Cowboy Bebop

Plot:
In the year 2021 AD, the first Astral Gate is built in orbit around the Moon; a hyperspace gateway meant to expedite space colonization by making travel between planets a matter of days instead of months or years. This gate is destroyed in an incident that comes to be known as the "Gate Accident"; an explosion that shattered a massive piece of the Moon. Lunar debris began to fall upon the Earth with the same frequency as rain, devastating the planet's surface and killing 4.7 billion people. Fifty years later the human race numbers only 1.5 billion, but has colonized the entire Solar System through the use of perfected Gates.

While the Earth is still inhabited, its few remaining denizens must shelter themselves from the continuing rock falls in underground cities. With reconstruction rendered impossible by the rock falls, the human race instead terraformed other bodies of the Solar System including a variety of space habitats and industrialized asteroids. This solar community maintains a high level of racial and cultural diversity, and continues to use a large number of different languages, artwork and governments. However, its economy is predominantly Asian, using a nondivisible currency called the Woolong.

The population crash has led to a relative stagnation in technological development, though the Gates make space travel relatively easy. Directed energy weapons exist, but are large and dependent on heavy power sources. Gunpowder-based projectile weapons are the mainstay of combat, and many gun models from the beginning of the 20th century continue to be widely used.

As the Gates make it possible to cross the System in a matter of weeks, it became unfeasible for law enforcement to pursue criminals away from a given world. Criminal activity increased at every level of society; small-time criminals could act with relative impunity, and ruthless crime syndicates became as powerful as multinational corporations. In response, the bounty system of the Old West was reinstated throughout the System. Bounty hunters are encouraged to capture criminals and return them (alive and relatively unharmed) to the authorities for monetary rewards, in part through a regular television broadcast of "Big Shot", a bounty-hunter news program featuring Punch and Judy. This TV show is broadcast with a western motif and in the slang of the era, the term "Cowboys" refers to bounty hunters.

The crew of the spaceship Bebop are a partnership of "cowboys" (originally Spike & Jet) who travel the solar system trying to apprehend bounties. The Bebop is made up of a bridge, general living quarters, storage for food and supplies, and a small hangar to allow docking of smaller one-man space vessels. Jet owns the Bebop itself, but has partnered with Spike for his diverse combat skills; he is a master of Jeet Kune Do, marksmanship, and space fighter combat. Though he is reluctant to admit it, Jet has also come to rely on Spike for companionship in the normally solitary field of bounty hunting. The entire system is open to them via the Gates, but they regularly spend much of their time on Mars, the new hub of human civilization.

Most episodes revolve around attempts to bring in a specific bounty, but the show often shares its focus with the pasts of each of the main characters and of more general past events, which are revealed and brought together as the series progresses. Some of the Bebop's varied targets include small time thugs, gangsters, hackers (known as "Net Divers" in slang), religious leaders, psychopaths, genetic experiments, mutant creatures and petty thieves.

Characters:Spike Spiegel is a former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate who is haunted by the memory of his time in the organization, namely his romantic relationship with a mysterious woman named Julia, and his former syndicate partner, Vicious.

Jet Black, a former Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP) officer and the owner of the Bebop. Once called "The Black Dog" by his fellow officers for his relentless nature, he bears a cybernetic arm as constant reminder of what happened when he rushed into trouble without looking first. Like Spike, he is haunted by the memory of a woman: Alisa, his longtime girlfriend who left him without notice.

Ein, a Welsh Corgi and former lab animal identified as a "data dog" by the scientists who created him. The reason for this title is never explained, but it is suggested that he possesses enhanced intelligence, which he displays in subtle ways throughout the series. Despite his enhanced intelligence and comprehension, the rest of the Bebop crew typically fail to notice these qualities.

Faye Valentine, an amnesiac awakened from a 54-year cryogenic slumber after being injured. She is tricked into assuming the debt of the man who woke her, and constantly attempts to gamble on quick cash as a solution to her debt. Her gambling and competitive skills are unrivaled as she has won every game in her life, except when playing Spike, when introduced in the series. Her past and her real name are a mystery as the name "Valentine" was given to her by a doctor. Her history is unraveled progressively throughout the series.

Edward, a young, eccentric computer genius and master hacker. Though she is a girl, there is a popular confusion as to Ed's gender due to her name and androgynous appearance. She gave herself the long and fanciful name "Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV" after running away to an orphanage, but after her father is found it is revealed later on that her real name is Françoise Appledelhi. She goes by the name Radical Edward when hacking, and commonly spends the most time with Ein.

Vicious, Spike's former syndicate partner and the only recurring antagonist of the series. He is seen in several episodes grabbing for power within the organization by killing members of the organization's leadership. His relationship with Spike and Julia is displayed through flashbacks that Spike experiences, but never explained in detail.

Julia, a beautiful and mysterious woman from both Spike and Vicious' pasts. Despite being among the main driving points for the entire series, Julia only appears in flashbacks until the final two episodes of the series. She acts as a stark contrast to the world around her—her blond hair, bright red umbrella and automobile stand out in the otherwise drab environments that she inhabits.

Final Feelings:
First off, this anime is known to be one of the best animes around. I don't know how it got known for that, but don't get me wrong this was a very good anime and I would suggest this anime to anyone, but it was not one my favorite animes. I had enjoyed other animes like Code Geass, and Rurouni Kenshin more then this, but those are two different animes. Now for the plus side if you are looking for something with alot of action, this is your anime as there is tons of action in it. There is also some comedy in it as well that will give you a couple of laughs. For the story, it is pretty good as I have always like animes with Sci fi/bounty hunter theme to it like Hyper Police. Also if you like jazz music, you will love this anime as it has tons of jazz music in it.
Recommended: Yes for all