Cowboy Bebop (1998– )
"Kaubôi bibappu: Cowboy Bebop" (original title)

The futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.

Creator:

Hajime Yatate

Stars:

Kôichi Yamadera, Steve Blum, Unshô Ishizuka

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Spike Spiegel (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Steve Blum	...	Spike Spiegel (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Unshô Ishizuka	...	Jet Black (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Beau Billingslea	...	Jet Black (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Wendee Lee	...	Faye Valentine (25 episodes, 1998-1999)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Faye Valentine (24 episodes, 1998-1999)
Isshin Chiba	...	Man 2 (17 episodes, 1998-1999)
Melissa Fahn	...	Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV (16 episodes, 1998-1999)
Aoi Tada	...	Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV (16 episodes, 1998-1999)

Storyline

Spike Spiegel is a bounty hunter in the far future with an easy going attitude and some deadly skill at martial arts. Together with his partners, Jet Black, and later Faye Valentine as well, they go to job to job across the galaxy looking for the high priced fugitives to bag.

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Plot Keywords:

bounty hunter | future | martial arts | hacker | police | 

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Taglines:

You're gonna carry that weight. (final episode tagline)

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

French German Italian Spanish Tagalog English Japanese

Release Date:

8 January 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Cowboy Bebop

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, Sunrise, ZRO Limit Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min 25 min (26 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two bartenders have been shot unexpectedly throughout the series: one in "Asteroid Blues" and the other in "The Real Folk Blues".

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Quotes

Ed: Father person gone...

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Crazy Credits

After the credits of the last episode you see a beautiful still drawing of Spike presumably dead laying on the ground.

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Connections

Referenced in Armitage: Dual Matrix (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Space Lion"
Ending theme (episode 13)
Music by Yôko Kanno
Performed by The Seatbelts

User Reviews

Superbly styled anime

Cowboy Bebop should need no introduction; it's more than a uniquely defining series on several levels. Shinichi Watanabe crafted this mostly episodic anime with a beautiful plot arc that doesn't detract a bit from any moment in the series.

Following the misadventures of a crew of unlikely bounty hunters through the future solar system, Bebop liberally dabbles in jazz, both the music and the attitude. The lead character, Spike Spiegel, is as much an antihero in the anime tradition as he would be in a Hemingway novel- witty and gutsy, with a twist of nihlistic worldview. Along with Spike, each part of the ensemble main cast do more than enough to stand out on their own, with perfectly human qualities. Jet Black, the gruff pilot, is truly epitomized in the episode "Ganymede Elegy," where he confronts an old flame. Ed and Ein, the genius teenage hacker and her supersmart Corgi dog, throw the limits of standard comic relief out the window. And who could forget Faye Valentine, the eat-your-heart-out sprite of a woman with pizazz, flair, and a penchant for gambling.

If you're not a fan of anime because of its tendency to be far-fetched and downright weird at times, Bebop is the right starter series for you. A melodrama, a jazzy jam session, and a sci-fi detective thriller all wrapped into a tight, upbeat package. Superb.