The Original Space Cowboys: Cowboy Bebop
Greetings people of Earth! I’m back again this Sunday with a new review
on one of my favorite animes. This week’s
anime is considered by all who have seen it to be a classic. I bet if I mentioned the name, you’d go, “Oh!
I’ve heard of that before!” Not only
that, this is one of the few animes that I hold in highest regards. Now what do I mean by that? Well, I’ll explain that later. But until then, let’s get started with this
week’s review on one of my all time favorites: Cowboy Bebop.
Cowboy
Bebop is a sci-fi anime set in 2077, and follows a group of bounty hunters
and their adventures in the Solar System on the spaceship the Bebop as they try to make a quick
buck. Among this troupe of “cowboys” is
Spike Spiegel, the main protagonist and a gun slinging former gang member, Jet
Black, a former cop and captain of the Bebop,
Faye Valentine, a gambler with amnesia, Edward, an eccentric twelve year-old
computer hacking prodigy, and Ein, a super genius Welsh corgi. Though much of the series is episodic, there
is an underlying plot that involves Spike’s past. , Spike’s past with a crime syndicate comes back
to haunt him when he makes several encounters with Vicious, a ruthless
swordsman bent on taking over the Red Dragon Syndicate. The series ends when this plot comes to its
climax in which Spike and Vicious have a battle to the death-and I won’t say
who wins, but I will say the ending has stirred up some debate. It’s hard to believe, but all of this is in
one beautifully animated and beautifully drawn anime!
I’ve reviewed several shows over
the past several months that Hanime on
Anime has been running. And out of
all the reviews I’ve done, only one has ever gotten a five star rating. Today, this review will add another five-starer
(I know that’s not correct) to the list; in my overall review, Cowboy Bebop gets a five out of five
star rating. I think it goes without
saying, this show is amazing! In fact, I
regard it as one of the best animes I’ve seen!
Why? Well, for one, animation is
very well done, enough said. And the
plot is spectacular! Though it’s
episodic in nature, there is so much detail and back story that is gutted out
as the series progresses. There’s also a
lot of meaning and depth to some of the episodes. Some even go as far to question who we are as
a humans. Also, the music is pretty
good. Composed by legendary Japanese
composer Yoko Kano, the music is a delight to here in each episode. In fact, you never hear the same theme twice
throughout the series-except for the title sequence and the end credits. Yes, there certainly not one bad thing that I
can say about this show! Well, okay, I
lied.
Though I consider Cowboy Bebop to be flawless in every
way, there is one thing that may be a downside to those interested. I’ve said a few times in this review that Cowboy Bebop is episodic in nature, even
though there is an underlying plot. This
is not necessarily a negative trait to an anime, but it’s a matter of
preference to otakus. Some people would
prefer an anime in which each episode is a continuation of the plot. Others would prefer something that has
something different in each episode.
Personally, I’m not picky in that particular area as far as my choice of
anime is concerned. Besides, I think
that Cowboy Bebop in a way is the
best of both. Though it is episodic,
there is a plot to it. The only problem
is that it comes at random moments.
Still, don’t let that stop you from watching it. Like I said, this show is amazing!
So to wrap up this review, Cowboy Bebop is a classic that must be seen. Enough said.
For those who are interested in seeing this show, it does air on Toonami,
Cartoon Networks late night Saturday programming, at 4:30 a.m. But if you’re not willing to stay up that
late, I have seen all twenty-six episodes streaming on YouTube. You can also buy the entire series on
DVD-though I’ve only seen this offer online, I wouldn’t assume that it’s not in
stores. The series will also be sold on
Blu-Ray sometime this year. This show is
fantastic and I’d recommend it to anyone!
Well, I’m pretty sure that’s all I have-and I certainly kept it shorter
than when I did with last week’s post.
So until next time, “See you, space cowboy”, and stay tuned for more!
-Hanime
on Anime
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