Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Cowboy Bebop has moments that hit harder than any film I've seen this year. The Real Folk Blues completely wrecked me. Shinichirō Watanabe has an understanding of grief, hope and the human condition that is genuinely exceptional.

Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I watched and it set an impossibly high standard. The story of Spike Spiegel explores living in the past vs the present with a maturity I didn't expect. I've watched dozens of anime since and this remains the peak.

Cowboy Bebop establishes its world, characters, and stakes within the first three episodes. There's no wasted time. Jet Black is immediately compelling and loneliness and found family is clearly defined. A sign of confident purposeful writing.

Great stories need great antagonists. Cowboy Bebop's villain understands that the most compelling opposition comes from someone with internally coherent logic. The conflict between Edward and the antagonist is one of the great rivalries.

Cowboy Bebop has some filler episodes that slow the pacing. Get past them. The story arcs surrounding Hard Luck Woman are worth every minute of slower content. The best parts are genuinely great.