What's it about, and what's so great about it?
Despite its title, Cowboy Bebop is not really an anime about cowboys. It chronicles the feats of interstellar bounty hunters Spike Siegel and Jet Black aboard their ship, the Bebop. OK, so it's a space cowboy anime, but just barely. This anime is so many genres stuffed into one that it's impossible to classify. Sound familiar? *cough*Trigun*cough*
That said, however, Cowboy Bebop is a real treat to watch. The animation is consistently fluid and detailed, with good use of CG effects. There are a total of 26 episodes, from the serious to the downright silly. The variety is much appreciated. :D Each character has a detailed past that is revealed gradually as the series progresses. Such episodes are heart-wrenching, and may inspire intense emotion in some (you have been warned :D). There are plenty of space action sequences for the sci-fi fans, and very impressively animated they are. All the action, comedy and drama is backed up by a superb jazz score composed by none other than Yoko Kanno, who also did work on Escaflowne and X.
The character designs are very intricate, and each character has a well-defined personality that is explained and developed further as the series progresses. Spike is my favourite, seeing that he fills the "standard anime hero" role with aplomb, and then some! It is very apparent right from the beginning that all the characters have their own secrets to hide, even the dog, Ein.
My only quibble is that there seem to be a lot of annoying "filler" episodes that the series could do without. Still, even these are enjoyable in a way, and serve as a welcome respite from the otherwise serious plot. My final word: Watch Cowboy Bebop. Or else.
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