Cowboy Bebop
[Episodes 1-26 Reviewed, Reviewed by Angie]

I showed resistance about watching this show at first. Perhaps it was because my sister tried to make me watch the second to last episode before I'd seen anything else. I was understandably confused, and that kinda put me off of Bebop for a while. Thankfully I got over it, because Bebop is an anime that no otaku should miss.

Story
Spike Spiegel is a bounty hunter living in 2071. His home is the Bebop, a spacecraft owned by his partner, Jet Black. Spike is your typical green-haired loner/rebel James Dean type guy. Emotionally wounded, and close-lipped about his past, Spike prefers to take the money and run. He certainly doesn't want the encumbrances of a dog, a fast-talking woman, or an insane little girl, but somehow, he ends up with all three, and wackiness ensues. What happens, though, when Spike's past resurfaces?

What Else?
Bebop plays out almost like two separate animes. Most of the show is filler. There are, in fact, only five episodes that follow the main arc about Vicious, and Spike's past. The filler *needs* to be there, though, because of the strong emotional impact of the arc episodes. Each on its own is enough to make one's mouth drop open, and I shudder to think of what might happen if someone watched all five back to back. In constrast, the filler episodes are much, much lighter, and hysterically funny in some points. The episodes with Ed are especially side-splitting.

After viewing the entire series, it's interesting to go back and look at how much vital information about each of the characters was actually given in the episodes that didn't mention Vicious one time. In "Speak Like a Child" for example, we are given a heart-wrenching glimpse into Faye's past, and what made her who she is. Every move the characters make in the filler is adding a bit to their personalities, and the tension is building towards the finale.

The character design is wonderful, even given that Ed has no nose, and Faye is wearing an outfit that doesn't have enough cloth to be a proper handkerchief. The colors are vivid and bright when it fits the mood, and dark and shadowy when the plot calls for it. And the music... oh, the music. Yoko Kanno is a goddess. Only *one* song in the entire series is in Japanese. (Not that I don't like Japanese music.) Kanno experiments with different sounds and and melodies and the result is stunning. I challenge you to watch the Greenbird sequence in Ballad of Fallen Angels and not be moved.

It is also worth noting that Bebop has one of the best dubs I've ever seen. Mmm, David Lucas...

The Bottom Line
Cowboy Bebop is a different kind of anime. It may be a good "starter anime" for fans who are new to Japanese animation. It really defies fitting into a certain genre, because it has so many different elements that blend together to give the viewer one HELL of a ride. Don't miss it.