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Cowboy Bebop - Session 4 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: Director Shinichiro Watanabe and writer Keiko Nobumoto continue to explore the pasts of the main characters in this gritty, outer-space Western. In "My Funny Valentine," Faye confronts a two-bit confidence man and discovers that her background is as much of a mystery to her as it is to everyone else. "Black Dog Serenade" reunites Jet Black with his former partner at the ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) against Udai Taxim, the criminal whose attack cost Jet his left arm. This dark, violent tale of betrayal, discovery, and revenge offers both surprises and insights. In the silly "Mushroom Samba," the Bebop is out of fuel, and everyone's broke and hungry. Ed goes off to search for something to eat, and gets involved in the pursuit of a seedy mushroom dealer. "Speak Like a Child" showcases the sardonic humor that has won Cowboy Bebop fans on both sides of the Pacific. A mysterious package arrives C.O.D. for Faye that contains an ancient artifact--a Beta videocassette! Spike and Jet ransack a ruined museum on Earth to find a player; when they finally view the tape, they see a young girl cheering her future self, a girl who looks curiously like Faye...

Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and older for nudity, violence, and adult situations. --Charles Solomon

Cowboy Bebop - Session 2 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: The popular anime series Cowboy Bebop is one of the few Blade Runner spin-offs that pays off big dividends. The Cowboy Beboppers are free-spirited bounty hunters who roam the solar system looking for criminals. Told in 25-minute episodes, this very different anime series has the stuff many shows lack: a strong vision, intriguing plots, and tantalizing back-stories. In this second session (episodes 6-10), we begin to learn some of the history of our hero, Spike, his right-hand man, Jet, and even the gloomy story behind the fate of the charred Earth. Episodes include a run-in with a deadly child prodigy, a trucker tale, a curious trip to the terraformed Venus, where a loner seeks to learn from Spike. There's also a tale of Jet's old flame, and the introduction of the crew's latest member--a computer hacker named Ed. Gorgeously drawn and fueled by cool music--often counterpointing the action--Cowboy Bebop is too good (and accessible) for just anime fans. (Ages 12 and older) --Doug Thomas

Cowboy Bebop - The Perfect Sessions (Limited Edition Complete Series Boxed Set) (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: Each of the snazzy 25-minute installments from the most popular Japanese animated TV series of 1998 is a satisfying adventure tale about a futuristic hipster bounty hunter. This is an elegant action-comedy anime, with smoothly integrated CGI space-flight elements, gorgeous graphics, blues harmonica and sax riffs on the soundtrack, and a no-sweat post-Tarantino attitude. Despite occasional eruptions of gun-fu Asian-action violence, and some intimations of heavy-duty drug use (in the first of 26 episodes, one especially noxious narcotic is administered as an aerosol spray straight onto the user's eyeballs), the tone is surprisingly convivial. None of the generic tough elements are grim or mean-spirited. Lanky antihero Spike Spiegel is a planet-hopping freelance hunter with an ex-cop sidekick named Jet, a loopy fellow hunter named Faye, a teenage computer hack, and a genetically enhanced Welsh corgi assistant in tow. The emphasis is on clever twists of plot in an episodic short-story format with as many wisecracks as punches being thrown. --David Chute

Cowboy Bebop - Session 6 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: The past comes back to haunt each of the characters in the sixth installment of the popular noir sci-fi adventure. In "Brain Scratch," Faye is drawn into an eerie cult that promises electronic immortality and an end to worldly cares. Director Shinichiro Watanabe juxtaposes flashy television graphics with gritty, gray reality, as Ed hacks a path to the truth. Next, Faye and Ed confront different yet linked pasts in "Hard Luck Woman." Ed (who turns out to be a girl) finds her long-lost father; Faye learns she can't go back to the world she knew before a devastating accident. The two-part epsiode "Real Folk Blues" returns to the saga of Julia, the woman Spike once loved, who appeared in "Jupiter Jazz" (episodes 12 and 13). The icy Vicious's attempt to take over the Red Dragon mob draws Spike and Julia into a deadly web of revenge.

"Real Folk Blues" marks the end of Cowboy Bebop, arguably the most stylish and sophisticated anime series in recent years. This last adventure will leave viewers with the same sense of loss they experienced when the first Star Wars trilogy ended. Although no further television episodes are planned, a feature is in the works. Fans can look forward to seeing their favorite Space Cowboy in the not-too-distant future.

Not rated: suitable for ages 13 and up for nudity, violence, adult situations, and unflattering ethnic characterizations. --Charles Solomon

Cowboy Bebop - Session 3 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: The centerpiece of the third disc of this popular series is the two-part adventure "Jupiter Jazz," which offers hints about the shrouded past of hero Spike Spiegel. Spike returns to his old haunts on Callisto in search of a mysterious woman, and comes into conflict with his former underworld associates: the icy Vicious, apprentice mobster Lin, and transgendered barroom musician Gren. Director Shinichiro Watanabe's approach to storytelling is often fragmented and nonlinear, but the results form a strikingly moody collage of falling snow, gritty, blue-tinted cityscapes, and melancholy saxophone riffs. Few big-budget Hollywood features have presented a sense of urban alienation as effectively.

The mini-mystery, "Toys in the Attic," comes to an unsatisfying conclusion that the elaborate computer-generated tracking shots can't disguise--and suggests that adding the spunky Ed to the cast was not a great idea. In "Bohemian Rhapsody," the crew of the Bebop find themselves pitted against an aged programming genius who designed a high-tech transportation system--and hid a flaw in the software. But he also concealed clues in chess pieces, setting up a formal and formidable battle of wits.

Note: Viewers of Chinese ancestry and other viewers may find the depiction of the gang lords in "Jupiter Jazz" offensive. Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and older for nudity, violence, and adult situations. --Charles Solomon

Cowboy Bebop - Asteroid Blues (Vol. 1) (vhs):

Amazon.com Essentials: Each of these two snazzy 20-minute installments is a self-contained and satisfying adventure tale about a futuristic hipster bounty hunter, from the most popular Japanese animated TV series of 1998. This is elegant action-comedy anime, with smoothly integrated CGI space-flight elements, gorgeous graphics, blues harmonica and sax riffs on the soundtrack, and a no-sweat post-Tarantino attitude. Despite occasional eruptions of gun-fu Asian-action violence, and some intimations of heavy-duty drug use (one especially noxious narcotic is administered as an aerosol spray, straight onto the user's eyeballs), the tone is surprisingly convivial. None of the generic tough elements are grim or mean-spirited. Lanky antihero Spike Spiegel is a planet-hopping freelance cop with a cyborg sidekick and a genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi assistant, and as many wisecracks as punches get thrown. The emphasis is on clever twists of plot in an episodic short-story format. This is the first of five projected English-language videos, 10 episodes in all. --David Chute

Cowboy Bebop - Session 5 (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: The second episode on this disc, "Pierrot Le Fou", epitomizes the mixture of sardonic humor and noir adventure that has made Cowboy Bebopso popular in Japan and the U.S. Spike fights a deadly duel with the title character, the product of a botched ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) attempt to create a perfect assassin. Their showdown takes place in a saccharine but sinister amusement park, a device used in many live action and animated films, but rarely so effectively.

Director Shinichiro Watanabe uses an impressive array of computer effects to depict a battle in hyperspace in "Boogie-Woogie Feng-Shui," as Jet helps the daughter of an old friend solve a mystery involving gangsters and mysticism. When pirates hit the Bebop with a computer virus in "Wild Horses," Spike demonstrates his skill as a pilot, flying the Swordfish by the seat of his pants. In "Cowboy Funk," Spike almost captures the Teddy Bomber, a fanatic who hides explosives in stuffed animals, but he's interrupted by Andy, a wealthy heir who plays at bounty hunter in cowboy regalia. The near-farcical rivalry that develops between Andy and Spike feels closer in tone to the misadventures of Vash the Stampede in "Trigun" than the gritty hero of "Pierrot Le Fou."

Unrated: suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, profanity, and smoking. --Charles Solomon

Cowboy Bebop - Session 1 (dvd):

Amazon.com Essentials: Each of these two snazzy 20-minute installments is a self-contained and satisfying adventure tale about a futuristic hipster bounty hunter, from the most popular Japanese animated TV series of 1998. This is elegant action-comedy anime, with smoothly integrated CGI space-flight elements, gorgeous graphics, blues harmonica and sax riffs on the soundtrack, and a no-sweat post-Tarantino attitude. Despite occasional eruptions of gun-fu Asian-action violence, and some intimations of heavy-duty drug use (one especially noxious narcotic is administered as an aerosol spray, straight onto the user's eyeballs), the tone is surprisingly convivial. None of the generic tough elements are grim or mean-spirited. Lanky antihero Spike Spiegel is a planet-hopping freelance cop with a cyborg sidekick and a genetically enhanced Welsh Corgi assistant, and as many wisecracks as punches get thrown. The emphasis is on clever twists of plot in an episodic short-story format. --David Chute