Anime 5 Cowboy Bebop Tengoku No Tobira Reviews Filter Check 1

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door is a great addition to the Cowboy Bebop series, but no more. It is by no means a sequel, and after watching it, I found that it's best watched in the middle of the series, and not neccesarily at the end. If it's got a specific place or not, that I don't know, but that's not very important at any rate, and if you've watched the entire series, it shouldn't be hard to mentally place it inside the series anyway.

This time, a terrorist possesses a weapon capable of killing countless people, and there's a bounty of 300 million ... woolongs on him; the largest bounty ever given. Of course, this means that our heroes will chase him. And so starts the process of gathering information, meeting and getting to know people related to the bounty in some way, and eventually, squaring off against him in a final fight. Oh, and throw in a save-the-world thing this time, and there you have the movie. Nothing really new, a formula that's been used several times. There's also details here and there left unexplained, and things may just happen for no reason at the rare occasion. Its 120 minutes might be a little too long to some, but it never came off as boring at any point to me; they certainly did a good job of fleshing out those 120 minutes.

Though, that may be credited more to the characters than the plot itself, as the movie threw some really interesting characters at us. The orignal cast is, well, pretty much the same as they always are, the same characters which you (probably) got to love while watching the original series. As for the movie characters, we have for example Vincent, the main bad guy. He's quite the interesting fellow, though the more I think about it, the more I can't help but feel that I've experienced his type somewhat before - he's got a mysterious past; a forgotten love included, he's going to kill loads of people for no good reason, and he blathers out sentences about religion and whatnot. Nevertheless, he comes off as an interesting character, mostly because of him being similar to Spike - both in physical prowess and their considering themselves 'dead' men due to past events. Then we have Electra, Vincent's past love once forgotten. She remembers him though, and well, she wants him to remember her as well. We can see where that's heading...

The animation quality is superb; its detail and overall quality is unmistakably a work done by people who knows what they are doing. Be it backgrounds or landscapes, they're all top-notch. Lighting effects are good, and more than I'd exect from something out of 2001, and the overall quality of special effects are great; much, much better than the original series. The character designs are the same old, with some improvements, and they work very well with this anime and movie. The character motions and their fluidity are great, and the few action scenes in the movie are done so well that I could probably learn some nice figthing moves merely from studying them. The coloring is the only thing that's a bit behind, but considering its age it's not a problem. And moreso, the dulled coloring actually melds perfectly with the style of the movie, and helps on the movie's atmosphere.

The soundtrack is what you should expect from the original series; awesome. Yoko Kanno does her work as she did in the series; with an amazing soundtrack that fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the movie and its individual scenes, and the opening and ending themes are wonderful to listen to. The only downside is that there is a lot of silent scenes, where no background music is present at all.

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door is a movie that delivers the goods, but stops at that. It's not marvelous, but it's great, and a must-see movie for any Cowboy Bebop fan.

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door was released in Japan on September 1st, 2001. Shinichiro Watanabe stayed on as director, and it was produced this time by not only Sunrise, but also Bandai Visual (famous for their work on the .hack series and Dennou Coil), and Bones (famous for their work on Fullmetal Alchemist and Ouran High School Host Club). It was released Stateside by Bandai on August 11th, 2002.

It's just a few days before Halloween on Ganymede, a major national holiday, and a terrorist has blown up a tanker filled with a biochemical weapon. The government posts a 300 million Wulong ... bounty for the terrorist, and the Bebop crew just decides to go after it. But the more they investigate, the deeper the rabbit hole seems to go...

Yes, to answer any questions ahead of time, this is not a sequel; it takes place between episodes twenty-two and twenty-three. It's not quite what I was expecting, admittedly, but it's still a pretty good plot. It could've been fit in the series as a two or three part episode, and apparently Wantanabe had wanted to originally, but he couldn't have gotten away with it on TV.

The visuals for this are absolutely beautiful; the animation got an update in the three years since the show had aired, and things are definitely smoother than they were in the show. There's an even more unprecedented amount of detail in this, and it's absolutely beautiful.

Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts came back to do work on the music again, and it's just as awesome and catchy as it was in the series. I found myself humming a few of the songs after it was done.

All the seiyuu and the voice actors were able to return for the movie, which just adds t o the awesomeness of the movie in general. And the dub for this was actually fairly accurate, which surprises me, as this was released Stateside a little over a year after 9/11, and a few days before the 9/11 attacks over in Japan.

All in all, a pretty good movie, with a good plot and unprecedented detail and smoother animation, if not what I was expecting.

It was a good follow up (in-between, actually) to the series. I suggest that if you’re planning to watch Cowboy Bebop – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, you should watch after you get to the episode when Ed is introduced. You just need to get to know all 4 major characters to understand the movie.

I didn’t like it as much as the series, mostly because the series kept me interested by introducing new plot lines in each episode. Having to focus on one specific plot for 120 minutes was a bit exhausting. It has a nice plot – throughout the movie you’ll get why “Knockin’ on ... Heaven’s Door” is part of the title. I also found the plot to be timely. Terrorism is a problem that’s been widespread throughout the world for years, and it’s interesting to see a group of bounty hunters trying to do something good for mankind.

The characters are back, of course. They’re still the same as they were in the series. 2 more major characters are introduced throughout the movie. The villain is Vincent Volaju, a mysterious terrorist with a forgotten past. He is definitely convincing as a villain, at least I think so. Electra is also a character added to the mix. I didn’t really like her, mostly because she looks like a guy, but her presence is important to the story. The original voice actors are also back to reprise their respective roles. I would have been mad if they changed the voice actors.

I think one of the major innovations in the movie is the visuals. The visuals are 10 times more stunning than in the series, all thanks to the collaboration with BONES studio. I guess it may have something to do with the fact that it was produced in 2001, and 2001 animation definitely improved since 1998. The screenplay was also as great as before.

Yoko Kanno came back to do the music again, but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed. There were less tracks than there were in the series, and there were a lot of scenes where there was no background music at all. That was a rare occurrence in the series. The opening theme, "Ask DNA" by The Seatbelts featuring Raju Ramayya and the ending theme "Gotta Knock a Little Harder" by The Seatbelts featuring Mai Yamane, were really nicely done though.

Obviously, I liked the series better, but that may have something to do with the fact that I finished the series first before watching the movie. It’s kind of hard to top the ending of the series, so it’s best if you watch the movie in between the series.

Warning : minor spoilers ahead

It was a month ago when I finished cowboy bebop series, and i would say that i was a little bit disappointed. Why would I be disappointed? Well, mostly because many episodes almost feel like fillers, they don't support character development and some enemies just minor criminals/bounties and those villains rarely have interesting characters.

After sometime, I decided to watch the CB movie. And I would say the movie was very good. This movie has the elements that some cowboy bebop episodes lack. Mostly the well developed story and characters(villains).

Story (8/10)
"Which one is dream? Which one is reality? A 'deadman', searching ... for that answer, tries to endanger the society. It is up to Spike and the gang to stop him". Yup, that was pretty much the synopsis of the movie. Like the series, the story presents a sci-fi modern era where humans has lived in other planets. Our MCs (Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed), are bounty hunters. This time, they are trying to catch an unknown terrorist. Unlike the series, which lack episodic story development because they have only 20 minutes duration for one story, the movie has almost 2 hours duration. It really has a great difference to tell a story. The story plot is very well chronologically executed, and not rushed. We got to see a complex investigation, gaining information, interesting background story and past of the main villain, good action scenes, and a nice final conclusion of all of them. The big differences i felt most with the series are this movie presents us a nice built villains, well developed plot, bigger case and conflicts that put our MCs in critical situation, which rarely seen in the series.

Art (9/10)
Considering the time it was aired, I would say the animations are great. The backgrounds are nice and the movements were fluid. But what I like most is the character design. It was unique in my opinion, no moe, and it gives me more mature atmosphere from it.

Sound (8/10)
The sountrack is like the original series, the classic ones. Nice OP and ED. Soundtracks also fit well with the atmosphere of the scenes. Though a few scenes were quiet and don't have BGM in it. Voice acting is also good.

Character (8/10)
We got our MCs back, Spike and the gang, whose characters are the same with the series. Spike being a cool badass, Faye being selfish and ignorant, Jet who is sometimes being the most sane one, and Ed is.. crazy..
What really caught my attentions was the main villain's character, Vincent. A man with an interesting past that leads to his interesting philosophy (which one is dream, which one is reality). To seek his answes he will do anything. Interesting terrorism, which he also left mystery to be solved. Above all that, he also really got some skills to overpower the main protagonist.

Enjoyment (8/10)
Yeah, let's make this one short. From the scores above I'd say I really enjoy this movie. It was a nice watch and it has cured my disappointment of CB franchise.

Overall (8/10)
Cause the majority of above scores i gave were 8s, then my overall score would be 8, which means really good.

Meant to take place between episodes 22 and 23 of the series, "Cowboy Bebop - Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is just like an extra long episode of "Cowboy Bebop". It's got the same style, same humour, and even the same underlying melancholic feel. The production somehow manages to look even more expensive than the production of old, with the crisp animation shining through especially, featuring some fluid, breathtaking action sequences that's at least as good as anything in the series.

Having the "Cowboy Bebop" tag in front of the movie's title is both a blessing and a curse for the movie. The blessing is that it ... gets to use the great foundation set by the series. In particular, it's always good to see the colourful characters that make up the crew of the Bebop once more. I've grown so fond of them it's like meeting old friends again - they've not changed a bit. This movie is good in much the same way that the average single episode from the series is good - it's just a really well made action/adventure story.

At the same time, it's only natural to start comparing this movie against the series... and this is where it falls considerably short. You see, the series is far greater than the sum of its parts - although each individual episode is very good in its own right, they are rarely spectacular with a few notable exceptions, and this movie ain't one of the exceptions. When you add all the episodes together, then you start seeing what makes "Cowboy Bebop" so brilliant - its variety. When you take this aspect away, the whole idea starts to break down. The "Cowboy Bebop" movie is supposed to feel like a longer story, but instead feels more like a normal length story stretched out to be film length - perhaps this is due to the fact that I've come to expect a certain amount of freshness from the series' constant genre switching, and obviously this freshness is lost when it comes to this movie.

Still, most of the essence of "Cowboy Bebop" is still here, and it's enough to make "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" a very good movie in its own right... but it just can't match the enjoyment and addictiveness offered by the series. As the final outing featuring the crew of the Bebop, it felt like a bit of an anti climax because it couldn't quite compare with the grand finale of the series. So I would advise other people to watch this before episode 23 of "Cowboy Bebop" and allow the ending of the series to finish the franchise in style.

Overview:

How do you follow up a series as badass and flawless as Cowboy Bebop? This is a difficult task, but this movie did a pretty damn good job!

Plot and characters: 8/10

The plot obviously didn't have the time to create the same amount of character development, background, and depth that a 26 episode series has. However, the movie introduces a pretty decent antagonist with Vincent. Vincent is a bioterrorist who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Vlad the Impaler for whatever reason. He is a man haunted by a cruel past. This includes the brutal Titan War that Vicious and Gren also fought in during ... the original series, as well as enduring horrendous biological experiments much like Gren. Unlike Gren, Vincent doesn't develop female sex charactericstics and instead is driven totally insane. However, unlike Vicious he retains some level of sympathy and isn't purely evil like our favorite katana weilding psychopath. Elektra is another character introduced in the movie that was a fun character with some awesome fight scenes. The plot is essentially that the Bebop crew must hunt its biggest bounty ever while saving Mars from a bioterrorism attack. The plot wraps up nicely and doesn't leave any dangling plot threads. It isn't the deepest story ever, but it works very well for an action movie. The fight scenes and action scenes are INCREDIBLE and the movie features in my opinion the best aerial dogfight of any movie...ever! I don't even care its a cartoon. It is the best!

Animation and sound: 10/10

This not only gives us the triumphant return of Bebop's amazing jazz soundtrack, but smoother animation and as mentioned previously, incredible action. This movie looks great, sounds great, and is an absolute joy to watch.

Overall: 9/10

This is a spinoff action movie for the Cowboy Bebop series, so like I mentioned earlier it doesn't really have time to establish the same depth as the main series. That isn't really the point. The point of this movie is first and foremost to be entertaining and it succeeds in that very well! For what it is, this is a great movie and a must see for any Bebop fan or anime fan in general!

Okay guys, what's up all... It's 5:21pm as I'm writing this. What i have to say I was a little disappointed to see little in the way of either cowboys or dancing in the feature of the same name (which came out in Japan in 2001, but hit U.S. theaters briefly in the spring of 2003), but that's ultimately probably for the best. In the world of Cowboy Bebop, it's the year 2071, a time when the Earth has become almost uninhabitable and everyone has moved out to other planets in the solar system, like Mars. The plucky little band of bounty hunters who ... star in the film -- the closest thing to cowboys here -- are getting restless with picking up minor thugs for chump change. Fortunately for them, a terrorist explodes a tanker truck full of some germ agent on a crowded downtown highway - apparently they haven't fixed the traffic problem on Mars yet - killing dozens of people and getting a massive bounty put out on him.


Vincent, the "terrorist," baffles everyone, as he doesn't seem to have much of a motive, and might just be having anger management issues. Most of the Cowboy band - coolly magnetic Spike Spiegel, gruff Jet Black, and the very capable Faye Valentine - spreads out across the city to find out what the guy's problem is and what exactly what was the agent that he was using. It's a good excuse to show off the film's impeccable design, which incorporates familiar elements from Earth cities and reproduces them on Mars, presumably as the inhabitants' way of remembering their ruined home planet (several New York icons are used as background, including the Flatiron building and even, this being a 2001 film, the World Trade Center). Thus we get several scenes set in a North African-style bazaar, and even a climactic showdown on an Eiffel Tower, during a Halloween parade, no less.

Some have complained that Cowboy Bebop is not much of a movie and is merely a standard-issue episode of the series stretched out to a little under two hours in length. Again, having never seen the show, this could very well be correct, and it is definitely true that there's probably only about an hour's worth of story here. And although some passages in the film drag, especially before the truth of Vincent's psychopathic mission is uncovered, the lustrous animation is more than enough compensation.

Also, it seems churlish to make such a critique of a movie that not only has such wonderful characters but isn't particularly hurried to push them into drama for the sake of drama. At a time when Hollywood live-action product is so neurotic about keeping its audience glued to the screen at every possible second (jokes! explosions! no down time!), it's ironic that an anime feature, a genre which had originally penetrated the US market based primarily on its high-impact, anti-Disney, sex 'n' violence approach, should be so confident and relaxed. Even the voice actors here take it low-key, often talking in quiet, hushed tones instead of the !exclamation marks! favored by most animated product (Pixar excepted).

Spike Spiegel is a case in point. Not your average anime hero - he doesn't have steroid-sized muscles, a gun the size of a person, and isn't a vampire - he's pretty good with his kung fu and knows how to use a pistol, but seems more interested in kicking back and having a smoke.

Now to finalize it all, Cowboy Bebop is one of the most popular and influential animes out there. Directed to jazzy perfection by Shinichirô Watanabe, with a brilliant score by the musical legend, Yoko Kanno, Cowboy Bebop is a must-watch. *Okay I deserve a pat on my back lol 😆😆😆* 10/10

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (retitled in America as simply Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) is the full-length feature film based on the show of the same name.

All in all, this movie is basically like an extended episode of the anime series (and was apparently originally intended to be just that). It does not outshine the show, but does not sit in its shadow either. It holds its own against any number of the more "exquisite" episodes of the main series. (Biased me: They're all good to begin with, but you get my drift.)

The movie technically/officially takes place between episodes 22 and ... 23 of the series, but does not affect the events of the main show in any way (or vice versa). For this reason, it is a very versatile entry to the Bebop universe.

The plot is fairly standard for an episode of Bebop and features the crew searching for bounties on Mars. When a truck is detonated in the planet's capital city causing a huge spread of a biochemical weapon, a generous bounty is posted by the world's government for the capture of the unknown terrorists. Obviously in their true typical form, the crew of Bebop doesn't miss a beat in responding to the call. As the crew digs deeper and chases the mysterious terrorists, they discover however all is not as simple as it should be.

The entire voice cast (both Sub and Dub) reunite for the film, as well as the welcomed return of the iconic Yoko Kano and her band The Seatbelts (who composed the music for the original show). On top of these perfect garnishes, due to a higher budget, the animation is also simply a smoother version of the original show's material. What cannot be liked here in the technical department?

As I mentioned earlier about this film's versatility, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie works on multiple levels. If one is trying on Bebop for size due to the amount of praise they have heard about the show, this is a great in-road to go with (this or episode 5 are my recommendations for starters). Or, on an even more general plane of scope, many consider this a great film to give someone a taste of anime in general. I wholeheartedly agree, this movie is that good (and yes, I'm kind of biased as this is my favorite anime of all-time, in general).

Unlike the show, we don't get 26 episodes to watch the characters of the Bebop crew develop and grow as we piece together their backstories/flush out their personalities. However, the movie does a good job masking this, in the sense that it doesn't need to do it. Whether you are unrelated to the show or not, the movie is still enjoyable and intriguing. The characters are their classic dynamic selves (which is what makes the show so special). The plot does lean on complexity, in terms of exposition, for the finer points...but for a first-time watcher it didn't bother me (and on return viewings, I've since figured everything out).

If you like Cowboy Bebop at all, there is no reason you will dislike this movie....none. It flows as well as any given episodes of the show and even has a bit more "grandiosity" to it because of its status as a film. It is definitely an action-filled blast. Whether you missed it during your original watch through the main show, or picked this up where it works in episodic order, you won't be sorry you missed this special outing with the Bebop crew.

It's a good film no doubt but it's definitely a bit too long. It plays like an extended TV episode (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but unfortunately it isn't up there with the best episodes to be found in the series. Still it's always good to see Spike and the gang in action seeing as it looks like there isn't going to be a new series made anytime soon for obvious reasons! Its very stylised and is fantastically shot but it seems to drag at times. It would have been nice if it could've linked in a bit more of the Vicious/Julia/Spike backstory into ... the plot too. As it is it's a worthwhile and entertaining side story but probably isn't gonna convert any non-believers out there.

Knocking on Heavens Door by far one of my biggest cult classic anime films of all time.

I will tell you now this gets straight 10s across the board. This film is the follow up to the cowboy bebop series and its a great addition to the saga. In the series were left with some unanswered things and this movie is not about answering that or tying loose ends. This is like a really long episode of Bebop with a exceedingly deep plot.

You could kinda have guessed its like a episode since its named after a song by Bob Dylan like every episode in the series ... with its musical themed names. This movie actually ups the production value of the show a lot with a grittier and darker style animation with some rather beautiful scenes. The musical influences of bebop is seen in the general flow of the show in how it all runs smoothly into the next scene. A great soundtrack by the seatbelts who performed the majority of the series music.

The characters we all love are back together for the task of saving mars from the pathogen. What makes me happiest is that the series did not have to necessarily end on the sad notes the tv series did. Since this came out after bebop ended and it is set between episode 22 and 23 of the series a lot of people could see this as a more triumphant ending to the franchise rather than a awesome side story. I am not saying they could consider this taken place after the series but more than a better send off than the way it left spike in the stairwell.

I felt this was great, i liked seeing the crew of the Bebop in one last true victory. I liked the ending of the TV series but i wish it could have ended with a stronger sense of victory and that's what this movie gave to me in the end.If i can say anything more about this show is that it carry's with it the spirit of the series on a epic scale.

Cowboy Bebop Knocking on heavens door is an outstanding film that will always have a place in my top movies.

Story: The story takes place in-between Sessions 22 and 23 of the original series. One great addition is it sticks the original fashion of Cowboy Bebop, so you can connect if you've seen the series.

Art: Cowboy Bebop taking place in the year 2071, i found the art to be wonderful. It shows all the different ideas of the future, such as ships, cell phones, space, and very much more.

Sound: Experiencing both the English and Japanese tracks, it is always very ... opinion based. Although i typically watch Anime in subtitles, i loved the voice of Steven Blum as Spike. I also noticed on the final fight scene, the grunts of pain and heavy breathing simply did not exist on the Japanese track.

Character: Cowboy Bebop has very odd characters, making it all so much sweeter. Weather it is Spike's humor or Faye's attitude, all characters deliver a very unique experience.

Enjoyment: Being a fan of the series before i even saw the movie, I knew i would very much enjoy Cowboy Bebop. It met very well to my expectations, and has got me to re-watch it over and over again.

Overall: Cowboy Bebop is an outstanding film, and I would recommend it to Anime fans of all kinds. Especially if you are a fan of the series, this is a must watch.

Three years after the conclusion of Cowboy Bebop, we return once more to the futuristic world of Spike Spiegel and his fellow bounty hunters to solve one last bounty, one that boasts the highest stakes of them all. Tengoku no Tobira challenges the conventions of an "anime film" by serving as a proper, standalone addition to a well-renowned, richly developed universe.

Story (read the synopsis first!)

While the story initially starts off like just another bounty, there's a certain amount of character to this movie that sets it apart from the original series. For one, its involves a darker, more sinister tone that juxtaposes itself to ... Cowboy Bebop with a stark contrast of attitude. Further, while most of the previous bounties focused on isolated antagonists, Tengoku no Tobira concerns itself with a primary antagonist in Vincent Volaju, one quality enough to rival even Vicious.

The story progresses at a smooth rate, though some viewers may find themselves uncomfortable with the length of the film. There are several scenes that are silent and drawn out, such as Spike's wandering around Mars, with others very sedentary and dialogue-heavy, such as various back-and-forths between Spike and Jet. Personally, I enjoy both of these types of scenes, as well as longer film lengths, so I didn't find it much of an issue. Just sit back and enjoy 'em!

Art

Man, wouldn't it have been great if this is the animation we had from the start? Considering its age, Cowboy Bebop expressed respectable animation, yet Tengoku no Tobira kicks everything up a notch by featuring considerably fluent, colorful, and realistic animation for our viewing pleasure. The atmosphere of a scene is never in question and properly made to represent a the intended tone of a scene. Certain combat scenes were considerably inventive for their time, showcasing the technical prowess of each of the three studios involved in the animation.

Sound

Nothing surprising here. The soundtrack of the film was quite amazing. Yoko Kanno returns as the music director as certainly does not disappoint by bringing the same stylized vibe that enlivened the main series to Tengoku no Tobira. Certain tracks also assume the locale in which it is played, notably the Arabic district Spike visits at points in the film, enriching the cultural value of the soundtrack as well.

Character

None of the characters from the main series particularly change their attitudes or personalities in this film. I think retaining a certain sense of familiarity was the better route, as the story was meant more to focus on the newly presented characters and not so much any character development from the original cast. That being said, it's always fun to hang out with the Bebop crew again, and there's enough screen-time for each of them to please any fan.

While there are a handful of supporting characters, the two new additions worth mentioning are antagonist Vincent Volaju and deuteragonist Electra Ovilo.

Vincent redefines what it means to be cryptic and menacing, inciting some particularly intriguing dialogues on the concepts of both sanity and morality. Whereas Vicious' antagonism towards Spike was more one of relation, Vincent's was one of ideology, yet no less intense.

Electra served more of a supporting role in the film, though her relationship with Vincent and Spike led to some interesting dynamics that did well to increase the value of the plot. Those who enjoy strong, independent female characters will enjoy Electra.

Enjoyment

It's hard not to enjoy anything remotely Cowboy Bebop related. Watanabe and the crew could have put me in front of a two-hour dialogue between Spike and Jet on the merits of bonsai and I'd have gotten a kick out of it. Tengoku no Tobira, however, sets it apart from your typical anime film in that its very standalone in terms of its depth and relevancy compared to the main series. It's not a simple time waster presented to fans of the original series to bait their wallets, rather we as consumers complete the film with a sense of appreciation and admiration. Simply put, if you liked Cowboy Bebop, you will like Tengoku no Tobira.

Be sure to look out for the butterflies. They're quite beautiful.

I've been on a roll with this Cowboy Bebop show. Just finished the series earlier today, and now I'm done with the film. Let's jump into this review!

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is essentially a high budget, longer than usual episode of the show. And you know what? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This time around, we've got Spike and company going up against Vincent, an ex-military soldier turned bio-terrorist. He's launched a campaign of carnage on Mars, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Oh, and there's a 300 million Woolong bounty on the fellow.

It's a typical Cowboy Bebop story, and it ... works fine. The whole gang is back, plus some new additions. Of course, you've got the villain, Vincent. He's not just an evil maniacal villain, he has motivations for his actions and everything makes sense with him character wise. He's a pretty compelling villain, honestly. Also helps that he's a complete badass, going toe to toe with Spike in hand-to-hand combat.

We've also got Electra, a military agent with connections to Vincent. She's also pretty well-developed. She can kick some ass too. There are a few other minor new characters, but they're not really worth mentioning. Spike is the focus in this film, so the rest of the Bebop crew don't get a whole lot to do, but every character gets a few good moments.

With a bigger budget, Sunrise went all out on this. Cowboy Bebop was a very well animated series for its time, and the movie is ten times better. And hell, this came out in 2001. The fluidity is even better in the film, everything looks natural, especially in the visceral action sequences. The final battle in the film is some of the most exciting stuff I've seen in an animated feature.

The lighting effects are awesome as well. You didn't get a whole lot of this in Bebop (at least, I don't recall anything this grandiose) so it's refreshing to see such great lighting. The character designs are basically the same, with some added splendor due to the film's higher fidelity. The film uses a dull color palette, which fits with the mood of Bebop.

The soundtrack is a solid follow up to the series. It's nothing short of brilliant. Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts kill it once again. The music fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the film, and the opening and closing tunes are superb. The soundtrack also knows when to go silent, just to let character moments play it out based on performance alone.

Yeah, it's just another great Bebop adventure. And I've come to the realization that this is; I don't have anything else Bebop related to watch. That makes me sad. But hey, I might just watch the whole series over again.

See ya, space cowboy.

I've never seen the anime movie like this! It is a masterpiece! The plot is awesome. The art was really given attention, I think the artist is a perfectionist or have an OCD because in every details everything is precisely the characters and scenery from the air pressure, shakiness, firing of bullets, drops of sweat and rain and eating noodles. The sound has a perfect timing, especially in the first part in the kick that was awesome. The background music is cool and jazzy. The characters, even the main villain are as usual interesting, especially Spike Spiegel the coolness and handsome. My eyes feast in ... the close counter fighting and gun scenes, especially the fighting moves were clearly delivered. Overall, I did enjoy watching this one. If you are a fan of Cowboy Bebop you should watch this.

So the Cowboy Bebop basically got all the parts that the TV show didn't really capture, Spike is a cool guy at the forefront of a major kind of planetary issue, and it's cool to be on his side. Unlike the show, it plays up his charming and suave compassion/skill and less his burdened past and all that.

Also, Elektra is kind of this fiery sort of passionate personality which is a bit unusual in the Bebop world. I also personally was a fan of Spike being more active and focused in contrast to his usual lack-a-daisical attitude in the TV show.

There were also several ... really spectacular fights such as a fight on a train as well as a few other really exciting sequences. In general, I thought the movie was a compression of the interesting ideas and possibilities in the TV show but stripped of the filler and other things like that.

Mostly though, never really thought Bebop was an incredible franchise, a fairly solid one, perhaps, but not on the level of some of the classics, so my attachment remains somewhat limited, would probably just have to settle for an 8 or so here although was tempted to drop it to a 7. One way or another, it's the best encapsulation of Bebop that I've seen.

*Check the bottom for TL;DR*

My friend came round for A Level results celebration and so I was wondering what film to watch. As an anime fan I didn't really want to watch a normal film so I was wondering what anime film to watch. I also ordered a harmonica off amazon last week which came in the post today, so I've been playing harmonica all day so when I was thinking of films, I immediately thought of cowboy bebop. Because Cowboy Bebop is so good and so loved around the world, I checked to see if there was a movie, and praise the lord there ... was! However a lot of film adaptations are really bad representations of the source material, so I checked MAL for rating; 8.4 or something so I thought, looks promising. I want my friend to watch Cowboy Bebop the series so I was worried that if this film was bad it would put him off watching the series. After watching it I am soooooo happy! This film was awesome! My friend loved it, I loved it and I am just so glad this film was true to Cowboy Bebop. Truly fantastic and definitely worth watching both if you have seen the series, and if you haven't!

For those of you who've seen Cowboy Bebop the series, you'll know it is acclaimed for it's art, marrying of western and Japanese styles, music, creating a whole new genre, characters, seeing things from the bad guy's side and so much more. This movie has to be commended so much because it does all of those things just as well as the series! If you loved the series you'll love the movie. It doesn't lack a single thing in my opinion. The art is the same great style we see in the series, the music is new but sticks to the same blues/rock/jazz style that I love and the characters are just as full and memorable as they are in the series, although if you haven't seen the series, you will have missed a lot of backstory.

TL;DR
This film has everything you expect from Cowboy Bebop. It's a great film, with or without the series and is so worth watching. Romance, action, thrill, sci-fi, fantasy, and so much more it's beautiful.

Commonly recognized as one of the great early-2000s anime movies, but less so as an unlikely candidate for best non-horror yearly Halloween rewatch. Spike's illusive, at times mystical lost chapter in his journey for closure is a worthy send off for fans of the original series, thanks in no small part to its grounded presentation and industry-standard technical quality. The spiritual themes and nuanced symbolism that mark some of the iconic moments of the series make themselves at home here, in turn giving some of the most intense sequences a genuine deep dive quality throughout some of the darkest waters of Spike's characterization. It's a ... solid action thriller under the Bebop brand, with beautifully animated fistfights, shootouts and chase sequences, featuring some of the best tunes written for the saga, a high-stakes plot and plenty of fine-tuned lightheartedness. Still, its intriguing ambiguity and mature introspection may well be its most impressive achievements. The subtext of man-versus-self is interesting enough to carry a good few more analytical rewatches throughout the years, but it's no doubt the lush animation, smooth pace and rich interactions among the Bebop gang that'll make you keep coming.

What happened?

This is the question I had asked myself after watching the superb Cowboy Bebop television series. It ended on a high, with a shootout that puts Spaghetti Westerns to shame and rode to one of my all time favourite anime with one of the most original premise in years.

So why did this movie not succeed my expectations? The new setting was brilliant, unforced and wonderfully animated. The soundtrack as always is the wet dream of precocious and pretentious teenagers alike.

Yet the story and characters were just flawed. I could forgive the somewhat muted interactions in the TV series because most of it ... would come together at some point but nothing happened! Nothing pivotal and/or significant bar introducing a new villain who suffered from an inferiority complex compared to the more calm, collected and menacing, Vicious.

Spike literally adhered to everything we expect from a heavily noir-inspired protagonist and the rest of characters did not get enough screen time to develop profoundly in any shape. There was no new character arcs that I could connect with and nothing here for the audience to generally get pumped/or invested in.

Which is a shame, because outside of the predictable story and characters, the rest could have been condensed into another classic cowboy bebop episode. And that is what seems to have happened here, a setting was blown up with filler content, meretricious drama and more clocking for time as it finally decided Spike should have his confrontation with the villain.

The mild disappointment is the disappointment that stings the most. A shame because I regard the TV shows to be a triumphant success in dragging people unaccustomed to the eccentricities of anime to fully appreciate the quirks in them. Better luck next time.

[contains spoilers]

"I love the kind of woman that can kick my ass"
So many countless good quotes...

This movie can be watched without watching the series but better if watched some episodes.

Not surprised that a movie was created for Cowboy Bebop: a masterpiece series with unique and amazing atmosphere and soundtrack.

The bulk of the story is about a terrorist that has the potential to kill a crowd of people with a weapon and has a huge bounty. It's up to Spike and his crew to get information and chase after the terrorist despite the enormous risk. Of course, other characters are also after the terrorist. ... The plot sounds kind of mediocre doesn't it? Probably the weakest aspect of this movie. The Cowboy Bebop series have average plots but are at least episodic. A movie with an average plot would bound to fail but this isn't the case. Despite popular opinion, I enjoyed this movie more than the series.

The art and animation were astonishing considering it was made in the 90s. Fluid animation and good lighting. The fighting scenes were quite memorable. The sound is amazing with jazz masterpieces like the series. You can see the impression of the 90s recession in Japan, despite set in a futuristic setting. This is why this movie and the series will always be a timeless classic. It's quite historic.

What's memorable is that Jet, a crew member mentions to Spike that the crew does not have to go after the terrorist. It's not their problem. However, Spike wants the bounty but more importantly to save the world. They are heroes by choice. But what's more interesting is that after everything is over. No one recognizes and cares who stopped the terrorist. No one views them as heroes. They're just another bounty hunter as Spike likes to say. This adds to the amazing cowboy and loneliness atmosphere.

The reason why I like the movie more than the series is because it feels like the characters are all working together despite saying they are not. In the series, you might see a few glimpses of some characters in each episode but not here. Also, there's improvement in the art. The best thing about this movie is how the characters interact with each other. Lot of the interactions are quite witty, sly and most of all cowboy like. The characters sound so cool. It really makes up for the mediocre plot.

When Spike flew his jet into the sunset with a lot of tall buildings. I almost cried. It reminded me of the nostalgic times in the 90s. The 90s atmosphere is really strong in this one. What other anime or other shows makes you feel this way? Almost none. Even the sad animes and movies/shows outside anime didn't make me close to crying (other than Clannad).

Definitely worth watching. A timeless classic similar to the series :)

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie follows the Bebop universe and presents a new story of biological terrorism and bounty hunting. Spike, Jet, Faye, Edward, and Ein work together to catch a terrorist with a huge bounty on his head before he unleashes a deadly virus on Mars.

The Bebop movie is superb. If you are a fan of the series, you will not be disappointed, but you won't miss a beat if you decide to watch it without ever having seen the series either. Like the series, the movie features fantastic animation and a phenomenal soundtrack.

If you haven't seen the series, enough cannot be said here about ... the quality of animation and audio, and you should take a look at the review of the series itself. But what sets the movie apart (and above) is its story: while the plot isn't terribly intricate or even among the most interesting, it's still a plot. Viewers of the Bebop series will probably agree that for all of its pros, the show suffered at times from an incoherent plot and hit-or-miss episodes. Think of the Bebop movie as one long hit episode. The characters remain as lively and unique as they were in the anime, but here there is an enemy, a plan to capture him, teamwork, and a feeling of urgency and excitement. All of this culminates in a beautifully done final fight scene.

Apart from being slow at times, the Bebop movie has no negative aspects. It is a joy to see the landmark characters of the series in a full-length film. It is even greater to see a developed plot accompanying such fine music and animation. Fans and non-fans alike should give the Bebop movie a view.

Overall Score: A

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