An great review, if I may say so myself. You truly captured the essence of the series, and did it with style, too. Congratulations!
Cowboy Bebop tv Review
In the semi-distant future, bounty hunters have become a major reality. Cowboy Bebop follows the crazy antics of two bounty hunters named Spike Spiegel and Jet Black. Throughout the anime they come across many odd faces of bounties and even some friends.
By the middle of the series, the Bebop - the ship Jet owns as an HQ for his team - is filled not only with Jet and Spike, but Faye Valentine, a beautifully dangerous bounty hunter, and Ed, a crazy 9-year-old tomboy master hacker. Throughout the 26 episodes and one movie (that takes place between episodes 24 and 25) the Bebop crew go through many bounties and crazy adventures just to scrounge around for some type of income to keep them alive.
Bebop is an anime for the people who love comedy mixed with great action and drama.
Story & Characters
Now there are a lot of places to begin and a lot of things to say about this story: so I'll try to keep it down and keep it enlightened. The crew themselves are amazing character studies in and of themselves, but perhaps the most remarkable fact is the rather simple yet rarely picked up on theme: they are not heroes, far from it. They actually would most likely be people that you wouldn't want to relate to if they were real, but in this series they are still endearing and emotional, they make the audience care, possibily because they aren't out to save the day, they just happen to sometimes (and sadly, they also never get paid for it...). Spike is a man running away from a past that will still never stop haunting him. Jet has also had far from a happy time before becoming a bounty hunter. Faye, the bombshell and would be grifter, has the exact opposite problem: a past she can't remember. Edward is simply a 10 year old lunatic with the mind of a genius, two things that often don't go well with each other for making any sense at all. Even Ein, the crew dog, has a backstory and a personality. Most of the time things are lighthearted enough to start off, which misadventures to all sorts of places, but at episode 5, "Ballad of Fallen Angels" where the audience gets a glimpse of the the understory. Needless to say this dark, sinister undercurrent does it's job well when it's actually brought up later in the series, and has the show culmanate into such an amazing and stunning ending that most will be on the edge of their seats, utterly speechless at what they've just been witness to. It is the perfect mix of all the things that everyone complains are lacking in some anime: true griping story, realistic and flawed characters, and an ending that is not something that everyone would expect. The final six episodes especially are true masterpieces that will leave their marks on the audience well after the final credits are done rolling. For those reasons and more, this story gets a perfect score, a 10.
Rating:
Art
The art is another amazing feature of Cowboy Bebop. The characters are full of energy and mood, and the way they are designed almost allows people to tell what they represent at a glance. From Spike being the troubled hipster, to Jet coming off as the brash but caring father, to Faye coming across as nothing but trouble in a tight pair of shorts and Ed representing the frenetic energy and insanity of youth. Even the ship, far from beautiful, is a sight to behold, if only to see all the dents and dings. Even the backgrounds to the cities on the various planets are extremely well done, coming to life with the appropriate local energy. The style is sharp, yet gritty, working well with the theme of the show and the episodes in general. The true brilliance however is found in the fight scenes, especially those were Spike is truly letting loose, like in the aforementioned Ballad of Fallen Angels, as well as The Real Folk Blues, the series two part ending. Ranging from showy to downright disturbing at times, the combat if one thing is truly never boring. With guns flaring and kicks flying the action is relentless. This is not to say that the other sequences aren't also stunning. Even when the crew is just sitting around talking the scene is a great and made with a flare that few other animes can ever match, even at their greatest of moments. It is this livilyness and style that well make the series the masterpiece it is.
Rating:
Sound
Along with the art and story, the sound and soundtrack is another element of Bebop that is always fondly remembered by those who have watched the series, and striking to those viewing and listening for the first time. The voices in the English version are all well done. With Spike's voice actor protraying that cool attitude and sometimes caustic wit to a tee. Jet is gruff, yet always somehow approachable. Faye is a siren, beautiful but with the always apparent air of danger about her. Ed is the resident nutcase, and her voice work reflects that more than adequately. But almost outclassing the voice work is the soundtrack, which takes on a soul of its own and adds almost immeasurable depth and a quality that is almost never seen in anime. From the opening song - a smooth and energetic beat that is the perfect introduction to the series and readies the audience for the undoubtedly wild ride they are about to embark upon. But perhaps the most moving are the more sombre melodies that mark the more poignant and dark episodes. These haunting and mood filled songs are the perfect accompaniment to the dramatic and often striking scenes that it accompanies, giving that final element of greatness that rounds out the entire series.
Rating:
Presentation
A lot of people hold Cowboy Bebop in a high regard and after first experiancing the series for myself I can see why they hold it the way they do. To say nothing more, it is a masterpiece, a genre defining series that has a right to be held in such high confidence. Not many series can do even one of the elements as well as Cowby Bebop does, and even fewer can actually get every single solitary aspect of themselves to such a high degree of excellence. Everything in this anime falls into place with such perfection that makes it all organic and real and following to the extent that they do. From the full gamut of emotions to the roughs and roughnecks of the Bebop, to the masterful soundtrack that gives life to many of the episodes themselves, to the art that so perfectly conveys the mood and atmosphere of the entire work. Cowboy Bebop is not an anime to be missed, and not to be forgotten. While a rare person or two may not like it, most who have seen it never regret it. With the enthralling and mysterious pull that the series has, most will no doubt be back for more. So until the next we meet, "See you space cowboy"
Rating:
Final Verdict
9.6667 (excellent)
Reviewed by Thegman, Mar 09, 2006
Comments
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Odeena Mar 09, 2006
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fuzzswolf87 Mar 09, 2006
Wow. YOu went into every aspect with great detail that truly did the series justice.
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elvisha Mar 10, 2006
yup great review! i agree with ur rating too.. its an awesome anime
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Traize Mar 11, 2006
Deffinately, spot on review, well done :D
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SouskeUK Mar 11, 2006
Nice one mate. Great review with great detail without any major sopilers.
Nice scoring. I love the OST of Bebop.
Well done. -
shoujoboy Mar 13, 2006
While I wouldn't agree with the score, I can defintely respect it with how well you expounded on your feelings. There are defintely shows out there that you just feel the magic of from beginning to end and remain with you forever more. From this review I can certainly tell this is one of those for you. Quality review.
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mattzilla Mar 13, 2006
i love Bebop, its a damn shame they dont make more
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ripsilver Mar 16, 2006
awesome review.. i agree that it is a cool anime...
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ionthedemon Mar 24, 2006
i completely agree with your rating for this anime. but you know you get that feeling you want to see more of Cowboy Bebop , but when you think about it, it had the most perfect ending
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sweetwispher18 Mar 30, 2006
this anime is very cute and has excellent story. like the anime, i like the review too. it's very awesome. ratings are pretty high and i agree with that. yeah, i agree that c.bebop has an excellent art. i like to draw the dog & the girl, Julia. ^_^
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davew30 Apr 08, 2006
The review as said by others above has told what Cowboy Bebop is about, genre defining. This review is to be trusted!
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jorgiee Apr 12, 2006
Great job on the review! I have seen the series countless times and I love it! and after reading this review It makes me want to see it again! :)
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Leosam096 May 03, 2006
cowboy bebop deserves high rating.good job on the review.
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Nevnarien May 17, 2006
Cowboy Bebop deserves a very high rating. I was never into the whole futeristic outer space living idea until I saw this anime and it blew me away. I own the whole series and movie. The animation is great and the characters I absolutly love. My favorite characters are Spike and Ed. Good job on the review, only a true CBB fan will give such high ratings.
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nahuel19 Jul 26, 2006
alguien que sabe apreciar lo bueno:good job!
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midnightred Jul 30, 2006
good job reviewer! :) you deserve a cookie! (shoves down throte) cowboy bebop is freak'n awsome! sad ending but it was cool. At first i thought he died but until i saw the movie. i found out he was alive yay! Edward is crazy! XD audios
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foxmagic71851 Banned Member Jan 27, 2007
it was a great anime i watched it e erytime it came on but..they ended it and now i onlyh watch full metall panic!,full metal alchamist,inuyasha 10 stars!(inuyasha is my fav),flcl,big o,gundam, and i love spirited away
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beyondmeasure Jul 18, 2007
The only anime that are actually better in all aspects
- plot, characters, art, sound, and presentation -
are Neon Genesis Evangelion and Serial Experiment Lain.
A frightening genius of a review is unraveled.
Good job. -
Bonafide23 Jul 15, 2009
good job
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vangjlee Oct 17, 2009
great pix i like it...
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rukasu04 Mute Member Feb 08, 2010
Nice review
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Sanisa Feb 24, 2010
Thanks for the review! Nice ^__^
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