Spike, Jet, Faye, and Ed—cowboys on the new frontier. This group of interplanetary bounty hunters tackles the jobs that no one else dares to take.
(Source: Tokyopop)
Cowboy Bebop was published in English by Tokyopop from April 23, 2002, to August 20, 2002. It was also released in Brazilian Portuguese by Editora JBC in six volumes from June 2004 to July 2004.
Main
Jet, known on his home satellite as the "Black Dog" for his tenacity, is a 36-year-old former cop from Ganymede (a Jovian satellite) and acts as Spike's foil during the series. Physically, Jet is very tall with a muscular build. He wears a beard with no m...
Main
Birthdate: June 26, 2044Height: 185 cm (6 1")Weight: 70 kg (155 lbs)Blood type: OPlanet of Origin: MarsSpike Spiegel is a tall and lean 27-year-old bounty hunter born on Mars. The inspiration for Spike is found in martial artist Bruce Lee who uses the mar...
Main
Birthday: August 14, 1994One of the members of the bounty hunting crew in the anime series Cowboy Bebop. Often seen with a cigarette and in a revealing outfit complete with bright yellow hot pants and a matching, revealing top, black suspenders, white boo...
Main
The self-invented personal name of an elite net-diver from Earth, hacker "Radical Edward" is a very strange, somewhat androgynous, teenage girl assumed to be around 13 years in age. She has a feral aspect reflected in her mannerisms, bare feet, strange po...
Supporting
"Bob" is an ISSP policeman based on Ganymede to whom Jet frequently goes to for inside information when looking for bounty heads. Throughout the series, and especially in the film, Bob provides (sometimes reluctantly) crucial information.(Source: Wikipedi...
Supporting
Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi brought aboard the Bebop by Spike after a failed attempt to capture a bounty. Ein is a "data dog": while the televised series only briefly hints on the fact that this means Ein's brain was somehow enhanced drastically, the ma...
The manga for Cowboy Bebop is vastly different from its anime counterpart. Instead of focusing on bounty hunting, it shows the characters engaging in other activities and just hanging around. If you read the Shooting Star manga first, you'd understand what I mean—they actually pursue bounties there.
Story: 5/10
The story starts impressively but quickly deviates into a setting where bounty hunting takes a backseat. It's more forgettable compared to the anime and lacks romance. If this took place after the anime, why doesn't Spike mention Julia, Vicious, or Vincent? Why doesn't Jet talk about his past love? And why doesn't Faye mention Wintey like she did in the anime? Moreover, why does Ed suddenly have a friend? The story emphasizes laziness until Volume 3 when they start pursuing bounties. New bounty hunters are introduced—some bossy, some hyperactive, others merciless—but it didn't thrill me as much as it might others who've seen the anime.
Overall, the story could have been better. It gets boring over time, making it just okay at best.
Art: 7/10
The artwork isn't terrible but could have suited the story better. Compare it with Full Moon o Sagashite! They manage to match art with story well. This one was nice but had room for improvement.
Characters: 6/10
The characters were decent but lacked the depth and personality found in the anime. They felt out of character despite the manga being created before the anime. Spike could have been more mischievous, Jet more talkative, Faye more tomboyish, and Ed more hyperactive.
Enjoyment: 5/10
After hearing mixed reviews about Shooting Star and Cowboy Bebop manga, I decided to give them a try. I only skimmed through Shooting Star, but Cowboy Bebop left me bored. It was too short, and reading books, especially in school, can be tiring. However, series like Full Moon o Sagashite or Fruits Basket keep me engaged and eager to read more.
Overall: 5/10
Cowboy Bebop started interestingly, but Shooting Star seemed more aligned with the series. The issues lie with the art and characters. Compare it with Lupin III or Samurai Champloo (which I haven't read yet), which successfully transfer anime elements into manga. Sorry if I gave this manga too many titles, but I recommend trying something different like Samurai Champloo instead.
I randomly started reading this out of sheer boredom one day. I haven't gone through Shooting Star, nor have I watched the original anime series. Perhaps this lack of background doesn't equip me well enough to provide a thorough review—I'm uncertain.
However, overall, it turned out to be quite an enjoyable read. The humor was spot on, and I thoroughly enjoyed the witty exchanges between the characters. Plus, its concise length was a bonus. While it's not something I'd revisit due to its lack of substantial depth, I'm still happy that I decided to give it a shot.