Cowboy Bebop

[Palfreyfish]

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are my two favourite Animes. Like the OP said, Bebop just is. It's amazing. Now for the burning question...

Can anyone recommend something of the same calibre that isn't NGE? I watched a few episodes of NGE and found it to be massively overhyped for my tastes, but ah well.

 

[Lionsfan]

I had never heard of it until 2 summers ago, when a friend had some of his friends from Texas up to visit. I remember watching some of the episodes and was instantly hooked. I mean wow that show is amazing. It definitely surpassed all expectations of what I thought TV shows should be like, and unfortunately I haven't found anything like it since I finished (although Archer is definitely pushing to be included)

 

[Crenelate]

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are my two favourite Animes. Like the OP said, Bebop just is. It's amazing. Now for the burning question...

Can anyone recommend something of the same calibre that isn't NGE? I watched a few episodes of NGE and found it to be massively overhyped for my tastes, but ah well.

Paranoia Agent is really good, as a psychological thriller, with social commentary undertones. I'm a big fan of Satoshi Kon though, so I may be biased. I watched it subbed, I think in dub it may be a bit weird because it's very... well, it pertains to Japanese culture more.

 

[Palfreyfish]

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are my two favourite Animes. Like the OP said, Bebop just is. It's amazing. Now for the burning question...

Can anyone recommend something of the same calibre that isn't NGE? I watched a few episodes of NGE and found it to be massively overhyped for my tastes, but ah well.

Paranoia Agent is really good, as a psychological thriller, with social commentary undertones. I'm a big fan of Satoshi Kon though, so I may be biased. I watched it subbed, I think in dub it may be a bit weird because it's very... well, it pertains to Japanese culture more.

I'll give the first few episodes a try then Cheers

 

[Littaly]

I loved it too. It looks awesome, the music sounds great, the characters are interesting, the design is just right. Everything just fits together perfectly. I think there was a story in there too, but I was too busy just taking it in to notice ^^

 

[Lunar Templar]

Cowboy Bebop was really good

yes, yes it is , great series start to finish, and even the eps that where meant as jokes didn't feel out of place at all, though, the ending didn't hit me the way Witchblade's did though.....

 

[Avatar Roku]

Cowboy Bebop and i have a funny history: I, at first, saw a picture of Spike and simply started thinking he looked rediculous and that there was no way i could take him or the series seriously.

And, strangely enough, once i sat down and watched it....I freaking loved it, Spike and every other character. Oddly enough, i actually saw alot of myself in Spike in some aspects of personality and he's since risen into the top five of my favorite anime characters. Plus, soundtrack was seventy-five flavors of awesome.

All in all, we had our rocky start but in the end once i actually sat down and watched it, i absolutely adored everything about it from beginning to end. In short, it was Perfect....It was Cowboy Bebop.

Cowboy Bebop

Now go watch the movie Knockin' on Heaven's Door... I prefer it over the series (it's set some time in the middle-ish of the series and has Ed being more... well, 'Ed' if you get what I mean...)

Here's the thing though..i thought everyone hated that film? I mean, i honestly thought it was an awesome film but whenever i've heard it brought up by some Bebop fans they seem to speak of it only with contempt for some reason. Eh, opinions are opinions i guess..

I did see that. Interesting that it is Jennifer Hale's only anime role. Quite a sexy movie, even if it took its time. But then the show always had a sense of being laid back, so the slower pace of the film worked to its advantage.

Really?! She was Electra?! Though I'm a little reluctant to watch the dub... >_>

Still, I rewatch it these days mostly for the dogfight near the end...

Seriously, watch the dub. I don't care what the hell elitist sub-obsessors say, the dub is bloody fantastic.

I'm in agreement. While i do admit to liking Subs more, there are just some cases where the English Dub nails it so perfectly it's better then the Sub. Cowboy Bebop was one such time the Dub Nailed it.

I think even the creator is on record saying the English dub is better than the original Japanese audio. That's pretty damn impressive.

 

[unoleian]

Damn, this is the third thing I've seen on Cowboy Bebop in 48 hours now. Maybe I should take it as a sign and go marathon that brilliant series once more.

Far and away my favorite anime, hands down. It doesn't get weaker with consistent viewings, either. It just keeps on being damn good. That's a rare accomplishment for anything in any medium.

"Nice tune, real easy."

 

[remnant_phoenix]

It's very rare that I can say that about something, that it defies conventions and genres to become something truly its own, but that's what happened. I can look at a show like Code Geass and say "Political Intrigue meets Mecha" or a show like Berserk and say "Grimdark Medieval Fantasy." Bebop just transcends genres, and I can't put a name on it.

I call it "space western."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_western

The wiki article takes a broad approach to the sub-genre, but what defines "space western" for me is this:

-Humanity has moved on to colonize other planets, and the colonization is not as pristine as we usually see in fiction; in many ways the colonization of other planets more closely resembles the pioneer days of the American West, as opposed to the usual sci-fi approach.

-Like the "Old West" there is a marked cavalier spirit and a vigilante approach to honor and justice. The heroes aren't exactly the most morally-upstanding people, but they have a distinct sense of honor.

The only things I've seen that stand out as "space western" alongside Cowboy Bebop are Fireflay and small elements of Star Wars, particularly in regards to the planet Tatooine and the character of Han Solo.

 

[CODE-D]

I hate it, course its been fuckin on for 10 years on adult swim and lots of people put it as their favorite so maybe thats why I hate it.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I love me some Bebop.

It ranks up there with Outlaw Star and Ghost in the Shell as one of my favourite animes of all time.

Hmm, I'm due another runthrough of the series actually...

I think it's time we blow this scene, get everybody and their stuff together...

 

[Avatar Roku]

I hate it, course its been fuckin on for 10 years on adult swim and lots of people put it as their favorite so maybe thats why I hate it.

I'm not sure I follow you.

 

[Screamarie]

I know there are plenty of people that disagree and that's fine, but in my book Cowboy Bebop was one of the best stories ever told. It came together so well, from the animation, the voices, the color scheme, the music, the comedy, the drama, the dark with the the light.

I don't think I've ever encountered something that came together and meshed so well in my entire life.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

Haven't seen it... it good?

Umm... don't really have much to contribute to the thread... lotsa people talking about good anime music...

...anyone heard of Origa, the one that made the GiTS:SAC openings?

 

[Bat Vader]

So, I finally finished the series. I started watching it around two years ago, but I only just got to the end at last.

I am satisfied. Just about everything that was needed was there, and it was done perfectly. I wasn't thinking of it as a Sci-Fi series, or a drama, or as X meets Y in space. All I saw was Cowboy Bebop.

It's very rare that I can say that about something, that it defies conventions and genres to become something truly its own, but that's what happened. I can look at a show like Code Geass and say "Political Intrigue meets Mecha" or a show like Berserk and say "Grimdark Medieval Fantasy." Bebop just transcends genres, and I can't put a name on it.

I don't know why I'm writing this, but I can definitely see why it is held up as a classic.

There is a Cowboy Bebop film. It is called Knocking on Heaven's Door. It is mainly just called Cowboy Bebop the movie. It takes place between episodes 23 and 24 I think.

Cowboy Bebop is a classic. It is one of the best anime titles out there.

 

[Right Hook]

Cowboy Bebop is probably my favorite anime, I really just appreciate every aspect of it so much, it comes together to form quite the amalgamation, I even love the one-shot episodes, like the one where they battle the creature from the fridge which serves as what some believe to be the death of the entire crew. I just found the referencing to not leaving things in the fridge to spoil, to be quite poignant considering the basis for the entire show is essentially the relationships that Spike has chosen to ignore (left in the fridge) coming back to cause trouble for him. It just feels like you can pull deep meaning out of a lot of things in that show, which I love.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Seriously guys, if you want complete and utter relaxation, listen to this track.

With this [http://www.rainymood.com/] running in the background.

Close your eyes, and relax.

 

[Gatx]

I'm not going to say that Cowboy Bebop isn't good, but I don't think it's AS good as the number people who really like it would seem to suggest.

As for transcending genres, it's noir in space with a dash of Hong Kong action flick.

I hate it, course its been fuckin on for 10 years on adult swim and lots of people put it as their favorite so maybe thats why I hate it.

I'm not sure I follow you.

He's being hipster.