Forum - View topicBebop Haters?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Amethyst Alchemist
Former ANN Editor
 Posts: 313 Location: where it's always a good morning |
|
||
|
Well, I don't hate it. I just don't get why everyone loves it so much. I can understand why the other shows are on the top ten list and I do really love most of them, but I guess I just don't "get" Cowboy Bebop.
To me the plot seems disjointed. Most of it is not continuous and doesn't really matter to the real heart of the story. The characters are OK, but nothing really special. I guess the concept is pretty unique, so kudos for that. But nothing screams extraodinary masterpiece to me. The music is different for an anime, but I don't see it as anything really remarkable. Overall, I just think it could have been so much more. Anyone else not too crazy about Bebop? Or am I just a moron with no taste? 
|
|||
|
|||
DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
|
||
The plot is episodic. There arent too many episodes that tie together. and the ones that do involve Spike, Julia and that other guy. It's more of episode by episode film noir thing. It emphasized character development over mindless action, and it was very very western, which is why so many non-anime fans identified with it. That's why it's so popular. |
|||
|
|||
Rakushun
 Posts: 116 Location: Hawaii |
|
||
|
It's easy to say why I like it so much. It has great animation, interesting designs, great music, creative action sequences, and a sense of style that wraps it all together. It doesn't have a consistent plot, but not all good series need a plot. Some are a loose series of episodes that follow a timeline, like all the Star Trek shows.
It's a little harder to grasp what makes it so good. In my opinion, there were no rough edges in Cowboy Bebop, and nothing was out of place. The bulk of the series follows a Western cinematic style, with bits of horror or comedy or other genres tied into each episode. The Yoko Kanno soundtrack helps greatly in setting the pace and mood of each scene. By keeping true to its style, Cowboy Bebop set itself apart from all other action anime so far. Trigun is also supposed to be a sci-fi Western, but is peppered with bad jokes and other corny moments. Noir has great art, action, and music. The trouble is that much of the action is repetitive, and the music is very very repetitive. Samurai Champloo tries to develop a style using funk/rap/lounge, but lacks a consistent movie style. That series suffers from many obtrusive moments, like spoiler[the goofy rappers that warn about a local demon] and really loses its impact by the end. Cowboy Bebop has better and worse episodes, but on the whole it is a well-made series that keeps a consistent style and has no obvious shortcomings (aside from the usual complaint about plot). |
|||
|
|||
penguintruth
 Posts: 8635 Location: Penguinopolis |
|
||
|
I always laugh when people accuse Cowboy Bebop of being too episodic. Notice how you never hear complaints about Lupin III being too episodic.
The nature of the profession of the show's main characters is episodic - they're bounty hunters. They live from bounty to bounty, day to day, with new incidents popping up that have little to do with each other. The way the show reveals a little more of the characters' personalities through these seemingly random events is where the real brilliance of the show lies. Yes, unlike Lupin, there is a main, underlying plot to the show - that being, Spike's past and his connections with Vicious and Julia. That storyline serves to bookend the series - the opening scene to the first episode is a flash to that conflict of Spike's past and when it really comes up for the first time in episode 5, the viewer can really see what Cowboy Bebop is really trying to accomplish via its portrayal of Spike Spiegel, and why he seems to be the main focus of the program. In the middle of the 26 episode run we have a return to this storyline , then through some of the forshadowing in that two-parter and later episodes, we see that there is something to come at the end to wrap up this storyline, and likely, the show. Which it does. I've read suggestions that the show would be better if it spent more time with this storyline, but I disagree. It would lose some of its other interesting qualities if it became too bogged down in the coming tempest - I think there's a perfect amount of what there needs to be for Spike's arc. As for what makes it outstanding - what, are you kidding? The perfect placing of cultural phenomenon, the outstanding and varying soundtrack from Yoko Kanno, the coreographed fight scenes, the suspenseful flight action, the over-the-top Hong Kong action flim-esque gun fights, the sort of cynical but silly atmosphere of a group that is very much a tribute to the Lupin gang and their hinjinks, these are all elements that I would use to describe why Cowboy Bebop is the universally loved anime television show. I've always said that there are two people who say they dislike Cowboy Bebop: those who haven't seen it and liars. Obviously that's not entirely accurate, but a joke on the fact that it's wildly popular, even among people who don't like anime (as I've found for years). It's got this cool flair to it, but it's more than just a hodgepodge of popular culture - it's something beautifully tragic and poetic. |
|||
|
|||
spooksmagee
 Posts: 182 Location: Rochester, NY |
|
||
|
You're not the only one. I tried to get a friend into anime by 1st showing him Bebop, (the obvious choice right?) but he just couldn't get into it. In a last ditch effort I suggested he try Samurai Champloo, which he absolutely loved. Still won't watch Bebop though.
|
|||
|
|||
jetz
 Posts: 2148 Location: Manila, Philippines |
|
||
|
I'm not one of them Cowboy Bebop fans either, but then again I haven't watched it entirely, and I only watched the one with the tagalog dub. I did acquire a DVD copy just yesterday so I might watch it one of these days.
I like Samurai Champloo too - in fact it's one of my favorites. |
|||
|
|||
|
Amethyst Alchemist
Former ANN Editor
Posts: 313 Location: where it's always a good morning |
|
||
|
Hmm. I appreciate all your input. I also like Samurai Champloo some. I'm glad I'm not completely alone. I wonder if I would like Bebop better if I watch it again. Guess I'll be watching some [as].
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group