I See You, Space Cowboy...

Great article Nadia! I loved this series and the movie as well...it's really kinda hard to find anything that can compare to Bebop (IMHO)...I know there are a lot of fans of Trigun out there...be for me I could just never get into that series...in fact I am VERY picky with my anime tastes because I am not really what you would call a true fan of the art...so it takes a special kind of story and style of animation to grab my attention and hold on long enough to get through the series or movie...Bebop did it...Ninja Scroll did it...Blood the Last Vampire and Samurai Champloo too as well as a few other odds and ends...but there is just something about Bebop that keeps me coming back for multiple viewings.

i have to agree ... cowboy bebop simply is the BEST anime series there is .... PERIOD. every episode feels just as epic as a movie, and hell the movie was freaking awesome!

Ranma 3 1/2 plain stupid. but funny as hell and really intelligent in a weird way!!!! Really childish tought. But switch brain to off and laugh out loud.

Completely agree with the article.

I hated most anime with fiery passion. Then one of my friends practically forced me to watch it at Gun point, recommending it as "Anime Firefly". He didn't have the last disk though, so went out and bought it. Well worth the buy.

That is what's so great about Bebop is that it appeals to everyone. I've shown it to people who haven't watched a lick of anime in their lives and they couldn't get enough. When Hollywood eventually realizes the untapped resource that is anime, and they will, I think a live action Bebop movie would be their best bet to reach a broad audience.

Other than that, I have to say, Kitsune, that there are some inaccuracies in your article. I don't want to sound "fan boyish", but the Bebop isn't Spike's ship - it belongs to his partner Jet. Jet picked up Spike and partnered up with him sometime before the series begins. I'm just sayin'!

The great thing about this show, though, is that while Spike is arguably the main character, the show does a great job making all four characters more or less important. The crew of the Bebop, as a whole, is the main character. I wish they'd do more with this property; there was talk of a prequel series that goes into more depth about Spike's past all the way up to when he first meets Jet. I wish they'd make that.

There are 5 crewmembers of the Beebop. You're forgetting Ein, the sentient dog.

And is there anything Jewish about Spike other than his last name?

But overall, you're right about the show. It's wonderful in all ways. The Beebop's crew has heart and while they usually get their man (or woman or sentient computer) they rarely get paid. Which is funny. And they all have rather sad back stories which get explored during the course of the series. I wish there were more, but given the ending of the series, it would be a little hard to do and doing a prequel would necessitate leaving out Fay and Ed and Ein which would be a lot less fun.

The director has always stated that the reason for the ending is he wanted it to have a definitive ending. Which in my opinion it has the best anime ending ive ever seen.

Hands down Cowboy Bebop is my all time favorite anime tied with Last Exile. And if you have ever wondered of checking out just one anime, CB is the one you should.

Well, that was definitive all right.

BTW, seeing as this is a column about an anime series, why is it in the books section?

From someone who dressed up as Spike (complete with his Israeli-inspired handguns) I obviously agree with the sentiments of Nadia and the rest of the posters.

Bebop weaves the best and brightest minds of Japan's anime talent into one tight, albeit tragically short, series. The Seatbelts soundtrack does a fantastic job of highlighting it's melancholy tone and noir motifs, offering it substance that few other live-action films or series can even hope to compare with, let alone match.

For all you fans out there what's your favorite episode? Mine would have to be #5, "Ballad of Fallen Angels". With Vicious' first appearance and that f'n awesome falling-out-the-cathedral montage, that episode puts most other cinema, in any media form, to shame.

If a filmmaker could credibly combine live action with anime sensibilities... this would be my top pick for a film adaptation (I guess we'll have to see how the Dragonball Z movie turns out first).

Bebop was my first anime series to see in its entirety, and remains my favorite. And it does seem that most like or at least appreciate it's mixed genre feel - would dramatic, comedic, noirish space-western cover it? I'm going through the series again, but [Fallen Angels] was a particularly good one... or was it a two-parter? I liked the one with the space rat gang, too.

As for the music, I suppose everyone has their own tastes, but those who merely pass off Tank! (the opening theme) and the rest of the soundtrack as "just jazz" must not appreciate anything outside of commercial radio (imo).