Tank! - Seatbelts

Cowboy Bebop

Author: Hajime Yadate
Illustrator: Yutaka Nanten
Volumes: 3
Publisher: Tokyopop

Brief Summary:
Based on the incredibly popular anime series, which is possibly the best anime of all time, this short manga series follows the crew of the Bebop on their adventures. The folks of the Bebop are bounty hunters, who are always looking for more money to repair the ship or to fill their constantly rumbling bellies. They are Spike (a handsome, cigarette-smoking bad boy), Jet (an ex-cop), Faye (a sexy, barely dressed swindler) and Ed (a young girl who looks like a boy and computer hacker).

Review:
Reading the manga was fun and definitely made me crave a rewatch of the series. It is set somewhere in the middle of the series, which is rather obvious as Ed is already there. The manga lacks the gravity that the anime often possessed. It is like a string of the less serious episodes, a collection of cases undergone somewhat haphazardly and generally ending in some unexpected manner that is rather comedic.

I really think Ed stole the show here. There's a chapter in the second volume where Ed ends up thwarting a hit man in her efforts to eat someone's prize bird. In another installment, she is the only one who does not catch an illness from the others. She's kooky, but she has her own kind of magic, born of some combination of genius, implacability and luck.

If you love Cowboy Bebop, it would be a shame to miss out on some more of the Bebop's adventures.