Editing Cowboy Bebop (section)

===Critical reception===
''Cowboy Bebop'' received unanimous acclaim, beginning at the time of its initial broadcast. Beginning in 1998, Japanese critic Keith Rhee highlighted the series as a standout in an otherwise "run-of-the-mill" season, praising its overall production values, and singling out Kanno's soundtrack as "a much-welcome change from all the sugary [[J-pop]] tunes of most anime features". Rhee also highlighted the show's Japanese "all-star cast",<ref name="EX-1998" /> which his colleague Mark L. Johnson described as being filled with "veteran voice talent", turning in even greater performances than those of their "above average" US counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Mark|date=2000|title=Cowboy Bebop 1st Session DVD Review|url=http://www.ex.org/5.3/31-anime_bebopdvd.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015075114/http://www.ex.org/5.3/31-anime_bebopdvd.html|archive-date=October 15, 2009|access-date=March 10, 2019|website=Ex.org}}</ref> In 1999, Australian magazine ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]'' reviewed the anime and rated it 9.5 out of 10.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Anime|magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]|date=1 December 1999|issue=75 (January 2000)|page=14|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-075/page/14}}</ref>

''[[Anime News Network]]''{{'}}s Mike Crandol gave the series an 'A+' rating for the dubbed version, and an 'A' rating for the subbed version. He characterized the series as "one of the most popular and respected anime titles in history", before adding that it was "a unique television show which skillfully transcends all kinds of genres". Crandol praised its characters as "some of the most endearing characters to ever grace an anime", and commended the voice acting, especially the "flawless English cast". He also complimented the series' "movie-quality" animation, "sophisticated" writing, and its "incredible" musical score. Crandol hailed ''Cowboy Bebop'' as a "landmark" anime "that will be remembered long after many others have been forgotten", and went on to call it "one of the greatest anime titles ever".<ref name="ANN Cowboy Bebop: The Perfect Sessions Review">{{Cite news|last=Crandol|first=Mike|date=February 21, 2002|title=Cowboy Bebop: The Perfect Sessions DVD Box Set - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/cowboy-bebop-box-set-dvd|url-status=live|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831235143/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/cowboy-bebop-box-set-dvd|archive-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> Additionally, Michael Toole of ''Anime News Network'' named ''Cowboy Bebop'' as one of the most important anime of the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Toole|first=Mike|date=June 5, 2011|title=Evangel-a-like - The Mike Toole Show|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2011-06-05|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010114552/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2011-06-05|archive-date=October 10, 2015|access-date=November 20, 2015|website=[[Anime News Network]]}}</ref>

T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews gave the entire series a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, with reviewer Christina Carpenter believing ''Cowboy Bebop'' as "one of the best [anime]" and touting it as a masterpiece that "puts most anime...and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]], to shame". She described it as a "very stylish, beautifully crafted series that deserves much more attention than it gets". Carpenter praised the animation as "a rarity and a marvel to behold" and that it was "beyond superb", and the plot and characterization as having "a sophistication and subtlety that is practically one-of-a-kind". She also praised the soundtrack, and hailed the opening theme as one of the best intro pieces she had ever heard. Carpenter went to say that ''Bebop'' was a "must-have for any serious collector of Japanese animation".<ref name="THEM Cowboy Bebop Review">{{Cite web|last=Carpenter|first=Christina|title=Cowboy Bebop Review|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=413|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906054704/http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=413|archive-date=September 6, 2015|access-date=September 8, 2013|publisher=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews}}</ref>

In his article "Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of ''Cowboy Bebop''", ''[[The Atlantic]]'' writer Alex Suskind states, "On paper, ''Cowboy Bebop'', the legendary cult anime series from Shinichirō Watanabe, reads like something [[John Wayne]], [[Elmore Leonard]], and [[Philip K. Dick]] came up with during a wild, all-night whiskey bender." He goes on to write, "The response from critics and fans may have sounded hyperbolic—the word 'masterpiece' was thrown around a great deal—but the praise was justified. First-time solo director Watanabe had created a gorgeous tale of morality, romance, and violence–a dark look at the lives of outlaws that's shot like an independent film."<ref name="atlantic">{{Cite web|last=Suskind, Alex|date=December 17, 2014|title=Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of Cowboy Bebop|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/asteroid-blues-the-lasting-legacy-of-cowboy-bebop/383817/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110171552/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/asteroid-blues-the-lasting-legacy-of-cowboy-bebop/383817/|archive-date=January 10, 2015|access-date=April 21, 2015|website=[[The Atlantic]]|publisher=[[Atlantic Media]]}}</ref>

In January 2015, television writer Kyle Mills of ''[[DVD Talk]]'' awarded the series five stars upon review. He stated, "Regardless of the medium, be it live action television, film, or animation, ''Cowboy Bebop'' is simply one of the finest examples of storytelling ever created." In his review, he describes the finale as "one of the best in television history", referring to it as a "widely revered" ending that "still sparks fan conversation, resonating with viewers 15 years on". He closes by writing, "''Cowboy Bebop'' ends with a bang."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/65491/cowboy-bebop-the-complete-series-premium-edition-amazon-exclusive/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729001014/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/65491/cowboy-bebop-the-complete-series-premium-edition-amazon-exclusive/|archive-date=July 29, 2020|access-date=April 16, 2020|website=DVD Talk}}</ref>

In his 2018 review of the series, ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' critic John Maher wrote, "It feels like a ''magnum opus'' produced at the pinnacle of a long career despite being, almost unbelievably, Watanabe's first series as a director. It is a masterwork that should justly rank among the best works of television of all time." It was also placed at #1 on the publication's list of the "50 Best Anime Series of All Time".<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 3, 2018|title=The 50 Best Anime Series of All Time|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/anime/the-50-best-anime-series-of-all-time/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418163240/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/anime/the-50-best-anime-series-of-all-time/|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=May 20, 2020|website=pastemagazine.com}}</ref>

On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Blending a head-spinning array of genres and references, ''Cowboy Bebop'' is an anime television classic that must be experienced."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cowboy Bebop: Series 1 - Rotten Tomatoes|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop/s01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523161759/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cowboy_bebop/s01/|archive-date=May 23, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref>

In an April 2019 interview with Diego Molano, creator of ''[[Victor & Valentino]]'', he said that Cowboy Bebop was the first anime he "obsessed over", as he spent time tracking down VHS tapes of the show in high school.<ref name="MolanoAM">{{Cite interview|last=Molano|first=Diego|interviewer=Animation Magazine staff|title=Animated People: Diego Molano, Creator of Cartoon Network's 'Victor and Valentino'|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/animated-people/animated-people-diego-molano-creator-of-cartoon-networks-victor-and-valentino/|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426051956/https://www.animationmagazine.net/animated-people/animated-people-diego-molano-creator-of-cartoon-networks-victor-and-valentino/|archive-date=April 26, 2019|publisher=[[Animation Magazine]]|place=[[Calabasas, California]]|date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> He also argued that this series showed him "how cinematic and emotional animation can be".