Everyone has a place where they belong..
Someplace they return to..
That comes with a Weighty Burden..
Everyone has their own Weight to pull..
You're Gonna Carry That Weight...
5.5/5 = Perfection that was executed beautifully.
There is quite literally, nothing else like it.
The plot is straight forward, In a futuristic world where Humans are spread across space. Our tale takes place on the Beebop, a ship were 2 Bounty Hunters are on. Jet and Spike. They chase down fugitives, terrorists, hackers and criminals of all sorts. On their travels they meet and welcome aboard 3 new mates. Ein, Faye and Ed.
The anime that spawned its own genre, Cowboy Beebop
1+2: Entertaining and Artistic= The show is episodic, meaning each episode is self contained. The only thing that carries forward are the world and the characters, thus each episode can be enjoyed on its own merit. It has plenty of action, comedy, suspense and stuff that keeps you interested and hooked. At the same time,
Its episodic nature can be a huge no for many people nowadays since we are used to binging our stuff. I argue that its a good thing that this isn't so easily binged.
Every episode is like a 24 minute movie. You have the plot introduced with a hook, the complication is then addressed using the cast of characters the episode wants:
Jet, Spike, Faye and Ed or any combination of them. It proceeds to build up until the Climax, in a big Conclusion the episode ends leaving us enough to be satisfied and enough to ponder. This makes it excellent to savour every episode.
3 = I recommend this to everyone, you can be the I like edgy action stuff or the romance slice of life person. Doesn't matter, Cowboy Beebop is quite literally its own thing. It has been 2 decades since this anime first came to be, and no other show has done anything like this. It is quite literally One of Its Kind therefore, I recommend everyone to check it out, give it the 3 episode test. I am certain you will not be disappointed.
4 = Rewatch? YES
The show is episodic and for the most part you feel there is no overarching theme or plot that is being addressed, so you will be content to watch and leave it once. To be fair, I thought the exact same thing until the final episode.
When everything that was building up behind the scenes, under your notice, it all comes together. In a near flawless parallel being drawn where everything quite literally comes full circle. The moment of absolute awe dawns on you.
I will divulge nothing, but let's just say.
Spike at the start is someone who has faked his death and cares little for the past,
Jet life his life still marred by his Past as a Police Officer who was happily married until his Wife mysteriously left him one day. He learns to deal with it and move on, carrying the burden of where he belonged with him.
Faye has a huge debt on her shoulders, literally and figuratively for she has no memories of her past besides the fact she was awoken in a Cryogenic Facility. A woman out of her time, she is constantly running away and hoping to find a clue to her past and who she was so she may finally find a place to return to.
Ed, is a nomad. Going wherever they please and do whatever they please. Whatever is most entertaining and what sits well with them.
Over the course of this Anime, everything will develop into full circle.
5 = Perfection?
My definition for perfection is: Could it be done any better?
To which My answer is most definitely Definitely not.
The Final episode, the anime was more than justified to make it a cookie cutter plot that everyone expects.
Beebop doesn't do it the way you would think.
It satisfied exactly what I wanted out of it, in subversion not in wish fulfilment, and then delivered on its premise with a narrative conclusion that should be considered AN EXEMPLAR CASE OF HOW TO END AN ANIME
looking at you Evangelion.
In summary, Cowboy Beebop took me 3 months to finish. Yet I don't regret it at all. I am glad I didn't binge it all, this was truly something special. If you binge the 26 episodes of 24 minutes each where 4 minutes is OP and ED then thats basically 520 minutes.
Watching it over the course of 3 months, I felt somewhat attached to the crew. Like Its not like your usual anime that things are exactly where you left them last time and now you have to remember what happened and how it got there.
Instead, between each episode: Time passes, the world moves on. That is life.
This disconnect made me feel much more at home. The Beebop became a familiar place, so while I saw all the new characters and villains and plots and adventures. At the end (and start) of it all was definitely the Beebop.
None of the characters betray their personalities, and there is no development that is contrary to belief.
It all is and always was, that's just how it is.
I give it a High 5 rating
not a 6 because I didn't feel that shine you get or the polished feeling you get from an anime. Perhaps something memorable, or maybe a character so good you can make the anime about the character and they world will mold itself to fit the narrative.
Its not the second coming of Christ, and neither is it something you should discard or just watch once and leave.
Cowboy Beebop is a journey, one that everyone should experience for themselves and see how it is.
