me). The story is wonderful, from the start to the end, including every background introduced. This is a point were old series can be boring, because the pace is slow, there are useless episodes. In Cowboy Bebop, forget it. Every episode is right, and the progression is really good. When you finish an episode, you sure want the next one. So it's a 10 I guess. The sound is fantastic. Why? Because it's jazz and blues. What could be cooler than that? Seriously guys, the sound design is great, and the soundtrack is 20% cooler than any other. Go for it! And thank you Yoko, I love you. The characters. Well, it goes with the story to me, mostly because each character has a good personnality, they understand each other, their interactions are right. They are deep, they smoke (oh my god they smoke it's so cool! I don't but it's so fucking cool!)... I don't know what to say, they're perfect! They just fit right in the global atmosphere of the show. It's obviously an overall 10. No less. Because when you start Cowboy Bebop, you finish Cowboy Bebop. It's just amazing, and you have to realize it, at least when you finish it.

"Whatever your past, you still have a future." One of the main characters Spike, says this in a particular episode of this series. This line stayed with me throughout the rest of the series & resonated during certain episodes. Eventually, this line formed what I thought was the big question that forms the plot of this of the show: Can you truly feel alive and have a future if you are constantly reminded of the past and how corrupted the world maybe you yourself are? This question surrounds the main characters (Spike, Lee, Faye, and Edward) and some secondary characters they meet as they travel the galaxy hunting criminals with bounties on a ship called The Bebop. Each main character has interesting personalties and mysterious pasts that gradually get revealed as the series goes on. Spike is a tough, aloof guy with impulsive tendencies who can handle a gun, pilot a ship, and do martial arts. He is also empathetic in toward others in a big brother kind-of way. Jet is a pilot and mechanic who equally tough with guns, level headed (rarely impulsive) and empathetic in a fatherly way. Faye is a woman who is frivolous with money, has avoidance tendencies, and can handle a gun and won't hesitate to use her feminine charms to make other men drop their guard. Last but not least, Ed is an androgynous and energetic genius hacker who is very free-spirited and child-like. As for the secondary characters, many are notable because they either serve as commentary on the real world in and/or they are sympathetic. One example is an animal rights group that threatens to turn people into monkeys unless they stop hunting a certain animal. Another notable aspect of the secondary characters is that they are diverse in body, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and personality. The depiction of gay and intersex people in this anime is really progressive when you consider that the anime was made in the late 90's. Also, the way many dark-skinned characters are sprinkled throughout the anime is nice too b/c they are rarely seen in anime. Besides the plot and characters, the world building is really creative because it mixes several genres including spaghetti westerns, sci-fi, noir, and in one episode slasher films. This created the major themes of the anime (nostalgia and freedom) and makes you want to keep watching to see what the characters will encounter next. In addition to the plot, characters, and world building, the soundtrack is incredible. Composed by Yoko Kanno, the soundtrack is rooted in jazz (specifically bebop jazz), but also features other genres like heavy metal and a dash of J-Pop. The fast-paced upbeat bebop jazz really compliments action scenes well. Furthermore, the opening title theme & its visuals are truly striking and memorable. Last but not least, the animation is really beautiful at times and not so beautiful at others. The beautiful moments are focused on the sky, like in one scene where Spike is smoking while watching the sunset. The not-so-beautiful moments come during the jump to hyperspace. Overall, this was a really entertaining and enjoyable anime. If you are interested in sci-fi or saw Samurai Champloo first like I did & enjoyed it, then give this anime a try.

As a guy who only recently started having real interest in anime I've tried to create a list of very good animes to start my anime quest and set a good standard, and Cowboy Bebop is certainly one that will be remembered by me for many years to come. Nobody I knew watched it, I had no idea of what to expect, except for a good soundtrack, and it was all a new experience to me. I'm usually more interested in fantasy stuff, with superpowers or supernatural beings, but I certainly did not miss that while watching Cowboy Bobop. At first glance Spike was the skinny guy with weird hair who tried to look cool and just looked bored most of the time and Jet was the strong guy who had to make up for his partner's laziness and do most of the thinking, but this was not the case. As the seemingly completely disconnected episodes pass, we get to see much more of their pasts and what led them to become what they are now, and it does not happen over 1 or 2 episodes and bam, you know eveything, it builds up from episode to episode, finding out bit by bit about everyone's past. Faye Valentine and "Radical" Ed are the other 2 members of the Bebop's 4 people crew (not forgetting about the lovely dog named Ein). Faye is a woman that can really take care of herself (most of the times) and has an easy time losing all her money through bad gambling or being held at gunpoint by strange people. Ed is a really weird girl who happens to work much better with her computer than with people, but she is an interesting character whose naivety and disconnection with the situations actually play for her. I personally liked the second part of the 26 episodes more. Perhaps it took a few episodes for the characters to build on me? The combination of excellent jazzy soundtrack with unexpected situations and people you don't know very well engaging in unique bounty hunting from episode to episode on different places of the solar system is something you will probably love or hate. I loved it, and the last episode surely made me shed one manly tear (okay, 2 tears).

I thought I'd try writing a review for once, and also for an anime I have sort of complicated feelings on so here goes! I enjoyed Cowboy Bebop a lot more than most anime, so it was by no means unenjoyable. However, I never liked it as much as a lot of people and also by comparison to a lot of really popular anime so I'm going to try and pinpoint the reasons for that.. it's still a very entertaining anime though make no mistake! Basically, it just comes down to not really being a big fan of the characters at times.. Spike is kind of a bit easygoing for me, Jet is kind of a bit stiff, Ed is kind of too random, Faye is sort of greedy. Well ok, Faye is pretty cool, it's true, then Ed.. but overall I the biggest thing was that Cowboy Bebop kind of starts off insanely slow and is very, very cautious Now, that is, on the one hand, appealing! Certainly Cowboy Bebop is one of the more engaging anime for that reason, but when things often had a kind of filler-y approach for the most part. The story moves around a lot, basically Spike and Jet are perpetually out of $ because they keep almost failing to get so-and-so or such-and-such, as a consequence the anime is more about the banter and character experiences as much as the big mega moments involving old hatreds or new optimism or whatever it is. Like, ok, it's a unique blend of different worlds, it's fantastical, it's realistic, it's sensible and boisterious, it's a strong personality, it's Cowboy Bebop, but, the best? Hmm I mean consider there are lots of really engaging anime out there. Ok, lets make a deal, and put Cowboy Bebop up there, but the movie much more resonant in many ways, it incoporated the cool things about the anime and kind of squished it into something that didn't feel like it dragged as much. Overall, I can't say I hated Cowboy Bebop, it just felt like the experiences of emotional high were few and far and in between, thus, an 8 (ah screw it, I'll just give it a 9)

My First Review ever so bare with me Well I'm not even going to sugarcoat the fact that Cowboy Bebop was a big letdown for me. I was expecting so much from this series due to everyone hyping it up. But, I was left with underdeveloped characters, beyond idiotic actions from characters, and no one listening to Jet.... EVER. Despite all of this, there were some redeeming factors to this animes such as the music, funny scenarios, and just overall enjoyment. Story:7 This shows all about the realtionship of a crew consisting of Spike, Ed, Jet, Faye, and little ole' Ein. Just a couple of "bounty hunters" (and a dog) going from bounty to bounty, and how their pasts sort of catches up with them. Nothing special here really, It's whatever. Art:8 I'm going to say this first off, I'm not the best judge when it comes to things such as art and animation but there were no problems with either of those in this anime. Pretty solid overall in my opinion. Sound:10 This would be the entire anime's strongpoint in my opinion. The names of the episodes would be based off of genres, songs, and albums (ex: Asteroid Blues & Ballad of the Fallen Angels) and the music in each episodes sorta correlates to name of the episodes. The soundtrack mainly consists of Jazz and Blues music. These songs/insturmentals always added to the scenes and made them better than they actually were. A fight scene was turned into an AMAZING scene and a sad scene turned into a HEART-WRENCHINGLY SAD SCENE. The music was what made me keep watching this anime. Character:6 Now his was the weak point of the anime for me. There were so many times where I wanted to know more about the characters like Ed or Ein, or Jet. There was literally no info given about Ed and Ein, they got no love. They were there to lighten up the series yet I know nothing about them. Jet was like the overprotective father of the group and I like that, but NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE EVER LISTENED TO HIM. Dang it as so annoying, like there would be CLEAR danger in their way and Jet would give some sound advice but all Faye and Spike wanted to do was die with a bang like HOLY. And Spike was EXTREMELY irrational and idiotic to the point where it was eye aching. The reason for his innjuries 100% of the time was because he just went on his stupidity, no not instict, but stupidity. His character was cool at first but after a while he reminded me of a rebelious teenager who's overdramatic. Faye was alright, her back story was kinda sad but they explained so quickly I had to deep connection with her. Then there's Jet, not much too say really. He gets one episode of backstory for himself and done. We do get a LITTLE and when I say little i mean minuscule insight from other episodes about his past life, but again that's it. Enjoyment:8 Now even though the characters pissed me off, they did have their badass moments. Especially with his knack to use the environment to his advantage and his smooth fighting style. The funny moments with Ein and Ed were also a nice addition. Again, those moments really lightened up the show when it was getting depressing and dark. Also the conversations between people were also pretty hilarious to say the least Overall: 7.5 Although I did get irritated at A LOT of moments in Cowboy Bebop it was still fairly enjoyable. The music also stepped the anime up a notch on my scale because of how good it was at enhancing the scene rather than take you away from it or kill it entirely. There no problems with art and animation either. In my opinion, this show doesn't live up to the hype in the slightest, It was underwhelming throughout the entire series in my opinion. Although, that ending was pretty sad. If you want to go watch this classic, go ahead, just don't go in with high expectations. REMEMBER NO OF THIS IS FACT, IT'S ALL MY OPINION. P.S. I may have been a little nit picky with this anime but it was because I actually wanted to look at all aspects of the anime while watching it instead of just blindly watching it and giving it a 10 without knowing exactly what I enjoyed/disliked.