Cowboy Bebop

カウボーイビバップ Kaubōi Bibappu

Rating: (5/5)

Released: 1998
Genre(s): Action, Drama, Sci-fi

Plot: Cowboy Bebop revolves around a crew of bounty hunters living in the spaceship named Bebop. They are a team of bounty hunters who travel the Solar System trying to apprehend bounties. Jet Black is the owner of the Bebop who has partnered with Spike Spiegel for his diverse combat skills. During their travels, the Bebop ship gained new crew members such as Ein, Faye, and Edward. Throughout the series Bebop crew members' pasts catch up with them, and the series regularly turns to the history of the main characters in flashbacks. Spike's past as a syndicate enforcer is a major element of the series, while other episodes deal with Jet's previous occupation as an ISSP officer on Ganymede, Faye's mysterious past and significant debt problems, and Ed's childhood. The day-to-day life of the crew is also explored throughout the series.
Main Character Descriptions:

Spike Spiegel- a former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. Spike is a master in firearms and hand-to-hand combat, practicing Jeet Kune Do, and is also a skilled pilot. He flies a sleek custom designed Mono Racer, red-painted, atmosphere capable spacecraft called Swordfish II. Despite his outwardly carefree attitude, he is haunted by the memory of his time in the syndicate, particularly of his romantic relationship with a mysterious woman named Julia, and his conflict with arch-rival and former syndicate partner, Vicious.

Jet Black- a former ISSP officer and the owner of the Bebop. Once called "The Black Dog" by his fellow officers for his relentless nature, he left the ISSP after becoming fed up with the corruption and red tape of the organization, and turned to bounty hunting as a way to pursue justice. Despite the ability to have it replaced, he voluntarily bears a cybernetic arm as a reminder of what happened when he rushed into trouble without looking first. Like Spike, he too is haunted by the memory of a woman, Alisa, his longtime girlfriend who left him without giving a reason.

Faye Valentine - a femme fatale with a persistent gambling addiction. She joins the Bebop uninvited, to the consternation of Jet and Spike. Though she abandons the ship several times during the course of the series, her attachment to the crew always brings her back. These feelings are apparently reciprocated, as Jet and Spike always allow her to return despite claiming they're pleased to see her leave. She pilots a generic heavy spacecraft called Red Tail which is pale yellow despite the name and has been heavily modified with armament and tracking sensors. Her gambling, cheating, and competitive skills are unrivaled except by Spike. Much of her past and her real last name are a mystery.

Edward - a young, eccentric computer genius and master hacker. Ed is a girl, though her name and androgynous appearance suggest otherwise. She had followed the travels of the Bebop before encountering the ship, and agrees to help the crew track down a bounty-head in exchange for becoming a member of the crew. While her intelligence far exceeds that of the other members of the crew, she is clearly the child of the group, looking up to Jet as a father figure and Spike and Faye as a big brother and sister. She gave herself the fanciful name "Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV" after running away to an orphanage, but after her father is found, it is revealed that her real name is Françoise Appledelhi. She goes by the name Radical Edward when hacking, and spends much of her time with Ein.

Ein - a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and former lab animal identified as a "data dog" by the scientists who created him. The reason for this title is never explained, but it is suggested that he possesses enhanced intelligence, which he displays in subtle ways throughout the series, including showing the ability to speak to other animals, and possibly Ed, and perfectly hacking the 'Scratch' website in session #23. Despite his enhanced intelligence and comprehension, the rest of the Bebop crew, with the exception of Ed, often fail to notice these qualities and treat Ein as an average pet

Viscious - grim enforcer of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, a former friend of Spike's and now his sworn nemesis. Vicious sports an emaciated, embittered look, wields a katana for a weapon and is always accompanied by a strange, crow-like bird perched on his shoulder. He lives up to his name both through his violent actions and his two-timing scheming within the syndicate. With only five appearances throughout the entire show, Vicious is arguably the series' main antagonist, or at any rate the only recurring one.

Review: I don't know anyone that watches anime that doesn't have a fond feeling for Cowboy Bebop, and let's face it... I think we've all seen about enough of the Spike and Faye cosplay at every single convetion in north america. I can't boast having seen every episode(yet), but I've seen the movie... and a decent ammount of the episodes and working on seeing the rest now. Highly recommended, but you've probably already seen it. ^_^Review by: Leanore