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| 22. Chris
Cowboy Bebop is, in a nutshell, one of the best things
you'll ever see on TV, animated or otherwise. It is one of those series that virtually
every person who is even remotely into action or animation will love. I've recommended
it to several people who thought that they hated anime, and most of them ended
up loving it. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll love it. Animation:
The animation is fantastic. Some episodes are better than others, but the animation
is just so good so much of the time that you'll rewatch some episodes just to
see the fantastic animation. Very few series have better animation, and none have
this much style. Sound: The music is fantastic,
and the dubs (which I prefer for this series) are amazing. Yoko Kanno truly
made a fantastic soundtrack for this series. Very jazz oriented, and it just works
wonders. Story: The main storyline really
only occurs in about 6 episodes (5, 12, 13, 24, 25, and 26) Those episodes are
absolutely amazing. The rest of the show, however, is highly episodic. However,
I didn't find this to detriment the series at all, as the show is more about the
characters than the story. Overall: This show
is just one of the best you'll see. Watch it until episode 5, and then see if
you're even able to stop watching after that. ;-) |
| 21. Zoe
Cowboy Bebop is a favorite anime series for the general
anime fan populace of all time. It's wicked hip, full of action surprises fulfill
an amazing series. The series also sports a funky soundtrack that is carried out
well throughout the episodes and various sequences. Cowboy Bebop is also
very well done in terms of animation and all the good stuff such as plot, characters,
and style. This leads to the many opinions as to how it is so good. The creator
himself said that: “The work which becomes a new genre itself will be called:
Cowboy Bebop.” And so bearing this title, the show has captures countless
fans among the millions. There is not one anime fan that has not heard of this
series. If they have not, it is highly doubted. Character
development varies in the series. Some characters don’t change at all, while
others will. But the depth in each character is portrayed much better than all
character development has to offer. The series points out to each person that
the past can, and will, catch up to you in some way. Countless examples are shown
in Cowboy Bebop, but to avoid spoilers I will let you see for yourself.
It is no wonder as to how this series got kicked
into the mainframe and took off to the top. Perhaps it’s the tidbits of theoretic
discussion that is brought up… Each episode has it’s own pondering wonder
about it. But fear not to those lacking a symbolic behavior. This series can sweep
you off your feet in it’s own way. But whether it’s Ed’s “odd”
personality, or Spike’s resent for no beef in “Beef and bell peppers”
you can be sure to get at least one laugh out of any episode… That is a promise.
Carrying the famous ending motto of: “See you,
space cowboy...” Cowboy Bebop fills the hole that other series leave
behind. It’s a special treat to view it’s glory, and overall balanced
flow. The setting itself gives an alluring aspect. Set in 2071, the future, there
are two bounty hunters living on the money they earn from handing in dangerous
criminals. Solving crimes and playing it rough through the galaxies is enough
to get anyone started on the type of stuff that goes on within Cowboy Bebop’s
walls. Also in the series the two-man bounty crew widens it’s horizons when
two unexpected, other bounty hunters, join in. This quadruples the fun and action
in the show and makes it even more irresistible. I
love this show, and it definitely falls into my top 10-anime-show list. Fast paced
and always moving, Cowboy Bebop places itself in it’s own little corner
and stays there, not straying from anyone’s thoughts. Truly an amazing series,
I give Cowboy Bebop a 5 out of 5! |
| 20. Gyro
In the year 2071, mankind has ventured into space. Thus began
a new age of outlaw. The police, unable to handle them alone, place bounties on
their head and let the bounty hunters do their dirty work. Spike Spiegel, Jet
Black, Faye Valentine, and Ed are four of these bounty hunters, or "Cowboys".
Onboard their ship, the Bebop, they travel the solar system just trying to make
a few bucks. Just by watching the opening, I had
a pretty good guess that this was going to be one awesome series. My hunch wasn't
wrong. It has anything and everything you could possibly want from a TV show.
But if there's one thing Cowboy Bebop has, it's style. The music, the stories,
the animation, the characters, everything about this series is loaded with style
and charisma. The series follows a mainly episodic
format, telling a different story each episode. These stories will have you hooked
from beginning to end. However, the episodes dealing with the main story about
Spike's past is where the series truly shines. The only problem that one could
possibly have is that there are too few of these particular episodes. You'll probably
be wishing for more after it's all over. The music
is probably the staple of the series (It is called Cowboy Bebop, after
all). Yoko Kanno has really outdone herself here, pumping out her best
works yet. The jazzy tunes she uses fit the series' style perfectly. Like the
music, the animation is also incredible. All the characters move fluidly, and
the blending of digital animation with CGI is almost flawless. The action scenes
are especially well done. |
| 19. Bugmaster
Normally, I am not a big fan of pure action shows; however,
in this case I am willing to make a big exception. Cowboy Bebop has an
abundance of features that other action shows, such as Hellsing, simply
lack.
The first and foremost such feature is style. Cowboy Bebop
simply oozes style. Everything -- from character animation, to environments, to
ship designs, to music, to the humor -- is like the Baby Bear's porridge: not
too hot, not too cold, but juuuuust right. The action sequences, such as hand-to-hand
fights, shoot-outs, spaceship stunts, etc., look more like a delicate dance than
a slugfest. Each character has his or her (or its) own distinct style as well,
which affects every aspect of their behavior, from their posture to their speech
to the way they fight. Almost every scene of the show makes me smile in appreciation. Additionally,
the amazing amount of detail makes the world of Cowboy Bebop really shine.
There are working vector-thrust fins in the ship's engines, crushed Coke cans
in forgotten alleyways, directional arrows on computer screens, layers of neon
ad signs on city streets, little scuffs on car polish... When added up, all the
little details help create a feeling that the episodes present a glimpse into
a living, breathing world. The show is set in the near future, when humans have
terraformed many planets in the Solar System, leaving the Earth behind (for reasons
which are mysterious at first). However, people are still people, with their usual
set of debts, favors, attitudes, plots, careers, etc. Many stock characters in
Cowboy Bebop have more depth than leading characters in other anime. And
then, of course, there is the character chemistry. Spike (the main character)
puts it well when he says: "You know what are the three things in life that
I hate the most ? Rude women, critters, and little kids. Now... explain to me,
why do we have all three on our ship ?!" The show never takes itself too
seriously -- after all, it's not about saving the world from space aliens or evil
demons, it's just about two guys cruising around on their run-down ship, trying
to make a living. Most of the humor of the show comes from the constant bickering,
one-upmanship and general humanity of the characters. As the show progresses,
the characters begin to grudgingly accept, and even trust each other, but they
never explicitly voice their feelings. Just as in real life, the changes in their
personalities become apparent only through their behavior. The
plot of the show deserves special consideration. Cowboy Bebop is mostly
episodic; there are only a handful story episodes which move the plot along. However,
these few key episodes can only be described as "piercing". As the viewer,
you already know that each of the characters is flawed in some way (well, unless
you are some sort of an inhuman cyborg, then I suppose you won't know); the key
episodes show you WHY they are flawed. Each of the story episodes feels like a
pulse of laser light to your brain. In fact, my only complaint with the show is
that there are too few story episodes in it. All
in all, Cowboy Bebop is one of these shows that you simply must watch.
There are no excuses. In fact, I think I will go and watch it again for the 100th
time after I click this "Save" button. It's that good. |
| 17. Iodine
Easily one of the best anime ever made, and accessible enough
for just about everyone to enjoy. We follow the trail of the Bebop, a battered
space ship that five bounty hunters call home. In order of appearance, these are
the easygoing Spike, middle-aged Jet, unlucky Faye, hyperkinetic Ed (a girl),
and the dog, Ein. Their universe is an imperfect one, where the urban sprawl of
Earth has transplanted itself to the rest of the solar system, bringing the bad
aspects as well as the good. The stories range in tone from the gleefully comic
to the heartbreakingly dramatic. Each week brings a new bounty, another violent
gunfight or death-defying space chase, and more glimpses and hints of the secrets
these five characters hide. Suffice it to say the gang walks away empty handed
most of the time, and go home to another bowl of instant ramen and massive repair
bills. The real stars of Bebop are its impeccable
technical elements . The bogglingly eclectic Yoko Kanno score seems to
have raided every musical style ever created, with stellar results. The animation
puts most features to shame. The direction and design are leaps and bounds above
the rest of the crowd, excelling in both the dropjaw action sequences and the
carefully restrained personal moments. The characters play on familiar archetypes,
but push them to new levels. Deeply human and yet still heroes you can root for,
the crew of the Bebop may have their talents, but they're prone to loneliness
and heartbreak and psychedelic mushrooms just like everybody else. It's very easy
to care about them and very hard to let go. The incredible writing sets up arcs
with definite conclusions, and the series has one one of the most stunning endings
of all time. Cowboy Bebop may very well be the pinnacle of modern anime
and is an experience that shouldn't be missed. |
| 16. Olmanek
This is anime perfection, style, music, cool fight scenes,
humour, human insight, interesting characters, good animation, cool settings,
brilliant storyline and background, and one of the most staggering endings to
a series. And we get another movie to go along with it which just intensifies
all of those traits in to a 2 hour period. The predominately Jazz / Blues / Western
/ Flamenco music to the series is I believe the best out there and the sheer mass
of songs is amazing, very little repetition with all of them high quality and
all of the songs allowing the viewer to appreciate the situation on a greater
level. The characters are all expectedly different but manage not to fall into
the predicted clichés, they seem like what would be individual and unprecedented
characters, all of them have complex pasts, even the dog Ein, but with the majority
of the emphasis on Spike's past. The technology is believable, as though descendant
of the available technology now, which couldn't have been an easy feat. The different
colonies out in space all differ quite well from one another each with their own
distinct feel and atmosphere and there is a noticeable look that some of the nations
and cities of the world are now colonies in their own right. The fight scenes
are something to behold, fluid and well thought out, with ranging types; very
stylish melee, western shoot outs, space craft battles occasionally with a look
of car chases, heavy individual weaponry frays (grenades, guns, assorted small
explosives,) new to old (gun to sword,) and various others that would take too
long to mention. Early on the series doesn't seem to have any coherent storyline,
with everything seeming episodic and random, which is fairly true, there are humorous,
tragic and docile episodes plus a couple of well done parodies of well known movies,
and of course the character introduction episodes, there is definitely a sense
of film noir. But once the majority of the crew is assembled together, episodes
which seem to hold little worth start popping up and help make sense of the characters.
These are usually to introduce you to their past and their old enemies and friends,
all of which generally have reoccurring appearances and impacts throughout the
series. |
| 12. Alastor
The story follows the lives of bounty hunters Spike and Jet.
Along the way they meet up with some new friends. Spike appears to have a dark
past though. Will his past catch up with him? As
tears formed in my eyes, “Wow” was all I could mutter after viewing
the final episode of this remarkable animation. While it starts out immature and
a little weird, after a while it gets dark and serious, then goes back to immature,
then dark, and so on. There are a lot of mood swings to this anime. One episode
has you laughing hysterically, while the next has you actually crying. The animation
is good, the music is outstanding, and the dub is one of the best ever, if not
the best. Fight scenes are very entertaining, including the space battles. The
anime must be watched in its entirety to be appreciated, so do not watch one episode
and make judgment upon it. |
| 9.
dios
Cowboy Bebop hardly feels like anime, borrowing shamelessly
as it does from film, and adopting styles ranging from spaghetti western to film
noir. Its sci-fi setting is dirty and desolate, a real final frontier that helps
to set it apart from the crowd, but it's the quality of execution that turns the
show into an all-time classic. It simply oozes style, the key element being the
amazing music, an eclectic mix focusing on blues and jazz that literally shapes
the show. The visuals, meanwhile, are not only stunning but true to the show's
concept. Cowboy Bebop takes its name from a rustbucket spaceship called
the Bebop and her crew of bounty hunters (nicknamed cowboys), who chase one bounty
after another in a largely unsuccessful quest to conquer hunger and poverty. The
show is episodic in nature, but with unifying threads provided by the characters'
pasts, which they can never seem to escape. The writers know how to handle the
episodic format, experimenting with genre and keeping a good balance of drama
and comedy. The writing itself is intelligent, but weighty issues are generally
limited to single episodes. There's not so much character development as a demolition
of the walls that block it, and just when the characters might finally begin to
grow again the show ends. Not all of Cowboy Bebop's design choices may
be agreeable, but nevertheless it's the one anime show that most deserves a must-see
recommendation. |
| 7.
Larson
Here it is: The best anime ever ! Cowboy Bebop surely
is the thing that you want to watch. No matter if you're an otaku or just wanna
watch something else than your usual daily soap. This is an instant classic, creating
a complete new genre out of its own. The show is
set in "new frontier"-style future, people have started to build small
colonies throughout space, even a few planets have been colonized. In this slightly
anarchic world a team of outcasts try to make their fortune as bounty hunters.
But the fortune that their broken souls are really looking for is not made of
gold. This production stars with great quality animation
designs, great rather complex and realistic characters and good ironic humor.
The episode structure is surprisingly non-repetitive. Event though the series
shines in all aspects from slapstick over good action to romance and even philosophy,
the central blues theme keeping all together is the major attraction around all
the plot evolves. This great composition makes this
series a very sympathetic and ironic but very true look at how difficult the art
of just living is. Exactly what good science-fiction was meant to be in it's original
form. |
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