Rating: 
Summary: As Perfect As You'll Likely See In The Genre
Review: I'm not an anime aficionado. Until recently, my exposure was the Robotech series when I was growing up. In fact, the recent release of Robotech on DVD inspired me to look for other anime that I might enjoy, at an adult level. Cowboy Bebop is better than I could have even hoped it to be.
I want to buy the sound track to an anime series. Riiiiiight. An anime series. I've got to be kidding, right? I'm not. I consider the music to be one of the three key things to what makes this series great. Usually you are happy if the music isn't awful; content to just have it not get in the way. Here, you want to see the next scene partly to hear the next soundtrack.
The second part for me is the characters and voice acting. Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein (in order of descending coolness) are each unique, tragic, hilarious and human in their own way. The supporting cast (e.g., usually the bounties themselves) are well thought out and imaginative. The English voice acting is spot on, and I even prefer it to the original Japanese.
Finally, the writing is solid. I usually watch anime thinking that it was okay or good, but if they had just "done it this way", I'd have loved it. Cowboy Bebop is the first time I've been totally satisified with each episode. The episodes alternate between serious to tragic to hilarious, and even to the surreal. I haven't seen Session 6, although I do know how it ends (I shouldn't have read all the reviews), but I do appreciate that the writers had an end state in mind when writing Cowboy Bebop.
Own this if you are a fan of anime, but even if you aren't, it is better than most live action shows in Prime Time.See You Space Cowboy. . .
Rating:
Summary: An absolute masterpiece of anime series in the making!
Review: Sure, the name "Cowboy Bebop" is enough to make anyone not interested in anime snicker at the name. And, like anything else, "Cowboy Bebop" isn't for everyone. But anyone who loves sci-fi, intense action, humor that's funny, or just anime in general will undoubtedly discover that "Cowboy Bebop" is one of the greatest anime series to come along...ever. Anyone even remotely interested in anime will have heard about this series at one time or another, and about how good it is. They've also wondered: is it really that good? Answer: yes, it is. "Cowboy Bebop" follows the adventures of the crew of the ship "Bebop", run by bounty hunters Spike and Jet. They are eventually joined by a "data-dog" called Ein and the femme-fatale known as Faye Valentine. The first five episodes included on the "Session One" DVD mainly deal with the characters meeting each other, as well as trying to keep themselves from starving by going after bounty heads so they can collect the reward money. The first five episodes are also just that: episodes. There really isn't anything that connects the stories together. For example, Episode 1, "Asteroid Blues" deals with Spike and Jet going after a man selling a drug called Red-Eye, then Episode 2, "Stray Dog Strut", involves Spike and Jet trying to catch a man who stole something valuable from a laboratory. Some people might feel uncomfortable that the series doesn't have an underlying plot initially, but most people will ignore it, especially when the series showcases its undeniable charm. The characters in "Cowboy Bebop" are very well fleshed-out and unforgettable. The way they act is so natural and so well-executed viewers will almost forget they are watching anime. Speaking of which, the eye-candy is amazing, blending in computer effects with fluid animation that's practically perfect. The series uses this to its advantage when it comes to the action, which is very intense and fast-paced. And the stories told are simply brilliant and flow smoothly and effortlessly. Of course, several scenes of blood, gore, and occasional glimpses of nudity (not to mention language) make "Cowboy Bebop" suitable for audiences over 13. Soundwise, "Cowboy Bebop" is phenomenal. Most anime fans know about the hit-and-miss of dubbing, but this series is a definite hit. The voices match the characters so perfectly I consider them better than the original Japanese voices! And the music...oh, the music! Famed music artist Yoko Kanno ("Vision of Escaflowne", "Macross Plus") has created the ultimate experience in music for "Cowboy Bebop". The opening song, "Tank!", is a magnificent jazz piece that everyone will love, and Yoko Kanno's music is used to its maximum potential in the defining Episode 5, "Ballad of Fallen Angels". In short, the sound of the series is in a league of its own. DVD-wise, I'm thankful that Bandai decided to give "Cowboy Bebop" the attention it deserves. Picture quality is close to perfect, and the sound is just as good. The extras aren't too many, but we are treated to a music video of the full-version of "Tank!" and some brief character introductions. All in all, "Cowboy Bebop: Session One" is a must-own DVD for all anime fans. Even non-anime viewers should give this series serious consideration because of three little words: it's that good!
Rating:
Summary: Rarely Ever Do You Find Something This Good
Review: I have never seen a TV series that is so viewer friendly (my friends, who do not like anime, loved it) that tells a story this well. I was captivated after watching the first episode and I am so in love with this series that I have purchase every DVD in the series. Each episode has a perfect balance of action, drama, and character development to keep you intrigued. Each episode tells a little story while adding a little to the main story and leading the viewer deeper in to Spike, Jet, and Faye's pasts. The artwork is excellent, seamlessly merging 3D and hand drawn cell artwork. Why aren't the TV shows in the US this good?
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the normal standards...
Review: Cowboy BeBop is incredible--let's get that out of the way first thing. Both in the technical, technique, and artistic arenas this show excels. I must say I feel a little bit guilty, given there's already a hundred-odd reviews of this disc. But I just can't resist adding my two cents to this sort of thing. Without doubt, BeBop is, first and foremost, an action show. There can be no contesting this--it is filled with bloody gunfights reminscient of the idealized Old West. It is not a children's show, especially. But what it is, is an example of what anime can--and, hopefully, should, be. It is at once a gritty picture of life on the shady side, and a moving elegy for what it means to be a halfway decent man in that same realm. Our main character is chain-smokin', gun-totin' antihero Spike Spiegle, and his companion Jet Black. They traverse the stars on the ship BeBop, looking for bounty heads to capture and cash in. But of course, on the way they have myriad adventures, which leads to an interesting note--Cowboy BeBop is much more episodic than most anime, and it's easier just to jump in. What strikes me, though, is that Hollywood could learn a lot from the likes of BeBop. It is a chronicle of exquiste pacing, given to pregnant pauses and artfully-executed flashbacks juxtaposing violent gunfights against contemplative music. What have come to be my favorite two minutes in film are those at the end of session five ("Ballad of Fallen Angels") on this disc...although I won't give away the ending ;) While we're here, I feel compelled to comment on the soundtrack. Cowboy BeBop involves its music in the feel of a scene much more than the typical anime, and musical genius Yoko Kanno rises stunningly to the task. After you're done looking at this disc, click on over to the soundtracks and buy a few of those; you will not be disappointed. The English voice acting in Cowboy BeBop is some of the best I've ever heard on either side of the Pacific; the feel and outright attitude of these actors is dead-on in every way. Even though I do not speak enough Japanese to follow the show without subtitles, one can hear despite incomprehension that the Japanese voice actors match their English counterparts blow for blow, both groups capturing almost exactly the same characters (a note to Megumi Hayashibara fans, she plays Faye in this series--though if you're a fan you probably learned that long ago ;) ). I also feel the need to add something about the graphic quality itself--everything feels *real*. This is difficult to bring across in words--but think, if you will, about a series like Evangelion. The art was good but many effects seemed not-quite-true; for example, the explosions around the Angels in various episodes--often they were represented as circles. I don't at all intend to slight Eva; it's just my method for comparison. In contrast, everything in BeBop seems as if it were illustrated to the deepest amount of detail the artists could impart. I must also note Shinichiro Watanabe's expert employment of computer-graphic effects, a trick that can be beautiful but is too often overused by directors--yet Watanabe, as in all aspects of his show, has exercised considerable restrained and used CG only where useful and necessary, and it comes off wonderfully.
As to the disc itself--the graphics and sound are sharp and clear, and menus are fairly easy to navigate (and even pretty fancy, without going overboard on the presentation). The one thing truly odd about this disc is that the default setting is English with English subtitles, so that has to be adjusted every time you watch. In short, Cowboy BeBop is worth at least a glance from anyone even remotely interested in film--it is, in my opinion, the epitome of anime, and reminds all otaku why we call it anime and not cartoons. ~Kei
Rating:
Summary: Transcends Anime
Review: Cowboy Bebop isn't just good anime. You'll read a lot of reviews that compare it to other groundbreaking anime like Akira and Ghost In The Shell, but that sells this excellent series short. 'Anime' describes not just a style of animation, but a collection of story conventions, none of which appear in Cowboy Bebop. There are no tentacled monstrosities, no Megacorporations conspiring to destroy NeoTokyo, no weird nature spirits being corrupted by consumerism. Instead we're left with one of the best TV series' ever. Almost everything that happens will make perfect sense to the average western viewer, and it all stands up to any modern TV series. The Sopranos, The West Wing, Queer as Folk, it's got them all beat. Because unlike all of these excellent shows, Cowboy Bebop switches tone, scope, and genre with almost every episode. One episode is slapstick farce, one is romantic soap opera, one is nail-biting action, one is tense psychothriller. And Cowboy Bebop never misses a beat, each episode is finely crafted with a level of detail given each 22 minutes that you'd normally have to watch an entire series of to see on HBO. Cowboy Bebop also has something all other western shows lack; Yoko Kanno. Her music is sheer genius. She works playfully and seriously in every style, and thus fits these fantastic stories that are sometimes insightful, sometimes meaningful, sometimes sublime, sometimes ridiculous. Cowboy Bebop loves its own soundtrack and devotes one or two scenes each episode to showcase the music. The director intentionally lets Kanno's music come to the fore and orchestrates several scenes with no dialog in order to let the music shine. Few shows do this, and Cowboy Bebop does it well. The emotional impact of each episode is raised to new levels though the use of her music, and you'd be a fool not to buy the soundtrack. The series is a Sci-Fi romp set in the near future, our solar system. The main characters are bounty hunters (called 'cowboys') onboard a spaceship (the Bebop) owned by an inveterate jazz aficionado who dreams of Charlier Parker. 'Bounty hunter' may evoke dark mysterious characters like Boba Fett, and the main characters here *do* have mysterious pasts and they *are* lethal killers, but they're entirely human, living day to day on the few bounties they bring in. The characters can be serious, funny, sexy, goofy. . .everything you'd expect from realistically drawn characters who are, at the same time, lethal killers. Don't mistake this for Anime, it obliterates the genre conventions and comes screaming out of the gate with a refreshing collection of stories that will make you pound your cable box and scream "why can't it all be like this!?!" The director and writer are aware of what they've created, these characters are living day by day, achieving nothing significant in their lives, yet they're having a great time and we have a great time with them. We don't want it to end. The main character asks us, "Don't you want to hang out with us and waste your life away?" The answer, of course, is 'yes,' and the writer knew it when he wrote it. One aspect which is decidedly *not* western, is the ending. This show ends the only way it could, the most fulfilling way possible, and when the credits roll for the final time, you'll feel like you lived an entire lifetime in the past few hours. And what a lifetime it was...
Rating:
Summary: Happy Trails
Review: An excelent beggining to an excellent series. Lemme first say that the american voice acting on this series is excellent. Many translated series have a problem with funky voices on the characters, but Cowboy Bebop sounds fantastic. Anyways, this series is much more mainstream than many of it's anime counterparts. It doesnt contain the goofy animatiions or cutesy characters or spastic animations that run rampant in many other japanese series. BAsically this is a great series for people who don't really like the typical japanese animation, but enjoy the more adult/gritty themes they portray. There is some violence, swearing and drug use on this disk, so make sure yer over 13 or whatever the norm on that is. Now on to the disc. Looks great, sounds great. The menu interface is kinda annoying, but its a minor gripe. "Ballad of Angels" the last episode on this disc is phenominal. If i was ever doubting buying session 2, then this episode destroyed any doubt. Besides that, every episode is pretty damned good, and introduces teh majority of the cast right off. If ya wanna preview the series before you buy it and can't find it to rent, cartoon network is showing it in their "adult swim" programming block. Definately different than Dragon Ballz and Sailor moon, so if youv'e only seen those before this, don't expect anything remotely similar. Cowboy Bebop is in a league of its own.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect DVD!
Review: ...You get the first five episodes of Cowboy Bebop in English AND Japanese! The extras are the best I've seen on an anime DVD. These extras include a music video for the opening song "Tank!", trailers for other anime, and character info. Spike (the main character) has the most unique fighting technique I've ever seen. He instantly became my favorite anime character. These 5 episodes are so cool, you'll want to buy the other 5 DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Cowboy Beebop 1st Session
Review: 1st and 2nd episodes are nice but the Show really lights up 3-5. I'm new to the Beebop fans, and only seen a few episdoes but couldn't see too many so I just said heck with it and started buying the dvds (only got 1'st and 2nd sessions) anyways. I say it's money well spent. I can't stop watching Episode 5 in this case, SO BEAUTIFULLY done! and the music in the end puts a tear in the eye. In my reviews I don't give much of the plot or story away cause I don't wanna spoil anything. So All I gotta say even if you don't like Anime you should give Cowboy Beebop a try.
Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: A fun way to waste time. Not your average sci-fi story, lots of fun twists and adventures. You can catch one episode at a time when you have a spare 20 or so minutes.
Rating:
Summary: The Ballad of the Gunmen
Review: this is a story when the dark past and the unknow future is the only way of the characters. Spike and Jet are bounty hunters and they have an old fishing ship called The Bebop, it's 2071 and the humans conquered the space but the delinquency and the criminals still there. the I.S.S.P. (Inter Solar Systems Police)have to appeal to hunters like a support system to fight agains the space pirates and others criminals. In the first episode (asteroid blues), Asimov was a member of a group drug dealer but he stole a drug called bloody eye and ran away with his girlfriend. Spike accept the job to catch him for the bounty. The fugitives are scaping from the ex group of Asimov and from Spike but they're penned and Asimov can't drive his spaceship animore. his girlfriend will make a drastic decision. In the second episode(Stray dog strut) will join in a new member of the Bebop. It's a dog that Spike find in another of his hunting things. He was behind a thief that stole an important secret experiment (yeah, you guessed it) it's the dog , a welsh Corgi. Spike and Jet don't know what to do whith it so, they adopt it and give him a name : Ein (from Einstein). Ein has and incredible intelligence (it's because a genetic experiment) In the Third episode(Honky Tonk Women) We will know an extrange woman (Faye Valentine) in a Casino when she works delivering information to criminals contacs(friends of the owner of the casino). Spike and Jet go to this casino to bet some money and Faye confuse Spike with the contact. Finally, Faye will be pursued by his boss and she don't have other option that join to the team of the Bebop. In the fourth episode(Gateway Shuffle) The Space Warriors are a terrorist ecological group that want to disseminate a virus called Monkey Business(this virus transforms the person who incubate it into a monkey). The bebop team pursue them in the spacegate and the result of this persecution is the transform of the space warriors into monkeys because the containers of the virus brake away in their spaceship. In the fifth episode(Ballad of Fallen Angels)the dark past of Spike is partially discovered. He was a member of a Mafia called the Red Dragons of Mars, and he was friend of Vicius (another member) who is his enemy now (the worse one of all). At the final of this chapter Spike has to fight against him because Faye was captured and used like a bait. The music of this anime is one of the best (it was made by Yoko Kanno -she works also in Macross Plus, Escaflowne, Brain Power, Please save the Earth. Her music combines jazz, mambo, rock, folk, country and gospel. this is her most complete work). The opening music is a mambo with a little of jazz (you have to heard it to know what i'm talking about), in the fifth episode a beautiful song(Green Bird) is used it in the battle between Spike and Vicius. The lyrics of her songs are in japanese, english, french, and an invented language for her.
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