Favourite and least favourite Sessions in Cowboy Bebop

[SGT_Noobnuts]

Yes Bebop. One of the most critically acclaimed anime of all time. Lot's of wonderful episodes that mix all kinds of styles and not one episode feels the same.

But which one do you consider to be your absolute favourite? Which story did you find the most engrossing or entertaining?

For me I would go for Session 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels. With it being the first in the "Vicious" trilogy it introduces the big bad guy of the show in a truly flawless manner. You get the sense that Vicious' relationship with Spike is very deep and that they had a long past. With this episode containing my all time favourite scene in an animated series. The scene of Spike walking to the Church and confronting Vicious while 'Rain' was playing in the background and then seeing Spike being pushed out of the cathedral window with his life flashing before his eyes as 'Green Bird' played in the background was such a stunning visual image.

As for least favourite I'd probably go with Boogie Woogie Feng shui. It's hard to pin down exactly why I don't like this session. I dunno maybe it's because of how Jet is written or how absurd the entire concept of the episode was.

So Escapist forums, What Bebop session did you particularly love? Which ones did you think rated highly in your books? And which ones did you just want to forget about?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yaaaaaay!

Favorite Sessions are Ballad of the Fallen Angels (the show "takes off"), Toys in the Attic (despite its status as a joke episode, I like the slice-of-life and how it showcases the group's dynamic for the first time), Jupiter Jazz (the mood of the episode/s)
and Mind Scratch (because I don't know, it's a nice break from form, but also serves as the last "regular" episode before it all goes downhill).

Worst Sessions I have to agree with Boogie Woogie Feng Shui. It feels incredibly rushed and half-baked, I guess it's supposed to be a Jet-centric session but we spend more time with what's-her-name and her silly one-shot quest. Don't you just hate it how Jet can never quite be the protagonist of the episodes that are supposed to center around him? In the end they're always about how he "lets go" of love (Ganymede Elegy) and hate (Black Dog Serenade) and whatever Boogie was supposed to be about. I know he's supposed to serve as a passive foil to Spike's own arc, but his character deserved better. Even the movie sidelines him.

I also don't have a lot of love for Wild Horses. I believe it's the only Spike-centered Session that doesn't involve Julia or Vicious (or getting beaten to near-death for that matter). It's supposed to flesh another part of his past with what's-his-name (Dolan?), except it's completely boring and uninteresting and there's just not much to say about it. Stretched-out and forgettable.

 

[Zhukov]

I don't remember titles, but in general I liked the late episodes and disliked the early ones.

At first I was like, "WTF is this shit? How can this crap be considered an acclaimed classic?" But by the end I was enjoying it.

 

[SGT_Noobnuts]

At first I was like, "WTF is this shit? How can this crap be considered an acclaimed classic?" But by the end I was enjoying it.

Yeah as much as I adore the series the show requires a lot of patience on the viewers part to get absorbed in its world. It'd be too easy to say "Oh Just start up with Ballad!" but if you did that you wouldn't appreciate the sheer manic variety of the Sessions themselves. Hell even sessions like "Sympathy for the Devil" are actually really good if you take the time to rewatch them and then realise "Oh yeah that's what this Session actually was trying to say to me"

In the end they're always about how he "lets go" of love (Ganymede Elegy) and hate (Black Dog Serenade) and whatever Boogie was supposed to be about. I know he's supposed to serve as a passive foil to Spike's own arc, but his character deserved better. Even the movie sidelines him.

True that Johnny. Jet is actually my favourite character in the show and I looooved Ganymede Eulogy and Black Dog Serenade. It's such a shame we didn't see more of him throughout the series

 

[Casual Shinji]

My favourite is still 'Pierrot le Fou'. A nice self-contained little episode with haunting visuals, awesome action, and some very cool animation. Followed closely by every Faye Valentine centered episode, since I found her to be the most interesting character in the series. I actually wouldn't mind a series based solely on her adventures.

Least favourite is every Jett Black centered episode. The dude is just dull.

 

[Uriel_Hayabusa]

I remember liking pretty much every episode of Cowboy Bebop, with only two exceptions: ''Wild Horses'' and ''Brain Scratch''. The former was just really dull while the second felt really out-of-place even for Bebop.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

My favorite is Brain Scratch. Probably one of my favorite episodes in anime, ever.

Least favorite has to be the one with the immortal kid. That episode really pushed my suspension of disbelief beyond the breaking point. From the explanation of how the kid is immortal, to the way is which he has to be kill, to the final showdown itself, I just could not buy it. The rest of the series at least somewhat down to earth (figuratively of course) but this episode is pretty out there.

And even then... the episode is still good. It just the least good of all of Cowboy Bebop, which is a testament to the quality of the show. I went in thinking the show would be extremely overrated and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[happyninja42]

Jupiter Jazz, hands down my favorite. The music of it, the mood, the theme, the ending and how it circles back to the beginning. Chokes me up whenever I see it, for the sense of loss and nostalgia for a past that you can never have again.


I honestly can't think of a hated episode of the show, partly because it's been years since I've watched it and I don't remember any of them but Jupiter Jazz. But I can safely say that I hated with a passion, the movie they did. Such a harsh tonal shift, obnoxious metal music instead of jazz, stupid rehashing of Spike's personal plot jammed in there in the middle of the show storyline. Just...bleh, no thank you.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I'm gonna be the weird guy and actually say that Wild Horses is one of my favorites. The scene where the dual conversation is happening between Spike and Faye and the mechanics is incredibly well done, and something that you just don't see in anime. It's a scene about nothing, but it feels so authentic, because the dialogue is so natural.

And it has a crazy nutjob from the desert rebuilding the Columbia after it exploded and using it as his own starship.

After that, Cowboy Andy is an absolute riot, as is Speak Like a Child (that's the one where Spike and Jet find a VCR right?)

Least favorite is probably the one with Space PETA, Gateway Shuffle. Evil monkey virus and whiny villains just don't work for me.

 

[Raggedstar]

I'm with the majority and say "Ballad of Fallen Angels" is my favourite. When Cowboy Bebop decides to have an overarching story (not that space cowboy shenanigans are bad), they tend to be my favourite episodes. "Jupiter Jazz" was good and is somewhere in my favs, and both parts of "Real Folk Blues" are fantastic. Hell, Spike's one-man raid and final battle was incredible and is among my favourite moments in anime period.

Out of the other episodes outside of the Vicious plot, my favourites are "Pierrot le Fou" and "Mushroom Samba" for obvious reasons. They may be a bit out there and stick out, but they show how weird and wonderful the show can get (honourable mention to "Toys in the Attic").

Least favourite would echo many others, "Boogie Woogie Feng-Shui" and "Wild Horses". They just don't stick with me, but I don't actively hate any episodes in the show. I still consider it to be among the most consistently good anime I've ever seen.

 

[Scarim Coral]

My most favourite is probably Mushroom Samba cos Ed and Ein get to shine in that episode!

My least favourite is probably Stray Dog Strut. Yes that episode was the deput of Ein but I don't think it was great when compared to the other episodes.

 

[Nazulu]

Yeah, Bebop is alright. But I missed all the wonderful episodes and different styles. Nearly the whole thing felt slow and their journey seemed like it never really went anywhere, though they usually did come with different intriguing story ideas.

Pierrot le Fou will always be my favourite. It doesn't slowly build up anything, just Bam! Pow! Whack! All out destruction in a dark carnival against a maniac. One of the few I can come back to.

I can't remember which is my least favourite, but I didn't care for the ending. The whole thing felt rushed as everyone just seperates like nothing and then sudden death to run and gun to the rival that just pops up again, and I just found it very unsatisfying altogether.

 

[sextus the crazy]

My favourite is still 'Pierrot le Fou'. A nice self-contained little episode with haunting visuals, awesome action, and some very cool animation. Followed closely by every Faye Valentine centered episode, since I found her to be the most interesting character in the series. I actually wouldn't mind a series based solely on her adventures.

Man, I tear up every time I hear le Fou crying at the end of the episode. It just pulls at my heart-strings.
Can't think of a best, but I guess Pierrot le Fou.

Worse: Feng Shui. Everyone has already elaborated. It's a boring inconsequential episode.