I haven’t watched this show in ages and finally decided to rewatch it and to see if it still holds up.
Generally speaking, yes it does. It has a certain timeless aspect to it I appreciate very much. The music and style are phenomenal and a lot of the characters a very intriguing, mostly the trio of Spike, Jet and Faye. It explores a lot of themes and is covered in a subtle melancholy that really stucks with you.
It’s very episodic and follows only loosely and overachieving arc, with most episodes working as standalones.
I also still understands why this is often recommended as a great way for people to get into Anime as a medium. Why it does follow certain Anime tropes, it still has a unique feel to it. Also, if you like Firefly it might be interesting to see where the idea actually comes from.
Still, tastes change and I gotta admit, the Anime is not as great as I remembered it to be. Certainly not the masterpiece it’s told to be, though I do understand why people call it that.
The episodes can be very hit or miss. While some adventures the Bebop crew go on are exciting, fascinating and don’t shy away from deeper themes and a certain darkness, others are simply boring and don’t add much to the world or characters.
I also didn’t remember Edward being this annoying. I know Ed is probably the one character displaying a full on Anime cliche here and it’s one that doesn’t work for me. The weird, hyperactive tagalong kid barely works and here it simply doesn’t. At least for me. I know she is a very beloved character but I just don’t see why. I don’t remember disliking her this much, but now she’s just too much for me and never gets any depth. I would have been fine with just Spike, Jet, Faye and Ein.
What also doesn’t really work anymore from my perspective is the whole story about the Syndicate and Vicious and Julia. While Spike‘s backstory is very intriguing and especially the first episode dedicated to it ("Ballad of Fallen Angels") is a masterpiece, overall the impact just falls a bit flat, because neither Vicious or Julia are fully developed characters and more plot devices. I‘m supposed to care about this storyline because I care about Spike, but that is hardly enough.
Still, Cowboy Bebop is a classic for a reason and it was nice exploring it again.
Review by TinkaBlockedParent2021-11-30T18:55:18Z
I haven’t watched this show in ages and finally decided to rewatch it and to see if it still holds up.
Generally speaking, yes it does. It has a certain timeless aspect to it I appreciate very much. The music and style are phenomenal and a lot of the characters a very intriguing, mostly the trio of Spike, Jet and Faye. It explores a lot of themes and is covered in a subtle melancholy that really stucks with you.
It’s very episodic and follows only loosely and overachieving arc, with most episodes working as standalones.
I also still understands why this is often recommended as a great way for people to get into Anime as a medium. Why it does follow certain Anime tropes, it still has a unique feel to it. Also, if you like Firefly it might be interesting to see where the idea actually comes from.
Still, tastes change and I gotta admit, the Anime is not as great as I remembered it to be. Certainly not the masterpiece it’s told to be, though I do understand why people call it that.
The episodes can be very hit or miss. While some adventures the Bebop crew go on are exciting, fascinating and don’t shy away from deeper themes and a certain darkness, others are simply boring and don’t add much to the world or characters.
I also didn’t remember Edward being this annoying. I know Ed is probably the one character displaying a full on Anime cliche here and it’s one that doesn’t work for me. The weird, hyperactive tagalong kid barely works and here it simply doesn’t. At least for me. I know she is a very beloved character but I just don’t see why. I don’t remember disliking her this much, but now she’s just too much for me and never gets any depth.
I would have been fine with just Spike, Jet, Faye and Ein.
What also doesn’t really work anymore from my perspective is the whole story about the Syndicate and Vicious and Julia. While Spike‘s backstory is very intriguing and especially the first episode dedicated to it ("Ballad of Fallen Angels") is a masterpiece, overall the impact just falls a bit flat, because neither Vicious or Julia are fully developed characters and more plot devices. I‘m supposed to care about this storyline because I care about Spike, but that is hardly enough.
Still, Cowboy Bebop is a classic for a reason and it was nice exploring it again.