Rating: Summary: It's hard to sing the blues... Review: Ultimately the finest and most renowned expression of the blues is perhaps Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' which relates the emotional tedium of choosing a definitive direction in the middle of one's life. The last four episodes of 'Cowboy Bebop' slowly bring forth difficult and melancholy situations detailing the inner workings and underlying turmoil of the Bebop crew's lives. A subtle and unique blend of sci-fi/fantasy/action/intrigue/drama cap this series definitively with the same unpredictability that has been the hallmark of this fantastic animation milestone.'Brain Scratch' is probably the most disjointed and experimental episode from the entire series. Using a choppy cutting style to survey the television programming of 2071 the director gives us another quick peek into culture surrounding the solar expansion of humanity. Faye has left the Bebop and appears curiously in middle of a brain washing cult led by one of the few remaining bounties. A rather odd combination of self observation and current event parody encompassing video games, internet, Heaven's Gate, Doh Applewhite, television and its elusive control over people. 'Hard Luck Woman' reveals Ed's odd past on Earth, and allows a sort of closure to Faye Valentine's past. You finally see Faye regain her memory and touch on her past life as Ed revisits her old orphanage and finds her father who is Bebop's latest and last bounty. These first two episodes on this DVD slowly begin the set up for the series' somber finale in 'The Real Folk Blues I & II'. I don't wish to detail the final episodes too thoroughly in order to avoid spoilers. Julia emerges as a tangible character for the first time and meets Spike. Both episodes bring to a head Spike and Julia's relationship and answer some of the many questions plaguing viewers. The ending also wraps up Bebop's fate (I can assume) and Vicious' epiphany within the tong. A striking scene I will relate is that this is the first time you will ever see Jet and Spike laugh together. As the series blinks out it may leave you cold as it did myself. The amazing sense of discovery and excitement which permeated the beginning of the series becomes juxtaposed with decay and decline in the last episodes. Such a simple path of natural order is one of those exceptional traits which put 'Cowboy Bebop' far above most other contemporary entertainment. Any viewer will easily recognize all the creative thought put into each episode and the series as a whole. Some may say it is rather disjointed as a series, but that was another refreshing choice on the part of its creators to allow glimpses of their multifaceted future society without getting bogged down in minutia or creative trivialities as do all continuous series. The stories always give the viewer just enough to piece together and rarely over emphasize any particulars giving the viewer a chance to think and make assumptions about the world before, outside and after the current diorama presented. Super dynamic design choices and combinations within the show have floored many animation fans, and the pulp style of writing deftly harkens back to the days of blues and jazz from which comes the foundation for this sci-fi detective anime. From sound track to color to computer animations and mecha, 'Bebop' stands out as a stew of high creativity never quite seen before in animation history. The most definitive quality of 'Bebop' has been its ability to display pathos.....the ability to 'sing the blues'- a very difficult and rare expression to convey honestly without flaw. Pathos is perhaps the pinnacle of human emotion because it cannot be achieved without building a high from which to descend so that it needs the full range of human emotions in order to exist. Usual mainstream entertainment tries only to be 'funny' or 'cool' and ignores the scope of existence this rather earthy sci-fi series confidently captured. Sadly 'Cowboy Bebop' is over and the creators have said it shall never be continued. It would be very easy to continue in some vein, and perhaps one day it will, but I won't relish the day it might resurface as a second series since it will be made a pale extrapolation of its original. However there is a movie slated for release next year which will supposedly be the last we see of 'Bebop'. The movie is said to take place inbetween 'Brain Scratch' and 'Cowboy Funk' within the series. Will there ever be another anime this good? This intense? Will there? Sure, but unfortunately in the mean time the anime coniseurs will have heavy hearts....as the end of Bebop says- You're Gonna Carry That Weight ...
Rating: Summary: The Real Bebop Review: If you've seen Bebop, you will snap up this disc, no questions asked. If you haven't seen any Bebop episodes yet, you're missing out on one of the best (and I don't use that word lightly) anime series to grace the airwaves and DVD in recent years. Bebop exudes class, from the jazz music to the protagonists who behave like mature grown-ups. If you're tired of whiny teenage angst in most anime shows, the "grit your teeth and get on with life" attitude of the Bebop crew will come as a much-welcome change of pace. The series alternates between the goofy and hilarious (Mushroom Samba, Cowboy Funk) and the dead serious (Ballad of Fallen Angels, Jupiter Jazz). Through it all, brief glimpses hint at an underlying story, about Spike's past with the Red Dragon group, and his lost love Julia. These plot points finally converge at a nexus point in the tragic two-parter "The Real Folk Blues", which eclipses all previous "serious" episodes by several orders of magnitude. I will not spoil what happens in the show; what happens with Spike, Julia, and the rest of the Bebop crew has to be seen to be believed. I will say this: If you haven't seen "The Real Folk Blues", then you have not seen Bebop live up to its fullest potential. Two words: "Buy it."
Rating: Summary: GO! Get It! Review: It's really great anime... I saw it with VHS. But whenever I saw it, I think I should buy DVD version. Incredible quailty picture, Cool story and characters (I love ALL character in this anime.), great music.. (I can remember Anno Yokho was charged with a music. She is great, she also shows her great talent on Escaflowne, Turn A gundam, ... ) Especially you should see the last seen.. It's really wonderful.. When you see it, you will love it.
Rating: Summary: A Review Of The "Kid's" Review By "King" Of The Killer 7 Review: First and foremost, the person who wrote the review is a kid and probably thinks that Dragon Ball Z is the greatest anime show ever created. Which to that I say, "Ha"! With this being the case this "kid" should stop watching anime all together. Especially if he or she cannot appreciate great anime, so maybe you're better off watching Spongebob Squarepants. Even though that's not anime it's probably more the "Kid's" speed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash anyone. But posting this kid's review twice was just stupid.
Now for a real review on the sixth session, this is the ultimate wrap-up of a great series. I don't want to spoil anything for the people who haven't seen this series yet. So I can't go into get detail about this session. But I will say that everything comes to a head: the relationship between Spike, Julia, and Vicious, what Ed is going to do with the rest of her life, the faith of the Red Dragon, and of course you can't forget about Faye and Jet. Session 26 is truly a great ending, one of the best ever seen in an anime series.
I just want to tell everyone when it comes to being an anime fan there are a few animes that are mandatory to view, they are: 1. Cowboy Bebop 2. Trigun 3. Vampire Hunter D 4. GTO 5. Bastard! 6. Pet Shop Of Horrors 7. Kenshin(OVA)
One last thing, you don't have to see "Akira" to be an anime fan. That movie is just a waste of time and it just sucks. See HaloKillah's Review.
Rating: Summary: *starts to cry* Review: this was truly one of the best series EVER (animated & non animated)for those who watched the previous 5 discs, you won't be disapointed in the final 4 sessions..then again real folk blues pt.2 was the finite epidsode and the most shocking for all who cared about spike spiegal. i'm still in shock. the series pays homage to sci fi movies like blade runner as well as the martial arts legend BRUCE LEE. (notice how spike's fight scenes look vagley familiar?) the characters are diverse in cultre as well as personalityand even the english voice dubs are very good. the jazz like intro kicks ass. glad i discovered this cool anime, sad it ended so tragically. oh well, there's always HEAT GUY J. (0:<
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