Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップ Kaubōi Bibappu?) is a Japanese anime series. Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe and written by Keiko Nobumoto, the series was produced by Sunrise in the late 1990s. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: the series, set in 2071, follows the misadventures and tragedies of a group of bounty hunters, or "cowboys", traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop. Despite its title, the series only makes a nod to the western and space western genres. Cowboy Bebop's art direction centers around American music and counterculture, especially the beat and jazz movements of the 1940s-60s and the early rock era of the 1950s-70s, which the original soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts recreates. Episodes are called "sessions", each episode follows a different musical theme,[2] and episode titles are borrowed from notable album or song names (i.e. "Sympathy for the Devil", "Honky Tonk Women", "My Funny Valentine") or make use of a genre name ("Mushroom Samba", "Heavy Metal Queen"). Cowboy Bebop was a commercial success both in Japan and international markets, notably in the United States. After this reception, Sony Pictures released a feature film, Knockin' on Heaven's Door to theaters worldwide and followed up with an international DVD release. Two manga adaptations were serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Asuka Fantasy DX. In 2004, it ranked second in Newtype USA's survey of their readers' favorite animes of all time.