Copyright © 1998 Sunrise Inc.

Followup to the previous review in EX 5.6:

With its trademark grace and originality, one of the most entertaining and storied anime series of the last decade, COWBOY BEBOP, glides to its shattering conclusion with the four amazing episodes on this disk. Visually powerful, intellectually stimulating and emotionally riveting, these episodes are also solidly entertaining.
"Brain Scratch" opens the disk and features the cinematic technique of channel surfing to establish its central premise. As somebody changes the television station, we learn that there is an ominous cult calling itself SCRATCH spreading through the solar system. Led by its Heaven's Gate-like guru, SCRATCH preaches that humans can achieve salvation electronically by digitizing their souls and forsaking their bodies. When Faye suddenly appears on screen at a SCRATCH meeting, we realize that she's after the 38 million woolong bounty on the leader's head.
A clever and depressing treatise on the influence of television on the modern psyche is at play here, but there are also a number of light-hearted moments. Some of the TV commercials are hilarious (especially the exercising DJ equipment) and other great scenes include the datadog Ein in action and Edward in a dress, calling Jet "Papa." We also see the final episode of the delightfully goofy "Big Shot: For the Bounty Hunters."
The second episode on the disk, "Hard Luck Woman," focuses on the two female members of the crew as they hijack the Bebop to return to Earth. They each have unresolved issues in their past which can only be sorted out there, as Faye tries to regain the memory of her earlier life while Edward has the chance to meet her father. At times very comical while other scenes are truly heart wrenching, this is a splendid episode, rich with humor and sadness.
"The Real Folk Blues," parts 1 and 2, are the last two episodes on this disk and masterfully tie together the dramatic tensions built around Spike and his past that have developed throughout the series. As Vicious leads a terrifying civil war within the Red Dragon Syndicate, Julia and Spike are finally reunited while fighting for their very lives. These are physically and emotionally violent episodes, riddled with bullets and stained by blood and tears as COWBOY BEBOP closes with fantastic action and a powerful emotional intensity.
My only complaints with this disk are minor peculiarities with its DVD presentation. I have to admit that the main menu interfaces grate on my nerves—I know they are supposed to evoke Ed's computer hacking, but the unceasing static buzzing and farting sounds set my teeth on edge. Also, while other BEBOP DVDs offered music videos or interviews with the creators, the only extra feature on this disk is an image gallery of the DVD and VHS covers. Furthermore, while the English dub is professional and smooth, I doubt that many actors can really capture Faye's witchiness or Edward's random kookiness as found in the original Japanese.
Nevertheless, as has been written many times already in EX, BEBOP is a modern anime classic. The series finishes as strongly as it began, with the final episodes on this disk remaining true to the humor, drama and action that make BEBOP so amazing.

Released in North America by Bandai Entertainment
DVD, 100 minutes
Bilingual/Subtitled and Dubbed, 1295
$29.99
Available now in the USA
Where to buy