Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series

A hit in the USA on the Cartoon Network and an anime trendsetter in its native Japan, director Shinichiro Watanabe's 1997-98 series (also spun off into a Bandai video game) is set in 2071, a time when space-going humanity has spread throughout the solar system (Earth, a semi-anarchic disaster area after mankind accidentally destroyed the Moon, is marginal). The Bebop is a ship full of "cowboys," aka bounty hunters—bionic ex-cop Jet Black, young gangster-in-exile Spike Spiegel, larcenous Faye Valentine, and hyperactive little-girl hacker Ed—who earn a living by capturing at-large interplanetary criminals. Even so, the quartet's luck (and ethics) run hard, and they rarely manage to make money. Roguish characters, way-cool visuals, stylish storylines (although sometimes so convoluted as to defy comprehension), and the slowly-unfolding backstories of the protagonists over 26 episodes have made this a genre favorite, full of fun music and pop-culture references (one episode finds these 21st-century heroes stuck in an old VHS-vs.-Betamax conundrum). Presented in separately-available dual-language sets on DVD and Blu-ray, rated TV-14, extras include episode commentaries, cast and crew interviews, and music clips. Highly recommended. (C. Cassady)