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i have been keeping this one back for whatever reason i don't know. anyway, here it is;

Review of Cowboy Bebop series

Go ahead & accuse me of being such an avid fanboy, or anime freak, or just plain emotional. Cowboy Bebop is one of the few series that has a look of casualness which is deeply set with emotions, especially melancholic ones.

Characters: Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed & Ein. These 5 are the bounty hunters aboard a refurbished trawler named Bebop.

Premise: Mars, Earth, as well as immediate vicinities. Hey, it's the future!

Story: Adventures of the five; funny, introspective, happy, thought provoking, melancholic, explosive, noir, fun, love, betrayal, cute, endearing etc. Storytelling is one of the most powerful element of the series as it develops & deepens the characters` personalities as the series progresses.

Visual: for a 1998 production, it is still impressive with hand-drawn graphics though there are some scenes (hyperspace gates) which are obviously CG. For series which obviously made for TV, it doesn't come with cinematic quality.

Sound: Maybe it's because i bought VCD version & not DVD as how i would prefer it (the price will warrant IMF help package) as the sound is a bit diminished. This is very very sad as the music of the series is one of the best soundtracks ever.

Music: Usually i would lump this with sound but the fact that the music is simply sublime, thanks mainly to composer/musician Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne, Ghost In The Shell series, Wolf's Rain, Please Save My Earth, Memories etc), who i feel single-handedly lifted the series from 'very nice' to beautiful with her incredible music. There's jazz(acid, lounge), bebop, mid-east, ballads, classical pieces - all wrapped up into something uniquely & eclectically wonderful. In fact, if the series is not your cup of tea (or coffee), the music somehow will captivate.

Overall, the series is a wonderful experience. I laughed, cried, cheered & feared for the crews of Bebop & i wished their adventures would continue forever. Alas 26 episodes are all that is Cowboy Bebop, with the movie which supposedly takes place between episodes 22 & 23.

The visual's great. The story's wonderful. The characters are believable & lovable. The music sublime. I love them all!

note: there is a new DVD version of Cowboy Bebop series which has 5.1 audio channel.