Yeah, I never saw Bebop until recently. Give me a break! It was always on my list, I just never got around to it until now!

Cowboy Bebop is an anime made in 1988 by the studio Sunrise, known for its popular original series such as Inuyasha, Code Geass, and the Gundam series. It's an action show with heavy elements of film noir, space westerns, and science fiction. A movie has been released and dubbed (like the show itself), but I haven't watched the movie yet. Perhaps I'll review it separately later, but for now I want to talk about the original show.

Cowboy Bebop doesn't have too much of a complicated plot. The characters all have backstories that are dealt with in episodes periodically through the show, but they're not too difficult to grasp either. The show mainly features the crew of the Bebop, a space ship. In the year 2071, the Bebop is run by a crew of bounty hunters, hunting criminals in order to obtain Woolong, the currency of the show, in order to afford food. These bounty hunters aren't illegal, in fact, the main characters run into several others throughout the series. There is a police force, but bounty hunters receive bounties if they are able to capture the criminals themselves.

Many different planets are shown throughout the episodes, including a very different Earth! The wide variety of locations and characters gives Bebop a very realistic feeling, ranging from criminals who just want money to help their family and friends to bloodthirsty syndicates to absolutely insane people who've lost their minds. Sometimes, you'll cry for the devil and other times you'll wish our characters got there sooner. The side characters we meet really are special. They're not just criminals or bounty hunters or civilians, they're people. People who make up the universe that Bebop created. It's definitely impressive how much humanity there is in just the side characters. I loved many of them, almost as much as the main ones.

But let's move on the the main characters. First up, our main focus, Spike Spiegel, voiced by Steve Blum.

A cool customer with a cooler set of skills under his belt, Spike is a phenomenal main character. When the show periodically focuses on his backstory, you'll feel for him. Seeing his past and present actions revolving around what he's been through, Spike captivates the audience and is able to get them to root for him. I enjoyed him as the show went on, but I grew to love him after seeing the things he's able to do.

He can definitely lose his cool, though. I found myself entertained whenever Spike got frustrated by a slick criminal or annoyed by a member of the crew, but in the end, he still managed to keep himself cool. I'll always look back on Spike as a great character, from start to finish.

I mean, hey, he had Izuku's hair years before he even existed! How cool is that!?

Next up, we have the other half of the original Bebop crew. Jet Black, voiced by Beau Billingslea.

Jet definitely earns a reputation as an iron-willed badass. From primarily captaining the Bebop to his cool past, my respect and love of his character grew quickly. At the end of the series, he remains one of my favorites for his awesome skills, enjoyable personality, and wonderful voice.

Spending most of his time early on piloting the Bebop and radioing information and plans to Spike, Jet will occasionally join the others in the action, proving himself to be as capable as them, even with a metal arm. Jet keeps everything under control on the Bebop and does his best to keep Spike and the others from costing them a fortune repairing their ships. I never expected to like him as much as I do now, even if he isn't my absolute favorite character. Whenever an episode is about him, expect a good one. I can promise you that.

Now, let's talk about the women of Bebop. First we have the fantastic Faye Valentine, voiced by the fantastic Wendee Lee.

Ever seen Gurren Lagann? Yoko's a bit like her.

Faye is an attractive woman in her twenties who's in the bounty hunting game for one reason. Money. While Spike and Jet work to get enough money to feed themselves, Faye is a bit more open on how she's in the game for the cash. That being said, she has the skills for it. Deceptive, a good fighter, quick to react, and a skilled pilot to rival even Spike, Faye causes quite a stir during the Bebop crew's missions, keeping them entertaining and easy on the eyes.

She's a bit of s foil to Spike. His calm and composed demeanor is contrasted by her attitude that is able to get under even his skin. They butt heads from time to time and drive each other crazy, but when it comes down to it, even they can admit that care at least just a little bit.

Faye is such an incredible character. Her design is unique and appealing, with her bright yellow outfit standing out among the more normal colors of the backgrounds and her attitude bringing both humor and charm to the crews interactions. Her backstory, the way they handle and reveal it, and the way she deals with it all come together to create an amazing character, and one I won't spoil for those who want to watch.

Now, I'm sure a lot of Bebop fans are wondering. Do I ship her and Spike? Well, I guess I kinda do. I think they'd be a cool couple. Their personalities bring a lot to each other and they do show concern for the other several times, but I don't think they need to be. The dynamic they have now is cool and while I'd be happy to see them get together to give them both a happy ending, I won't be screaming about them every time they're mentioned like a Fairy Tail fan.

Moving on, let's talk about my favorite character! Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, or just Ed, voiced by Melissa Fahn!

We'll get to the corgi in a minute.

Ed is an energetic young girl (yes, that's a girl) who has serious skills in hacking and speaks in a wacky manner that spouts phrases strange enough to rival Ibuki Mioda, Gavin Free, and H2O Delirious. Primarily, Ed is the comic relief and source of lightheartedness for the crew and the show as a whole. There is an episode or two I can think of where she can get a little serious, but for the most part, she's a ball of sunshine and hilarity.

I love Ed. She made me smile and laugh many times during the show and even got at least one episode where she got to be the main spotlight. Those freaking mushrooms... Ed is definitely one of my favorite characters of Bebop and definitely has my approval.

Now let's talk about the corgi. That's Ein, a dog that Spike (sort of) accidentally ends up taking in, making him the official unofficial pet of the Bebop crew. While most of the crew is fairly neutral about Ein, Ed is definitely his best friend. The two are shown together often and make quite the adorable duo.

Ein doesn't contribute much to the plot of the show after his initial introduction, mostly being a source of cuteness and a companion to the crew. He's barely in some episodes while he gets a few scenes in others. I like him. He's a nice companion and a fun addition to the crew. And look how cute he is!

Overall, I loved the characters in Bebop, main and additional.

Now onto my thoughts on the show itself. I'd say it was pretty damn awesome. With badass action scenes, entertaining characters, funny happenings, and some emotional moments, Bebop is a great anime, and definitely one I recommend. It may start slow for some, but I'm glad I stuck it out. While primarily cool, smooth, and packed with action, all of the crew can get a little serious sometimes.

The episodes that really stood out were the emotional ones, like My Funny Valentine and Black Dog Serenade, where the characters confronted either a situation that made you feel for the side characters or dealt with the past of the main ones. Faye and Jet both stand out as having such incredible stories to tell about themselves. There's also the more comedic episodes, like Mushroom Samba and Cowboy Funk, where things get a little silly for the Bebop crew. Even the balanced ones are pretty awesome! Bohemian Rhapsody is one of my favorite episodes despite only dealing with a Villain of the Week.

Beware, though. For some people, me included, there is indeed a particular episode that is full of Nightmare Fuel... I won't say what or why, but that episode fucked me up good.

The animation was pretty good, the voices were great, the writing felt natural and awesome, and the music was phenomenal. I highly recommend it to fans of action, comedy, and emotional series. I liked it enough to write a review about it and use a fan art of it as the cover for the review book.

Well, that's all the time we have for Big Shot! See you guys next time! Bye bye!

Next time, an indie game about playing with holes.

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...