Cowboy Bebop - Recommendations

Tyrinari says...

On the surface these two series seem to have very little in common. They are both, however, very much wrapped around one central character. Someone with a dark, and mysterious past that is perhaps paying a great price for their sins. This is what makes them just as much the same, as they are different.

Felipe18713 says...

The two series feature the main characters troubled by their past, and even by a woman of their past no less.

Both main characters just try to get by in life but their pasts will of course catch up with them, making both an excellent series to watch for their stories and unpredictable action!

Nohansen says...

Macross Plus and Cowboy Bebop take place in a future where Earth as we know it no longer exists and mankind took to the stars in an attempt to survive. However, neither describes the plight of Earth's former inhabitants nor tells of an operatic battle against an alien race. Instead, Macross and Bebop are gritty character-driven series about individuals trying to find their place in an ever expanding universe while carrying the weight of their past.

Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, Macross Plus and Cowboy Bebop share various traits including a multi-cultural milieu and Yoko Kanno's eclectic score. If you like your anime with a dash of Americana, you can't go wrong here.

masterchica says...

This two space series have some of the best anime music ever, to a point that you can actually feel like the soundtrack is another character. Their music is all about freedom, courage, dreams and beautiful departures. Two amazing animes with armonica solos.

colettelabete says...

If you're looking for a bittersweet sci fi story about love, friendship and loss, then search no more. Both Harlock and Bebop are melancholic, introspective works who are still thoroughly enjoyable despite their age.

wolfangel87 says...

Similar ties of friendship and loss are seen in Captain Harlock and Cowboy Bebop with characters personalities running the show.

Oehr says...

Character and overall setting is similar and the story, even though they are somewhat different, are truly awesome. So please please please, watch them both!

SeiyaManG says...

Though Cowboy Bebop and Akira are different plot-wise, the "feel" of these stories is very similar. If you enjoyed watching one, you will enjoy the other.

Itochan60 says...

While Bebop has some very light and comedic episodes, I think the series episodes of Bebop and Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ have very similar feelings.  Both feature superb animation and sound, but what is really similar is the intense gun fights.

wolfangel87 says...

Cowboy Bebop and Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ have the same type of fighting survival feeling to them.  The characters are well developed and the team moves forward together doing what they can to help each other stay alive.  Both series have amazing animation and a great story line with hints of tragedy along the way.

wolfangel87 says...

The enthralling relationships between the characters in Cowboy Bebop and Mezzo encompass a major part of the series.  They also each involve hilarious and similar parts for bounty hunters.

coffeebreath says...

Both Mezzo and Bebop have that rambunctious feel about them thanks to the characters and the well-presented relationships between them, as a group they are similar in both anime but as individuals totally different. They're not just two shows about bounty hunters with action, they are multi-faceted great shows you'd be crazy to miss. Cowboy Bebop uses masterful storytelling that'll make you serious about the story and where things are going whereas Mezzo has a light-hearted approach. This rec is not for everyone, but if characters and action were what you appreciated most in either titles definitely check out the other!

RedCrossRobbery says...

The storylines of Cowboy Bebop and Durarara!! have very little in common. To be fair, the only reason I recommend them to eachother at all, is because of the action scenes. Heavy epxlosions of jazz follow quick flowing action scenes throughout both series.

subparalien says...

These shows provoke different feelings. Durarara is more rooted in highschool angst (plus supernatural, etc.). The animes have some great fight scenes (styled differently). I enjoyed them both.

Aranneas says...

Two character-driven shows with a variety of higly random plot elements, some situational comedy, and a shared infatuation with the concept of fate (though they play with it in different ways and arrive at very different conclusions).

subparalien says...

I'm here for the vaguely philosophical undertones. Steins Gate has a more modern animation style, and some anime tropes that Cowboy Bebop does without.

Epyon45 says...

Despite being different shows with different settings, they still are alike. Fate Zero is all about 14 participants from different backgrounds fighting for their wishes whereas Cowboy Bebop is all about bounty hunting with some drama and betrayal. Main protaganists Spike Spiegel and Emiya Kiritsugu are alike since they wield guns and enjoy smoking and are with their own band. On the other hand, their mortal enemies Vicious and Kotomine Kirei are the only ones who can defeat them through seeking their own beliefs/wishes. Cowboy Bebop and Fate Zero goes through a series of battles that shows each character's perspectives until they exit before the most important point of the series. If you watched either of them, check em out cuz you'll love it especially if you watched Cowboy Bebop and then watch Fate Zero.

Jockustoe says...

SO i have been reading all about how great Fate/Zero is, and how it is one of the best anime shows etc. I would have to agree with the fact that it is an enjoyable watch, however, not the best of all time, not even close to "epic". If you are looking for something epic and "new" try something a little bit older. Take a look at the insperation for so many different characters that you seem to love and enjoy! Yes, this is not as linear and easy to figure out as Fate/Zero, but it isn't too complicated that you can not figure out why each episode seems to be it's own short film. This is one of the best anime television shows of all time and if you enjoyed Fate/Zero you will enjoy Bebop.

Adventure? Check.

Action? Check.

Literary and Musical References? Check.

First original soundtrack for an anime television show? Check.

See you later Space Cowboy

Cha0swarrior says...

If you like Cowboy Bebop or Psycho-Pass, you would really enjoy the other as both animes use unique twists and enviroments to both draw you in and keep the viewer ingaged. Both anime set up interesting and deep worlds to fully draw in and imerse the viewer in the experiance makeing both animes truely worth watching. 

kikidarko says...

If you liked Psycho-Pass, you'll like Cowboy Bebop. If you liked Cowboy Bebop, you'll like Psycho-Pass. The enforcers and inspectors in Psycho-Pass are parallel to the bounty hunters in Cowboy Bebop in many ways - both will make you question the "right"and "wrong" of criminals and the so-called "good guys". 

Kogami in Psycho-Pass and Spike in Cowboy Bebop are pretty similar, too. If you liked one of them - be it their backstory, their rival(s), their reason for doing what they do - you'll most likely connect with the other one, too. 

Cowboy Bebop is lighter on the surface than Psycho-Pass. While Psycho-Pass is blatantly dramatic start to finish with a determined timeline, Cowboy Bebop works a little differently in that each episode stands mostly alone, with little hints to the darker and more involved aspects of the anime. The story is not explicitly layed out as it is in Psycho-Pass, but this works in its favor, as it's brought back together in the last few episodes. 

Both shows rely on dramatic cops-and-robbers plotlines, but take them in very different and unique directions than what's usually seen. Additionally, both are set in a futuristic world where technology is a big part of daily life - be it via commercially available spaceships or mainstream artificial intelligence.