Cowboy Bebop Remix Volume 01 (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 5 Language Options English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by Bandai Entertainment Extras: - Cowboy Bebop Trailer Collection - Cowboy Bebop Cartoon Network Promos - Commentary Episode 01 – Japanese Seiyuu: Koichi Yamada, Unshou Ichizuka - Commentary Episode 05 – American Voices: Wendee Lee, Yutaka Maseba - Interview with Wendee Lee - Cowboy Bebop Movie Trailer - Textless Ending
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Cowboy Bebop Remix Volume 01 (DVD)

The crew of the Bebop is once again ready to take control of space, bringing bad guys to justice and trying to make some cash while doing it. Join the always-cool Spike, investigative genius Jet, the fabulous Faye, the amazing (but weird) Ed, and the super smart Welsh Corgi named Ein as they try to make a buck in the year 2071. How do they do it? They’re bounty hunters. But then again, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t already know that…

Now the entire series has been remastered into full Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. So sit back, turn your speakers up, and get ready to experience Cowboy Bebop Remix!

Cowboy Bebop holds that special place in my heart, it’s the first anime that I bought on DVD (for a collection that continues to grow like a fungus) and it’s easily one of my favorites for the amazing score, clever characters, and action that used every dimension that exists. Flowing from scene to scene like water over rocks, every episode of Cowboy Bebop balances drama, style, and action like no other. Like the box states, the show has been re-released in Dolby 5.1 and the difference those extra channels make. Each song is that much deeper to listen to and each sound reverberates in the room. Definitely worth picking up for the hard-core fans, and if you don’t own it… what the hell’s wrong with you?

Session #1: Asteroid Blues

Meet the main characters - Spike Spiegel and Jet Black. Two futuristic bounty hunters that travel the galaxy in their converted fishing ship "Bebop". Spike is a former syndicate member who uses his relaxed style and combat abilities well with Jet's detective skill to find their current target. The starting story is regarding the hunting of a traitorous drug runner who ran away from his syndicate with a large supply of "red-eye". This drug when administered will increase the reaction time of the user allowing them to move fast enough to dodge bullets and generally annihilate people in hand to hand combat. Introduced into the story is the shaman who predicts Spike's imminent death by a woman. This becomes an important theme - a combination of destiny and duty as each character is forced to face their past or relive it in some manner. An excellent story that showcases some excellent CGI work with a demonstration of Spike's fighting ability - a great start to the series.

Session #2: Stray Dog Strut

Introduction of Ein - the beloved pet of the Bebop crew. The main story is about the capture of a criminal that has abducted an illegal "data dog". This dog (Ein) is a Welsh Corgi and represents extensive genetic tailoring which has been outlawed in the galaxy. You soon realize that Ein may just be a little dog, but I certainly can't recall a dog that smart or on top of everything that occurs. The interests become

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significant players as the criminal, the original corporation, and the Bebop crew all converge. The criminal knows the value of his capture and is trying to sell the dog to a black market contact; the corporation wants to recover the dog because police discovery of the dog could devastate their research; the Bebop crew has the dog (which they don't want) and wants the criminal. Great story with some truly funny jokes and situations.

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Session #3: Honky Tonk Women

Introduction of Faye Valentine - the gambler/bounty hunter. Faye is captured by her gambling creditors and is brought into service in an important recovery deal. Although extremely beautiful, it represents only one of her talents - using her looks to distract allows her to bring her marksman abilities or flying talents to bear. Her (rather extensive) debt will be wiped clean if she is to impersonate a dealer at a blackjack table waiting for a person who will lose all his money and then give a "special chip" to her as a tip. Enter Spike who drops a wad at the table but then walks away with his remaining chip - thinking that there was a problem, Faye chases after him while Spike bumps into the actual carrier and in the confusion ends up with the chip in question. As soon as the security force becomes involved a guns-blazing firefight ensues and Faye escapes onto the Bebop. Once the crew discovers the mix-up, they try to trade with the creditors. Humor paired with excellent CGI flight action sequences make this a great episode.

Session #4: Gateway Shuttle

The crew of the Bebop officially swells to three with the "recovery" of Faye. This story involves the capture of "Mother", the leader of a group of environmental terrorists. This group is trying to stop the fishing of a species of sea rat that is considered a delicacy but is nearing extinction. The threatening weapon is a bio-weapon called "Monkey Madness" that would cause a genetic change on all humans. The change in question is a DNA restructuring that would cause people to become apes (some changes would be less dramatic than others I suppose). The Bebop crew manages to capture "Mom" early but as the local government is threatened the bounty is revoked with Spike and Jet holding a terrorist with no value. Superb story paired with their usual hilarity.

Session #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels

Introduction of Vicious - a psychopathic killer from Spike's past who is trying to gain control of the syndicate on Mars. The story starts out with the assassination of a the envoy between rival syndicate groups - the leader of the other group (coincidentally is a friend of Spike) is subsequently killed by Vicious in an attempt to initiate a war between the factions. The posting of this leader on the wanted list brings the Bebop to Mars with Spike realizing who he is. As each member follows their own lead, Spike learns what really happened but Faye is captured by Vicious in an attempt to draw Spike into a battle. As Spike moves around Mars, glimpses into his past and mental stability are shown and bring into question the re-occurring theme of fate into the picture. Spike agrees to meet Vicious, not to save Faye, but to kill Vicious! One of my favorite episodes in the series!

This disc is worth the cost just to hear the opening theme “Tank!” cleaned up and sharper, but all of the background sound effects come across that much sharper. I certainly wasn’t expecting much from a re-release, but I was impressed in the aural depth of the series and am looking forward to re-watching the whole series in 5.1 now.

- Tazman

(September 12, 2005)

"What ever you do don't panic!"

"I'm not panicking."

"Well you should be!"

- Chief and Stripperella (Stripperella)