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Cowboy Bebop | back to reviews |
Comments
A Good Watch But Overated.
Why does everyone sing praises to this show like it was written and animated by a divine entity? It was good but it wasn't the flawless gem that everyone made it out to be. Other series like Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya and Death Note are all recognized for their major over hype but I have yet to encounter a single criticism of this slightly older series across the Internet only an abundance of praise.
Overall its main problem was that it was most of the series was kind of bland. Very little happens in terms of changes in characterization and plot advancement in most episodes. The show suffers from having almost everything done well in it done better by Firefly and/or Outlaw Star so there isn't much that you can't find somewhere else here.
Also there were too many episodes that came out of nowhere and didn't really do much for the show like Mushroom Samba, That one with the mold monster thingy and that space cowboy one. What was the point of those episodes? Do you really need disconnected filler in a twenty-six episode anime?
I did really like the episodes with Vicious though, he was a surprisingly effective villain and the ending was perfect. The show needed more episodes like that. Really I'd have liked the series more if it was just the dozen or so episodes that directly matter to the characters back stories and less on the breather episodes.
The soundtrack was almost orgasmic. The show was worth watching just for the background music. Seriously this is one of the greatest soundtracks I have heard in any audio/visual media ever. The smooth funky jazz fit right in with the themes and mood of the series at large. Hell just play me the opening on loop for half an hour and I'd enjoy myself almost as watching an episode itself.
Overall I very much enjoyed the series and do intend to buy it on DVD at some point in the future but I can't help but feel a little let down after all the praise that was granted to it. I really thought it would be something special and it was just not on the calibur that the internet lead me to beleive. Just another victim of Hype Aversion I suppose. None the less I would reconmend it to others as long as they do not expect perfection.
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.
VampireBuddha
19th Apr 09
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.
Darkblade
20th Apr 09
Fair enough.
Yeah, most of the praise probably comes from people wearing slightly rose-tinted glasses.
VampireBuddha
20th Apr 09
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...
82.182.254.29
21st Apr 09
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.
Darkblade
21st Apr 09
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.
Dracomicron
28th Apr 09
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.
KJMackley
8th May 09
I have nothing against episodic series but I prefer the shows remain constantly either serialized arcs or episodic especially for a 26 episode series.
Darkblade
11th May 09
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.
maninahat
13th May 09
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
Klaue
2nd Jul 09
Ed is a she...
Mr. Lostman
2nd Jul 09
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.
Sen
12th Jul 09
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.
Sporanox
22nd Oct 09
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.
Treblain
31st Oct 09
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?
Xi Whoeverski
1st Nov 09
Dracomicron
2nd Nov 09
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.
Phrederic
2nd Nov 09