~Story~
The story of Cowboy Bebop is centered on the members of the spaceship "The Bebop", Spike and Jet, a drifter and retired cyborg cop whose profession is bounty hunting for a living. They meet a lot of odd characters, in which Faye and Ed are one of the main highlights. As mentioned earlier, what is curious is the context of the series: it has its setting in the year 2071 in which humanity has left earth and settled themselves amongst the stars. What is more, it came together with the collapse of nations, and thus the emergence of disorder, violence, freedom and wild shootings - it has the typical western "cowboy" feeling attached to it. It also shares it moments of comedy here and there, which are subtly and well introduced in several occasions without breaking immersion in the story.
This anime is for the major part of the series of episodic nature, yet what is remarkable is the variety within these. Each has its own unique and intriguing story, be it the virus that turn humans into monkeys, the classic parody to the Alien movie, the wacky cowboy, you name it. What further enhances the experience is the fact that each episode provides a feeling of continuity, including great world building showing the viewer how 2071 is, in addition to developing and fleshing its cast accordingly along the way. Some may argue that there are some episodes of lower quality, as it can be hit or miss, yet I found it to be in general of high quality. This doesn't mean the anime doesn't have its share of serious episodes in which actual story progression takes place regarding the characters, in particular that of Spike. These are brimming with life, action and love, giving viewers insight in the characters: it is filled with tension and intrigue. It is worth mentioning that the conclusion of the series is arguably of the most satisfying ones in the anime industry.
~Characters~
Cowboy Bebop is a character driven story, and thus the characters are of great importance to the story to make it work properly, and the anime managed to achieve this masterfully. Although the characters may be considered as stereotypes, in this case it is apparent that these can be very interesting when approached correctly. First of all, it must be mentioned that most of the characters have a mysterious background which is not apparent to viewers at first, yet as story progresses, it is slowly revealed in several bits. Ultimately, most of these are portrayed to audiences in a satisfying manner, yet not fully clarified in some cases, which is left for the viewer to imagine. This may be lacluster for some, but in this case it actually works in its favour to maintain the intrigue and splendid atmosphere of the anime.
The members of the spaceship "Bebop" are composed of intriguing and entertaining characters, almost everyone being developed and fleshed out. There is Spike, a calm and cunning, somewhat lazy guy, yet immensely likeable whose motives on staying on the ship are not quite apparent at first, yet with am intriguing past. Then there is Jet, the hard-boiled and hardworking cop, now retired from the profession for bounty hunting instead. Other character of interest is Faye Valentine, a tomboy yet cunning woman, to being at times quite arrogant; but this is all because of her brittle past, which adds to the credibility of her character. Ultimately there is Ed, a superhacker girl, an energetic careless person who acts very childishly; she seems to be there for comical relief, yet it is apparent that she is slowly developed and as well as cunning, albeit in small measures.
Other remarkable aspect of the anime are the interactions with the cast: all of the characters have such diverse personalities that is bizarre to see them all together and interact each other; what ties them together are their common goals, be it revenge, greed, profit, convenience, you name it. The relationships are slowly developed according to their personal development, which was a nice touch to the show. As for the secondary characters and "villains" if you may, these are for the majority quite interesting with sometimes motives, or intriguing past that showcase the hardships of society. Some either serve to enhance the comedy, world building, or the story plot itself.
~Animation and sound~
The animation quality of Cowboy Bebop is fantastic, even when considering in aired in the late 90's. The actions scenes, for both combat and space battles, are very fluid giving insight of the whole battle scene to the viewer. In addition, the choreography involved is detailed and feels realistic, further enhancing the experience. As for the art style itself, it is befitting of the atmosphere with very detailed backgrounds; not to mention the great usage of lighting effects to the anime that serves to intone the various atmospheres. The character designs are well done as well, varied and intriguing, matching with the corresponding personalities. However, there were times in which some backgrounds/characters were not as detailed, yet this was a small issue.
Concerning the music score, it is truly outstanding: the use of jazz, blues and classic rock may seem odd considering its setting, yet it fits magnificently with the atmosphere. Each piece is also adjusted to the various situations. The fact that there are 4 CD's with over 80 different pieces composed for the series shows the dedication the studio had for the anime. As for the voice actors, these performed their roles splendidly, matching with the different personalities and intonations used. What came to me as a surprise, is the fact that the english dub was as good (or maybe even better) to the japanese one, which is noteworthy. The openings and endings of the anime were well executed and befitting of the theme, such as Tank!, surely one of the most famous ones.
~Enjoyment~
Cowboy Bebop was overall a great anime, with fantastic characters and their respective development and fleshing out. The soundtracks used in addition to the animation enhanced the viewing experience greatly; the fact that the anime managed to convey an intriguing story despite being of episodic nature was a huge bonus as well. Some viewers may be bothered by this and find them lackluster, as it can be hit/miss for some; the fact that the story is nothing extremely grandiose can be an issue as well, yet at a personal level this was never the case. So do I recommend this anime? I wholeheartedly do to anyone of any demographic, as the characters in conjunction with the animation and sound certainly makes it almost a must watch.
Thank you for reading.
