The Greatest Sci-Fi Western Anime of the ’90s Is Dominating Streaming

It’s been close to three decades since one of the greatest sci-fi Western anime debuted on small screens in Japan, and fans still can’t get over the masterpiece. Cowboy Bebop ran on Japan’s TV Tokyo and the satellite network Wowow from 1998 to 1999 before premiering in Italy, the first non-Asian country to air the show. Afterward, the anime arrived in the U.S. on September 2, 2001, as one of the first programs shown when Cartoon Network’s late-night block, Adult Swim, launched. Years later, Cowboy Bebop is topping streaming charts in America, dominating more recent acclaimed titles.

For the past few days, Cowboy Bebop, comprising 26 episodes, has been among the top 5 most popular shows on the Apple TV store in the U.S. and even went on to snag the top spot. The Western series is set in the year 2071 and follows the lives of a bounty-hunting crew aboard the spaceship Bebop, who travel throughout the solar system, chasing criminals and unraveling their dark, mysterious pasts. Boasting a Certified Fresh 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Cowboy Bebop has been described by critics as “an anime television classic that must be experienced.”

Cowboy Bebop was created and animated by Sunrise, with Shinichirō Watanabe as director, Keiko Nobumoto as screenwriter, ToshihiroKawamoto as character designer, Kimitoshi Yamane as mechanical designer, and Yoko Kanno as composer. The neo-noir space anime, which combines a wide variety of genres, has been globally praised as one of the best animated series of all time. In addition to its critical acclaim, it was a commercial success both in Japan and internationally, most notably in the U.S., and went on to receive multiple accolades, including major anime and science fiction awards.

Netflix Remade the Series in Live-Action

On November 19, 2021, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop premiered to significant criticism for its writing, special effects, editing, action sequences, and cast. Shinichirō Watanabe publicly slammed the show for not being faithful to the source material, and less than a month after premiering, Netflix canceled the series on December 9, 2021. The 10-episode series was developed by Christopher Yost with André Nemec as showrunner, and starred John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine and AlexHassell.

Cowboy Bebop is available on the Apple TV store. Follow Collider for the latest film and TV news.