A Perfect Anime 10!

beccad90

The year is 2071. Earth is now but a wasteland and civilization has expanded to the further reaches of the galaxy. Unfortunately, that means there are also some of the galaxy's most feared criminals. Here's where our heroes come in. Who are our heroes, you ask? A cool as ice bounty hunter, his stoic, but paternal ex-cop partner, a sexy, sensitive con-woman and an odd little hacker named...Edward Wong Hau Peppilu Trilovsky III (A name she--yes, she--has given herself)...oh, and not to forget a little welsh corgi named Ein. This ragtag group of intergalactic misfits are off on an adventure to collect the reward of infamous criminals, with both hilarity and tragedy strewn along the way.

This is the premise of one of the best anime ever created, in a nutshell. Though it doesn't have the serious, dark overtones that typically fill the anime/manga universe, it is certainly is worth a watch. The dialogue is wonderfully witty, the dark overtones are reduced to undertones, and it has one of the best dubs ever recorded. Mary McGlynn, director and voice actress for various anime (Wolf's Rain and Naruto, to name other titles) has selected fantastic anime dubs a good name. The acting really emotes, especially Steve Blum's 'cool cat' performance of Spike. *...sigh...* Oh and the music...oh GOD, the symphony that is the music!!!

CB's music is composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno, who also composed several other big titles. Her emotional pieces are a treat for the ears (check out Wolf's Rain to prove my point) and CB is no exception. The music is as diverse as the multicultural characters that appear in CB. From whizz-bang jazz of the 'Bond' fare to whistling western flutes to acoustic guitar strains to even mid-70's 'blaxploitation' funk, it's all in here...and makes every moment believable.

Overall, the series is not the brooding anime/manga fare, as I have stated before, but a 007-esque romp that could be made into a smashing movie...which, coincidentally is due out 2011...and I PRAY it holds up to the fantastic masterpiece that is Cowboy Bebop.

score 9/10

beccad90 23 October 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1751476/