Copyright © 1998 Sunrise Inc.

COWBOY BEBOP is an anime series that needs no introduction. If you're reading this article in the hopes of determining whether or not to buy the series, stop reading, and head down to your local anime shop of choice and buy this series now! Of course, if you're already collecting this amazing anime series, why are you reading this article? You should already have your Volume 5 DVD by now.
COWBOY BEBOP is hands-down the best anime series to come out of Japan in the last few years, and is destined for the coveted "Classic/Masterpiece Anime" status in years to come (then again, there's ESCAFLOWNE as well, but I digress). This "5th Session" DVD covers episodes #19-22 of the series, and if you thought the previous episodes were great, be prepared to be shocked as the episodes on this disc only get better!
Episode 19, "Wild Horses," is a wonderful story dealing with Spike trying to fix his Swordfish plane while taking on a group of criminal hackers who physically imbed computer viruses against any assailants by harpooning them and then feeding in the virus. Part classic BEBOP fun, and part tribute to Miyazaki's amazing PORCO ROSSO, this episode has it all.
And just when you think you have a grip on what BEBOP's all about, along comes Episode 20, "Pierrot La Fou." Folks, this episode alone is worth buying this DVD for! Part homage to a darker, more twisted Gotham City and Batman-feel, and part amazing BEBOP-style, this is one of the most amazing TV episodes I've ever seen in all my years of anime. The animation in this episode exceeds most anime movies in terms of quality and smoothness! This session basically deals with Spike accidentally stumbling upon a mass-murder shootout (or the end of one), and coming face-to-face with "Mad Pierrot," a legendary assassin who is like an unstoppable killing machine. On paper this may sound trite, but when you see it executed all of those doubts will be erased. There's so much energy and action in this episode that by the end, you feel like you've just watched an epic two hour movie.
And to perfectly complement the frenetic, dark nature of "Pierrot La Fou," comes Episode 21, "Boogie-Woogie Feng-Shui," a capricious yet very engaging tale that involves Jet Black and the daughter of a Feng-Shui master. Jet receives a mysterious e-mail from Pao, his long-time friend, yet when he goes looking for him, he discovers that he's already dead! At the graveyard, he meets Pao's daughter, who's a bit of a Feng-Shui master in her own right, and what you get is a wonderful adventure full of interesting twists involving the use of Feng-Shui (the ancient Chinese way of determining alignments with natural forces—essentially a superstitious way to gain good luck). The cute and funny relationship that develops between Jet and Pao's daughter brings a nice respite from the previous intense episode.
The final episode, 22 "Cowboy Funk," is probably one of the most indicative of what COWBOY BEBOP is all about...if that could be possible. A light-hearted, bizarre tale of Spike and company bounty hunting the "Teddy Bomber"—a person who leaves teddy bears filled with explosives at key buildings and then blows them up — and subsequently running into a full-on cowboy, named Andy, complete with the ten-gallon hat and a coal-black horse named Onyx. Andy is apparently just as well known to certain criminals as Spike is, and he's out to capture criminals as any true cowboy would. What ensues is a wonderful mixture of mistaken identities, a giant ego contest, and part spaghetti-western!
The DVD's video and audio quality is consistent with the rest of the series to date, with solid authoring by the great guys at Cinram/POP and Bandai's high quality production efforts. The video does suffer from some minor moire effects on complex bright lines but, besides that, it is a solid picture. (For those who are wondering, this is due to the source material and not Bandai or Cinram's fault—even the original import DVDs suffered from the same minor shimmering.) The audio should be commended for being redone in Dolby Pro-Logic (3 channel audio), which gives key action sequences wonderful depth, as explosions or gunfire fill the sound stage. For a TV series that was only in 2.0 stereo, this is a nice bonus.
Of course, the original Japanese voice actors continue to rock the house, perfectly complementing the characters. There could be no one else to fill the role of Spike Spiegel except Yamadera Kouichi, and the same goes with seasoned, deep-voiced Jet, the sexy-sultry Faye Valentine by none other than the ultimate seiyuu Hayashibara Megumi, the cute and wacky voice of Tada Aoi for Ed, and Ein.
This article couldn't end without mention of amazing music behind the show, done by the wonderful Kanno Yoko. The music pieces are absolutely perfect for each of the scenes that they are used in—a perfect blend of jazz, blues, bebop, techno and other unique styles that are as idiosyncratic to Kanno-san as each episode is to COWBOY BEBOP.
COWBOY BEBOP Volume 5, "5th Session" DVD is yet another must buy for anyone who has a pulse. From the great episodes to the wonderful localization effort by Bandai Entertainment, this is amazing. Check out the cool "Ed/Cyberspace" DVD menus, the wonderful packaging (the back of the DVD case is filled with informative and entertaining mini-bios about each crew member) and the all-color insert with Kawamoto art. There's also a nice DVD extra by way of a credit-less ending anime sequence, "The Real Folk Blues" song. The best part about this is that you can choose multiple subtitles to switch between: none, English lyrics, or the Japanese romaji.
By the way, I would strongly recommend that everyone watch the previews of the coming episodes found at the end of each episode. Normally, I skip these due to potential spoilers, but folks, nothing could be further from the truth! Since this is my second time through watching the BEBOP series, I decided to watch all the "Next Episode Previews" and imagine my surprise to find out that they are one of the best highlights to this series. They wonderfully reflect aspects of the characters and give insight into them, without spoiling what the next episode is about. If you haven't done so, go back and watch the previews, you'll be glad you did. In the end, COWBOY BEBOP is what anime is all about.

Released in North America by Bandai Entertainment
Bilingual DVD, 100 minutes
English dubbed / Japanese subtitled: #1294
$29.99
Available now in the USA
Where to buy