Cowboy Bebop Remixed (1 Viewer)

[Chad Ferguson]

Just curious if anyone has had the chance to purchase this Volume 1 title yet? More importantly compare it to the original and see if its worth the upgrade. I heard rumors of added footage as well but I don't believe that. A 5.1 soundtrack could sound amazing though!!
Thanks

 

[Patrick H.]

I haven't bought it yet, but from what I've read at the Digital Bits and elsewhere...

a) NO new footage or animation...indeed, exact same transfers as before

b) a handful of decent new extras

c) awesome remixed sound

I took a look at it in the store last week, but was low on cash at the time. I can tell you, though, they got one of the episode titles wrong on the back. D'oh!

 

[Chad Ferguson]

i did hear that there was a recap episode and on the r2 release they called ep.0 wonder if that will be there,can't say i was upset with the original transfer but still nice to get a higher bit rate or something. If cheap, i'll buy.
thanks

 

[Jesse Blacklow]

There's a review up on The Digital Bits which gives it good marks. I bought it, and although I don't have the original to compare it to, from what I can remember the 5.1 sound really is a huge improvement. This show has a lot of scenes with little or no dialogue, and the ambient sounds come across very well. It's also one of the few anime releases where I like the English dub as much or more than the original Japanese, so I'm glad they both got the 5.1 treatment. Video seems pretty clean to me, although I'm running an HTPC with resizing and sharpening filters, so I'm not sure if it's a good source or good processing. As for the extras, wasn't the original release barebones? This one has two commentary tracks, a collection of trailers (US and Japanese), and an interview with Wendee Lee (Faye's US voice actor). I'd say go ahead and get it unless you have one of the original releases and are satisfied with it.

 

[TheLongshot]

From what I understand, the content of ep.0 is spread out over the extras of the R1 DVD set.

I have the original collections of remixes which I imported from Japan, because I didn't think they would be imported here. The mixes were pretty good. I'm glad they've remixed the whole series, since with all the music and sound, it should work quite well.

Jason

 

[Steve Y]

Does anyone know if they have plans to release a Remixed box set? The first set had a nice box that left standard B&Ms before I could blink. Anyhow, I'd much rather buy this new set all at once rather than pick up each volume as it is released.

 

[Ruz-El]

I'm holding out for a box, or at least a bundle. Can anyone point me the direction of a viewing list? I haven't seen these, but have heard nothing but good things about it. Should I watch the movie first, or is the movie a collection of episodes?

 

[GregBe]

I havn't seen the series, but loved the movie. I will definetely be picking these up. To answer your question Russel, the movie takes place somewhere toward the end of the series; not quite after. I enjoyed it thoroughly without knowing a thing about the series, but I suppose if you plan on getting the series anyway, you may want to watch the movie at the correct time. Unfortunately, I am not sure exactly where that falls, but I am sure someone will chime in.

Greg

 

[Richard Kim]

After comparing both versions of the vol 1 Bebop DVDs, I noticed that Episode 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels is altered from the original verison. the original version begins with a shot of the hyperspace gates above Mars. The new version omits this and cuts straight to the surface. Also the sound effect of Vicious' bird has been changed from the original version.

As for viewing order, definitely watch the series first. The movie takes place between Epsiodes 22 & 23, but I reccommend watching it after the series.

 

[RobertM.Fleming]

Bebop fans might also wish to note that there is a packaging error on both the outer box and inner sleeve, episode 2 is mis-titled "Stray Cat Strut" instead of "Stray Dog Strut"

Also, Ive contacted the Bandai website twice now and thus far there position is that there is no box set of Remix in the works. but I dont know how high of regard to hold this information.

it would seem very foolish to miss out on the opportunity for a new box set of one of the most loved and celebrated anime programs ever.

 

[Patrick H.]

That's what I was referring to earlier. Sucks that it's wrong on the inner sleave, too...I was hoping it was just the slipcover.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

Well it seems that this title is not sold in Canada! Really, we are always getting the burn on this stuff!

 

[Patrick H.]

Rented this from Netflix over the weekend. Everything the reviews have said is pretty much true. The video is exactly the same as the original releases...not perfect, but still watchable. The extras are okay, particularly the old Adult Swim promos. (I remember seeing those back in the day, and they're very smartly cut-together little teasers.) The new animated menus are nice.

The whole point of this endeavor seems to be the remixed soundtrack, though, and they weren't kidding around! These sound GREAT, nicely expanding the music cues and adding some real kick to the sound effects. If any alterations were made, they were so subtle that I didn't notice them. Dialogue is fine on both the English and Japanese versions. What really impressed, though, was the directionality...these episodes were more active across the whole of the soundfield than many full-length films, without sounding too "gimmicky" either. Clearly some effort went into this.

Since I've always just rented the prior releases of 'Bebop,' I may have to pick this one up at some point. Presumably they'll keep a better eye on the packaging on future installments (and in case there were any fears, 'Stray Dog Strut' IS correctly titled everywhere on the disc itself).

 

[Matt Czyz]

For what it's worth, my opinion: Definitely watch the movie after you've watched the whole series. It does take place right before the final episodes, but the series was over and done with when the movie came out, and the movie carries much more resonance knowing how the episodes play out.

Watching the Cowboy Bebop movie for the first time was one of the most exhilerating movie-viewing experiences I've ever had, and I easily consider it one of my favorite movies period.

I'd love to comment more, but I'd like Russell to go in to everything spoiler-free.

 

[Francois Caron]

That's for sure! I had to import the first series when it first came out because I couldn't find it anywhere in Canada. And this was with the crappy exchange rate of 60 cents U.S. to the dollar! The series was definitely worth it though.

Today, the exchange rate is so good that by the end of the year you could probably purchase the series at par!

I'm still on the fence for the remix edition though. Not because I question the remix, but because I've seen the entire series two or three times already. But for anyone who hasn't seen the complete series yet, definitely go for the remix!

 

[Max Leung]

PQ the same as the original? Damn, that sucks! Thanks for saving me some cash. Although, the soundtrack improvement is fairly compelling.

 

[GregBe]

Does anyone know when disc 2 is set to arrive in stores, and how quickly they will release the rest?

 

[Matt Czyz]

10-25-05 Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol. #2
11-22-05 Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol. #3
12-13-05 Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol. #4

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

also, stay far far away from imdb until you are done, lets just say in the "crazy credits" section, the king of all bebop spoilers is there.