AiYume

Last year, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie at a local anime festival. The film is due to be released in America next month, and I will definitely be there to support it.

I managed to be first in line for the third showing, earning the teasing of a man who felt I must be a die-hard Cowboy Bebop fan. I didn't have the heart to tell him I hadn't even seen a complete episode of the series. There was at least one person in the line had seen the movie while in Hong Kong.
( Spoilers )
The elements are pretty standard sci-fi fare. We've seen it before on Star Trek and other shows and movies. However, the characters, style, animation, and music combine to breathe fresh life into them.

The animation itself is excellent with one of the best anime martial arts fights I've seen in my admittedly little experience. There were only two glaring examples of anime physics with a cut shirt that refused to fall open and some vehicles that refused to jostle or even tip while cutting down a short slope.

This movie can easily stand on its own as a sci-fi action movie. Those who have wanted to see an anime movie but have been waiting for a plot with a harder, less-preachy feel than Studio Ghibli offerings such as Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away should definitely catch this movie.