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Cowboy Bebop - Session 5

Cowboy Bebop - Session 5

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pierrot RULES!!!
Review: I own all of Bebop on DVD. It's my favorite animes (and I have a lot of anime on DVD). As good as the series is, I always find myself having to watch this episode. It's so twisted, I can't get enough of it. Other than The Ballad of Fallen Angels and The Real Folk Blues 1 & 2, this has to be my favorite episode. It's one of the most action-packed episodes in the series, and it's very...... unique. This episode teaches one lesson: never make fun of fat guys wearing funny hats.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pierrot Le Fou can't be beat.
Review: I own the entire set on DVD, and I must say that Pierrot Le Fou remains one of my favorite episodes in the Bebop series. The soundtrack is stark, and eerie; the settings are very noir. This story is rather grim, as the Mad Pierrot is out to take more than vengeance on a world that tried to forget about him. Like poetry in motion, fantastic surreal action sequences. This is what CBB is all about!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A bit of a stumble, but refuses to fall from grace.
Review: It was inevitable: after an exceptional run of superb episodes that entertained us to no end, Session 5 provides us with a couple of episodes that sadly do not live up to the excellence that "Cowboy Bebop" had built. And yet despite these couple of episodes' lower-than-expected quality, they aren't completely terrible, and Session 5 does give us a couple of other episodes that do live up to the expected standard.

With eighteen episodes so far completed and all of them considered classics, it should be no surprise to see that the show's creators had probably run out of ideas near the end. Whereas previous episodes were unique and innovative, two episodes in Episodes 19-22 feel more formulaic than anything else. Episode 19, "Wild Horses", tries to intrigue us by telling us about Spike's prized starship but fails to build up enough attraction in its story. Episode 21, "Boogie-Woogie Fen-Shui", is considered the worst "Cowboy Bebop" of all, and with good reason, thanks to its well-meant but shoddily executed story. These two episodes sadly remind us that even great shows like "Cowboy Bebop" can fall from grace every now and then.

Thankfully, right after falling from grace, "Cowboy Bebop" gets back on its feet with the other two episodes of Session 5. "Pierrot Le Fou" and "Cowboy Funk", in fact, are perhaps the two episodes that showcase the series varying appeals. While "Pierrot Le Fou" has a dark, sinister atmosphere and gloomy premise, "Cowboy Funk" shows off a gullible and lighthearted story that alone almost makes up for the two less stellar episodes. While all four episodes work the magic of the "Cowboy Bebop" series, only episodes 20 and 22 work the magic right. Of course, episodes 19 and 21 aren't entirely horrible; however, they are the only two episodes that have dared to defy the quality that this anime demands.

Other than the quality of the episodes, everything else remains top notch. Visuals are as eye-catching as ever, and Yoko Kanno's genius still shines through with her unclassifiable brand of music. And the dubbing cast, even through these episodes, still puts their heart and soul into their characters.

All in all, Session 5 is the low point of the "Cowboy Bebop" series, even though the lowest point is still remarkably high. While a couple of episodes stumbled, they aren't enough to weaken the overall quality that this anime series has given us. Skipping Session 5 would be ridiculous, as you'd be missing out on two wonderful episodes amidst the lower-quality ones. Of course, you'd have to watch all other episodes to truly appreciate these four, but if you're this far in the series you already knew that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Open Foot, Insert Mouth
Review: Session 5 is almost a break before the episodes that will wrap up the series. Here we get to enjoy what is quintessential Bebop - humor, some scares, and stories with an unexpected twist. Each of these stories introduces a unique character. None will reappear, although is a few circumstances the viewer will wish otherwise. We also get to see an unexpected side of Jet and Spike making a complete idiot of himself (which is normal, I guess).

With only one DVD left to go in this series, I am already experiencing Bebop withdrawal. No matter what else I am reading or watching, Cowboy Bebop has always been a welcome change of pace. If you have been watching these along with me I'm sure you have discovered the same thing.

Episode 19 - While Spike is getting his old ship overhauled by Doohan - who assembled the Swordfish out of scrap years ago - Faye and Jet try to catch some pirates and get a computer virus instead. Look for a ghost out of the past to come to the rescue.

Episode 20 - Jet gets a note from an old friend and feng-shui master. When he arrives he finds Pao's daughter instead and starts on a wild chase for the 'sun stone.' This time Ein puts his paw on the answer and Ed figures it out.

Episode 21 - Spike stumbles into the middle of an assassination and finds that he is now being hunted by a deadly maniac in a top hat and ruffles. 'Mad Pierrot' decides Spike has to go to the 'fun' house.

Episode 22 - Imagine a bounty hunter with one-third the intelligence of a pumpkin and three times the accident proneness of Faye and you have Andy and his trusty horse. Of course, Andy and Spike have duke it out for who owns the title of 'real' cowboy - and avoid being blown to smithereens by a teddy bear.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Open Foot, Insert Mouth
Review: Session 5 is almost a break before the episodes that will wrap up the series. Here we get to enjoy what is quintessential Bebop - humor, some scares, and stories with an unexpected twist. Each of these stories introduces a unique character. None will reappear, although is a few circumstances the viewer will wish otherwise. We also get to see an unexpected side of Jet and Spike making a complete idiot of himself (which is normal, I guess).

With only one DVD left to go in this series, I am already experiencing Bebop withdrawal. No matter what else I am reading or watching, Cowboy Bebop has always been a welcome change of pace. If you have been watching these along with me I'm sure you have discovered the same thing.

Episode 19 - While Spike is getting his old ship overhauled by Doohan - who assembled the Swordfish out of scrap years ago - Faye and Jet try to catch some pirates and get a computer virus instead. Look for a ghost out of the past to come to the rescue.

Episode 20 - Jet gets a note from an old friend and feng-shui master. When he arrives he finds Pao's daughter instead and starts on a wild chase for the 'sun stone.' This time Ein puts his paw on the answer and Ed figures it out.

Episode 21 - Spike stumbles into the middle of an assassination and finds that he is now being hunted by a deadly maniac in a top hat and ruffles. 'Mad Pierrot' decides Spike has to go to the 'fun' house.

Episode 22 - Imagine a bounty hunter with one-third the intelligence of a pumpkin and three times the accident proneness of Faye and you have Andy and his trusty horse. Of course, Andy and Spike have duke it out for who owns the title of 'real' cowboy - and avoid being blown to smithereens by a teddy bear.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: In all series some rain must fall.
Review: Session 5 is nowhere near the quality of the other episodes. For some reason the animation quality skyrockets in this session, but the stories fall into the creative void. They`re still enjoyable, but their not cowboy bebop. With the last episode,however, all is forgiven. Spike must go up against Andy the cowboy bounty hunter (Who is a mockery of Trigun`s Vash Stampede.)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Cowboy Bebop = Way Overrated
Review: Sheesh, in every episode of Cowboy Bebop the animators of the series congratulate themselves on how groundbreaking and original their series is. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the series isn't that original or groundbreaking. Many old anime genres and plots are copied and the series itself never really progresses anywhere at all... the characters are barely delved into w/ any depth and as the series goes on the stories get thinner and thinner. The best episode by far is the first, having some pretty cool action scenes, but after that what little action there is is pretty lame. The best character in the series is a quirky little hacker genius named Ed. The episodes w/ Ed are worth watching.

What probably most soured me on the series is the unbelievably lame ending. The cheese oozing out of the last few episodes actually angered me more than entertained. I tried to forget as quickly as possible what I had just seen, it was so stupid.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What did you expect?
Review: The best of the best.....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: All Style, Not Much Story/Substance
Review: The entire Cowboy Bebop series has some of the most well-integrated music/animation/character styles I've seen (the operative word here is great STYLE), but there isn't much of a story. The characters are flat enough that I find myself wanting to know about the history of the technology (like the engineering of the star gates) or to delve more into the development of all those extra-terrestial cities.

I personally think this series is worth renting, but if you are considering collecting the series, I highly recommend that you see it for yourself first and then decide whether or not you prefer all style over story. [BTW, "Pierrot le fou" on the 5th DVD was one of the best episodes in the series - the flashes of Pierrot's background were enough to make me feel sorry for the guy...]

Throughout most of the series, I often find myself having a hard time recollecting what I just watched one or two episodes back.

Rent before you buy...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Second to Last...
Review: The second to last DVD shows exactly how crazy the future can be by throwing in wild-crazy characters (much like Sympathy for the Devil, episode 6)

19: Wild Horses: New character: the old spacer that gave Spike his ship. This episode has some good space-scenes in it, especially the search-and-rescue attempt.

20: Pierrot Le Fou: New Character: Tongpu, the most twisted murderer in all of cinematic existence. Spike runs into the murderer, apparently killing random drug lords, and Spike gets away. Later, the final showdown happens in an amusement park.

21: Boogie-Woogie Feng-Shui: Jet-isode, New Character: Jet's old friend's daughter. She seeks out Jet to find her father (actually they meet in an awkword place, thanks to something called universal feng shui.

22: Cowboy Funk: Nearly a Spike-isode. A new face (Andy) shows up; a "real" cowboy, about as smart as horse droppings but somehow always in the right place at the right time. The crew (mainly Faye) tells Spike that he's just like Andy, but most viewers call her a dumbass at this point. Then, comedy insues.

The extras here aren't too great (like the rest of the DVDs), but I think Le Fou and Funk are good enough to make this DVD extremely buyable.


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