Cowboy Bebop (1998–1999)

Cowboy Bebop will break any prejudgement you've ever had on anime. Simply put, the show is amazing. From the art, to the music, and most importantly, the story line - Cowboy Bebop delivers. Although most reviewers have summed up the storyline fairly well, I'll give a brief overview.

In the not so distant future, many planets have been colonized and huge technological advancements have been made, but enough with the obvious. Two men, Spike and Jet meet up with future comrades Faye and Ed and team up (or fly it solo) to form the most effective bounty hunting team in the universe. Technology benefits both bounty hunter (known as Cowboys) and criminal as the crew of the Bebop Ship try to make an honest Wulong (the futuristic form of currency) while each member encounters shades of their illuminous past.

A huge bondship amongst the characters is felt almost from the start, despite on-going tensions on the Bebop. Furthermore, each character is given at least two whole episodes, which elaborate on their past, which intertwines oddly with the present (an on-going theme in Cowboy Bebop).

Their pasts are as diverse as their personalities and at some points you'll have a hard time even figuring out who the main character is. One is a former worker of a crime syndicate, one a former police officer, one a thief, and the last a computer hacker. Some similarities do exist though, namely stylish outfits and attitudes, but even then, these similarities are VERY few.

The coolest thing about Cowboy Bebop is it's ability to give you something drastically different each session (don't call it an episode, it's a session). Some sessions wrap you up in action, some make you cry, still some sessions will make you roll on the ground in laughter. One thing for sure is you will get a very satisfying feeling once the credits hit.

The soundtrack for the entire series is another high point. Virtually each session is entangled in some form of sophisticated music, usually Jazz, which is a welcome breeze from the stagnation of today's modern music.

Compared to other anime, Bebop reigns supreme (along with a couple of others), and puts kids shows like Dragon Ball Z (which are virtually plotless in the light of Cowboy Bebop) to shame. This is definitely worth viewing if you're looking for something new to watch, but worried you might just fall victim to another piece of trash reality show or sitcom. Your previous conceptions of anime are about to be shattered.