Summary

The year is 2029 (lots of shows happen in the future, ne?), a freak accident (the moon crashed into the Earth!) happened and the Earth's population was forced to live elsewhere in the solar system. Well, now that humanity has expanded their frontiers to outer space, things should be all nice and peaceful, right? Well...not exactly.

Now that criminals can commit crimes and literally "go off into space," can the police keep the peace all by themselves and still stay sane? This situation is helped by the gazillion bounty hunters out there (also known as "space cowboys") looking for some easy cash. Well, I guess "easy" isn't the word to describe it most of the time!

So what, you say? Well Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein (the dog); the crew aboard the space ship "Bebop" just happen to be bounty hunters who catch criminals who have interesting stories behind them, not to mention that the main cast has their share of mysterious and interesting stories as well. Each episode is filled with jazzy music, a new bounty (and criminal), and perhaps more light on just who these "space cowboys"  really are. Oh yeah, this series runs 26 TV episodes and was supposedly a hit in Japan.

What I like about this series:

The music in this series is *AWESOME!* If you've heard Yoko Kanno's previous work (Escaflowne, for example) you'll be absolutely be in awe of all her jazzy mixes. For an already awesome story, the music just adds that much more to it. Cool daddy-o!

The character development and interaction is especially strong in this series. Everyone seems to either get along nicely or constantly bicker! :-) This point is what makes me like a particular title in the first place! All of the characters are more than what they seem, each with dark and mysterious pasts which are revealed slowly throughout the series. When a scene like that happens, I believe you have just found the best part of all that is Cowboy Bebop. 

Subplots and lots of them! Aside from the main characters' pasts and such, there are also stories concerning minor (one episode) characters which just pull at your heartstrings! Hehe....just wanted to say something about that!

Also, I love the "retro" feel of everything in the series from the opening visuals down to the locales. Even if I'm not from the 70's, it just looks plain cool.

What I don't like about this series:

The one thing that I dislike the most about this series is it's randomness. Every episode is new in situation, locale, and most things don't really carry over (new information, characters, etc.) very well. It kind of reminds me of many American cartoons in it's randomness. There is no set pattern or goal to the story (that I've seen), This can apply to many anime (Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2) though for some reason, it really gets to me with this series.

*UPDATE* 6/22/01 -  Ok, so now I have a different opinion about this show's self contained stories after watching it through to the end (it's great!). These self contained stories, while random, also contain poignant endings full of hidden meaning, not just for it's respective episode, but also for the main characters and a premonitory device for the events that unfold until the *boom!* finale at the end. In other words, it's a good kind of random; one that makes you want to come back for more. 

How was that? Anyone feel the same way? *wink* :-)

Faye Valentine! No, I don't hate her, I love her character! I just hate how she is portrayed. Her clothing (or lack of) is just too skimpy/sexy/or plain just "not there" for little 'ol me who just happens to be female too. C'mon! She's supposed to be smart and manipulative but does she really have to dress that way?!

Just a comment: There's a lot of smoking in every episode I've seen. How *do* these people manage all these cool stunts (running, flying, kicking, etc.) without hacking? Well, that's anime for ya!

The Ami Rating:

For some reason, I'm really attracted to this series, and I have no idea why! Perhaps it is because of the more "adult" flavor it has. (No...I do not mean it *that* way!) The characters themselves are adults (20-30's) and the situations presented treat the audience as mature adults as well. This anime is serious in many parts, though humor is there for some relief as well. There aren't too many anime pratfalls (faces, gags, etc.) here. Actually, think of this series as a drama which just happens to be anime, k?