Okay, let's get into this while it's still freshly scratched into my mind. I'm going to adress all the aspects of the show from the score, to the characters, plot, etc. And I'm going to make it as objective as I possibly can and ideally without any major spoilers. You know the drill.
But I do need to get something purely subjective off my chest before we dive into all that. A statement. A testament...
...What is Cowboy Bebop?
For me? The single greatest piece of anime and storytelling I have ever seen...
Now that that's out of the way, let's dive into the review.
First and foremost,this show is
...
not for everyone. It's not your classic anime and it really separates itself well from anything I have ever watched. You won't find any your classic tropes here but what you will find is an deep and meaningful experience like no other. So let's bust the nut open while it's cracked.
STORYTELLING, CHARACTERS AND A REALLY BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW
Cowboy Bebop starts fairly easy to grasp. It's an episodic anime where we follow the crew of the starship Bebop, two basically broke bounty hunters who try and make a living.
First thing that Bebop does to set itself apart is the atmosphere. Through the whole show we feel this thick atmosphere of sheer badassery just like out of a Clint Eastwood western movie, but it also melts into the dark and psychological depths of a true noir detective kind of story. And this fusion along with the sci-fi setting is something the show does unbelievabely well.
Every episode feels natural, fleshed out and the story of each one episode unravels low and slow like a good ol' smoked texas brisket and has a deep psychological impact. But the fun thing is that the depth of most episodes actually does not come from the main characters, but from the side characters, antagonists and situations the main cast are dealing with. The show also sets their own personal storylines up and dedicates whole episodes to them. These are all kinds of messed up and are in a league of their own. These stories are even more intriguing as we unravel the past and motivations of the main cast bit by bit.
Suffice it to say, the show does a brilliant job of showing us the pain and tragedy of the human condition, hard life choices and complicated relationships. And we see all that not through any lense, nor are we given a bias by our main cast. The show gives it to us straight up as it is, like a shot of hard whisky and leaves us to our own devices, to make our own opinion on the matter at hand. Every story is memorable in that matter. And trust me, this show is not one for happy ends and sunshine.
One could say that the main cast actually feels bland, detached and not caring. But that's very far from the truth, it's just realistic. They are not heartless, as seen on numerous occasions, they are professional bounty hunters with some serious issues of their own and oh my god do they have depth. We just don't see it right away because that would defeat the whole purpose of getting to know them step by step and learning more about their backgrounds in the process. By the end of the show I could easily say that I have been thoroughly invested in every one of them and felt their pain as if it was my own.
Each one of the main characters have their own stories, they each get dedicated episodes to them and we get to see those inbetween and apart from each other so that we can see the character developement and how their personal struggles affect them in those neutral bounty hunting stories.
To summarize the cast without giving anything away, because that would just be me robbing you of the experience, we firstly have Spike the cowboy. A young and very skilled bounty hunter with a mysterious past and a flegmatic personality. Then we have Jet, Spikes broody and experienced senior colleague/proprietor of their star crossing home. He also loves his bonsais. Next up is Faye, the cheeky, selfish and egoistic tomboy (although hot dang she's fine). The fourth member of the crew who joins up a little later is Ed, the completely airheaded kid who is also a completely genious hacker. Last but not least is Ein, the most lovable and top dog corgi of them all.
Another thing this show excells at is the chemistry between them. They are snarky and they don't shy away from calling themselves out on their bullshit. Their relationships feel natural, nothing is forced, they are not open to each other. No nonsense overhyped feelings of duty or friendship. They are colleagues and even if they are, in reality, good friends, none of them is gonna come out and say it.
It feels very refreshing to see something without your usual, over the top tropes. On the other hand, they are not a gloomy bunch. The show actually has a very good, sober and defined sense of humor and sillyness. These make a great job of keeping things fresh. Even whole episodes are made in good humor and in the big picture, these fun spots are a great resting place between all the drama and gloom going on. Mostly, it makes you connect to the show amd characters all the more. We see a more human side of them, normal people who also need a laugh once in a while.
Also, counting out Ed and Ein for obvious reasons, every one of our crew are pretty heavy smokers (not One Piece Sanji level "smoke 5 packs a day" heavy, mind you).
SCORE AND ANIMATION
Yeah, not much to say here. You either hate or love old school animation. This is the cream of the crop. Old school animation at its finest, on the highest peak. Just before it started to get out of style.
Crisp, contrasted, well defined, amazing colors. There isn't a shot that would feel messy or chaotic, you always know what's going on and even the most fast paced space battles feel tidy and good to watch. I myself am partial to old school animation and I like it more than the new ones. It just feels right and you see the hours of pure sweat and tears that were put into this animation masterpiece. There are a few 3D effects in the show but they are well put together and always serve a good purpose so they feel pretty natural (mainly cosmic effects).
Now about the music. It's godlike. We have country, we have bluegrass, we have futuristic music and we have those loooong noir trumpets doing their thing. Every scene is complimented with just the right sound and it makes the whole thing pop. Also, the OP is the most sick jazzy jam I have ever heard used in anime and the ED, Real Folk Blues, grew on me bit by bit. At first it was not really my cup of tea but as the show went on I found it to be the perfect dot after every episode to round it all up and make it have even more balls than a golf course.
SUMMARY
I loved every bit of this show. It's smart, dramatic, heavy. It's also funny, has some god tier action and it has balls beyond recognition. The shame is that it leaves you just as quickly as it starts. It's a fleeting thing and trust me when I say this but it probably won't leave you satisfied, but boy oh boy is it worth watching.
Because after the final credits roll, you just understand it all...
...You're gonna carry that weight.
FINAL WORD
If you made it all the way here, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading! You are amazing! I spent a few hours writing this review so I can share my very fresh opinion on one of my, if not my newly most beloved anime of all time with you. I hope it was an entertaining read.
And with this, there is only one thing left to say...
...See you, space cowboy!
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Apr 26, 2024
Cowboy Bebop
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Okay, let's get into this while it's still freshly scratched into my mind. I'm going to adress all the aspects of the show from the score, to the characters, plot, etc. And I'm going to make it as objective as I possibly can and ideally without any major spoilers. You know the drill.
But I do need to get something purely subjective off my chest before we dive into all that. A statement. A testament... ...What is Cowboy Bebop? For me? The single greatest piece of anime and storytelling I have ever seen... Now that that's out of the way, let's dive into the review. First and foremost,this show is ... 
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Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
(Anime)
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