Cowboy Bebop (1998)

I haven’t watched much anime (bar Akira in the 90s and various Miyazaki) so never tried to get hold of Cowboy Bebop. Its name has kept popping up through the years, though, so I thought I should make the effort to go beyond my natural inclinations and pick up the boxset of the series (together with the slightly later film).

The bad: Faye Valentine’s physical appearance and outfit are stupidly sexist. Child-genius Ed can be annoying (but did grow on me as the series progressed).

The good: it’s stylish through and through in design, animation, and editing. The music–jazzy with a hint of Vangelis at moments–is superb. The stories are a delightfully weird fusion of elements from different genres (science-fiction, noir, gangster) and are never predictable. The characters’ backstories are gradually revealed as we go, and deepen our understanding of why they have become the oddities they are. The show even has ending that completes the narrative in satisfying way.

If you haven’t seen this, put your prejudices about anime to the side and watch a few episodes. It’s a treasure. ★★★★★