Cowboy Bebop is a smart, and fairly complex show compared to many anime series I have seen. It is a good mix of comedy, drama, action and adventure. There are many things that lead me to believe it one of the best anime series of all time.<br /><br />For one, the characters are well written, and you get to observe as they develop throughout the series. They each have their own distinct personalities, peculiarities and habits. This makes for interesting group dynamics, as they are each out to get something different from their shared experience on the ship. Their dialog is funny and ultimately believable<br /><br />Secondly, there is the storyline. The plot is most certainly the best part of the show. It alternates between the "main" storyline involving Spike and the others, and the occasional vignette or flashback about a character in particular. The individual episodes work well on their own for the most part, yet as pieces of the whole they complement each other very well.<br /><br />Third is the fantastic soundtrack. This show was the catalyst for my love affair with jazz music. The series prominently features a very bebop-style jazz song for its opening credits, and uses various other types of the music during the show. The music is so enmeshed in the series that something would be grievously wrong without it. I have heard that the creators of the show wrote the series around the music. The idea makes more and more sense as you progress through the story. Many of the episode names are even old jazz standards, or references to certain artists and albums. To top it all off, much of the music in the show are original compositions.<br /><br />I recommend this series to anyone in the mood for adventure, excellent characters and a spectacular story all set to some of the best music out there.