Cowboy Bebop - Session 1 (1999)

"Cowboy Bebop" is an animated television series that originated in Japan... so it's "anime" and therefore automatically better than anything else (if you're a nerd). In the case of "Cowboy Bebop", we actually DO have something that's more inventive, interesting, and creative than most of what's out there... proving that even a broken clock is right twice a day. The entire series ran 26 episodes (one television season) and one movie that takes place between two of the episodes. The "Session 1" DVD contains the first five episodes of the series. It introduces us to a future where Mars has been terraformed and interstellar travel is possible through warp-gates. But this is no Utopia... crime and terrorism is rampant, and the authorities lean on licensed bounty hunters to help maintain law and order. This is where our heroes--the laconic Spike and his blustery partner Jet, come in. Like the bountyhunters of the Old West, they roam from place to place, catching the bad guys... they just use a spaceship instead of horses. These first episodes introduce us to the main characters, the supporting cast--which includes a genetically engineered dog and a woman of mystery (and strange longevity) named Faye Valentine--and to a number of mysteries and subplots that I am certain will continue to resurface throughout the series.. The dog and the girl are both wanted by numerous shadowy forces, but Spike and Jet take them in nonetheless, being bounty hunters who are big on heart but low on business sense. These first five episodes also firmly establish the characters of Spike and Jet, and rarely has outer space seen two more likable rogues. The episodes are as follows: #1: "Asteroid Blues" Spike and Jet are the tail of a deadly killer. Unfortunately, the drug cartel from whom he stole several hundred doses of an experimental drug want him, too. #2: "Stray Dog Strut" A thug has stolen a valuable item from a laboratory and they want it back. Spike is hot on his trail, but ends up empty-handed, aside from the mutt that turned out to be the stolen item, when the thug crashes his stolen car into a police station. Jet discovers the animal is an genetically engineer "data-dog" and they adopt it as their ship's pet. #3: "Honky Tonk Woman" A gambling cartel is trying to acquire the ulimate decryption program. To this end, they force the cooperation of professional gambler and vagabond Faye Valentine (whom they believe to be the legendary--and apparently unaging "Queen of Hearts") and the unwitting Spike. #4 "Gateway Shuffle" Faye Valentine crosses paths with our heroes again, just in time to fight a band of crazed eco-terrorists who are intent on unleashing a retro-virus that will devolve human beings into primates. #5 "Ballad of Fallen Angels" Word of a gangwar draws Spike back to his hometown and reveals a past long buried. The animation is consistently superior to much of what we see in any made-for-TV cartoons, and it reminds me of the original "Aeon Flux" shorts ([URL=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=245672&entryid=259897&view=public]review here[/URL] ) in many places. The voices in the English dubs are also superior to just about any other I've come across--the actors who do Spike and Faye are particularly good. The jazzy soundtrack is also great fun. My only complaint on a technical level is that the occassional use of overt computer animation on the spaceships is jarring against the overall more traditional look of the series. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys quality animation and action-oriented sci-fi. That recommendation is even stronger if you were a fan of the short-lived "Firefly" series on Fox; the universe of "Cowboy Bebop" feels alot like that in which "Firefly" took place--they both present a futuristic setting that feels a bit like the Old West.