Cowboy Bebop
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General Information:
| Title: | Cowboy Bebop |
| Director: | Shinichiro Watanabe |
| Writer: | Keiko Nobumoto |
| Studio: | Sunrise |
| Licensor: | Bandai Entertainment; Funimation |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Episodes: | 26 |
| Demographic: | Shoujo |
| Genres: | Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Film Noir, Space Western, Action, Adventure, Drama, Comedy |
| Rated: | R - 17+ (Violence, Profanity, Suggestive Material, Sexual & Adult Situations, Drug Use) |
| Movies: | Cowboy Bebop: The Movie |
| Ending: | Enigmatic, Perplexing |
Synopsis:
After an experimental hyperspace gateway went wrong and left the Moon severely damaged, the majority of Earth's population was forced to abandon the barely habitable planet to take refuge on Mars, other inner planets, the asteroid belt, or the moons of Jupiter. The year takes place in 2071, when hyperspace gateway portals are finally commonplace and are accessible throughout the entire Solar System.
Spike Spiegel, a 27 year-old born on Mars, plans to leave a group known as the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate with a woman named Julia. Spike becomes severely injured after a shooting in the slums of Mars and manages to make his way to Julia's home. While Julia nurses him back to health, they fall in love with each other and make a pact to leave the syndicate. Vicious, the leader of the syndicate and original lover to Julia, vows to kill Spike and/or Julia as revenge for her betrayal. After faking his own death, Spike awaits Julia so they can escape and be free, but she never comes.
Soon after faking his death, Spike meets up with Jet Black, a former ISSP (Inter-Solar System Police) detective who traded in his badge to become a bounty hunter after the ISSP became corrupt. It isn't before long that they also meet Faye Valentine, Ed Appledehli, and Ein, and work together to restore balance to the galaxy's seemingly endless array of wanted criminals.
Critique:
Critique Rating:  |
Story Rating: A+ | Character Rating: A+ | Visual Rating: A+ | Score Rating: A+ | Growth Rating: A+ |
Cowboy Bebop is really one of the few animés out there that no one should pass up the opportunity to watch. I really fell in love with it, and it's revered as one of the best animés of all time. If you enjoy sci-fi with a mixture of action and comedy, I highly recommend this series.
What I also really enjoyed about this animé is that it really makes you think long and hard about what's important in life. There's all kinds of different perspectives the series incorporates, which allows the viewer to think of situation in a whole new light. It also develops many dramatic and lethargic scenes to promote realism—that every day or outcome is not always a happy-go-lucky one. Similarly, Cowboy Bebop also artistically involves "dreams", or mentally-intriguing qualities that often leave you guessing, or allowing the viewer to clarify in their own ways.
The series has very few, if any "filler episodes", and without a doubt has one of the best soundtracks out there. Complimenting the theme of the series, the soundtrack includes mostly bebop and blues with little elements of gothic and electric blues, synthesized, and even some references to Arabic folk.
Overall, you should definitely watch this series if you're looking for an epic masterpiece. It will forever be on the top of my list of animés I've watched. It really opens up your mind to futuristic settings, new perspectives on life, and is filled with humorous, lovable characters.
