It is very seldom to see an anime TV series draw the cult following the Cowboy Bebop has. This show has now made its way to the big screen in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. This film is very entertaining… maintaining the feel of the television show, but growing the characters and the level of action. If you are a fan of anime, you cannot go wrong with Cowboy Bebop!

”Mars. Days before Halloween 2071. Villains blow up a tanker truck on Highway One, releasing a deadly virus that kills hundreds. Fear…ng a bigger, even more devastating biochemical attack, an astronomical reward is offered for the arrest and capture of the person behind the destruction. On the space ship “Bebop,” Spike Spiegel and his crew of bounty hunters (Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein) are bored and short of cash. But with the news of the reward everything changes. Based on the wildly popular TV series, “Cowboy Bebop,” the big screen smash COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE pits Spike and Co. against their deadliest adversary ever. Featuring stunning, state-of-the-art animation, this action-packed sci-fi adventure builds to a breath-taking, nail-biting climax, guaranteed to keep you hanging on the edge of your seat.” – Columbia-Tristar

Audio

This disc features both the original Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track as well as the English Dolby Digital 5.1 dubbed track. Both tracks are equally good in regards to the dialog and the soundtrack. I usually prefer the original language audio track w/ subtitles, but the English subtitles are so poor on this disc, I found that I got a lot more out of the film by watching the English dubbed track. The sound does not fill the soundstage as well as I would have liked, but you will hear some basic sound coming from the surround channels. The dialog comes out clearly, and the music soundtrack is very good. Oddly enough, the songs throughout the film are performed in English, even though it is a Japanese film.

Video

Cowboy Bebop features amazing Japanese animation, and encompasses great color with deep darks. This color and animation comes across beautifully in this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The transfer is marred with a few small scratches and some mild debris. This print damage does not detract from the viewing experience, but is mildly noticeable. Other then this one notable flaw, the video looks very good on this disc.

Special Features

This disc contains a nice supply of special features, unfortunately, only a few are very valuable.

• From the small screen to the big screen is a 5½ minute featurette that explains how elements of the TV show made it into the film. Shinichirô Watanabe (Director) also explains how more detail was able to be extracted in the film due to the extended run time. This was a good and educational supplemental feature.
• International Appeal – What’s not to like? is a 7 minute featurette that explores the cross-cultural appeal of Cowboy Bebop. Topics discussed include how the story was influenced by both Japanese and U.S. cultures, how music bridges the cultural gaps, how cartoon characters are easier to accept across cultures, and the simplicity of the scripts. Again, this is a good feature that share good insight into the film.
• Character Studies: 4 character featurettes are also included. The characters that are uncovered are Spike, Fay, Ed, and Jet. These are pretty standard featurettes, but if you like the characters, you might get something out of them.
• Storyboard Comparisons: 4 scenes are explored through storyboard-to-screen comparisons. These too are also very basic… there not much more to say about them.
• Conceptual Art Galleries: The following art galleries are included… Characters, Aircrafts, automobiles, monorail, and accessories.
• Lastly, this disc features Character Bios, 2 Music Videos, and 7 Trailers.

Final Thoughts

This discs execution is not perfect, but every anime fan should still own this DVD. The film is very entertaining, the picture quality is quite good, and the extras are worth a watch. The few flaws (mild video debris & poor subtitles) should not influence your purchase decision… buy this DVD.

Special Features List

• The Making of Cowboy Bebop: 6 Behind-the-Scenes featurettes
• Conceptual art galleries
• Storyboard comparisons
• In-depth character profiles
• Music videos
• Theatrical trailers

Screenshots