The Original Space Cowboys: Cowboy Bebop

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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!

Cowboy Bebop Toonami Promo

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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