What is honestly so great about Cosboy Bebop?

[Deadmed]

People say it's the best anime the main reason they usually give is that you can show someone that doesnt like anime and they'll still like it. Well uh I showed my brother who usually says anime is gay and he said it was gay, but then I watched dbz with him and he thinks it's awesome. So can I use that same argument with DBZ and say it's the best? I also tried watching it with my dad who I had already gotten into DBZ and Naruto as well as Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and he hated it. In fact he was mad that I made him watch it all the way through since it was boring to him, and he likes stuff like Breaking Bad, he's by no means an immature child.

There's nothing that deep or complex about Cowboy Bebop it's just a collection of some fairly straight forward stand alone episodes with some deep musings here and there but nothing you won't find it other anime. It has good music that's a plus. That characters are fun but Spike isn't some mega cool interesting memorable character for the ages like fans of the series make him out to be, honestly I think his lanky appearance is kinda dorky and I find his personally boring.

So why is this apparently the best anime? I hardly got anything out of it, though my favorite episode was the one with the cybernetic heaven, that was an episode I always found thought provoking, the other episodes didn't do that for me though.

 

[~Ethereal~]

Everything.

 

[Excālibur1]

That title though. Cosboy Bebop..

 

[Joon]

I couldn't get into that show.

 

[-Shiro-]

no one awnsers... they dont know why apperently, i guess the ending?

idk i hated cowboy bebop

 

[Ricardo]

I couldn't get into that show.

Same here. Dropped it in a few episodes.

 

[Seventh Sama]

I've watched the whole thing. I can't explain why i like it though.
Def not my fav anime however.

 

[Excālibur1]

And here I was thinking of trying Cowboy Bebop o_o... Should try it sometime..

 

[Nagi]

Everything is perfect about that show! Breaking out the soundtrack right now!

 

[Chakra Wizard]

Taste is taste, man. You hate it, it's my personal #2, no one can really put an unbiased label on anything.

The reason I enjoyed it, I think, is because it's such a bizarre collection of different genres and it makes it work (film noir, space western, drama, action, etc.), there is great music and visuals that still hold up even if the art looks a little bland, no two episodes are alike so there's a bunch of different stories to choose your faves from, the characters are great and well-written and I do find Spike to be as cool as he's made out to be, plus there's just something about the show in general that just oozes that cool vibe. Not to mention, as someone who writes for a living, there's so much beneath the surface of the show that it's impossible not to admire (the endings of Episodes 6 and 26, c'mon).

And at this point, there's nothing morally or thematically you won't find in some other work of fiction, but what's special about Bebop is it presents these messages in a style you'd be hard-pressed to find somewhere else. Anything recipe becomes original once you throw enough non-original ingredients into it.

 

[Jack Spicer]

Taste is taste, man. You hate it, it's my personal #2, no one can really put an unbiased label on anything.

The reason I enjoyed it, I think, is because it's such a bizarre collection of different genres and it makes it work (film noir, space western, drama, action, etc.), there is great music and visuals that still hold up even if the art looks a little bland, no two episodes are alike so there's a bunch of different stories to choose your faves from, the characters are great and well-written and I do find Spike to be as cool as he's made out to be, plus there's just something about the show in general that just oozes that cool vibe. Not to mention, as someone who writes for a living, there's so much beneath the surface of the show that it's impossible not to admire (the endings of Episodes 6 and 26, c'mon).

And at this point, there's nothing morally or thematically you won't find in some other work of fiction, but what's special about Bebop is it presents these messages in a style you'd be hard-pressed to find somewhere else. Anything recipe becomes original once you throw enough non-original ingredients into it.

Very well said, Mr. Wizard.

 

[KcMSean]

Samurai champloo>>>Cowboy Bebop.
When I was a kid, I loved Bebop. The ending was phenomenal. Tried watching it again last year, after watching Champloo for the first time, and it just wasn't as great any more. I skipped like ten episodes and just watched the ending again. Idk why, if just wasn't as incredible as I remembered it being.

 

[Totsuka No Tsurugi]

Nothing... except maybe for the opening soundtrack
this anime is only overrated by western viewers because it panders the western culture,
in japan its nothing special.

 

[ToshiZO]

Nothing... except maybe for the opening soundtrack
this anime is only overrated by western viewers because it panders the western culture,
in japan its nothing special.

I feel that is the reason as well.

I personally liked Champloo much more.

 

[iNotorious]

I feel that is the reason as well.

I personally liked Champloo much more.

Champloo was amazing plus the OST were superb.

 

[Natsu Shazneel]

They got into DBZ because they don't understand anime.

 

[LitzSabr]

It is one of those anime which I didn't appreciate much back when I first watched it. But going through it again, it easily came in my top 5.

Like said before, the collection of different genres pertaining to story telling and the diversity in music in bebop with all of them working in conjuction with each other is one of the my favourite things about it. Honestly it has one of the best soundtracks in anime as far as I've seen. The art style and the animation is actually very good even by todays standards. When it comes to the story, see how the story is subtlety presented, never in an exaggerated way but in a very sensible way. How the relationship between the characters build up, the narration, it's all done very good. The specific visuals, incomplete information? feels like that they aren't showing us the whole thing but that's not really the case. It's all there and makes sense(for most part since there are still a few things which are left for viewers imagination), it is just presented in such an attractive way.

Not to say that the story isn't good because it surely is. Quite some times, other characters are given a whole episode in which they are completely made and get their development. The story itself is good and quite alot of times just great, there have been episodes which just make you care deeply about even side character who will only come for a single episode. But what I like most about Cowboy Bebop are the Characters and their development and non-stop characterization. Four different people meeting with each other, each with an engaging story to them, facing their past. No matter what you think about the anime, it is undeniable the Cowboy Bebop has one of the most 3-Dimensional characters ever. There are a few episodes in which the story seems basic but that still helps in making the main cast better and giving them something new. Their own progress of within the crew's relationship, but it's all good and very sensible. No matter where the story goes, it always did something for the characters and while some characters and their stories might come and go in the series this will continuously keep on happening. Aside from it being good, as I said before, it stands out because it is done in a very good slice of life way.

And obviously the best thing it has given us is Spike. It 'might' be bit hard at first to understand his deal Completely since it's quite vague at points and those are vital. His past, his relationship with Julia but no going back once you do.

In the end, it's perfectly understandable if someone won't like this anime. Even though it does good what it's supposed to do which is what's needed from a good series, it's different and then there is everyone's taste.

 

[Wabbit]

Everything.

This what I thought too