Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop was originally an anime series created by Shinichiro Watanabe in 1998. It consists of 26 episodes, a mini-sode, and a theatrical movie. It was released in America in 2001, and is one of the few anime franchises to be more successful in North America than in its native Japan. I have seen the 26 tv episodes and the movie. I already know what a lot of you are doing right now after glancing at the numerical score I gave; you're hitting up the comment box on my profile and writing these exact words: "Fuck you! Cowboy Bebop is a classic! You're not allowed tocriticize it!" The more astute viewers will note that I scored the series a 6, but the movie a 9. I kind of like Cowboy Bebop. It does do some things very right. It had the potential to be one of the greatest franchises ever. Alas, while its production values are unmatched, the writing . . . doesn't always match up with the production. Because of this, the series ended up being a style-over-substance experience for me, but why was that? The premise of CB is that in the late 21st century, mankind has started living in places in the solar system besides Earth. In this future are bounty hunters known as Cowboys. Cowboys do whatever they can to make cash to keep the food stockpile stocked and their spaceships running. The show follows one such group of Cowboys who pilot a ship called the Bebop. In the beginning, we meet Spike Spiegel, a former gangster, and Jet Black, a former cop. As the series progresses, the Bebop also has Ein, a super smart dog, Faye Valentine, a woman on the run, and Edward, a really, really, REALLY weird hacker girl. Cowboy Bebop has been described as a series that has a continuous plot, and has standalone episodes at the same time. Having seen the series, I can tell you that technically, most of the episodes aren't standalone, but many of them are only connected by the core characters. Here's where one of my problems lie. When Cowboy Bebop is good, it's really good. The setting is very mature; it never condescends to the audience. The action scenes are superbly well done, the dialog is believable (though cheesy at times), and the atmosphere really pulls you in. How many episodes are actually really good? Seven. If you count the movie as an episode, that brings it up to eight. Eight out of twenty-seven episodes were good. The rest were not. The problem with most of the episodes is one of two things: one, it's really boring, or, two, it's so clichéd, you will be able to predict exactly what happens by the end after the first two minutes, or both. I have to be honest, a lot of the episodes of CB are just plain boring. If this wasn't a "classic" and a more ordinary anime series, a lot of them would be branded as what they truly are; filler episodes. And if it's not boring filler, it's hackneyed. Watanabe is known for being a huge fan of American cinema, and that's obvious in CB. Unfortunately, he ripped off a lot of American movies virtually piecemeal. Now, you may not suspect it, but I am more knowledgeable of American cinema than I am Japanese animation. To describe it as best I can without spoiling, if you have seen at least one movie directed by Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, John Woo, and Michael Mann, then you have already seen Cowboy Bebop in another format. This is actually a clever trick though; most anime fans reject Western pop culture, and may not notice this when watching CB, so they'll think it's "fresh" and "original", when it's fact, it's actually MORE clichéd then most anime. But hey, when CB is exciting and isn't (too) blatantly ripping off Hollywood, it's worth watching. At least, when the worthwhile characters are onscreen. I like the main character Spike a lot. He is the embodiment of cool, like a 21st century version of Steve McQueen. He's cool, but he's very human too. He's reckless, he makes mistakes, but he knows how to charm people, and he also knows how to beat his targets. I also like Jet. He's a constant worrywart, which is a funny contrast to his rough appearance. Some of the incidental characters are memorable too, (but usually only in the good episodes and movie). Something else I liked was the Bebop crew was not always a stable group, or nakama you could say. In most anime, when the heroes band together, nothing ever separates them. That doesn't happen in CB. Sometimes, the crew gets in arguments, and sometimes, one of them will leave the Bebop for a time, and so on. It's a touch of realism I appreciate. However, some of the characters didn't click with me. I never really cared for Faye. I don't dislike her, but I don't really care for her either. Edward is amusing, but she feels out of place in a series like this. The incidental characters in the less memorable episodes are just that, unmemorable. However, what I'm about to print in the next paragraph will anger thousands, possibly millions. (And maybe make hundreds say "Right on!") Mind you, it's just my opinion. Everything I print in these reviews is just my opinion; you don't have to take it personally, but the following opinion of mine needs to be said: Vicious is one of the lamest villains ever. The main antagonist is a man known as Vicious, someone who's still a part of the gang Spike came from. He's cunning, ruthless . . . and is absolutely lame. What's his motive? Does he just want power, or to mess with people? Even if so, why is he so boring to watch? The villain from the movie was a lot more interesting. Overall, you got two really good protagonists, some interesting chemistry between the protagonists, one-shot characters who are either interesting or not, and a forgettable antagonist. Yay. And I haven't even touched upon the ending yet! Short version, I don't like CB's ending. (More flames incoming! Duck and cover!) Now, the ending is not quite as bad as the ending for, say, Akira, or the anime version of Chobits. It does have a sense of finality to it, something most anime endings don't have. However, I did not find it "legendary." I found it disappointing. First of all, the ending is extremely predictable. It's virtually telegraphed to you before it even happens. Not only that, when I saw it, my reaction was, " . . . that's it? Seriously, that's IT?" But I better move on to CB's technical aspects before I get too letdown. Its artistry leaves no complaints. CB is probably the best-looking pre-digital anime I've ever seen. Even if you were to remake the series with digital enhancements, I doubt you could make it look better than it already is. Sumptuous backgrounds, top-notch character art, animation that ranges from above-average to really good, no off-model shots, this is a visual feast. The movie looks even better. It's obvious a lot of care was put into the visuals of CB. My only being the primitive CGI, but you get used to it. And now we touch upon CB's greatest aspect; its soundtrack. It's the sort of the soundtrack that makes you go, "Ah yeah, baby!" This is why you watch CB, the music. The music is the magnum opus of Yoko Kanno. A combination of jazz, blues, and rock, but it isn't just any old jazz, blues, and rock, it's GOOD jazz, blues, and rock. Everything from the opening, to the incidental music, to the endings, you get music that will set your soul on fire. The only anime I've seen whose soundtrack could rival CB's is Death Note's. Something I noticed about CB's soundtrack is the music sounds more like music from albums rather than typical soundtrack music. Another smart move; most people are accustomed to listening to music from CD and MP3 albums as opposed to soundtracks, so when they hear CB's music, it'll be more familiar-sounding than most other anime soundtracks. Regardless, even if you hate CB, you gotta score this music. CB is also famous for having what is perhaps the oldest English dub for an anime series that is considered god-like. I saw this on Adult Swim, and I can safely say, this is another masterpiece from Bandai and Bang Zoom. Every character sounds like how you would imagine them to, and the voices are neither wooden nor over-acted. All the different accents the characters have sound really cool too. I did sample the Japanese dub on the movie, and I will say, Spike and Jet sound really good in both Japanese and English, but I will never get used to Faye's Japanese voice. Yeah, this is one you gotta see in English. (Though in retrospect, the Japanese performances aren't bad, it just doesn't click like the English dub) While CB is still often regarded as a classic, I'm not the first to criticize it like so. There has been some backlash against CB in recent years. Some people complain it's not "Japanese-y" enough, that it's too Western. I mentioned that earlier, but there is another anime I've seen, Baccano, which is also very similar to American movies, but it was consistently entertaining, and not as predictable as CB, so I did not mind. Others have mentioned the same things I have, that it's boring, the plot isn't strong enough, it's style over substance. This isn't a disaster by any means, but I do have to say that, outside of the production values, CB is one of the most overrated anime I've seen. It's not one of the worst, certainly not, but it's not quite the experience I was promised either. To put it in other words, there were some episodes that I would score a 4 out of 10. And yet, there are some episodes, including the movie, that I would score a 9 out of 10. The 6 overall is just from mixing the good episodes with the bad. I like to imagine that in an alternate dimension, CB was an OVA series instead of a tv series. All the episodes I do like, (# 2, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, and 22) were released on separate OVAs, as well as a few others to bridge the plot gaps. Then a theatrical came out (Knocking on Heaven's Door), and then another to end it all (The Real Folk Blues, albeit with a revised conclusion), and it would be grandiose. Alas, I don't live in that universe. Hey, Shinichiro Watanabe likes drawing influence from Hollywood, right? What's something it's doing a lot of right now? Continuity reboots? He could still do that. I can dream, can't I? EDIT: This review was revised on 9/17/2015 to be less awkward to read.

People who know me know that I'm not a fan of episodic anime series unless they're either one season (12-14 episodes) long or a slice of life series. Why? They have a tendency to get boring, or repetitive. But all rules and preferences have exceptions. You know what? Cowboy Bebop is that exception. The story is set in a space western setting - a genre and setting I'm loving more and more for each show I watch that falls under the genre. We follow two bounty hunters, Spike and Jet, who own a ship called the Bebop. They travel the Solar system, chasing wanted criminals toearn money. Along the way, they also pick up two women; the debt-laden Faye Valentine and the playful kid and computer genius Edward (yes, Ed’s a girl). Each episode brings about a new bounty which they chase after, and while that doesn't sound too exciting to watch 26 episodes in a row, you'll end up loving the show. All the different events makes for a certain degree of unpredictability, and you'll sometimes wonder how things will end. However, that alone is not enough to give the story the rating I've given it. So why have I given that rating? Let's continue... One of the things that elevate the show a bit above the rest is the manner in which the main cast's pasts are explored. It's not like one flashback episode and you understand everything about how they are today. In one episode you might get one piece, and then the next one in another episode, and it's not until the final three episodes of the show that everything falls in place. This way of executing it makes you want to watch another episode, so that you can find out more about the characters (some may say that this falls in under "Character", but the manner in which the pasts are explored are more "Story" than "Character", IMO). Now, that's so far a 9 for the story. Why did it deserve a 10? The answer is easy: the way they executed many scenes in the show. The contrasts which you get to see between, music, the setting of scenes and what's really happening just gives the story that extra edge deserving of a perfect score. The characters are all really good and interesting fellows. Though they every now and then reminded me of characters from other shows, they preserved that originality which gave a feel that they were, if not completely, then at least a little bit more real than most characters out there. The way their pasts intertwine with the future and how everything ends with them confronting and settling open ends from their pasts is also something that's impressive to watch. I don't really have anything more to say than "perfect". The animation is, for a 90s anime, stunningly good. The detail put into backgrounds and surroundings is really good, and I also love how good lighting effects and shading are at times. All of Ed’s strange movements are animated really nicely too. If there's something negative, it's the somewhat dull coloring (compared to today's standards), as well as poor effects when traveling in hyperspace. The soundtrack is also astounding! The music used for the show is so incredibly varied, and while keeping mostly to the more jazzy tunes, the soundtrack visits so many genres that it's hard to not like at least a few pieces. What I also loved is the way the music was used not only as a medium to go with and amplify the mood, but also as a contrast to what's happening in several scenes. All in all, it's really amazing. Don't have anything to say against voice acting and other sound effects either. All in all Cowboy Bebop is an anime that’s in the top tier on the greatness scale, and a show I believe every anime fan should give a try. To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)

Only a few anime series or movies could be considered true classics, and one of the most notable shows to fall into this category is iconic not just for its style, design and animation, but also for the depth of its characters and its music. That anime is Cowboy Bebop. Story Cowboy Bebop is told as a series of standalone episodes, each of which is only really connected to one another by the characters, with very few of them directly following on from one another. This method of storytelling is now termed as “episodic”, and while the format is now commonplace in anime, this series set the standardin its usage, and many purists believe it to be almost flawless in its execution of this storytelling style. Sunrise, the production company behind the show, used this format as a tool to develop the characters in the show, and whilst many episodes are unique in terms of story content and plot, there is a strong connection to the rest of the series due to the strength of the characters, something which also applies to the movie Knocking on Heaven’s Door. One of the big advantages to the show's storytelling method is that it allows the viewer to jump straight into the story at almost any point, however it should be noted that many shows that adopt the episodic format are often let down by poor character development. The fact that the series manages to develop its characters, and develop them well, is a testament to the strength of the individual episodes as standalone stories, and the personal history of each character (which becomes clearer as the series progresses). In essence, Cowboy Bebop is a more about the characters themselves and their relationships with each other, than it is about their “adventures”. There are a number of episodes where the viewer may feel a strong connection to the characters, their history,mannerisms, pet peeves, etc, something which is difficult enough to accomplish in a normal sequential story. Achieving this in an episodic story is a mark of the quality of the series. Art/Animation The animation in Cowboy Bebop is amongst the best seen in anime, and even though it is now over a decade old, it still manages to hold its own in terms of animation and character design with more modern action oriented shows. Sunrise, who generally do an excellent job on animation, really pushed the boat out with this series, and when compared with other shows that were released around the same time (Outlaw Star for example), it can clearly be seen that the art, animation and character design in Cowboy Bebop is something special. The animation during the numerous action sequences is especially impressive and the character movements are free-flowing and naturalistic. The art, while not vibrant with flashy colours, portrays the feeling, attitude and environmental influences for the characters perfectly. The numerous locales which the crew of the Bebop visit are rendered in stunning detail, adding a surreal sense of realism to the show, whilst the character designs were a work of brilliance, and allows each character a mark of individuality even before they spoke. Sound The quality of the soundwork used in Cowboy Bebop is what really sets it apart from other anime series. The music was composed by the world renowned Yoko Kanno, and performed by The Seatbelts, a band specifically formed by Kanno to perform the music for the series. The music is a strange mix of blues, classic rock and jazz, and while at first this may seem an odd choice for a sci-fi series, the music works extremely well in the setting as it reflects the generally lackadaisical attitude adopted by the crew of the Bebop. Even today, the soundtrack for this anime is unique in terms of style and composition. The opening theme, Tank!, has become one of the most influential pieces in anime history, and one of the few anime based music tracks to be appreciated by music lovers with no background in anime or manga. The sound effects in the series are also well done. The various locations are vibrant with background noises, from the hum of the Bebop's engines and the sound of gulls by the sea, to the hubbub of a crowded street. The many gunshots and explosions are clear and sound almost as though you're standing right in the middle of the wild gun battles. Whilst the Japanese voice actors do an excellent job with each of the four main characters, this is one of the rare anime shows out there where many prefer the English cast over the original Japanese. Cowboy Bebop is one of the few anime in existence where the English dub is equal to, if not better than, the original Japanese version. Characters Cowboy Bebop has some of the most original and memorable characters to appear in anime. Spike, Jet, Faye and Ed are four of the most enigmatic individuals to found in the medium, and upon seeing them, the viewer will probably wonder how they work together when all of them come from diversely different backgrounds with opinions that clash with one another. Spike and Jet are most definitely "The Odd Couple" of sci-fi anime, or indeed any genre of anime you care to name. Their conflicting personalities bounce off each other like peas on a drum, and once Faye is added to the mix it becomes a potent brew of character interaction. It is through this interaction that the viewer is more able to empathise with each character, and the slow but steady revelations about their pasts, told wonderfully through flashbacks and reunions, have far greater impact because of this empathy. The characters are so well defined that many scenes which would normally appear mundane in other anime are just as memorable in this series as the action scenes (one springs to mind - Spike and Jet eating eggs after Faye, Ed and Ein leave the ship). Enjoyment Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi western with equal parts humour and seriousness, and is already considered by many within the anime community to be a classic. There is a level of sophistication in both the story and its characters that is rare for a show, regardless of whether it is an anime or not. The great cast, the heavy drama tempered with bouts of comedy, the excellent music, all serve to cement its place in the hearts and minds of anime fans the world over. It is a testament to its quality that there is only one show, anime or otherwise, that can be held up as a fair comparison (Joss Whedon’s Firefly). This is considered by many to be a “must-see” series as it is a testament to what can be achieved in anime with the right ingredients. The only downside to this anime would be the lack of a continuous story. Because of this, the series lacks the "epic saga" feel upon which many sci-fi stories are judged. However, the depth of each character, together with the strength of their individual stories, is more than enough to carry this series. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were: Archaeon - Writer and editor Fallen101 - Writer and editor Vindemon64 - Writer and editor Here are their individual scorings for the show: Category - Archaeon, Vindemon64, Fallen101 Story - 8, 7, 8 Art - 9, 10, 7 Sound - 10, 10, 10 Character - 9, 10, 10 Enjoyment - 10, 9, 9 Overall - 9, 9, 8.5 In the club wide poll held for Cowboy Bebop it received an average overall rating of 8.73

Cowboy Bebop was one of the first anime that truly impressed me. One of the first anime that convinced me the anime genre as a whole had something going for it, that anime has qualities that separate it from other forms of entertainment. It is a show that has withstood the test of time and is often viewed as a masterpiece by many. With such popularity and praise there is bound to be a group of the opposite extreme that dislike the show. Now I bear in my mind that although this group is a minority their points are valid. As a reviewer I look atall angles and try my best to keep bias at an all time low. Having said that, regardless of my attempts to locate the flaws of this show my overall consensus is that Cowboy Bebop is in multiple ways a masterpiece. Here Goes The Review (Spoilers are at a Minimum) Story~9.5 When most people think about what society would be like by the time space exploration is achieved they imagine a society that is more organized, coherent, and advanced. This is one of the key misconceptions that cause Cowboy Bebop’s story to shine. We start our episodic space journey in an environment that is futuristic yet in many ways primitive. Watanabe Shinichiro’s depiction of the Cowboy Bebop universe seamlessly fuses the attitudes and tensions of a western shooter with the atmosphere of vast unexplored space. Due to the inability of the police to handle all criminals in such a large area bounty hunting is encouraged through media. Our four main characters (discussed more in the character section) just so happen to be bounty hunters that are all unwillingly bound together by greed, revenge, coincidence, and or desire. Furthermore, little to no background information is given about any of the characters from the beginning. Each character has a past that is hinted throughout many episodes. Slowly, the audience learns of the sins, misfortunes, and tragedies that quietly haunt those aboard the spaceship of Bebop. And so this is the world us, the viewers, are thrust into and what an amazingly unique barren world it is. Being for the most part episodic, viewers may be deterred by the looseness and seemingly pointlessness of certain episodes. Be aware that although episodic, each episode develops the characters and is key to forming the bonds that will ultimately culminate the multiple climaxes of the story. Art~9.5 Do not let age fool you. Despite being over a decade and a half old the animations in Cowboy Bebop are amazing in providing the dangerous rugged environment of criminal filled space. In fact, the 1998 art is more of a positive than a negative. Gone are the crisp saturated art of modern day. The outdated animations contribute greatly to the classy western style of the anime. Everything from the smoke of cigarettes to guns ablazing are portrayed brilliantly. The choreography of martial arts and space flight is done in a fluid and smooth fashion. The characters look great and production never seems to dip for a single moment. Three simple words can summarize the art: Rugged yet Classy~ And so in trying my absolute best to pinpoint the flaws of the art I am both reluctant and glad to announce that I have failed in doing so. Cowboy Bebop’s art is amazingly well done even for today’s standards. Knowing in the back of your head that this art originates from 1998 is just icing on the cake. Sound~10 Earlier in my review I talked about how with much praise and popularity ultimately spawns a group with ideals of the opposite extreme. I wholeheartedly believe that it is safe to say that regardless of your ideas about Cowboy Bebop, everyone can agree that the music in this anime is absolutely amazing. So amazing that without the music I believe that Cowboy Bebop would never have achieved the success it has had to this day. Never have I come across another example such as Cowboy Bebop where the music is such an integral part of the show. From the Blues riffs of slide guitars to the unmatched soul of harmonica solos, the music in Cowboy Bebop does its job 110%. To say that the the music is fitting would be an understatement. Cowboy Bebop’s music boosts the atmosphere and situation of every scene to its highest potential and provides a convincing atmosphere like no other. The dub of Cowboy Bebop is the arguably the most highly praised dub ever produced in the anime industry. Watanabe Shinichiro himself has even stated that he believed the English dub surpasses the Japanese dub, a feat that is notoriously rare. Every character’s voice is portrayed brilliantly with every word filled with real human emotion. Convincingly raw and powerful, I have yet to stumble across another instance where the voice acting was this well done. I honestly can not think up a single flaw of the voice acting even while keeping bias at a minimum. The English voice acting is truly a one of a kind in a world of horribly ear wrenching dubs. The OP and the ED of Cowboy Bebop are probably one of the most popular Opening and Ending Themes of all time. The OP ("Tank!" by The Seatbelts) is a jazzy explosion of adrenaline. Listening to it is a joy and pumps the viewer’s eagerness to watch the episode. It keeps you on your feet and is in many ways the most famous trademark of the Cowboy Bebop series. The ED for most of the show ("The Real Folk Blues" by The Seatbelts feat. Mai Yamane) is equally as amazing but instead of pumping the viewer’s eagerness the ED in turn helps the viewer digest what was just displayed on the screen. Listening to the ED causes heartwarming scenes to be that much more heartwarming while heartbreaking scenes to be that much more heartbreaking. The Real Folk Blues is a beautiful jazzy blues inspired song sung over with Mai Yamane’s powerful voice. The ED only changes twice in the anime, each change being only for one episode. As a reviewer I would not feel right about spoiling the timing of the ED changes because they are in my opinion some of the most powerful moments of the anime. And so this last bit I shall let the viewer experience. Character~10 Cowboy Bebop has one of the most memorable casts of any show I have ever watched. They are eccentric, unique, strong willed, and powerfully convincing. We have Spike Spiegel who is a male bounty hunter in his late twenties that is trying to escape an inescapable past; Jet Black, the father like figure of the spaceship Bebop who has been stricken by unjust tragedies; Faye Valentine, the strong independent con artist who is kept in the dark about her own life; and last but not least Edward, the androgynous female teenage hacker with a background as confusing as herself. As mentioned earlier they are for the most part unwillingly bound together by greed, revenge, coincidence, and or desire. This is what is so great about the characters in Cowboy Bebop… they all start off the show hating each other! The reluctant and slow change of their relationships is humorous,real, and convincing. The climatic points of the show are the episodes in which bits and pieces of each crew member’s past is slowly revealed. We get to see and feel what they were hiding and the raw emotions that they feel. Each character is its own little mystery that keeps the audience in the dark. Easily the most impressive aspect of Cowboy Bebop is the portrayal of the characters. The crew deals with grief, anger, sadness, and all else in their own unique ways and rarely deviate. How Shinichiro portrays this uniqueness is simply amazing. The characters NEVER falter and always stay true to themselves. As the episodes roll by, the audience starts to understand why each character acts the way they do and can relate. This understanding makes it unbearably easy for the audience to become emotionally attached to each crew member as we share their pain and memories. All in all, the characters of Cowboy Bebop are outstanding. Their strengths overcome their flaws when united as a whole. Beautifully drawn and creative, Shinichiro has invented a golden cast. Overall/Enjoyment~10 Even after watching dozens of anime after Cowboy Bebop it still strongly remains one of my few masterpieces. Amazing Story Beautiful and Impressive Art Gorgeous Heart Pounding Music A Cast like no Other Cowboy Bebop is in my eyes a masterpiece of entertainment with its flaws being few and far in between. An instant classic and an easy 10 out of 10.

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