7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Near perfect series, excellent DVD, November 26, 2000
Cowboy Bebop is, by far, one of the best TV series to come from Japan. Just don't take it too seriously, it is, after all, the '70s and the Wild West mixed into one (someone beat me to that punch already, damn!) One just needs to watch the Low-Rider/Horseback care chase to see that.
But it doesn't come out the worse for wear mixing two wildly different genres, and the fifth DVD shows this off. Even after 21 episodes this show is more than fun to watch. Basically, if you're wondering whether to pick up this or something new, don't worry: This has more of the same fun of the series.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a highlight in this six-disc series, May 22, 2001
Cowboy Bebop is, in this reviewer's opinion, the finest series that anime currently has to offer. The animation is top-notch, the writing is consistently excellent, the English voice work is amazingly good, and the soundtrack (provided by Yoko Kanno) is absolutely brilliant throughout the entire series. It's a pity that the series had such a short run-- what's available in these six DVD volumes constitutes the entire twenty-six episode series. Nevertheless, this is one series every anime fan must have, and a series I would also recommend to fans of TV shows such as Miami Vice.
Cowboy Bebop's basic structure allows each episode to be a full-fledged story all its own, with the main characters-- Spike, Jett, Faye, and Edward-- serving to connect them all. While there is a consistency to the entire series outside of the characters-- mainly concerning each character's exploration of his/her identity-- this is a more episodic anime series than something such as Evangelion, and yet far less formulaic than Dragon Ball Z and its brethren. I cannot stress how incredibly good the writing is here-- each episode is a self-contained story full of integrity: sometimes dramatic, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always effective each time without sacrificing any of the show's core values.
Each DVD disc in this series is a bargain-- five episodes per disc for Volumes One and Two, and four episodes per disc thereafter. Extras are limited, but the video quality is outstanding, and both Japanese/English tracks are provided, with English subtitles. The English voice acting is very impressive-- dialogue is still intelligent following the translation, lip synching is dead-on, and the voice actors are almost as endearing as the characters they portray.
While Volume Five is as much worth a purchase as the other discs in this series, it has some low points that manage to drag it down a bit. The main one that should be addressed is the "Pierrot le Fot" episode, which concerns a man bred as a perfect killing machine. While this episode contains a remarkable fight scene, it's one of the more flawed episodes of Cowboy Bebop; a backstory sequence serves to remove the viewer's disdain for this episode's villain right before said villain is killed and never mentioned again-- similar to the case of an imprisoned criminal who is found to be innocent right before he is executed, yet this information is judged to be insignificant afterwards because the criminal is already dead. ... "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui" and "Wild Horses" are entertaining but largely forgettable relative to the other episodes in this series. "Cowboy Funk" is definitely the highlight of this disc: the character of Andy is hilarious, as is the Teddy Bomber.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Anime Ever!!!!, September 14, 2000
By A Customer
By Far the Best Anime EVER!!!! And I do not say this lightly. The animation quality is just above average, but the charactors and the stories are truly unpredictable and enjoyable. The series flows in the way that real Jazz Music does, cool and free. It is true that Cowboy Bebop does not break any new ground in the animation, character development, or the plot, but it does break new ground in the feel, or the "Style" of animation. If you like Jazz, "Sit Back and Enjoy the Vibe.....", but if you don't, stay away from this one.
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