Topic: Cowboy Bebop Marathon

[Critter]

Cowboy Bebop



*So this is to be my first anime series that I will review episode by episode. While I have seen some of the show before (some episodes more than once) I have never actually sat down and watched all 26 episodes in order so I'm quite looking forward to this.

Plot: In the year 2071, the Solar System is linked by a network of hyperspace gateways. Police lose their grasp on crime and a bounty hunting system has been implemented. On an old fishing starship called the "Bebop," a cool as Zen man of mystery, a macho former hard-boiled cop, a brash and fickle woman with a large debt, a whimsical whiz kid hacker and an unsuspecting Welsh Corgi band together to hunt bounty heads for a meager living. Unfortunately, they are some of the unluckiest people in the star system. These are the stories of the adventurous (and misadventurous) lives of four struggling people and a dog.

Original Air Date: 1998

Total Episodes: 26

[Critter]

1. Asteroid Blues

Plot: Fellow bounty hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black head to the New Tijuana asteroid colony to track down a bounty-head who is trying to sell off a stolen cache of a dangerous combat drug called Red Eye.

My Thoughts: I have seen episodes of this show before, and everytime I watch it, including rewatching this pilot episode the first thing that always jumps into my mind is wow, this show is really similar to Firefly. Of course I don't know if Whedon had ever even seen this particular anime before, but watching it almost gives the impression that he set out to make a live-action version of Bebop and thus Firefly was born. The similarities are just way too numerous and precise, if the two shows are completely unrelated then it just must have been some hell of a coincidence. Bebop came first in 1998, with Firefly following at around 2003. Not that the similarities put me off either show as I do love them both, but it still never ceases to amaze me.

That being said this was an excellent way to start of a great anime. Instead of introducing the whole cast in one go this show starts by letting the audience get to know the main two protagonists, with the other leads gradually joining the crew in following episodes. I think this is a good way to get started with a show as you are not bombarded with too much information straight away. The art and voice acting is top notch, and I was actually watching this one in English as the last time I watched episodes of this show I watched it in Japanese. I am happy to say that this is one of the few anime films or shows that actually has a good English dubbing, and a very good one at that. The world created in this series is a vast sprawling complex of planets and galaxies not unlike many other sci-fi shows today. The world in this show however is brought to life with an elaborate score of Jazz music, not your usual sci-fi soundtrack which is possibly the shows greatest link to Firefly. Often great space flights will be shown with no other music than that of the tune of a single classical guitar, which really brings the show to life and gives it a unique feeling.

Rating: 5/5

[Dragonfire]

I've never seen this..  Though if it is like Firefly...now I'm intrigued.

[Critter]

You should check it out Marie. I think any fans of Firefly would be able to appreciate this show. Even those who don't usually like anime.

[Critter]

2. Stray Dog Strut

Plot: Spike and Jet's next hunt takes them to Mars, where their target, a professional thief, has stolen a very valuable, genetically engineered "data dog" from a corporate research facility.

My Thoughts: This is a really fun episode that feels quite different to the pilot. Here we have the third member of Bebop join the crew... a member who happens to be a super intelligent corgi. This episode has a lot of laughs in it, quite unlike the pilot which got quite dark and the newest edition is absolutely adorable. The animation of the dog is just spot on, and while it doesn't speak and hardly even makes any animal sounds you can always tell what it is thinking and you know that this intelligent pooch is thinking quite a lot. This episode is also the first one where we are introduced to 'Big Shot' which is the TV show for Bounty Hunters were our protagonists get all their information on current targets. It's interesting as at the start of Big Shots they address "all 300,000" bounty hunters of the universe which really sheds light on just how much chaos the future holds. This is evident in the fact that the police can no longer control the levels of crime amongst the planets and need any assistance they can get.

Rating: 4/5

[Critter]

3. Honky Tonk Women

Plot: With Ein as a new companion, the crew of the Bebop cross paths with Faye Valentine, a wanted fugitive drowning in debt, who ends up being forced to act as a middle-woman for an illegal transaction at a space station casino.

My Thoughts: And here we are introduced to the fourth member of Bebop Miss Faye Valentine. While we may meet her for the first time in this episode she does not really join the "crew" until later on, which is quite a clever way to weave in a new character I think. During this episode they play her out to be just any character that could have a one episode only appearance so it is nice to see her familiar face return later on. This episode isn't high on action and most of it takes place either in or around a casino. And by Casino I mean giant floating casino spaceship. I'm not the biggest fan of gambling and I don't find casinos interesting which is probably why I found this episode slightly less entertaining than the previous two. It did have some great moments though and it's hilarious seeing how these four odd characters relate to each other in these early episodes... especially how Jet and Spike react to Faye as they still have no idea that they are going to end up being stuck with her in the near future.

Rating: 3½/5

[Critter]

4. Gateway Shuffle

Plot: After gambling away all the money she obtained, Faye ends up getting her hands on a mysterious suitcase while exploring the wreckage of a derelict spaceship. Meanwhile, Spike and Jet pursue a bounty on the leader of the Space Warriors, a group of eco-terrorists armed with a terrifying biological weapon.

My Thoughts: This is another really funny episode which see's Faye once again captured and held hostage by the crew of Bebop, yet in a funny turn of events she ends up actually joining the crew herself, much to the dismay of Spike and even Ein. I liked the idea of eco-terrorists being the enemy here, they seem to be a fraction of terrorists not often explored in TV shows or films so it was interesting. I also loved the big chase scene at the end in hyperspace. The effect they used to create hyperspace was simple but I think really effective.

Rating: 4/5

[Kathy]

Have you seen Cowboy Bebop: The Movie? I have the DVD but never watched it so I'm wondering if it is any good.

[Critter]

Hmm I have heard of a Cowboy Bebop movie. Is it called "Knockin' on Heavens Door" or something like that? I haven't seen it but I would like to track it down, maybe after I finish this marathon. You should check it out. Although I think you would benefit more from the film version if you have seen the series first.

[Kathy]

It's this one:

[Critter]

Ah yes that's the one. Knockin on Heavens door is the translation of it's Japanese title, but I think it is just known as The Movie internationally. I hope I can find it in stores here sometime after I finish this marathon.

[Kathy]

If you can't, let me know and I will send you my copy.

[Critter]

Aw that's very kind, but I should be able to find it here, or at least order it in through one of our major chains. Wouldn't it be expensive to send it all the way to Australia? I wouldn't know, I've never really sent things overseas before.

[Critter]

5. Ballad of Fallen Angels

Plot: While pursuing the bounty on an executive of the Red Dragon Syndicate, Spike ends up confronting Vicious, an old enemy of his.

My Thoughts: This is the first episode since episode one that really gets quite dark again, and what a great episode it is. Here we start to explore Spikes past as well as how the relationships between all our protagonists are developing. It's interesting to see how Faye is actually almost similar to Spike in that they both just rush into things head on, usually with dire consequences, while Jet is always the one who has to come in at the last minute to save them. That's one of the great things about Jet, while his character appears physically to be some massive guy who would only have interest in fighting, he is actually the most level-headed and mature one of the group who is also highly intelligent, much like his dog. I read that this episode pays homage to John Woo films in the fight scenes, especially one shoot-out in particular which is held in a church. It really is a great scene that is balances out nicely with the interesting and very emotional montages of Spikes flashbacks. We only learn a little of his history but you can tell that the story is being set up so that it will be explored in greater depth in later episodes.

Rating: 5/5

[Critter]

6. Sympathy for the Devil

Plot: Spike and Jet chase a dangerous enemy who, despite having the appearance of a little boy, is actually more than eighty years old.

My Thoughts: This episode is just plain eerie, the "young" boy is a very creepy antagonist who is involved with this episodes creepiest scenes. A couple of scenes in particular were very well done, such as the boy finally gaining age after 80 years. While it was an interesting story I admit that it felt like not a lot really happened in this episode. It was a good episode but nothing compared to how great the last one was, although it would be hard to follow up on something like that. The pattern of our crews bad luck is starting to really show in each new episode. Every time they set out to grab the next bounty target they usually find them, yet one things leads to another and they never end up with the reward. This crew really is one of the unluckiest in the galaxy. It's also nice to see Jet and Faye working together in this one. It's seem a time has come when they have just settled with the fact that they are on the same crew and the guys have therefore stopped trying to kick her off.

Rating: 3/5