Product Details

• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (425 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BOWPR6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,184 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

722 of 758 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't like anime, March 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cowboy Bebop Complete Sessions Collection (Amazon.com Exclusive) (DVD)

I really don't like anime. It's true. Growing up in the '80s and seeing the reruns of '70s imports (like Speed Racer), not to mention the whole Pokémon thing that hit while I was in high school, I know some people out there like those things but I find them repulsive and annoying. Silly caricatures with gigantic eyes and frame rates of about 2 per minute, almost like watching a slide show with really bad narration.

Then a friend pressured me to watch Cowboy Bebop on Cartoon Network. He knew my reservations about Japanese cartoons, but pushed me into it anyway (it was a Saturday night, I wasn't doing anything anyway...) and I haven't stopped thanking him.

This series is good. Not good, great. This is the program that anyone who says "cartoons are for kids" should watch. The first thing that I noticed was that the episodes were each standalone. Most of the popular animations of today are very series-oriented, if you miss one the next one probably won't make sense, and the whole thing feels soap-opera-ish. But not Bebop. Oh, it's true that there's an ongoing storyline, but you don't have to be familiar with it to enjoy any given episode. In fact, it might be good to watch them out of sequence once and then in order, you'll get everything on two different levels.

Then there's the music. It is easily the best music in a cartoon, possibly the best in a television series. Just like I don't like anime, I don't like jazz. Or so I thought, but many thanks to Yoko Kanno for proving me wrong on that count. It's original, it's catchy, and even though I didn't much care for a lot of it initially, it now has so much emotion attached to it that I have added it to my regular listening. I definitely can't say that about any other television series ever.

Oh, the characters. Where can I even begin? They have complexity and depth, worthy of some of the best movies to ever come out of Hollywood. They each have their own backgrounds, their own motives, they have personality. After twenty-six episodes, it's hard not to develop an attachment to at least one of them. You don't have to take my word on this; I've seen many others who agree with me on this. Besides, you could watch it and decide for yourself.

As far as I'm concerned, this is essential viewing. Not everyone might agree with me, but I have a feeling that there are many out there who would absolutely love this show if they saw just one episode. It turned me on to anime, and I'm pretty hard to sway in opinion. If you're into anime, this is a must. If you can bring yourself to realize cartoons as something other than Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, this is probably for you, too. It's for adults of all ages, and appeals for so many reasons.

By the way, the dubbed version may be better. Nothing against the original cast, and it's not a personal aversion to subtitles (I usually prefer subbed to dubbed), but the English cast are incredible. I've never seen that kind of attention or acting in translation. And, because of the nature of the show, I think it just feels better.

A message from the converted.

458 of 486 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Limited Sessions, March 11, 2004

By 

E. Kim "A great man should die as a shattered... (South Korea) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cowboy Bebop - The Perfect Sessions (Limited Edition Complete Series Boxed Set) (DVD)

Just a side note:
This item is a limited edition. When it hit the shelves, you could buy it for about $120. It came with 6 dvds, a special box, a soundtrack, and all of them were numbered. Since they were limited, Bandai stopped making them a long time ago. Unfortunately, if you're a fan of the series and don't own the Perfect Session box set, you're stuck with buying them individually if you want a NTSC region 1 version that has good quality video. You will find two different price range sets in the "New and Used" section. The first range from about $200-$300, this is someone or some store that has an actual Perfect session box set and since it's now a rarity, has raised the price. The other is a 3-disc "bootleg" and the price usually ranges $30-$60. The video quality is horrible and unless you just want a copy of the series and don't mind the poor quality, I really wouldn't reccomend it. I know the price tag is very appealing, but if your looking for a quality copy, you're going to have to buy a Bandai version, either by spinging the money for the Perfect session or by purchasing them individually.

119 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest, October 22, 2001

By 

"bourbonandmilk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cowboy Bebop - The Perfect Sessions (Limited Edition Complete Series Boxed Set) (DVD)

I have never written a review before, nor do I plan to often in the future, but I felt that I ought to give it a shot here.

I'll leave out a lot of preliminary posturing and tell you straight up. As a long-time anime fan who has seen it all, from two-bit pulp series like Pokemon and Dragonball to art-house favorites like Akira and Princess Mononoke, I can say that Cowboy Bebop is, hands down, the finest anime ever produced for the small screen.

As with all creative works that are based on words (or a combination of words and images) the most important thing in a television series, be it anime or otherwise, is the writing. Needless to say, the writing in this series (Keiko Nobumoto receives the "Screenplay" credit, which I can only assume means that she was the head writer) is utterly fantastic and the translators have done a great job of conveying the real meaning and feel of the Japanese dialogue in English, rather than just translating word for word [Note: this applies to the subtitles, I NEVER watch dubbing; and yes, I do speak Japanese]. The individual episodic plots are well constructed and there is always the spectre of the overarching "uber-plot" mysteriously tantalizing you in the background. The characters are well-realized, interesting and three-dimensional, with the notable exception of Ed, the hacker, whose annoying presence is a result of the production company's desire to pander to a particular demographic of Japanese viewer. Fortunately, this character is not much used and the other three, Spike, Faye and Jet, are so cool and so interesting that the series could consist solely of the three of them sitting around, playing Mah Jongg and there would still be enough sexual tension and biting wit to keep it enthralling.

The show also has a great deal of variety in the flavor and character of its episodes, demonstrating the writers' versatility. Some installments are funny, others action-packed and others quietly introspective, or a combination thereof. The sci-fi (the anime takes place in a world that is both futuristic and retro) is very tight, and one of the show's real strengths is the realization of the world it takes place in. All the little details are in place and watching the show really can transport you.

Aside from the writing, the direction and overall look of Cowboy Bebop are beautiful and utterly cool. If you are at all a fan of jazz music or the jazz era in general, you'll love the color scheme, the inking and the lines. Director Shinichiro Watanabe does a fantastic job of creating the feel of coolness from days gone by while keeping you all the while, decidedly in the future. He plays with angles, rapid cuts, stills with voiceover, extreme close-ups and many other techniques, some of which can only be accomplished in an animated medium. He also makes great use of computer graphics, which not only helps bolster the futuristic feel, but gives Cowboy Bebop access to effects that few other animes have. All in all, the direction and production values, from the opening credits on, is totally top-drawer. It's not surprise that Cowboy Bebop was one of the more expensive anime series ever produced.

As for the music, what can I say? It features the compositions of perhaps the most-talented, versatile and interesting composer in Japanese show-business and certainly the greatest composer of music for animes alive today: Yoko Kanno. Her score to Cowboy Bebop takes all the best elements of jazz, pops, rock, classical and blues and wraps it all up in a score so wonderful that it is impossible that any TV series anywhere ever had a better one. If you're interested in the feel of the series, but don't want to commit to a DVD, try one of the OST Albums and I guarantee you'll pick up the DVD the next day.

I could go on, I could talk about the series itself, let slip some small details or give you a taste of the show's dynamic, but I think I've said enough. This is one of the few animes that I have ever seen that really is cool, fun and never, ever insults your intelligence. If more animes were like this our dates would perhaps not walk out on us upon the mention of our membership in the anime club. This is the epitome, the entelechy, the exegesis of all that is good about anime. Get it.

One final thing. ... likes to put what other people have bought as a recommendation underneath a product description, but this really does not provide any kind of meaningful help in most cases. Therefore, if you like(d) Cowboy Bebop I recommend the following:
1. Macross Plus: The Movie - Done by largely the same team as Bebop, utterly brilliant mecha series, the best of the Macross shows. (Also available as a 4 part mini-series)
2. Trigun - Fun anime series that may have been the inspiration for The Matrix. Only slightly less engrossing or cool as Bebop, it has some great characters and develops them to a great degree.
3. Gasaraki - Utterly fantastic political/fantasy/sci-fi drama. One of the best plots ever in an anime. A slow starter, but worth the wait. Also uses CGI, great production values.
4. Outlaw Star - A very poor man's Bebop. Nowhere near the production values or writing quality, but has it's moments and can be very funny. Fun if you don't expect too much.