Amazon.com essential video: Each of the snazzy 25-minute installments from the most popular Japanese animated TV series of 1998 is a satisfying adventure tale about a futuristic hipster bounty hunter. This is an elegant action-comedy anime, with smoothly integrated CGI space-flight elements, gorgeous graphics, blues harmonica and sax riffs on the soundtrack, and a no-sweat post-Tarantino attitude. Despite occasional eruptions of gun-fu Asian-action violence, and some intimations of heavy-duty drug use (in the first of 26 episodes, one especially noxious narcotic is administered as an aerosol spray straight onto the user's eyeballs), the tone is surprisingly convivial. None of the generic tough elements are grim or mean-spirited. Lanky antihero Spike Spiegel is a planet-hopping freelance hunter with an ex-cop sidekick named Jet, a loopy fellow hunter named Faye, a teenage computer hack, and a genetically enhanced Welsh corgi assistant in tow. The emphasis is on clever twists of plot in an episodic short-story format with as many wisecracks as punches being thrown. --David Chute
Description: Meet Spike and Jet, a drifter and a retired cyborg cop. They've formed a partnership in a bounty hunting enterprise that specializes in adventure and cash. Using an old converted fishing ship called the Bebop, with the help of the intelligent data dog, Ein, the mysterious and vexing femme fatale, Faye Valentine, and Ed, the genius hacker -- Spike and Jet scour the galaxy to clean up space, one bounty at a time.
* Considered one of the best anime of all time in both Japan AND the United States. * Cowboy Bebop is now available as a special DVD collection box set that contains all six DVD's from Cowboy Bebop packaged with the Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack CD in a collectors box.
Good, but a little wonky The item info says it's region 1, the case itself said region 2, but it played pretty well on the Playstation. We've only watched the first episode, and some of the scenes flickered, like not all the frames were there. One instance being the first time you see the ships in space. I don't remember that last time I watched it. At most other times, it was perfectly fine. The audio was great, the packaging slick and minimalistic. Haven't looked at the special features yet. The show, as always, was amazing. Great storyline and characterization, enough silliness to make you roll your eyes, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment.
Great Anime, Horrible "Box Set" The item description claims 6 disks and the sound track. That is not what I received. I should have read the reviews before finalizing the purchase. The episodes are no better than the files I downloaded online. Definitely not the quality I was expecting for a product that claims is original. This is a BOOTLEG. Buyers be warned!
Fantastic! This anime is hands down one of the top ever made. If you like Samurai Chaploo, then you'll likely enjoy this series. Excellent humor, great art and action, deep characters. Couldn't ask for more.
Buyer Beware! This item as listed does not actually exist anymore. The Perfect Sessions was a limited edition set that came in a very nice box, each of which was numbered by the manufacturer. I found this out the hard way after I ordered it and got a bootleg. The chances are very likely that any seller claiming to have this item is, in fact, only selling bootlegs with very bad MPEG video quality.
Amazon should really remove this listing from their service so that no more affiliates can con people like they are.
But as luck would have it, there is finally a real complete series box set out now. Go get the Anime Legends Cowboy Bebop remix.
Argh so many words!!! This is the epitome of anime and the only series in this questionable animation sub-category that has any cinematic merit. It is the only reason that anime has any reason for existing and comprises a majority of the very few DVDs I own (unsurprisingly, the keyword "Firefly" pretty much covers the rest of my collection).
After watching Cowboy Bebop, I spent a disproportionate amount of time looking for another anime that could, perhaps duplicate its achievement, but so far I haven't even been able to come up with a close second.
Even if you hate anime, people and small fluffy kittens you should at least try watching this show.
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