Rating: 
Summary: It just feels good
Review: A lot of the episodes in Cowboy Bebop just leave you sitting in your chair stunned in some way. By the story, by the beauty, by the music, by the way it makes you think about your own life, by the way it triggers memories, by how cool it is, by the characters, just watch this and see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: It just feels good
Review: A lot of the episodes in Cowboy Bebop just leave you sitting in your chair stunned in some way. By the story, by the beauty, by the music, by the way it makes you think about your own life, by the way it triggers memories, by how cool it is, by the characters, just watch this and see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: THE REAL QUESTION: Can it get any better?
Review: After viewing the most recent (except for Session 5, coming out tomorrow) of the Cowboy Bebop gems, I have come away once again impressed, touched, and revitalized in my fathomless love for this series.If Cowboy Bebop were a song, then this Session would be somewhat of a "bridge." Nothing too earth shattering occurs, no more epic battles with Vicious, no more crew-members are added - kind of a nice little intermission. Now don't get me wrong, the 4 episodes presented are really top notch! "Mushroom Samba" is really a freaking hilarious episode ... I don't think I have laughed so much during an anime since the last time I saw a Ranma :-) How can you not laugh at a large "bruthah" calling himself "the youngest Shaft brother," or an encounter with mind-altering mushrooms? Great stuff. A SMALL NOTE: _____________________ The character of Ed could have been really freaking annoying, but they have really pulled off the zany sidekick with flying colors ~ she's totally random, but not so much so that she becomes a female version of Jar-Jar Binks ("Mesa hungry!"). So, in conclusion, if you haven't seen any of the Bebop's, I REALLY recommend starting your collection RIGHT FREAKING NOW! It's really worth it to own this entire fantastic epic. NOTE ON THE SOUNDTRACKS ___________________ I received 3 of the CB soundtracks a couple weeks ago (OST's 1 and 2 and "Blue") from Animecastle.com, and let me just tell you they came out of the package and TOTALLY KICKED my BOOTASH!!! The music is soooo good and soooo varied that to really confine these precious works of art in a genre would be herecy! If you like mellow, really pseudo-jazzy type music, then "Blue" is defiantly the album for you. If you like the more upbeat music the series offers, OST 1 and 2 are really great as well. It was only around $40 for all 3 CD's PLUS shipping, so if you have the kizzash, go for it!
Rating:
Summary: A set of episodes that shows why we like "Cowboy Bebop"!
Review: At this point in the outstanding series known as "Cowboy Bebop", I'm sure the creators had decided that it was time to take the spotlight off Spike for a moment and let the viewers get to know the other three main characters Jet, Faye, and Ed (four if you count Ein). After the wonderful two-part "Jupiter Jazz", which dug a little deeper into Spike's past, it's now time for us to see exactly who the other crewmembers of the Bebop are and what secrets they possess. Of all the other crewmembers, Session 4 concentrates more on the beautiful yet independent Faye Valentine, using two episodes to show us that while she has good looks and a way of getting what she wants, she doesn't have any memories of her past. While "My Funny Valentine" reveals a little bit about Faye's past, "Speak Like A Child" truly conveys how emotional it can be to be severed from something you once owned and lost due to forces out of your control. The other two episodes focus on Jet Black and Edward. "Blackdog Serenade" shows a dark moment in Jet's past and a shocking revelation along the way. "Mushroom Samba", while not a flashback episode, shows us why many people have fallen in love with Edward with the episode's unique and often ridiculous yet undeniably hilarious story. Like before, "Cowboy Bebop" shows off its unique charm that only it can pull off. Character development is in abundance in Session 4, and yet it never gets boring or overdone; we care for the characters, we want them to succeed. And mixed in with blood-boiling action and over-the-top humor, the series has yet to fall from the grace it has built for itself. Everything technical about the series still remains as perfect as before. The animation is as slick as ever, and Yoko Kanno's excellent music refuses to offer any signs of getting old. To top it off, the dub remains one of the best in the industry, making the anime accessible to all who refuse to watch the Japanse track. All in all, Session 4 leaves its own mark on the stylish anime series and maintains the level of quality we've come to expect. There's not a single dull episode in the series thus far, and thanks to the wonderful story direction we cannot help but move on and see what new adventures await the crew of the Bebop. To anime fans and action fans in general, "Cowboy Bebop" is and remains a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: A time for reflection and personal revelation ...
Review: Bookended by episodes dealing with Faye's past, this DVD session deals with the lesser extablished pasts of Bebop's more underdeveloped crew. 'My Funny Valentine' gives light to Faye Valentine's recent past, the cryogenic state she was placed in earlier in the century and the pathetic reason she is now in enormous debt. 'Black Dog Serenade' reveals the reason for Jet's lost arm and past betrayals. An extremely graphic and violent episode with a show down on a prison ship during a breakout makes this the least suitable episode for younger viewers. 'Mushroom Samba' pits Ed and Ein in a desert community against a jumble of characters right out of a 70's Blaxploitation movie. The train sequence at the end is truely excellent in draughtsmanship, layout craft, timing and sequencing. Never a dull moment due to destitution, hunger, drug trips, missile guns, and a colorful assortment of charaters. 'Speak Like a Child' delves further into Faye's unfathomable past as a child. When a BETA video tape is delivered to the Bebop showing Faye's life as a young girl, they go all out to find an ancient VCR/TV set up in the bowels of a forgotten underground shopping mall in Japan. This DVD contains 4 stories that bridge the genesis of the series with the lethal finale and flesh out the characters in order to get into more soulful episodes without leaving the viewers detached from the main characters. All the anime art and effort of the earlier episodes in continued in session 4. There are many excellent sequences and situations well shot and timed to give unique perspective on a slightly more mundane set of stories in the Bebop time line. The last two session have some of the most intense stories in modern anime, but they wouldn't have a foot to stand on without these episodes in session 4. I highly recommend this DVD to all anime fans and action buffs. All around this is great entertainment for ANYONE. Period.
Rating:
Summary: Steady progression to a fantastic climax
Review: Cowboy Bebop is, in this reviewer's opinion, the finest series that anime currently has to offer. The animation is top-notch, the writing is consistently excellent, the English voice work is amazingly good, and the soundtrack (provided by Yoko Kanno) is absolutely brilliant throughout the entire series. It's a pity that the series had such a short run-- what's available in these six DVD volumes constitutes the entire twenty-six episode series. Nevertheless, this is one series every anime fan must have, and a series I would also recommend to fans of TV shows such as Miami Vice. Cowboy Bebop's basic structure allows each episode to be a full-fledged story all its own, with the main characters-- Spike, Jett, Faye, and Edward-- serving to connect them all. While there is a consistency to the entire series outside of the characters-- mainly concerning each character's exploration of his/her identity-- this is a more episodic anime series than something such as Evangelion, and yet far less formulaic than Dragon Ball Z and its brethren. I cannot stress how incredibly good the writing is here-- each episode is a self-contained story full of integrity: sometimes dramatic, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always effective each time without sacrificing any of the show's core values. Each DVD disc in this series is a bargain-- five episodes per disc for Volumes One and Two, and four episodes per disc thereafter. Extras are limited, but the video quality is outstanding, and both Japanese/English tracks are provided, with English subtitles. The English voice acting is very impressive-- dialogue is still intelligent following the translation, lip synching is dead-on, and the voice actors are almost as endearing as the characters they portray. Volume Four is mostly about Faye, and this isn't a bad thing at all-- the more we learn about Faye, the more we like her, and in this volume's first episode we learn some crucial details of Faye's past in the entertaining and informative episode, "My Funny Valentine". Many consider this disc one of the series' best because of its third episode, "Mushroom Samba"-- a hilarious episode starring Ed which brings this series closer to the complete madness of typical anime humor than it ever gets without quite reaching it. While Jett's solo encounter with a demon from his past in the second episode is informative and engrossing, it's not one of the highlights of this disc. No, the main draw here is actually the last episode of Volume Four-- "Speak Like a Child", which is also one of the best episodes in this twenty-six episode series. "Speak Like a Child" begins with some clever humor and proceeds in this manner, ending with one of the most surprisingly powerful moments in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Beebop Beebop!
Review: Disk 4 just adds to the quality story tellin established in the previous chapters. I am biased here since Jet Black is featured in episode two. he is surely one of my fav characters in this series. In "Black Dog Seranade" we get an old school noir tale concerning Jets past and how he lost his arm, and in turn quit the ISSP. Also we get a killer showdown with the man who took his arm as Jet and his old partner track down the prison ship that has been taken over-and holdin that very same guy! Gritty and soulful this is a great episode. Also we get a peak into Faye's past and begin to sympathize and understand why she acts the way she does. Sleepin beauty indeed! These stories bookend the disk and are both funny and touchin at th same time. The reference to 90210 is classic! Even Ed gets her own episode in episode 3 on this disk and its sooo great! Lets just say the crew gets a lil trippy. Hey is it me or does Jet have a thing for Faye or what. Hes always helpin her out when Spike or anyone else would have just left her to fend for herself. Jet is a stand up guy though... He adds a moralistic tone to the series, and its nice to see him showcased here in disk 4. Another must have! gives me cravin for bell peppers and beef..
Rating:
Summary: For Faye fans
Review: Disk 4 seems to be a tribulation to our lovely female lead: Faye Valentine. 'My funny valentine' deals with her cryptic past, and 'speak like a child' unravels it with a beta tape. The two episodes are both contemplative and thought provoking. I recommand it to anyone that, like me, is a fan of faye.
Rating:
Summary: Mushroom Hunting!
Review: I am really begining to repeat myself. This is another wonderful addition to the Bebop DVDs. Episode 15:My Funny Valentine: An episode that many fans of Bebop have been waiting for. We finally get to know a bit about Faye's past I am not going to go into this episode because. The viewer needs to experience it for themselves. Episode 16: This is one of the most brurtal episodes in the Cowboy Bebop series. The viewer finally finds out what happened to Jet's arm. We are also introduced to a character Named Udai Takim. A cold-hearted assassin from Jet's past. Takim is probably one of my favorite minor characters in the series. His character design is awesome, and the pure skill he shows in battle is brilliant. We also meet Jet's old partnet, Fad. Episode 17: Very funny episode. The Bebop gang has run out of food, and after a hit and run accident they land on a desert planet. Ed is sent out to find some food and runs into a man named Domino. When a man shows up, threatening Domino, because the man's brother died eatting a mushroom he purchased form Domino. Domino runs away, dropping a few mushrooms. Ed takes these back to the Bebop, and the crew eats them, and very strange things take place. Bonsai telling the secrets of the universe, Fish in the bathroom, and a frog warning Spike that he is on the Stairway to Heaven. Must be seen to appreciate. Episode 18: The problems start when a package arrives at the Bebop. When confronted by the package, Faye runs away, think that it might be something from the collection agency. Of course Spike opens the package, and inside is a beta tape. An interesting episode. We get to see a 20th century media otaku, and we also learn more about Faye's past, or do we really we actually only see a bit of her past, but there are no answers for Faye of the Viewer. Great DVD check it out.
Rating:
Summary: Samba With Shaft
Review: I'm sorry that I only highlight one episode on this disc, but I believe it is one of the best out of the whole Cowboy Bebop series. "Mushroom Samba" hilariously focuses on Ed and Ein's quest for food when the Bebop runs out of fuel and has to land on a desolate planet. Unpredictably, Ed and Ein head to town and meet a woman bounty hunter named Coffy. Now, this Coffy looks like Pam Grier, star of all those Blaxpoitation films. As Coffy drives to the town for the next bounty, Ed and Ein sneak into her trunk and meet Domino, a seedy mushroom dealer. Domino is responsible for some deathes and such through his illegal mushroom dealings. Even a "Shaft" brother is back for revenge against Domino for the death of the "Shaft" brother's brother. An exciting chase occurs and the music sounds similar to the themes of Blaxpoitation films.
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