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.

This is an amazing series. Plain and simple. That's the best way to define it.

Now, to start off, i'd like to say that I don't like anime, I used to, but the terrible dubbing got on my nerves, and I didn't feel like watching a show in a different language just to get my cartoon fix. But this anime was completely different, The dubbing is fantastic. Spikes iconic, smug, smart-mouth voice fits his character perfecly, Jet's strong but gentle voice confirms him as a fatherly figure, and Fayes sexy and seductive voice fits her fanservice friendly character.

But now i'm going to focus on the anime its self. The story is good. It's not great. But good. It's starts off about two space bounty hunters, or cowboys, who are low on cash and just about everything else, but as more characters join the cast, the interactions get better, and the characters get more developed. Story wise, the backstories are where this show shines. I'm not going to reveal too much, for risk of spoilers, but all of the characters have pasts that are all worthy of their own series. But the best, the definitive part of Cowboy Bebop, is the music. Now I know you've probobly heard this from every review you've heard of the series, but the show has a beautiful soundtrack, filled with smooth jazz, that even a non jazz fan would appriciate. All in all, this is my favorite anime series of all time. Like I said, I don't watch much anime, so theres not much to compare to, but this has to be in the top five. If you get a chance, watch it, you won't be sorry.