Cowboy Bebop - See You Space Cowboy

This'll be a short review, not because there's little to say, but because everything there is to say is extraordinarily similar.

Cowboy Bebop is absolutely extraordinary. It's stylish enough to cruise by on that alone, a surprisingly elegant mix of film noir, western and science fiction that is the closest thing to visual music one can experience. Every single scene drips with atmosphere and with feeling. It's got a broad range, too, naming its episodes appropriately, going everywhere from the head-bumping energy and power of Heavy Metal Queen to the frantic energy of Mushroom Samba and its downbeat, moody and utterly brilliant finale The Real Folk Blues. The animation is consistently gorgeous and elegant. As cliche as it may sound, every frame could be hung up on a wall and admired, but seeing Cowboy Bebop in motion is something else. On its style alone, Cowboy Bebop manages to more than earn its name as the classic it's considered today.

Yet infuriatingly, effortlessly, almost as though showing off, that's not where Cowboy Bebop stops. It's got some of the most brilliant writing I have ever seen: subtle and nuanced, to the point where you won't realize it's there until the build-up that has been accumulating through the entire series finally pays off. Every character, whilst firmly set within the broad archetype they're in, is unique and, most importantly, three-dimensional. Everyone evolves in this show, so slowly it's practically impossible to notice. A ragtag bunch of weirdos slowly form a team, and become inseparable friends. This is done simply. There's no turning point. There's no big scenes where someone gives a speech about how they're friends and they belong together. They simply slowly become this way through spending time together, and we know they have. It's beautiful, and it's far more naturalistic than basically any other film or television I've ever seen.

It's frankly upsetting how great Cowboy Bebop is. It's practically faultless as a show. Yes, there are a couple episodes that don't work that well, and a few character moments that seem out of place. There's bounds to be worse and better bits. The important thing here is that there's nothing that hurts the entire experience. Even its lowest points are better than anything in entire other shows I've watched. Some of the individual pieces may have some flaws, but as the sum of its parts, I wouldn't hesitate to say Cowboy Bebop is flawless.

10/10

Not only my new favourite anime, but my new favourite TV show of all time.