Taking place in a late 21st century setting where the Earth is uninhabitable following a disaster, and humanity has colonised the rest of the Solar System. Due to the rise in crime, the ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) have established a scheme where licensed bounty hunters (Cowboys) can bring in wanted criminals for rewards.
One such Cowboy is Spike Spiegel. Once an enforcer for a syndicate on Mars, Spike is now a laid back bounty hunter leading an aimless life aboard the Bebop, a converted trawler operated by Jet Black. Formerly a police officer, Jet also hunts bounties, but fancies himself a Renaissance Man and serves as an interesting foil to Spike. As the show goes on, Spike and Jet are joined by three more characters: Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; an eccentric teenage hacker known only as 'Radical Edward'; and Ein, a genetically-engineered Welsh Corgi who possibly possesses human intelligence.
The show follows these characters as they travel the Solar System in search of lucrative bounties, while also trying to avoid the threat of starvation and the individuals' troubled pasts - especially Spike's nemesis Vicious.
There is a great mix of comedy and drama, the animation brings out fast-paced action, and I love the imagination behind the sci-fi concepts. Not to mention the jazz and blues-dominated soundtrack bringing it all together.
My favourite episode is probably 'Cowboy Funk', in which Spike pursues the bounty on a villain known as 'The Teddy Bomber' but ends up feuding with Cowboy Andy, a rival bounty hunter who embraces the Cowboy aspect of his work.
The series is currently available on Netflix UK, and I highly recommend that you watch it. Whether you prefer to watch anime in Japanese or English, both versions are fantastic. In fact, I'd say that English version is superior, thanks to the fantastic voice of Steven Blum as Spike.
See you, Space Cowboy...
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