The house western Cowboy Bebop continues to be thought to be a masterpiece of anime, with its tales of the exploits of bounty hunter Jet and his crew aboard the Bebop within the not-too-distant future. It’s thought to be among the finest anime ever made, and in consequence, it is credited with serving to change anime’s status within the west, proving the format might inform sequence, compelling tales and wasn’t simply cartoons for kids. Its legacy nonetheless lives on right now, and it was remade as a live-action sequence in 2021.

While just about all of Cowboy Bebop‘s 26 episodes, known as “sessions,” are strong, just a few do stand above the remainder and exemplify how nice the present may very well be, from entertaining mishaps to dramatic character arcs. The sequence’ arc of Spike’s rivalry with Vicious, in addition to the mysterious previous of Bebop crew member Faye, made for a few of the present’s finest episodes and nonetheless maintain up as as examples of incredible writing.

10 “Mushroom Samba”

Session 17

With the ship out of gas and the crew out of meals and cash to purchase it, the Bebop was hit by one other smaller ship and knocked astray in “Mushroom Samba.” After crashing onto Io, Ed (Aoi Tada) and Ein (Kōichi Yamadera) went on a seek for one thing to eat and located hallucinogenic mushrooms, though Ed didn’t notice it on the time. As a consequence, every member of the crew, save for Ed and Ein, skilled weird hallucinations after consuming them.

“Mushroom Samba” is without doubt one of the funniest episodes of the sequence, with every character reacting in another way to the expertise of the mushrooms, whereas an unaffected Ed and Ein have been left to deal with a bounty on their very own. But there may be extra to it than simply an entertaining journey. Each character’s hallucinations mirrored their unconscious wishes and the issues they have been dealing with, most notably Spike climbing a stairway that’s going nowhere.

9 “Toys in the Attic”

Session 11

The crew of the Bebop—with no bounty to chase, in addition to no cash or meals, but once more, was underneath assault from a venomous blob in “Toys in the Attic.” The blob hunted down the crew one after the other, leaving purple splotches on victims’ pores and skin and placing them right into a coma-like sleep. As seemingly the final one standing, Spike (Kōichi Yamadera) makes an attempt to search out and kill the blob, in the end revealed to be the product of outdated meals within the fridge.

“Toys in the Attic” was Cowboy Bebop’s entertaining tackle Alien and, like “Mushroom Samba,” was one of many funnier, extra lighthearted episodes, particularly relating to how the blob was created, which is strictly what made it stand out. While it’s not one of many episodes important to the plot, it’s nonetheless a enjoyable watch, in addition to a bit bit unnerving because the blob takes down its victims one after the other.

8 “Cowboy Funk”

Session 22

The Bebop crew went on the hunt for a terrorist often called the Teddy Bomber (Takaya Hoshi), who was planting explosives inside teddy bears in skyscrapers, in “Cowboy Funk.” Just as Spike was about to catch him, he was interrupted by one other bounty hunter known as Cowboy Andy (Masashi Ebara), who mistook Spike for the precise bomber, permitting the Teddy Bomber to flee. The encounter kicked off a rivalry between the 2 which led to the hunt for the Teddy Bomber taking a backseat.

The Spaghetti Western-style “Cowboy Funk” featured a merciless villain, however the actual draw was the rivalry between Spike and Cowboy Andy, who shortly grew to become extra desirous about one another than the Teddy Bomber. It’s a enjoyable setup which results in some nice humorous moments, particularly because it grew to become more and more apparent to everybody however Spike that he and Cowboy Andy have been loads alike. It was additionally one of many closing lighthearted episodes earlier than issues took a extra severe flip because the present headed in the direction of the finale.

7 “Pierrot le Fou”

Session 20

Clown-like murderer Mad Pierrot (Banjō Ginga)—who might fly and had superhuman energy, claimed yet one more sufferer in “Pierrot Le Fou,” and as Spike was leaving a bar, he inadvertently came upon Le Fou’s crime scene and have become a goal himself. Despite taking fairly a beating, Spike managed to narrowly escape. The two then hunt one another, culminating in Spike killing Pierrot. The episode additionally revealed Pierrot had been a check topic within the Titan War.

Cowboy Bebop usually drew inspiration from different genres or acquainted titles, and within the case of “Pierrot Le Fou,” the episode was a transparent homage to Batman, whereas the episode’s title was taken from a 1965 movie by Jean-Luc Godard. In addition to that includes a creepy villain and a few nice motion between him and Spike, the episode additionally addressed a few of the occasions which came about within the years previous to the beginning of Cowboy Bebop.

6 “Asteroid Blues”

Session 1

In “Asteroid Blues,” the primary episode of the sequence, Spike and Jet (Unshō Ishizuka) went to the Tijuana asteroid colony to search for Asimov Solensan (Rintarō Nishi), a person who was a part of a syndicate and was wished for killing his personal males and for stealing the drug Red Eye, often known as Bloody Eye. Joining Asimov on the run was his pregnant girlfriend, Katerina (Yurika Hino). The episode’s opening additionally featured glimpses of Spike’s previous, which might turn out to be extra related later.

While it lacks a few of the characters who made Cowboy Bebop so nice—Faye and Ed—”Asteroid Blues” is a superb episode which introduces viewers to Spike, Jet and the world of the Bebop. Spike and Asimov additionally had some issues in widespread, notably a need to depart a syndicate and dwell with the girl they cherished, one thing Asimov had succeeded in doing the place Spike had failed, hinted at within the opening sequence.

5 “Brain Scratch”

Session 23

In “Brain Scratch,” Faye (Megumi Hayashibara) went undercover in a cult known as SCRATCH, whose members believed they would go away their our bodies to hitch the “infinite sea of electrons.” A bounty was put out on its chief, Dr. Londes (Chikao Ootsuka), who discovers what Faye was really as much as and had her held captive. By hacking the cult’s Brain Dream sport console, the remainder of the Bebop crew uncover Londes’ actual id, a young person in a vegetative state whose thoughts was linked to the web.

“Brain Scratch” was amongst Cowboy Bebop’s forays into horror, with a creepy cult led by an excellent creepier villain. It offered an attention-grabbing tackle faith and cults, plus some nice moments from Ein, who was at all times an enchanting member of the Bebop crew. But most significantly, the episode was a commentary on the methods expertise can management folks and the real-world influence cults can have, offered with an excellent story.

4 “Jupiter Jazz”

Sessions 12 and 13

Faye cleaned out the Bebop’s secure and headed for the moon of Callisto within the two-part “Jupiter Jazz.” Elsewhere, Vicious (Norio Wakamoto) met with the Van and requested to make a deal for the drug Red Eye, additionally on Callisto, and Spike was in search of Gren (Kenyu Horiuchi), who he believed was going to make a take care of Vicious. The episode in the end led to a face-off between Spike and Vicious. Flashbacks confirmed Spike telling Julia (Gara Takashima) he was leaving the syndicate and asking her to run away with him.

At the midway level of Cowboy Bebop, “Jupiter Jazz” was a uncommon two-part episode for the sequence, and it used its prolonged runtime splendidly. Its story arc is among the many most compelling within the sequence, with just a few characters having difficult ties to one another. Among essentially the most attention-grabbing of these characters was Gren. And whereas Cowboy Bebophas at all times been identified for its music cues, the usage of the seven-minute-long “Space Lion” right here is especially notable.

3 “Ballad of Fallen Angels”

Session 5

(*10*)