One thing I've noticed since the beginning of this project is that anime producers really don't put enough energy into their shows' intro sequences. The overwhelming majority of them that I've seen have been high on the cuteness factor but otherwise pretty insufferable. The worst part is invariably the music. If I have to hear one more grating non-song with childish female vocals about riding along on stars and every day being a brand new day, I might just quit this endeavor altogether. A title sequence isn't just an empty space where the credits go, it's a way to both pull new viewers in and get returning viewers excited about your show. At best, a title sequence can do this while also introducing the central themes and characters of the series. Of all the anime I've watched, none even come close to Cowboy Bebop in this regard.
I'll admit, the appeal of CB for me rests in its unapologetic Western-ness. I like the 60's throwback of the opening and really the entire show. I love the music and the fact that Spike is a happy medium between James Dean and Clint Eastwood. But even if it does take its cues from American action movies, Cowboy Bebop still feels like an anime. It has space ships and a few convoluted revenge plots, heck it even has an effeminate villain with silver hair. If that's not anime, I don't know what is.
The real strength, though, of this series is that it doesn't really take a plot arch until the very end. The better part of CB is an episodic pick-up-and-play that requires practically no background knowledge to enjoy. In that sense it feels a lot like Firefly. The show is driven by its characters and its attitude, though it rarely glorifies the lives of our rag-tag bounty hunters. They're always strapped for cash and they exist in a permanent moral gray zone. You can't ask for much more on a ship populated (sparsely) by criminals, gypsies and orphans.
I can't say I had as much patience for Ed as the series really demands. I like my blues-tinged pulp as free from random comic relief as possible. Of everything on Cowboy Bebop, Ed feels like the most forced anime convention. Things like that were amusing when I was 13, not so much today.
The last thing I can say about CB is that it's shows like this that really demonstrate the worth of high-quality modern anime art. This show works best when it's moving fast and delivering beatings. The fact that the animation runs as smoothly as it does (and in time to the music) really makes it a complete experience. I guess the word I can use for this show is "coordinated". Everything matches, so it all feels a lot more cohesive.
Comprehension: 10/10- No magical MacGuffin, no complicated histories. Just love, revenge and jazz music.
Enjoyment: 9/10- One point off for Ed, but otherwise it's John Woo meets Cinema of Cool in a way that makes Kill Bill look like a floppy-haired hipster.
Improvement of Understanding: 5/10- I had fun and I guess I learned a little bit about the shortcomings of traditional anime marketing, but Cowboy Bebop really is more of a broad appeal project than a hardcore anime. I'm going to stay away from stuff that's this familiar for a while.
Next Week: Ebichu the Housekeeping Hamster