This anime series follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters ("cowboys") in the year 2071. In this vision of our future, gates make space travel within the solar system rapid and easy, if you have the money to use them. However, the one near the Moon exploded 50 years ago and tore a chunk from the Moon, and the resulting constant meteor showers have driven all humans on Earth underground. Most humans now live on the other planets and asteroids.
In this universe, Jet Black and Spike Spiegel are trying to make a living (without much success) by hunting bounty-heads from their ship, the Bebop. During their adventures, their team is joined more or less by accident by Ein, Faye Valentine, and Ed (aka Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky 4th). Jet, Faye, and most significantly Spike are all carrying burdens from their pasts which eventually catch up with them.
This is an action show that does not skimp on character development. It alternates between darkness and wild humor, fueled by excellent scripts. Animation, direction, and music are also excellent. In fact, this is one of my top shows of all time, if not the top.
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Main Characters:
Spike Spiegel. VAs Koishi Yamedera and David Lucas.
Spike is cool and laid-back, but deceptively so, because he can spring into swift, dangerous, fluid action in less than a heartbeat. His past includes a career in the crime syndicate The Red Dragons, a lost love, and a very dangerous enemy.
Jet Black. VAs Unsho Ishizuka and John Billingslea.
The owner of the Bebop and leader of the group, Jet is an ex-cop with a robotic arm as a reminder of the mistake that "retired" him to bounty hunting. He's a de facto father and mother on the Bebop, doing the cooking and making the decisions.
Faye Valentine. VAs Megumi Hayashibara and Wendee Lee.
Faye's a compulsive gambler who's constantly running from debtors. A hot woman who's well able to take care of herself, she invited herself onto the Bebop, but contributes ~ in her own selfish way.
Ed. VAs Aoi Tada and Melissa Charles.
Ed's a girl, believe it or not, and dubbed herself with the name Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky 4th. She's a 13-year-old master hacker, and more than a little loopy. She, too, invited herself aboard the Bebop.
Ein.
This Welsh Corgi is a "data dog," an experimental animal with heightened intelligence. He is kidnapped from his lab, escapes from his kidnappers, and ends up "coming home" with Spike.
Other Characters:
Vicious, Spike's bitter enemy, is the only villain who makes more than one appearance. His vendetta against Spike is a major subplot.
Julia is the woman from Spike's past and the catalyst for much of what he does.
Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener ("Gren"), who appears in "Jupiter Jazz," has far too many interesting points to list here.
Episode Guide
The Cowboy Bebop episodes move with astonishing ease through every style and emotion, from sweetness to tragedy, violence to tenderness, zaniness to melancholy. And it's all done with exceptional quality. Here is a list:
1 ~ Asteroid Blues
Bounty: Asimov Solensan
Asimov is a small-time hood who makes a big-time score with a drug called Red-Eye and then goes to the asteroid Tijuana to sell the stuff and fetch his girlfriend. As an introduction to the characters and the show, this occasionally funny but violent and ultimately tragic episode is perfect.2 ~ Stray Dog Strut
Bounty: Abdul Hakim
After Asteroid Blues, this light-hearted bit of nonsense is great fun. Hakim has kidnaped a super-intelligent experimental dog, Ein. Despite the fact that Spike doesn't like dogs, at the end of all the excitement, he winds up bringing the dog aboard the Bebop.3 ~ Honky Tonk Woman
Bounty: Faye Valentine
This episode introduces Faye, who is trying to rid herself of an enormous debt by helping out a gangster. Unfortunately for her, she ends up crossing paths with Jet and Spike, who royally screw things up for her. Being a resourceful woman, however, she manages to get away - and not empty-handed.4 ~ Gateway Shuffle
Bounty: Twinkle Murdock
Twinkle, one of my all-time favorite villainesses, is the leader of a group of eco-terrorists who are holding Ganymede hostage with an imposing virus threat. Faye gets into it accidentally and helps Jet and Spike foil Twinkle's plan, then invites herself to become a Bebop partner.5 ~ Ballad of Fallen Angels
Bounty: Mao Yenri
An episode of often lyrical beauty in its violence, this one introduces Vicious, once Spike's friend and now his bitterest enemy. Vicious kills their syndicate mentor and lures Faye to become his hostage in order to get to Spike, but their fight ends in a draw.6 ~ Sympathy for the Devil
Bounty: Giraffe
One of the more creepy episodes, with some interesting foreshadowing of later events. The real villain is (apparently) a child who kills the bounty early in the show, and the Bebop crew end up going after him instead, although killing him turns out to be almost impossible.7 ~ Heavy Metal Queen
Bounty: Decker
One of my favorites, this episode has a space trucker getting involved in the chase for the bounty. Exciting, suspenseful, and with the usual Bebop touches of humor, it also has one of the more memorable characters, VT, the Heavy Metal Queen.8 ~ Waltz for Venus
Bounty: The Piccaro Gang (including Rocco Bonnaro)
In this sweetly melancholy episode, Rocco crosses his gangster associates in order to help his blind sister. When he sees Spike fight, he tries to make Spike his martial arts master, with comical and touching results.9 ~ Jamming with Edward
Bounty: MPU
This episode introduces the loopy Ed, a supreme hacker known as "Radical Edward" who, for some unexplained reason, wants to be a member of the Bebop. The bounty is actually a computer on a satellite, and by helping them "catch" MPU, Ed gets her berth on the Bebop.10 ~ Ganymede Elegy
Bounty: Rhint Celonias
Jet returns to his past at Ganymede. He's looking up his old girlfriend, finally ready to ask her why she left him, abruptly and without explanation. Jet's situation is complicated when her current boyfriend turns out to have a bounty on his head.11 ~ Toys in the Attic
No bounty
This zany spoof of several movies, especially Alien, is not only fun, but shows how broad in scope Bebop can be. A "monster" is loose on the Bebop, putting each character, in turn, into a coma when it bites them. Wait until you see what the monster actually is...12 & 13 ~ Jupiter Jazz, Parts 1 and 2.
Bounty: Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener ("Gren")
Faye leaves the Bebop and meets up with Gren, a fascinating character with an interesting past (and an even more interesting present). Their paths cross with Spike's, who's pursuing his own past, in particular his lost love, Julia. He and Gren have a common enemy in this episode - Vicious, making his second Bebop appearance.14 ~ Bohemian Rhapsody
Bounty: Chessmaster Hex
After the grim Jupiter Jazz, this somewhat lighter episode is pleasant, but it also introduces some history, as Chessmaster Hex helped to create and has now sabotaged the Gate system. The best part is watching Ed play chess, fiercely.15 ~ My Funny Valentine
Bounty: Whitney Hagas Matsumoto
This episode is not one of my favorites, although it's a good one for Faye fans. Faye reveals (to Ein, and accidentally to Spike) her recent past, which includes waking from a coma that has erased her early life, and a romance with Whitney Matsumoto, the bounty.16 ~ Black Dog Serenade
Bounty: Udai Taxim
This excellent homage to the gritty detective story sends Jet and his old partner from the ISP to face the syndicate assassin who cost Jet his arm, now an escapee on a hijacked prison ship. A great showcase for Jet.17 ~ Mushroom Samba
Bounty: Domino Walker
Another of the zany episodes, this one features Ed but has funny moments for all the characters. They're stranded in a desert and out of food, and Ed brings back (illegal) hallucinogenic mushrooms for them from the bounty head she corners after a hilarious chase.18 ~ Speak Like a Child
No bounty
When an old-fashioned VHS video arrives for Faye, and she does a disappearing act, Jet and Spike go to incredible (also unexpected and hilarious) lengths to view it. When they finally do, they get a real shock - it was made by Faye herself, as a child.19 ~ Wild Horses
Bounty: Starship pirates (George, Harmon, and Ruth)
My personal favorite. Spike's getting his ship repaired by an old friend, Doohan, while Jet, Faye and Ed hunt down pirates. The pirates nearly succeed in wiping out the whole Bebop crew, and Doohan literally saves Spike's life with an antique spacecraft. The baseball fan is not to be missed.20 ~ Pierrot Le Fou
Bounty: Mad Pierrot
Mad Pierrot is a human killing machine that Spike accidentally crosses. This is one of the creepiest villains I've ever seen. The final scene takes place in a Disneyworld-type amusement park, adding some great touches of spoof to the suspense.21 ~ Boogie Woogie Feng Shui
No bounty
Jet gets an email from an old friend, a Feng Shui master, who's supposedly dead. Pursuing it, he gets tangled up - in several ways - with the man's spirited young daughter, including having to deal with being syndicate targets. This is a cute episode, especially for Jet fans.22 ~ Cowboy Funk
Bounty: "Teddy Bomber"
One of the funniest episodes. Pursuing a mad bomber (who keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to explain his motives), Spike locks horns with a rival. Andy is a " real" cowboy (on a horse, no less), and must be seen to be believed. So must Spike's reaction to him.23 ~ Brain Scratch
Bounty: Dr. Londes
Probably my least-liked episode, this involves a cult that uses technology to "transfer" souls into cyberspace. Chiefly notable for Ed in a dress. It does raise some interesting questions. Naturally, since it is Bebop.24 ~ Hard Luck Woman
Bounty: Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lufen
Faye and Ed take the Bebop to Earth and go off together in search of Faye's past, which Faye finds sadly empty. Along the way they encounter Ed's past as well, in the form of her eccentric father. Both women leave the Bebop, the final sad touch to a melancholy episode.25 & 26 ~ The Real Folk Blues, Parts 1 and 2
Vicious has taken over the syndicate and is trying to kill Spike and anyone ever associated with him, including Spike's old friends. During one attack, Jet is wounded. Meanwhile, Faye runs into Julia, Spike's lost love, and returns to the Bebop with a message from her. Spike and Julia are reunited, briefly, and he has a final showdown with Vicious to end the episode and the series.
Fanfic:
After the Nova ~ by TianNing and Kat
Prelude ~ by Kat
Pit Stop ~ by Kat
Hallelujah in Blue by Scylla
In The Middle of The Night by Jessica
Tracks by Nobara
Life after a Lie by Donut
Favorite images:
~ Kat
~ Sherrié
~ Meg
~ JessKat
Comments:
Since "Cowboy Bebop" started running on "Adult Swim", I've fallen in love with the show. Every aspect of CB, from the designs to the animation to the music, demonstrates a skilled, powerful artistry that is all too rare in any kind of TV program, animated or live action. Best of all, the writers have taken a group of characters that I probably wouldn't want to hang out with in real life and made me care about them deeply. CB has already been recognized as a landmark in the history of anime, and I'm certain it will only become more respected with the passage of time.
~ Mark Lungo
"The characters romp through scenes that look like a combination of Disney with guts and Lucas with brains."
~ Critic Milo Miles on Fresh Air
Particular mention should be made concerning the quality of the CB soundtrack. Excellent music, sound fx, and dialogue. Listening to CB from another room is what attracted me to the show in the first place, and the soundtrack production never disappoints.
~ Anon
Fan Art:
Cowboy Bebop by demosthenes
Cowboy Bebop by Mike Majestic
Cowboy Bebop by Steph*
Cowboy Bebop by Daphne Hime-Sama
Crossover Art by Steph*
Favorite links:
~ Pokejedservo
Cowboy Bebop: The Mega-Happy Ending by Vix ~ a very funny spoof
~ Kat
This page created by Kat
