What Do You Like About Cowboy Bebop

[OT86]

Just a small question..

I've recently started watching Cowboy Bebop (seen the first 4 ep's) and I wondered what it is everybody loves about it so much. I mean, I think the theme is clever, and I like some of the characters (not to mention hearing "Welsh Corgi" in Japanese really cracked me up!) but I just can't get into the story.

For me, I like a good story, and because Cowboy Bebop's story doesn't really continue from one EP to the next (there's only 1 two-parter) I find that by the time I've started to enjoy the story, the episode ends and that's it.

So, is this series better appreciated once you've seen the whole thing? There's nothing I really dislike about it - other than that I can't seem to get myself "into" the story.

Please share your thoughts on this, I'd be interested to know, seeing as it's such a popular anime.


Regards,

オリヴァア

[mandolin]

I don't know. I don't really like it myself.

Although, I did like the mutant-lobster-from-the-fridge episode... that was very funny... it was like a half-hour long windup to the extremely satisfying punchline.

Unfortunately, no other episodes have grabbed my attention. I'm with you on this one.. I don't get it either.

[zengargoyle]

keep watching. there's a long running plot element that comes to surface. some of the episodes were just fantastic, like when they go to earth on the quest to find a VCR, and [b]Pierrot Le Fou[b] was madness. the music is probably the best of any series ever. anyway, the first few times i caught an episode i thought "meh." and couldn't get into it, but after a few more i couldn't believe that i thought that. it does grow on you after a while. besides, Spike is just cool.

[Seijiro Hiko]

Personally I think Cowboy Bebop is a great anime for a number of reasons

firstly, I would like to point out that even though its primarily episodic, it does have an overall storyline that is revealed in bits and pieces in the various episodes while there are other episodes that focus completely on it.

That said, the story is about Spike's past and his coming to terms with it. The story does a great job of not beating down the same points over and over again.

Alot of animes take their story too seriously and try to shove it down the throats of the audience but Cowboy Bebop gives you just enough for you to get it and to keep asking for more. The story overall is great and deeply involving and emotional. It does a great job of developing each of the Bebop Characters

The fact that it is episodic is unique to the anime world and is one of the things that makes it great. The episodes have a wide range of situations that are unique.

The Music is simply astounding and was put together by the internationally recognized and acclaimed Yoko Kanno. Each episode has its own music theme and is partly designed along with it.

I might suggest watching the show while keeping the thought in mind that main character form sort of a disfunctional family.

Anyway be sure to finish out the show, OT86, cuz its a good one!

[Shibakoen]

I got hooked on it at first because of the Cowboy Bebop movie. The characters are great. They all have their own little stories. I especially like Ed, although my girlfriend hates her. There's an episode in the third session where she played chess against an old genius that I really like. Spike and Faye are great, too. Jet and Ein don't really have much. Anyway, I really liked the movie and that hooked me.

Basically, I had been searching for anime so I could keep up with my Japanese. I taught English for a year in Japan, and I really want to become fluent. However, NONE of my students could tell me of a good Japanese movie. It seems most Japanese movies are horror movies and most anime really doesn't appeal to me. I mean when I was studying spanish, there were always movies like Amores Perros, Y Tu Mama Tambien, or any of those cheesy telenovelas. But for studying Japanese, there's nothing but anime.

Unfortunately, most of the anime I've seen is pure CRAP. Either childish, grotesque, cutesy, perverted, or just plain stupid. Cowboy Bebop, on the other hand, along with Shinichiro Watanabe's other series, Samurai Champloo are much better. There's a plot that's not silly or convoluted, the shows are funny, the characters are great, the Japanese VO is just about perfect, and all that without freaky cyborgs or little girls with machine guns. The music also fits in very well, but basically I like it because for me it's a series of stories that never get old and I watch them all the time.

If there's anything better, PLEASE TELL ME!!!! I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOREVER FOR GOOD ANIME OR EVEN LIVE ACTION MOVIES!!! And don't say Zatoichi. That wasn't good. Not as awful as something like Lain, but it still isn't any good. Is there any such thing as a Japanese comedy? That's why I like both of Watanabe's series, especially Samurai Champloo. I mean bushido as gay man's ideal lifestyle? That was funny.

[OT86]

Thanks for all that feedback guys - I think i'll have to watch a few more Eps

Shibakoen - are you refering to Zatoichi by Takeshi Kitano? - I appreciate it's not to everyones liking, but I don't see how you could actually call it "bad".

I've not seen one major reviewer that's given it less than 4 stars

but perhaps its just not what you're looking for, who knows.

And my experience with Lain is that you either love it or hate it - i should mention here that its a lot better watched when you're in bed about to fall asleep,lol. Simply because the plot doesn't really make any sense and when you wake up the next morning you sometimes wonder if it was real or not. It's a bit freaky actually

I agree with the overdone themes in anime. I don't want to see huge fighting robots or cute girls underwear all the time.

Out of interest, have you seen the Rurouni Kenshin OVA's before? (trust and betrayal as their known in the western world) I'm sure you've at least heard of theTV series before. Anyway i really DONT like the TV series - too much slapstick comedy for my liking. I need my animes more serious. If you haven't seen Trust/Betrayal you should do. It's so much more serious than the TV series that it's surprising they're even related. On top of this the quality of animation in the fight scenes is astounding at times. None of this "still character on a moving background" rubbish - I've never seen better fight scenes in an anime. Of course, being in the Meiji era and centering around a swordsman, there's a fair bit of violence in the beginning, but it gradually lessons throughout the four episodes (and to a degree the violence is necessary at first - it needs to shock you). Aside from that its well voiced, has an interesting story and is serious enough to be enjoyed by someone in their late teens right into their 30's and beyond (IMO at least). Not to mention it has great music. You don't even need to have any knowledge of the series to follow it (I never did). Just dont watch the english dub though....

Also, Wolf's Rain is somewhat of a break from traditional anime subject matter, and not for kids too. Again, watch it subbed.

Hope this helps anyway

[Kates]

Spike is awesome. Ein is awesome. The music is awesome. And I really love the art style of the show. I love how it can be so serious and so silly at the same time. The fridge episode is still my favorite. <3

[Txkun]

I agree 110% Kates.
This is one of the best anime series I saw ( and I saw ALOT see list )
Most are bad... and I see them just to train hear. Others are great in animation and themes.

[small]- Abenobashi
- Armitage 3
- Avenger
- Bakuretsu Tenshi
- Bastard
- Beck
- Blame!
- Dokuro Chan
- Excel Saga
- FLCL
- Full Metal Panic
- Full Metal Panic: Second Raid
- Gunsmith Cats light, with great rhythm
- Hack
- Hellsing
- Iria
- Kenshin great animation...
- Last Exile nice art, and setting IMHO
- Ninja Scroll
- Paranoia Agent
- Ragnarok: The Animation
- Serial Experiment Lain
- Tenjou Tenge
- Cowboy Bebop you know
- Ghost in the Shell 1° series science fiction, I think is very good
- Ghost in the Shell 2° series
- Neon Genesis Evangelion not the average robot series. great.
[/small]
I would like to see Wolf's Rain and Full Metal Alchemist but I have no time ATM.

[Shibakoen]

OT86, I've found that I often disagree with many of the "major critics" about many movies. Citizen Kane as the best movie of all time? Come on. I liked RKO 281, a movie about making the movie Citizen Kane, better than Citizen Kane itself. It certainly made me understand more of what was going on in Citizen Kane and made me appreciate it more, but on their own neither of those movies are at the top of my list.

As for Zatoichi, some of the guys I worked with in Japan really liked it, too, but I just didn't. I mean the whole blind-guy-fighting thing is so completely impossible that I just can't get into it (part of the same reason why I don't like the whole cyborg/space-monster/dog-boy/5-year-old-nymphomaniac segment of anime). Things like Lain and Appleseed also didn't impress me because if there are holes in the plot or if it's all convoluted, I won't like it.

Though the Cowboy Bebop series takes place after man has colonized Mars and everything, the sci-fi element is virtually inconsequential as far as the plot is concerned. I mean the Bebop movie opens with a Conbini robbery. The characters, especially Faye, are hooked on gambling. The characters are believable, even if the setting isn't. So long as the characters are realistic, I can deal with a bit of fantasy where the rest of the story is concerned.

Lastly, I really find that I don't like older movies/tv shows. Lupin III, for instance, is pretty good, but it's kinda dated and doesn't seem to be as sophisticated as Cowboy Bebop or Samurai Champloo. Well, halftime's almost over so I'm going to watch the game. Go Panthers! Go Redskins!!

[An_daisuke]

The thing about cowboy beebop is that it never starts off from the beginning. Rather, bits and pieces of the story slowly unravel which locked my interest. It's a serious movie with a great sense of humour! unlike other anime, there's no fool popping his head in between scenes to try to make us laugh. Samurai Champloo is very similar, which i recommend you should watch.
GTO (great teacher onizuka) is sugee!!!! However, this is full comedy.

[japanfreak]

What's not to like?
-Spike Spiegel's coolness,
-Faye Valentine's hotness ,
-Great score by Yoko Kanno,
-Cool vehicles,
-Nice jazz-themed episodes!
What else does a guy need?

[AJBryant]

Another necropost.

Dang, man. Are you trying for a record?


Tony

[Daisuke]

Another necropost.

Dang, man. Are you trying for a record?

With 4 - 5 of them in one day he must hold that record already...

[AJBryant]

Indeed.


Tony

[zelgadis20002000]

For me Cowboy Bebop is a great anime.It was one of the first serious one's I had seen and really stood out amongst all the dbz and pokemon stuff that was on tv at the time.

Spike was just so cool, and though I didn't like all the loose episode's in the beginning but the eventual underlying story made it worth my while. Another good anime I would recommend would be "kaze no yojimbo".

Oh and Lain is just freaky