=====TL;DR=====
STORY (Review adjusted based on show length)
Complexity: 2
World-Building: 4
Pace: 5
Direction: 4
CHARACTERS (Review adjusted based on show length)
Quantity vs Quality Ratio: 6
Development: 5
Depth: 4
Art, Animation & Music (Review adjusted based on air date)
Art Style: 9
Animation Quality: 8
Soundtrack & SFX Quality: 9
ENJOYMENT LEVEL 6/10
=====Introduction=====
Cowboy Bebop is an infamous classic title many consider a product of its time. I highly doubt we'd get another show like it. I think it's a good starting point for the Western audience who are used to Hollywood's motto of 'guns and fists' before 'brains and logic.' This anime is quite polarizing since there are aspects to it that make it shine, yet there are so many flaws that bring it down. Some people may even find those drawbacks as plus points because of their unique nature. Before I dive into the weeds of everything, I want you to figure out if this anime is for you. Like more so than other anime, don't go in to watch it blind from all the hype. Even though I rated it a bit low, I realize it's mainly because this show is quite opposite to the sort of shows I like. And that's why it's important to do research. I dropped the show after I realized its flaws and recurring nature. It appeals to an audience group that I am not part of.
=====Story===== 3.75 / 10
There isn't any. It's like that meme of 'well yes, but actually no.' What do I mean? The thing is, this show has an episodic story structure. Every episode is a new >>SHORT<< story. This idea works in theory but not in practice since there is barely any time to get a decently fleshed-out story in 1 episode. It will work if the episode is long, like 50 minutes long. But with stories this short, you cannot expect them to carry much weight or build on an overarching narrative. That is, transfer impact from episode to episode, and most are detached from each other. You often see episodic structures in a slice-of-life anime, and that approach works there due to elements of drama. The drama carries over from previous episodes and causes tension. But this show doesn't have drama either, and it just plays safe in all aspects. It's probably great to chill and turn your brain off. But even then, there are better shows if you want just the action and comedy.
The world itself is confusing as well. 'Crime is timeless,' but the laws and principles of the world are unclear. It's almost like anything flies everywhere they go. And they refuse to explain anything about the world since they have NO time to do so. It's just a waste of good aesthetic design, in my opinion. The 'story' is by far my biggest disappointment with this show. Once I realized there was no impactful carryover, it became a snooze-fest. I already knew that the stuff I watched was meaningless, and things returned to the status quo by the end. It would've been great if the story was structured arc-based instead.
=====Characters===== 5/10
The characters have unique personalities, are designed well, and have great voice acting (subbed, don't know about dubbed). The show starts strong, but there are issues here as well. Most of it is because of the sad state of the story structure. There isn't any time for bonding, any drama to generate, or any character development. They quickly end up shallow or flat. Once you get an idea of their motives, they don't have much to offer other than that. A wasted opportunity to flesh out these characters in general. The dialogues are straight-laced, and quirky at times, not too dissimilar from Hollywood action movies.
It's hard to figure out whether I should take this show seriously. It lies on that edge, between wacky and serious, leaning in whichever direction it wants based on convenience. And it just makes it more strange. There's a level of 'randomness' that works sometimes but doesn't other times. It's hard to explain. The main characters seem to be without a goal or objective, something to strive for, or something they want to accomplish. To me, it seems they only want money and to exist. I don't get what makes them different from other bounty hunters. Not all adults are like that since some have a goal they want to accomplish. But at least they don't follow some anime trope; that would've been cringe in this type of show.
=====Art, animation & sound===== 8.75/10
I think just from the opening, you can tell the theme and style they wanted to go with. Everything in this department slaps; the SFX, the art, the design of the characters, the world, the sound, and the colors. It feels like the 90s, the good old times. They had all the ingredients to cook up a great story and cast of characters. It's honestly a shame; some of the new anime could use some of the original ideas this anime had in this department. Quite frankly, I do not care about this department much. Mainly because stuff like art and animation, unless exceptional, gets old and can be overridden by a great story and cast to make it timelessly unique. And even though this department probably slapped at its time, it doesn't compare to modern-day anime.
=====Reasons NOT to watch=====
There are plenty of pitfalls here. The main one is the story. The story of each episode itself is genuine and not a 'repeat' in terms of its narrative and structure. The lack of follow-ups or connections makes them irrelevant at a larger scale, making it uneventful and forgettable. If you just want to chill, watch something 'different' from the norm that also screams the 90s, maybe just to kill some time and not engage too much, then go for it. But otherwise, look elsewhere for shows. There are some moments of good action or comedy, but even they are subdued. So, I don't see any selling point of this show apart from its 90s aesthetics.
=====Overall===== 6/10
I know its low, I just feel like if you're not part of some small niche group of people with specific requirements, this show on the whole may not be your jam. From the evidence, it looks like the opposite where I'm probably part of the niche group of people that didn't like the show all that much. But I don't see why people like this show, similar to how I never understood why people liked Sousou no Frieren, that show is trash.