Cowboy Bebop Volume 1

by Yutaka Nanten

Spike, Jet, Faye and Ed - cowboys on the new frontier. Together this band of interplanetary bounty hunters takes on the jobs that anyone in their right mind would turn down.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931514917
• ISBN13: 9781931514910
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: TokyoPop
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 17 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 12 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

WOW!!!!

Wow! I am a HUGE fan of the anime and let me tell you, the manga is no let down. It totally captures that intriguing mood of the series, which I at first didn't think was possible! :) I am 100% satisfied! This is a wonderful book that any Cowboy Bebop fan should read. You won't be dissapointed. :)

A hardcore Bebop Fan is happy

When it comes to Cowboy Bebop I'm a fanatic, so I felt compelsed to buy the manga to further my Bebop collection. At first I thought the manga art was a little odd but it grew on me and I was waiting for the next instalation of this great series. If you pay attention to what each character says not only do you catch odd bits of 20th century pop-culture, but some how our author and artist captures the original anime's slick humor and Shinichiro Watanabe's vision for the series. By far this is one of the best done series to manga conversions I've ever seen. Although it's a little disappointing that there are only books in the manga's installation. All I can hope is that there will more added to this great manga series. This series is most definitely worth your hard earned money!

Stylistic Surprise

I bought this volume of the Bebop manga at Anime Expo 2002 out of laziness since I didn't want to order online or go to a bookstore to get it. Go figure. ^_^ But anyway, most hardcore Bebop fans are in for a shocker since the artwork doesn't closely resemble that of the anime series, except for Jet, Ed, and Ein, who still look pretty much the same. Spike and Faye look a lot younger here, but who cares?!Story and character-wise, the manga series stays true to the Bebop anime, retaining that "cool" style and humor. Plus, what makes the manga even more desirable is the fact that none of the stories in here are a retelling of the anime -- it's a collection of original side adventures that the Bebop crew embark upon. In addition, since this is the translated, unflopped, Tokyopop release, I must say that they did an excellent job in the translations and comic wording department. It'll take newbies some getting used to since you have to read this book right-to-left, as goes with all Japanese manga. But after the first time around, you pick the reading format up easily, so it shouldn't be much of a problem afterwards. In the end, is it a must for Bebop fans? Oh yes, most definitely. *Side Note* I think this graphic novel is worth getting for the 2nd story alone, "We Will Rock You." Check out Spike trying to escape the clutches of a male-prisoner-turned-Marilyn-Monroe-wannabe. It's too hilarious to miss out on. Seriously.

utterly marvalous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i could image all the stories in this manga being draw out and made into new episodes for the series. if your as sad as i am about the swift end to this remarkable series and are craving a little more, i highly recommend that you check out this manga.

Hardly a substitute for the anime, but still a great read.

"Cowboy Bebop" has been dubbed one of the greatest anime series ever, and rightfully so. Its plots are original and action-packed, its dub has been called one of the best ever done, and its characters are some of the most beloved characters in the anime community. So it's no surprise that TOKYOPOP decided to bring the "Cowboy Bebop" manga to the States. Using TOKYOPOP's new "100% Authentic Manga" format, the manga is a set of stories told within the universe of "Cowboy Bebop" before the final set of episodes. Sadly, the manga is nothing compared to the anime masterpiece; even so, fans of the series and fans of manga in general owe it to themselves to give this manga a look at least.The anime series follows an episode-like format for the most of its 26-episode run (meaning episodes don't have overlapping storylines), and the manga is no different. The first volume of the "Cowboy Bebop" manga presents four different stories that deal with the characters of the "Bebop", following their adventures and misadventures as they try to nab bounties so they can collect the reward money and get food in their stomachs. Almost any "Cowboy Bebop" fan will praise the anime series as having highly original stories and adventures that define the series. Unfortunately, that same fan will most likely look at the stories in the manga and say they are formulaic. Also, the stories has odd pacing issues in several areas, making the volume feel a little unbalanced. Even so, the stories are quite entertaining and do capture some of the charm of the anime. But anyone hoping the manga will hold over as a substitute for the anime until the "Cowboy Bebop" movie arrives on American shores will be sorely disappointed.Visually, some fans might be put off by the artist's interpretation of the characters. Characters in the manga do resemble their anime counterparts, but sometimes they can look a tad-bit distorted. And seeing Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein in chibi-like forms can be a little awkward, considering this rarely happened in the anime. Still, the visual artwork of the manga isn't anything to be disgusted at, but fans of the anime will wants to approach this with caution.In terms of translation, I can honestly say that TOKYOPOP is getting better. Previous efforts such as "Cardcaptor Sakura" and "Gundam Wing" used text that was most likely typed in a machine, resulting in several horrible typos, and TOKYOPOP has always been known to deliver mediocre translations. With "Cowboy Bebop", the text appears to be drawn and not typed, resulting in fewer typos; I couldn't find any at all in this volume. While the translation might be questionable to some people, it doesn't sound static and flat; I actually consider this one of TOKYOPOP's better efforts. And with TOKYOPOP's new "100% Authentic Format", the volume is read right-to-left, giving it a more authentic feel. It also makes the artwork clearer to see; since it hasn't been photo-reversed, the artwork isn't blurred, dimmed, or