[Author’s note: As with any review there will probably be some spoilers below so as always if you don’t want to know then stop reading right now.]
If you’re a fan of any sort of pop culture that came out in the last 15 years then you owe this series big time. I don’t believe this to be an overstatement as you can see stylistic elements from Cowboy Bebop in such series as Firefly, Venture Brothers, parts of the Kill Bill series of movies, and many other TV shows and movies dealing with space, crime, or action.
The series revolves around a spaceship called the Bebop which acts as home and transportation for two interplanetary bounty hunters. Their main preoccupation is securing enough money to live off of and to continue their lifestyle. Along the way they acquire a motley crew of misfits each with their own back story and motivation.
Jet. The captain of the Bebop. Jet is a cynical ex-cop that quit the force due to the greed and corruption that he saw and decided that if he was going to fight crime that he might as well make money off of it.
Spike. He comes from the other end of the equation. Spike was an enforcer for the mob till he was forced out by his ex-partner and rival. His main motivation in life is to get enough to eat and occasionally he will go looking for his former lover, Julia, who he lost contact with.
Faye Valentine. She was from the 20th century but was cryogenically frozen and woke up in the future with no memory of her past. Her motivations are best described as mercenary. She will often go off on her own looking for bounties but will always return to the Bebop.
Radical Edward. For unknown reasons her father named her Edward. Edward walks round barefoot in bicycle shorts and t-shirts often carrying her laptop. Although she is a genius hacker and can break into any system she seems mentally unhinged at times and quite often talks to herself. She takes a liking to the crew of the Bebop and decides to hang out with them.
Ein. A welsh Corgy dog that has been surgically and genetically modified to interface with the internet. Called a data dog, it is hinted that he has near human intelligence. Although he is very valuable the crew either doesn’t know this or seems to care. Often it seems that Ein is more aware of what’s going on than the rest of the crew but they don’t pay attention to him.
The characters are complex and driven by aspects from their past which they tend to hold close and rarely share with the other crew members unless forced by outside circumstance. Somehow the crew manages to pull together during times of crisis but they never seem able to pull off the big score that they so desperately crave.
So what sets this apart from various other anime series? The series was structured as one long story arc of 26 episodes (called sessions). Each session being one chapter of the same book and building on the former chapters. For the most part anime series in the 80s and 90s tended to focus on action and violence and fantasy themes. The visuals were stunning of course and the action was constant but the stories tended to lack depth, specially in the character development aspect. You went from one unrelated situation to another (Record of the Lodoss Wars being an exception). Over the course of the Bebop series the crew opens up more and more to each other and eventually begins to gel together till…well. Save that for you to find out.
The other thing that sets it apart is that for the most part the series tended to de-emphasize the sci-fi aspects. Other than the fact that the characters ply their trade in space the series could just as well have been set in any contemporary Earth city. The big cities are as grimy and dark as any to be found in a hard-boiled detective novel. To be blunt it’s a noir detective story set in space but space isn’t the main point. There are no aliens, no robots, no fantastical super powers, just people.
The visuals are just breathtakingly stunning and they’re more than matched by a soundtrack that is bluesy and jazzy and tragically hip.
If you get a chance I highly recommend finding this series online and devouring bit by bit like a matcha flavored kit kat bar. You’ll be tempted to scarf down the entire series in one sitting but you’ll really enjoy it if you pace yourself.
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