Reviews

Even in the future, you can't outrun your past. This is the best anime ever created. Sure it's funny and loaded with fantastic action sequences, but you can say that about many series. This stands well above the rest because the story arc is rich and nuanced, with many-layered characters fully inhabiting an interesting and well-developed universe. There is greater depth, sophistication, and development in this ad hoc family of wounded loners (Spike, Jet and Faye) than there is most live-action work, never mind animation. Hell, the supporting cast is populated with characters with more history and complexity than the leads in some series. Complex relationships, affections, and allegiances unfold over 26 episodes, and there is a beautiful symmetry in the construction as the characters individual stories are unpacked like nested dolls. The artwork is dark, distinctive, and evocative. It is not always as smooth in some respects as some contemporary animation, but given the obsessive attention to detail the creators demonstrated I believe this is a conscious choice. No element of the production is haphazard; each element is part of an integrated whole. Even the stand-alone episodes which could be seen as irrelevant to the overall plot are ultimately connected (Consider the ghost story Toys in the Attic, which, when examined, revolves around an old decision by Spike which comes back to threaten him and everyone around him, and which he must face alone). The sound-track is a genre-bending tour de force by Yoko Kano and holds its own as an OST box-set. The English dub is among the best and loses nothing over the Japanese. The series is haunting, bittersweet, and rewarding. Episodes 25 and 26 comprise the most powerful hour of animation ever. Period. Some people might not like the genre, or might not dig the story, but you can't deny the exceptional quality here. No serious anime fan can ignore Bebop.