Reviews Anime / Cowboy Bebop

I think all the praise is because this was one of the first anime released outside Japan that wasn't either for kids, massively edited, or hentai. For a lot of people, it was their first taste of gritty, mature, non-pornographic animation.

Also, it came out around four years before Firefly.

I think all the praise is because this was one of the first anime released outside Japan that wasn't either for kids, massively edited, or hentai. For a lot of people, it was their first taste of gritty, mature, non-pornographic animation.

Also, it came out around four years before Firefly.

Just because it did something first does not mean it did it the best. I am well aware Cowboy Bebop did this before Firefly but Firefly just did it better and since I'm looking at them both from a post series perspective which came first doesn't matter as much.

Fair enough.

Yeah, most of the praise probably comes from people wearing slightly rose-tinted glasses.

Fair enough.

Yeah, most of the praise probably comes from people wearing slightly rose-tinted glasses.

this review seems to me as a case of Hype aversion and Seinfeld Is Unfunny, most of it has been said better by the other comments, but i still think its a damn good series. The complaint about characterization i think is mostly due to the episodic nature, and i personally enjoyed the slight genre shifts, and i admired how they made the different genres be recognizable but still fit with the main theme and mood for the series. Consider that firefly didnt exist, so when this aired it was probably the best take on the concept in existence...

I will admit it was largely Hype Aversion and it was a good series.

I wouldn't have minded the genre shifts so much if they were handled more naturally and didn't seem artifical and tacked on.

Considering that Cowboy Bebop was never broadcast in South Eastern Canada where I live and I can only watch it online or on DVD it's actual airing time doesn't mean anything to me.

I'm not going to get into the Hype Aversion stuff, but I'd just like to point out that the fridge mold episode is fucking hilarious. C'mon, it's like a Treehouse of Terror or Halloween episode, but funky, like Cowboy Bebop itself.

I'll be honest and say that while I am perfectly okay with people being critical of a show I like I am always a little offput when their reasons for being critical is entirely "This other show did it better or is simply better." I feel that it isn't being fair to the show because the producers may be specifically trying to do something different. There was another review I read for the show that was otherwise glowing with praise like this review but it was critical of the episodic nature solely because they had a bias for serialized stories. It was as though a serialized story was always superior to an episodic story, even if it was poorly executed.

Other then that Cowboy Bebop is certainly one of the greatest anime ever created, in my opinion even their less liked episodes are still vastly superior to the better episodes of other shows.

I have nothing against episodic series but I prefer the shows remain constantly either serialized arcs or episodic especially for a 26 episode series.

Well you see, Cowboy Bebop gives the impression from the start that it is going to be of an episodic nature, which was why I was okay with there being a lack of story arcs. Samurai Champloo on the other hand promises the viewer with a story arc from the beginning (the Quest to find the mysterious Samurai who smells of Sunflowers), but then proceeds for the next dozen episodes without any further development in the arc. The resulting formulaic episodes are similar to Cowboy Bebop's, but I wasn't okay with it because I felt like I had been led into the anime with false expectations.

I think the worst part of the series are the characters Faye and Ed. For my taste, Fayes character doesn't fit her back story, she was just shallow fanservice. And Ed.. Let's just say as a programmer i'm insulted by this depiction of a hacker and he seems to be just a tacked-on slapstick character of the type responsible of my general dislike of anime. I found this to be far worse than Mushroom Samba. Anyway, this series is still one of the two anime series I actually enjoyed watching

Ed is a she...

Yeah, I agree with Darkblade. Hype Aversion for me too. It's a poor man's Firefly. Sure, a poor man's Firefly is still a good series, but the online reviews strike me as "overrated".

I used to think worse of this series though. My Hype Aversion was more violent the first time around and I thought it outright sucked. Thanks to a lot of time off I just realized it's okay but not that good.

Soundtrack is fucking awesome though.

Four issues:

First, as others have pointed out, the series was intended to be episodic with a number of one-shot characters. That would also fit the life of a couple of itinerant individuals quite well. I would further add, though, that the series is most definitely NOT devoid of characterization. It is simply more subtle than other animes. Instead of narrating outright, Cowboy Bebop often crafts through actions and leaves the viewer to draw their own interpretation.

Second, the writing is on a completely higher level than most other anime. There are none of the "THAT'S..." *scene cut* of shounen, or the hammerlike moralizing of any love and justice show, or the hamfisted S Ds that plague the majority of anime. Instead, the dialogue can compete with any Western-produced fiction.

Third, the action sequences still hold their edge today, even after 10+ years. Whoever did the storyboard obviously took the time to familiarize themselves with actual martial arts techniques. Furthermore, they made a point of eschewing the quick cuts, flash sequences, and pointless power battles that characterize most attempts at anime choreography. Even the gunfights are animated coherently and still manage to impress most to this day.

Fourth, this series had an unmistakable style that has rarely been seen before or since. That isn't just the music.

BTW, Firefly is a great series, but Cowboy Bebop actually does certain things (action scenes) BETTER.

Why does everyone keep saying Hype Aversion? I think you all mean Hype Backlash, Hype Aversion is when you don't watch it at all.

I'm not all the way through it, but I like it a lot. It doesn't have an epic story behind it, but it uses its setting and style very effectively. And there's no rule that there can only be one great Space Western.

Yeah, I agree the best thing about this show was the music. It was entertaining at first, but after a while the it got boring (the music did not, however). Still, at least it was better than Firefly.

"Fourth, this series had an unmistakable style that has rarely been seen before or since. That isn't just the music."

You mean Film Noir?

Film Noir In SPACE.

The show is just, cool! It's slick and well animated and well acted and maybe it doesn't have a tight story, but it's like jazz, it's not about the ending, it's about the journey.

Heh. I actually agree (a fun show, but defenitely flawed), except with a few positions reversed - I loved Mushroom Samba and the other nuttier episodes, and found Vicious and the most plot-advancing episodes really boring.

The biggest Hype Backlash I have is with the dubbing. Seriously, how bad were dubs at the time that this is held up as one of the greatest of all time (especially in comparison to the excellent dubs of today)? A lot of the dialogue is kinda cheesy, awkward or stupid.

That said, Cowboy Bebop has one of the most awesome feelings to it. You know, the X-factor, the mysterious element of cool? I think that's what ropes in everybody, along with the soundtrack.

I honestly don't get what Firefly does better at all, but I think I have major, major Hype Backlash with that show.

I have to say that I agree with randomfanboy. I hated Vicious, he literally bores me to tears. Cowboy Bebop is better when it's not trying to be too serious; the fridge mold episode and the Mushroom Samba are my favorites. They're funny and quirky. The serious episodes are just boring, I can't get motivated to care about anyone involved.

Sorry that I missed this but...

"Instead, the dialogue can compete with any Western-produced fiction. "

Fuck you. Sorry, but that's a really asinine and borderline racist and xenophobic line, anime is not inherently superior, or inferior to western works, it's a stylized medium that has no limitations on either writing or subject matter.

And Firefly wasn't that great of a show, sorry.

Well, Fox should have given Firefly a few more shots than 14 before canceling it. That being said, I have no doubt that Cowboy Bebop had a MAJOR influence on Firefly, and well, the reviewer has a serious case of Seinfeld Is Unfunny. Still, I think Cowboy Bebop is superior in many ways; especially the multicultural, multilingual universe (compared to the supposedly bicultural and bilingual universe of Firefly). I loved the colorful and many-sided setting.

One thing about Cowboy Bebop is the incredible animation and unique character design that has yet to be matched, Baccano a show that also has incredible animation, is intensely more stylized, these show averted Only Six Faces so hard it spoiled me on art design from other anime. Maybe a lot has to do with my personal preference for either super stylized or super realistic art, but this show is epic, and Joss Whedon needs to come out of the closet...of Otakudom.

I have to agree on the hype backlash. I think Cowboy Bebop for a lot of us was so good because of the opposite: it wasn't an overhyped loud action anime, but a stylish, low-key episodic one. It's probably one of the worst series to come in with high expectations.

Eh, I never got into it either. I keep on hearing that it was great. My own opinion? Interesting, but YMMV. It's just like a matter of preference. I'm not a scyfy fan—more of a historical fiction person. Which is why I preferred it's spiritual successor Samurai Champloo. For similar reasons, I preferred Rurouni Kenshin over Trigun.

For me, this series was very hit and miss. The Abdul Hakim episode, the evil environmentalists episode, the immortality episode, the Pierrot le Fou episode, the cultist con artist in a coma episode and most of the prison ship episode all had me bored out of my mind.

The episodes I enjoyed either had brilliant comedy, engaging drama or tons of backstory.

Cowboy Bebop has the hype it does because, as Vampire Budda said, Cowboy Bebop was the first of its kind for a lot of people. The story meanders episodically as we follow cool characters around, the setting is awesome, and the music was not only good for its time—I think it holds up as one of the most distinctive soundtracks around.

And it's not just because of when it was released in America. Cowboy Bebop is the "anime for people who don't like anime". It's the gateway anime, in many cases. So we watch it, it's like nothing we've ever seen before, we hunger for more, and we dive into the rest of what's available. What remains of Cowboy Bebop isn't the appraisal of an experienced anime fan, but rather that first impression.

When I first saw Cowboy Bebop, it was the greatest thing ever. Today, I rarely go back to it when I want to watch something I've seen before... the flavor just lost its luster. But I still fire up the soundtrack every now and then.

Hmm. I loved Bebop, but I don't immediately get in a snit because someone dislikes one of my highest ranked shows. Yeah, I know some people did not like how one-shotty it was, but really didn't care about that. I loved the music (I think I could femme-fap to that any day), the high, high quality of animation, unlike many more recent animes, and the relatively short length. The ridiculous lengths of certain animes (I'm looking at you, Bleach and Naruto) really put me off, and Bebop is short, sweet, and not entirely to the point. I get to episode 158 or so and I'm done. Blaargh, shut down and I want nothing more of it. And, should one compare the fluffy fillers in Naruto or some other big anime to the amount in Bebop, just by sheer percentages, I'm pretty sure Bebop will come up with less filler per volume.

I disagree. I felt the same as you do after my first watch of the series, but after re-watching I realized how masterfully put together it all is. Sure, most of the stories are standalone and yes, they vary in quality, but the lowliest of Bebop episodes are miles above your average anime series and the characters are some of the best in the medium. It's just a great show.

You [and some of the commenters] kind of come across to me as a semi-arrogent firefly fanboy who compares EVERYTHING to firefly. I know that firefly and cowboy bebop do have a bit in common, but firefly is not as great as the fanboys make it out to be.If anything, firefly is the poor mans cowboy bebop [not that it's a bad show or anything, but bebop is better and the firefly fanboys such as yourself kinda piss me off]."OMG, you just said something not 100% positive about firefly, YOU BASTARD"! Get use to it, because comparing everything to a show thats not even that great is starting to get really freaking annoying.I'm Sorry if I seem mean or harsh, but I am just sick of all this cowboy bebop hate going on because of firefly.Oh, and those "pointless cowboy bebop episodes" are ment to be FUNNY, not serious.PS,cowboy bebop:the movie kicked serenity's ass.

"You [and some of the commenters] kind of come across to me as a semi-arrogent ... PS,cowboy bebop:the movie kicked serenity's ass."

Responding to a review a comment a year and a half old probably won't get a response from the poster, but I can't help but ask if this was a joke or not, even if the question ends up being rhetorical.

Apart from presenting subjective opinion as fact.("Get use to it, because comparing everything to a show that's not even that great")

Arrogantly fanboying Cowboy Bebop and negatively comparing Firefly to it whilst flaming Firefly fans for being arrogant fanboys and negatively comparing Cowboy Bebop to it? If that's satire, it's the height of humor. If not...

"I'm Sorry if I seem mean or harsh,"

You don't, but you certainly exemplify cognitive dissonance, intentionally or not. XD

Says the troper responding to a nearly year and a half post -rolls eyes-

Also I agree with people finally calling out Firefly and find it quite offensive to compare this to that pretentious drivel

Yeah it's hypocrisy all around

It certainly is. I nearly guffawed at that response. =P Again, I hope it's parody.

What makes Cowboy Bebop so amazing is partially the music (which is really something I've never heard before or since in terms of diversity) and that it blended and parodied so many different genres. Film Noir, Western, Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, it even has a blaxpoitation episode. Outlaw Star pretty much only did Western... IN SPACE but it never really took itself all that seriously. As for Firefly, I can't really compare it since I only made it through one episode. (FTR Firefly always struck me as a much less engaging Outlaw Star but I've never compared it to Bebop.)

The characterization is solid but there isn't necessarily a ton of change. But it's not so much about the story so much as seeing the sheer amount of movie genres shoved into one twenty-six episode series. If you don't really care about that the episodic nature can be a bit of a drag.