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Plot Synopsis

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, a beautifully dangerous bounty hunter, and Ed, a crazy 9-year-old tomboy master hacker. Throughout the twenty-six 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. In the many episodes the animation is just perfect, with real-physics fighting and great-choreographed battles, with an amazing soundtrack done by Yoko Kanno. Bebop is an anime for the people who love comedy mixed with great action and drama.

Story & Characters

The story of Cowboy Bebop never ceases to amaze me. The episodes are each their own story adding up to a larger picture. Although the story is sadly short, the series is definitely worth seeing. With 26 episodes in tow, it creates a masterpiece that left me (and I'm sure others) crying at the end. All types of genres are touched whether it be humor, horror (more like a parody, but humor nonetheless), love (and how bitter it is), and all else. There has never been an anime that has transcended such limits as Cowboy Bebop has (in my opinion).
With an astounding array of characters, things never get boring on the Bebop. In Spike Spiegel we have the haunted protagonist with a dark past, Faye Valentine, the femme fetal with a saucy mouth, Jet Black, the older but still butt-kicking father like figure and Ed. . . well. . .just Ed. Yet, don’t let first appearances deceive. All change in someway or another during the show.
Another interesting part of the story is the fact that it’s not always focused on one character. There are quite a few episodes that analyze each character’s past and present. Each character has their own demons and the show analyzes how they deal with them, sometimes humorous, sometimes not.
The episodes are another matter as well. As mentioned before, they each create their own stories (with the exception of episodes like the Real Folk Blues part 1 and 2). As with some animes, it can be annoying when you miss an episode and are completely confused in the next. Fortunately, Bebop isn’t like that. It doesn’t need to recap the previous episode’s events. Rather, it is a whole new little side story in which you’ll laugh, cry, or just sit there in an amazed stupor.
Unfortunately, with all great stories, there always seems to be some type of flaw. The only real flaw I can see in this series is the shortness of the series. The main story behind it all is given only briefs flickers between and the history is not explained as well as I would many would have liked.
Regardless, the anime has and will be my favorite with good reason. No one should go through anime without experiencing the masterpiece of Bebop.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

The visual representations given in the show are astounding to say the least. Whether it focuses on the background, characters, or vehicles and such, all are given careful care and put to the best.
One particular aspect that makes the picture so astounding is the fact that so much of the scenery and worldly possessions of the characters are not real. Regardless of this, they make such things as the ships driven about seem as if they could really exist. Sticking on the subject of the ships, the design and reason by the ships makes the watcher wonder, "Why can't they make those now?"
The characters are also aptly designed. Unlike so many animes where one female or male will look different only by their clothing and funkadelic hairstyle, the characters from Cowboy Bebop are incredibly different. Even the skin tones are different shades. Ed, one of the Bebop crew, looks almost Indian. That is also another aspect that is so wonderfully done: the characters are not all Japanese, they are representing all kinds of races (a lot of the minor characters do this).
The only bit I could complain about on the characters is that two of the main characters Faye and Julia have similar faces. Although it's not that bad, I still feel that if they've (the artists) have done so much already in diversifying the characters, why not with two who are important?
Finally, the backgrounds. Wow. . . That's all I could really say when they were first seen. With so many different places the Bebop crew travels to (different worlds even), the scenery could never be totally the same. And what a job they did with it! Each world they travel to, whether Mars or Venus, has its own life. The coloring is fantastic and vivid, never giving away to a dull moment.
As a whole, the design and coloring in the anime is never boring. With enough graphics to make one twitch, it might seem bad, but they incorporate drawing and cg cleanly. There are far too many animes that make cg combined with drawings just plain crap, but Bebop transcends those bounds once a gain.

Rating

8 (good)

Sound

The soundtrack for Cowboy Bebop is incredible. If you have ever heard the name Yoko Kanno mentioned in a soundtrack, it's guaranteed to amaze. With talents that make many weep in jealousy, Kanno pulls off many tracks with the band, The Seatbelts.
Sound quality is never a problem with Cowboy Bebop. The music comes out sharp and clear. Yet, it never overpowers the characters in their dialogue. It comes in perfectly just where it is needed and never seems inappropriate.
Another cool thing about the OSTs are that the theme of the music, whether sad and dreary, or upbeat and happy, it always is in tune with the plot of the show. When Ed is walking along and being a human rubber, the music for her like “The Egg and I� goes along with her character perfectly. At the same time when Spike is falling in the episode “Ballad of Fallen Angels� the music in the background is of child like choir singing the song “Green Bird.�
The music not only goes along with the story, but it is explosive and wild, able to be enjoyed even without the picture. The enormous amounts of variety in the OST collections are amazing. Kanno is truly skilled. While some songs may be sang in Japanese, a lot are sung in other languages. “Fantasie Sign,� for example, is sung in French while “Want it All Back,� is sung in English. Kanno has created a soundtrack for all types of people to listen to just as the creators of the show have created a story that all races can appreciate. Even if many don’t understand the lyrics of the songs, most are instrumental and are felt rather than listened to. Kanno is aware of such facts and explodes in the audio department with music that touches the music jammer’s soul with soft tunes that brings one to tears and fast-paced, heart-pounding beats that screams, “Action!�
There really were no flaws found in the audio department. As for the OST’s, it’s all a matter of opinion.

Rating

9 (very good)

Presentation

Watching Cowboy Bebop will cause a series of emotions in each individual viewer. Humor and tear-jerkers go hand in hand in the show. The series creates a pleasant flow of events that never confuse nor displease viewers. Unlike many animes that make fans want to pull their hair out and at continuous and aggravating cliff hangers, Bebop lets each episode end (except part 1 and 2 episodes of which there’s only 2 sets) with a satisfying conclusion that either leaves one laughing, scared, or tearful.
As mentioned before, the show touches on all bases. Humor and angst are larger roles in the show. The humor is sometimes clean and sometimes not. But it never gets raunchy or ugly. With a few (I might be undermining there. . . ) curse words and some toilet humor, the show never grows into a monster of filth, but rather bypasses it and leaves many laughing at character antics.
Angst is also encompassed in the show. Whether tears are caused over death or simply emotional pain, the show doesn’t over do it. Unlike annoying angst-fests or over sympathetic dramas, Bebop pursues the path of pain with great care and makes the suffering of the characters very provoking. Tears are shed by the characters, but not in the classic anime style of waterfalls or star-lighted drops. Rather, they are more human like the pain the characters feel within their struggles.
Overall, the series is enjoyable to watch for so many reasons. Yet, the most impressive of them all is the fact that the series has the ability to keep the viewer obsessed with the show to the very end. No episode is dull and no episode leaves the viewer utterly dissatisfied. There is always something, even if only small, in each episode that urges viewers to watch a little more.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.83 (very good)

Reviewed by Shadu, 3y 23wk ago