A week ago, I spoke about my time at Connecticon (Read here if you haven’t yet) & how much of a blast I had. Today, I conclude my look into the last great decade by talking about one of the most legendary anime of the late 90s. An anime that’s still talked about today by oldtaku, and discovered by newer weebs. It’s a show that I knew about for years, but only got into it when it received a re-release. So, get the biggest bounty you can find, load up your spaceship, and enjoy my review of the iconic Cowboy Bebop. Let’s begin!
Story/Setup
Taken from the DVD box:
“Explore the far reaches of the galaxy in this undeniably hip series that inspired a generation – and redefined anime as an indisputable art form. The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motely lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool façade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant, but weird, hacker Ed and a super genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them is likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re they most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.”
That description is incredibly simplistic than the full story. At it’s heart, Cowboy Bebop is about people. It’s about people, and how they interact with one another. They come from all walks of life, races, religions, etc. It’s about the best of people, and it’s about the worst as well. From the most positive of individuals, to the most cynical of souls, all kinds of people can be found throughout this show. In a twist that surprises me, Cowboy Bebop has a healthy dose of grey morality.....and I actually like it! Those of you who know me personally know that I’m not a big fan of grey morality, but that’s more to due how & why it’s implemented rather than the what. In this show, it’s allowed to occur naturally rather that being shoved into my face in an incredibly cynical manner. Granted, there are episodes where things are more cynical than they should be, but for a giant majority of the show’s runtime, reality is allowed to happen naturally rather than artificially. That’s a plus in my book!
Animation
Cowboy Bebop is a tale of two animation styles. 2d & 3d. One is really good, and one nowadays is awful. The 3d animation is the awful one! While it may have been impressive to look at in the late 90s, nowadays they appear incredibly dated and really cheap. Luckily, this is only during certain portions in space, so it’s limited in that regard. The 2nd animation, on the other hand, is incredible! It still is incredible to see in the decades since this came out, as the retro-futuristic nature of the series is displayed in incredible detail. There’s so much color & lights, the various characters move around really well, and even the various spaceships seem realistic as well. Like Outlaw Star from earlier this month, it’s amazing to think that Cowboy Bebop was animated during the time where things were moving from classic animation to digital animation, but it’s remarkable all the same.
Voice Acting
This is one situation where the English Dub is infinitely superior to it’s original Japanese voice acting. It’s not that it’s bad, because it isn’t. It just that the English voice actors did such a good job, the original voices are inferior. Steve Blum was perfect as the sarcastic yet dutiful Spike Spiegel, Beau Billingslea embodied the gruff Jet Black, Wendee Lee portrayed the femme fatale Faye Valentine, and Melissa Fahn fit right into place as the quirky yet diabetes-inducingly adorable Ed. The crew of the Bebop are just a few of the main characters that have great voices, and even the secondary cast have fantastic voices as well. This is all incredibly surprising, since this was a late 90s/early 2000s dub, and any old-school Otaku knows about that dubbing period well.
Characters
Equally as iconic as the voice acting & story are this series’s characters. Cowboy Bebop has a legendary roster of individuals, but what’s so incredible about this show is that sometimes a secondary character (Or characters) actually has a role to play. When many other shows treat secondary/background characters as window dressing, this series occasionally lets them pull some weight. There are still some secondary characters that are just around, but even then they’re still entertaining. My personal favorite are the 3 old guys that show up in the most random of places, as you don’t know how they show up where they are, but somehow it makes sense. Apart from that, what makes CB’s cast work so well is that they’re real. Not the cynical kind of reality in something like Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, or god forbid like the live-action Cowboy Bebop series Netflix did last year, but in the real world reality kind of sense. Everybody comes across like somebody you’d bump into in your day-to-day life, although some of the bad guys you would never want to meet.....for obvious reasons.
Availability & Pricing
Cowboy Bebop is actually fairly easy to find for purchase, thanks to the re-release by Funimation back in 2013/2014 (Forgot the year). Over on Amazon, you have a few options: New copies of the Blu-Ray edition start at $34.95, and $36.97 for the standard DVD version. That’s not a huge price gap by any means, so pick whichever one you feel you want to get.
Overall Impression & Rating
Cowboy Bebop is a legend of the anime world. Even after all this time, it’s still remembered by it’s long-time fans, and the newer generation of Otaku who’ve discovered it in recent memory. It story is still top-notch, and there are people who cosplay many of the characters even now. While I find that some of the greyness within the show tries too hard, it’s one of the few times I actually like something that’s a little more realistic. If you’ve heard of this series but never had the urge to watch it, I highly suggest that you do.
Cowboy Bebop gets a 9 to 9.5 out of 10.
And that was my review of Cowboy Bebop. A show that has weathered the sands of time, and remains standing strong among many of the old-school titans. Again, if you’ve only heard of this series, then give it a watch when you have the time. So, part 2 of my trip back to the 90s has come to an end, so join me in August for a wrap up of this last incredible decade when I’ll take a look at some classic 90s games. See you then!
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