One of a kind.

Donhagneone

I'm not a fan of episodic anime series unless they're either one season long or a slice of life series. Why? Because they have a tendency to get boring, or repetitive. But all rules and preferences have exceptions. And Cowboy Bebop is that exception.

story~9.5

We start our episodic space journey in an environment that is futuristic yet in many ways primitive. 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 that are bound together by greed, revenge, and desire.

Little to no background information is given about any of the characters from the beginning. Each character has a past that is hidden throughout many episodes. Slowly, the audience learns of the sins and tragedies that quietly haunt those aboard the spaceship of Bebop.

art~10

Despite being over a decade and a half the animations in cowboy bebop are amazing in providing the dangerous rugged environment of this criminal filled space.

Sunrise, who generally do an excellent job on animation, really pushed the boat out with this series. 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The outdated animations contribute greatly to the classy western style of the anime. Everything from the smoke of cigarettes to guns blazing 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 drop for a single moment.

sound~9.5 First off, the music. All music is performed by The Seatbelts and they are outstandingly good.

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 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 and also my favorite. Watanabe Shinichiro 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. The English voice acting is truly a one of a kind in a world of horribly ear wrenching dubs.

The Opening and the Ending of Cowboy Bebop are probably one of the most popular Opening and Ending Themes of all time.

The OP(opening) ("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 (ending) 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.

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 female character who is kept in the dark about her own life.

And then we have Edward, the teenage female hacker with a background as confusing as herself.

the characters of Cowboy Bebop are outstanding. Their strengths overcome their flaws when united as a whole. Beautifully drawn and creative, Watanabe Shinichiro has invented a golden cast.

Overall/Enjoyment~ 10/10

This anime is a classic and i strongly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something extra.

score 10/10

Donhagneone 12 October 2014

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3103003/