Cowboy Bebop: Volume 2 Remix

This is (also) a review of the REMIX VERSIONS. I won't go into the awesomeness of Cowboy Bebop other than to say that it is the best anime series ever, I'd even call it one of the best television shows ever!

While it has been universally noted on various postings about the remix versions that the sound is significantly better than the original sessions, there are multiple varying reviews on the PICTURE QUALITY. Some say there is no difference at all, some say it's a bit better, some say it's a lot better, all say they have "checked" both versions. Well, I took it a step further. I watched both versions side by side on an Avid Nitris Professional video editing system with high definition high resolution (HDHR) monitors and here is the DEFINITIVE ANSWER. There is a difference, they lightened it and did a very slight color correction. Basically, the old versions were a bit dark and some of the detail went unnoticed while the remix versions are lighter and there is more visible detail and color. In terms of viewing expeirience this means that a majority of the scenes look noticibly (if marginally) better. There are certain scenes, however, where the lightness works against it. Some of the more noirish scenes look a bit bleedy. Overall I would say that there is a difference in video quality and that the difference is mostly an improvement. But, even to the die hard fan the difference is negligible.

If you don't own the originals, if they're scratched, if you're a huge fan, if you have an awesome theatre system with good surround, or if you have a crappy small tv and can't see the detail in the image, GET THE REMIX. If not, while they are cool, they're not worth the $30 a pop.

The 5.1 remastering of this classic and iconic series continues. The sound is great, but the picture pretty much looks the same as the original release so there's no sense in investing in the remixes unless you have a home theater system. Spike, Jet, and the ever curvaceous Faye Valentine are up to their ears in trouble in these 5 episodes. First off, Spike investigates a bounty who has been killed by a wheel-chair bound vegetable and the mysterious harmonica playing child who seems to be his nurse. In "Heavy Metal Queen" composer Yoko Kanno ratchets up the 80s hair band rock as the Bebop crew gets help from a muscular space trucker woman who hates cowboys and whose affinities for music go back a couple of hundred years. "Waltz for Venus" is probably the weakest of the episodes because it features a sniveling loser who wants to be just like Spike when he grows up....actually, he's already grown. Get a life. Radical Edward, hacker genius, joins the crew in the ninth episode, and it's about time. She's been following the exploits of the crew for some time, or rather their failures, and she offers her services when the crew encounters a sentient defense satellite involved in illegal activities. The last episode centers on Jet as he pays a call on an old girlfriend trying to run from her debts to some very bad people.

Bebop is one of the greatest sci-fi series, bar none, and goes beyond the realms of anime. I would say it even leaves Star Wars in the dirt! The realism of the characters is what gives it charm. They can be pushy, lazy, brave, cowardly, and caring for each other (even though they won't admit it). What series wouldn't be funny when the dog, Ein, is really the smartest one of the whole crew. Even though he can't talk, some of his reaction shots are hilarious in a Charlie Chaplin sort of way. The dub on this show is the greatest and outstrips the Japanese track hands down. I NEVER listen to English dubs, EXCEPT for Bebop. Once again, the music of Yoko Kanno blends in with the animation and shows why she is the greatest living composer of music on the planet! This is the perfect show to introduce any reluctant friends to the world of anime.

The only extra here is a boring episode commentary by the English voice actor of Faye and an ADR producer. Dull stuff.

i love cowboy bebop. the improvements on this series make it more enjoyable as well.