My Top 10 Favorite Cowboy Bebop Episodes

10.

Session 3: Honky Tonk Woman - I'll admit, this is on here for selfish reasons. It's not really an important episode. Well it is, it's the first appearance of Faye Valentine but aside from that, you're not going to learn anything particularly new about the characters that you didn't know before and it's not a deep episode either but it's just so damn entertaining. Cowboy Bebop has a lot of different styles in it's episodes from Spaghetti Westerns to Film Noir but when I think of an episode that best represents the opening. I think Honky Tonk Woman. The music's bitching (has this kind of James Bond feel at times), has tons of action and it's just slick and cool. Spike's also on high levels of cool in this episode. I mean he's always cool but here especially. He's never angry, doesn't make big screw ups, he's just a smooth mother fucker from beginning to end. Yeah, not alot to this episode but damn is it fun to watch

9.

Session 14: Bohemian Rhapsody - This is an episode that's not on alot of people's top 10 favorites and I can see why. There's not alot of action, the animation is more restraint here and you don't learn a whole lot new about the characters here (granted, this episode came right after Jupiter Jazz so by that point, there was enough of that) but the reason I like this episode personally is that it's one of the few episodes in the series where the whole crew has to work with each other. Most of the time, the members of the Bebop go off on their own or they're at each other's throats but in this episode, they actually have to work together to catch the bounty. They gather the clues they've collected, share information with each other, etc. Even though they don't get along 100% in this episode it does put a smile on my face to see these guys working together because it rarely happens.

8.

Session 22: Cowboy Funk- Mushroom Samba is alot of people's favorite and I think the reason that is because I find there are usually two types of people when it comes to Cowboy Bebop, people who's favorite character is Spike (like me) and people who's favorite character is Ed and Mushroom Samba is really the only episode that stars Ed and while I love that episode, my favorite comedy episode of Cowboy Bebop has got to be Cowboy Funk. It should be well known by know that one of Cowboy Bebop's biggest influences is Lupin The 3rd and this one is the closet to being like a Lupin The 3rd episode because it is completely ridiculous and I love every second of it. So what happens in this episode? A better question would be, what doesn't happen.

The episode starts with Spike tracking down a bounty called Teddy Bomber, business as usually but then out of the fucking blue, a cowboy appears and mean that literally, he has the hat, rides on a horse, lasso, everything, he even has music straight out of a Sergio Leone western (and anything that reminds me of Sergio Leone movies has to be awesome). He's so stupid that he first think Spike is Teddy Bomber cause he doesn't do proper research and hilarity in sues. I won't tell much beyond that because if you haven't watched this episode, I don't wanna spoil anything, you just have to see it but I will say that I've never thought Spike being so angry could be so funny, seriously he just has these hilarious facial expressions

This is one of those episodes that shouldn't work at all, it should just fall flat on it's face but they make it work because they're that talented. Again, if you haven't watched this episode, you're missing out. Nothing I can say can do it justice.

7.

Session 8: Waltz for Venus- This is definitely one of the more heart warming episodes in the series. It's really the first episode that shows that Spike's heart is in fact not made out of lead.

A guy named Roco is holding a mysterious object in a bag while on the run. While on the run, he sees Spike take out a couple of bounties with his martial art skills. Very impressed by this, he wants Spike to teach him how to fight and he goes about it a bit how I would if I actually met Spike Spiegel in real life and I was asking him for an autograph or something: Annoying, calling him master and never leaving him alone. Eventually Spike accepts and shows Roco a few moves but the people who after Roco come by, with little time to think, he gives Spike the mysterious object that the bad guys are after Roco for. Spike then finds out that what's inside is an EXTREMELY rare and expensive plant called Gray Ash that can cure certain sicknesses on Venus and Roco's little sister, Stella is one of those people and that's why he stole the plant. Spike knowing this after talking to Stella, wants to meet up with Roco and help him.

If you want anymore evidence of what an impact Cowboy Bebop had on anime, here ya go because since this episode, this set up has been done quite a few times in anime. Someone on the run from bad people, wants to learn from the main character so he/she can protect someone he/she cares about. Samurai Champloo did  it, Darker Than Black did it and even a Lupin The 3rd movie called "Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid" (which is a very cute movie by the way) had a very similar scenario. Kinda funny, Lupin The 3rd influenced Cowboy Bebop and since then Lupin The 3rd took some influences from Cowboy Bebop. Pretty cool if you ask me

Anyway, like I said. This is a very heart warming episode. It's the kinda episode that leaves you with a bittersweet feeling at the end and it really makes you understand and relate to Spike more than before because in the episodes before this, He was basically just being mister cool. This episode makes him appear to be much more human. Yeah, there's action, funny moments, and Faye being a total bad ass in this but the heart is where this episode is at.

6.

Session 11: Toys in The Attic-  How do you take my favorite anime and make it even better. Add in Ridley Scott's Alien, one of my favorite movies of all time. Yeah, that outta do it. It's Cowboy Bebop meets Alien. What's more that needs to be said.

5.

Session 25 - 26: The Real Folk Blues- Since these are the last two episodes of the series. I don't wanna say too much to spoil it for people who haven't watched Cowboy Bebop or haven't finished it yet but I will say is that The Real Folk Blues is the best last two episodes of any series Anime or other wise. It's everything you want it to be. It's a work of art, I think even people who wouldn't say that this is their favourite anime would admit that the ending is best that anime endings have to offer. These last two episodes are basically done in the style of a John Woo movie. More specifically the Better Tomorrow movies but even that's enough to describe them. Needless to say that if you're new to Bebop, rest assured that the ending will not disappoint you (Unless, you're one of those dumb-asses who thinks Cowboy Bebop should've been an ongoing series that lasted to this day pretty much)

4.

Session 18: Speak Like A Child- One thing I've always liked about Cowboy Bebop is when there's a character centered episode, the other characters are still involved in some way shape or form where as something like Sin City when there's a story about one main character, you may see the other main characters in there but they're usually just cameos and they go off and do their own thing. Not the case with Cowboy Bebop, when there's an episode about Jet for example, the other characters will take about what they think of the situation and I like touches like that and this episode is the perfect example of that. Essentially, it's a Faye episode and yet there's alot of Spike and Jet in it.

The episode starts with the life extension agency sending a package to the Bebop. Knowing that it was meant for Faye, she takes off. Spike decides to open the package (without Jet saying so of course) and what's inside it is a beta cassette tape but of course Jet and Spike have no idea what it is like they're cavemen or something (which honestly I don't blame them. Beta is so old, I didn't even know what that was until I saw this episode). They try to sell it to a guy who's crazy for anything from the past.

We've all met people like this guy: says everything today sucks and is convinced that everything back then is great even when it clearly blows balls like Beverly Hills 90210 but they say that it's great because it's old (The 80s TMNT is better than stuff like Young Justice. Yeah, you guys keep telling yourselves that). I love how the salesman tries to explain to Spike and Jet the history of beta tape and how awesome they are and Spike and Jet clearing not giving a shit about anything he's saying, it perfectly represent how the rest of us respond to you nostalgia worshippers, we might humour you but really, we don't give a shit.

Now for all you nostalgia worshippers that have seen this episode, you may be insulted that I compared him to you. You're right, the salesman in this episode is way more appealing than you people are. At least he's funny.

Anyway back to the episode, they decide to take a look at what's on the tape, it's a little teenage girl and not much else. So Jet and Spike try to find a working beta tape player and what's finally on the tape. See the episode to find out. It's really good.

3.

Session 6: Sympathy for The Devil / Session 20: Periot Le Fu- I decided to put this two at a tie because I like them both for different reasons and yet they're very similar to each other. Both involved people who can't die, Spike alone has to fight them and both bad guys are one of the the 3 things that Spike hates, kids except one is an adult in a child's body and the other one is a child in an adult body. Both have a similar theme but both go about it in their own unique way. Sympathy For The Devil has a more bluesy mood to it and is more subtle and Periot Le Fu is more in your face and horror like. Periot Le Fu is what I like watching when I wanna watch a more creepy, explosive thriller type of episode and Sympathy For The Devil for the blues music and the sort of Spaghetti Western feel. Both are structured fantastically, both are great to look at visually and they both have great endings (although I would say that Sympathy For The Devil's ending is probably slightly better). So yeah, I can't choose. They're both similar but different. One for the bluesy feel and the other for a creepy feel

2.

Session 16: Black Dog Senerade-This episode is a work of art. There's nothing about it that isn't done well. The cinematography, the story, the writing, the visuals, everything, it's perfect. The story starts with a prison break caused by a mysterious and deadly killer named Udai Taxim (Who in my opinion is actually cooler than Vicious) who used to work for the European syndicate that Jet tried to catch back when he was a cop. We get these beautiful flash backs of Jet trying to catch Udai. The whole scene is straight out of classic Film Noir with slow somber sax music and dark lighting with low saturated colors. It was because of Udai that Jet lost his right arm and got a robotic one instead. Getting the news about the prison break from Jet's old partner, Jet thinks about it but decides to go after Udai. Much like the rest of Bebop, the plot may sound simple enough but the synopsis is not the important thing, it's the way it's executed is what matters. I think alot of people could take lessons from this episode alone on how to properly light and stage an episode in a series. Again this is one of those episodes that the less I say about it, the better. It just needs to be seen to be believed.

1.

Session 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels- Part of me didn't want to put this at no.1 because JesuOtaku did the same for her list and I don't want people to think for a second that I was influenced by that condescending unfunny bitch (Yeah, keep putting in those title cards in the middle of your reviews that go by so fast, we can't fucking read them so maybe they will distract people from the fact that you're not funny and you ramble constantly) but fuck it, she may suck but credit where credit is due. I mean there are plenty of idiots out there that like Firefly but I won't take away Firefly's greatness because of that.

Anyway back to Ballad of Fallen Angels. Yeah, it's gotta be my favorite episode of the series and it's the same reason for Black Dog Senerade. Everything about it is done perfectly.

The episode has Spike and Jet looking at a bounty named Mao Yenrai who Spike knew, Jet can tell but Spike won't say anything about it. Faye sees the bounty and goes after him herself but founds out that Mao is dead and gets captured by the Red Dragon clan lead by Spike's arch enemy and former friend, Vicious. Faye contacts Spike and Jet and tells them that if Spike doesn't go to meet them, they'll kill Faye. Spike agrees and goes to the church to see Vicious and Faye. What then happens is a really good shootout (BTW, in the second episode of the Lupin anime: Woman Called Fujiko Mine. There's a shootout with Jigen at the end of the episode in a church that I swear is straight out of Cowboy Bebop)

It's the first episode where we finally get to know about Spike's past and aboy is it a good one to start with. They give just enough information about Spike's past so It's not too vague but still leave enough to keep you from coming back for more.

When I was talking about The Real Folk Blues, I said that the ending of Cowboy Bebop was the best ending I've ever seen in animation well the scene where Spike falls out of the window with the song "Green Bird" is the best sequence I've seen in animation period. They say that a picture says a thousands words and that's never more true than in the case of this scene. In a minute and 30 seconds, you learn more about Spike than you would through 40 episodes of any of the characters from Bleach. Everything else before is also done beautifully with some nice Gothic architecture, opera music and really subtle moments. It's an episode that doesn't hold your hand, it doesn't dumb itself to your level, it trusts the audience to be smart enough to get to it's level because it's just that subtle and expertly crafted.

If someone were to ask me why is Cowboy Bebop my favorite anime of all time, I'd tell them: watch this episode, this all you need to know


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Honorable Mentions:
Jupiter Jazz part 1 and 2
Hard Luck Woman
Mushroom Samba
Brain Scratch
Asteroid Blues (The spaghetti western references put a smile on my face)
Ganymede Elegy
Stray Dog Strut


Well, those are my top 10 favorites. Hoped you guys thought it was a good read.