Customer Reviews

Cowboy Bebop - Ballad of Fallen Angels (Vol. 3) [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This tape is rife with shoot 'em up action and snappy editing. Oh yeah, not to mention the incredible artwork design, animation, timing, plots and pacing. Shheeeesh! Anime so good I thought I was watching a cutting edge Hollywood movie. So far this series hasn't failed to blow me away with its adept entertainment edge. Animation fans should definitely watch this...action film fans should definitely watch this. Why this isn't broadcast primetime in America is a bafflement.

This volume contain the episode Ballads of The Fallen Angels which is da best episode so far. The visual is breathtaking and there are plenty of Hong-Kong-style gunfight, the closest I can think off right now is the church battle in the end of the John Woo's movie Face/Off. That said, this episode contains slightly more violence and blood than the usual Cowboy Bebop fare so you have been warned. If you have been following the series, you would have watched it by now, if you have not, its not too late, only 4 volume has been released thus far, you can still catch up.

One of the first glimpes into Spike's past takes place in 'Ballad of Fallen Angels', making it (in my humble opinion, at least) the best episode in the series.

Confronted with figures from his past, Spike takes part in a showdown with Vicious, a man just as dangerous as he (plus armed with a badass katana).

As always, the animation in Cowboy Bebop is a solid mix of hand drawn and CGI. The action is fast-paced, and the characters interesting. However, the ever-present music in Cowboy Bebop takes attention away from all the other elements. Very diverse, it creates the perfect atmosphere to which your jaw can drop to the floor by.

The fact is Cowboy Bebop is one of the best anime (or manga, if you prefer) series ever, and this is the gem of the series. BUT FOR HEAVENS SAKE GET THE SUBBED AND NOT THE DUBBED!

The first two volumes were really great, however, this one takes the cake. Ep. 5 is a fast paced thrill ride with a nicely done gunfight sequence and a flashback sequence that explains more on Spikes past. Ep. 6 aint bad either. Its about a kid who cant grow and is kind of a mix between Akira and Blue Seed. Anyway, this volume is in comparision with an action title here or in Japan. Definetly worth buying.

After seeing two volumes of Cowboy Beebop I found it pretty hard to believe that the next volume could top the previous. I'm glad I was wrong. The final gunbattle of Episode 5 had me thinking that the animators must have done some serious research into early John Woo-style action scenes. With the introduction of the evil, yet complex villian Viscious and foreshadowing of battles to come, Episode 5 is a pivotal moment in the CB series. Oh, and Faye looked pretty fly in her opera gown. Episode 6 was just cool (in the '50s beatnik sense). Kicking harmonica riffs coupled with an interesting mystery made it very watchable. We also get to see (in a flashback) what caused the downfall of Earth and pushed mankind into terraforming the solar system.

a director could've made the 3rd episode ballad of fallen angels a john woo movie. the mystery was laid out well and the action was great! one of the most exciting cowboy bebop episodes i've seen so far!

Finally, we get to see that there is more to this show then just bounty hunting. There is also a great story and plot that tends to drag away from bounty hunting a little, but no upsetting fans of the show. After Mao Yenrai, a head of a syndicate, is murdered by Vicious, Spike is determined to take Vicious out. The best thing about this episode was the gun fight in the church that John Woo could only dream of. Next up, Spike encounters Wen, a child who cannot age due to a disease he caught from the gate accident. There is a lot of action and some extremely cool music for every scene. And the voice actor for Wen, who also plays the voice of Izzy on Digimon, gives Wen the right ammount of serious emotion. With crows, guns, crystals, gun fights, harmonicas, flashbacks and Faye in a sleek costume during episode 5, how could you not like this?