Cowboy Bebop

I was recommended to watch Cowboy Bebop after finishing Samurai Champloo back in 2021. Although Bebop took me over a year to finish just because of how little I was watching anime in the second half of the year, it still caught my attention (and my bank account with the amount of money I've spent on figures and other goods) in a way no other anime has.
I remember watching the first episode and how much the intro caught my attention. Simply one of the best songs I've ever heard, and I'm happy to say this is the only anime where I have never skipped the OP. Then, there was the fight scene with Asimov and I would say that is what truly sealed the deal for me. The animation, choreography, and music were all just too perfect. I was so excited to keep watching and see more of that, and the rest did not disappoint.
I know this is a point Bebop gets criticized on a lot, but I actually really liked the non-linear plot progression. It was interesting to see how the characters interacted with each other outside of the main story and the stories behind the bounty/target of the week. I feel like it also made the more lore-heavy episodes more interesting because it's not something we see all of the time.
Moving on to the main plot with Spike, I like how it's introduced at a slower pace. In the first episode, we have a cold open of flashbacks of Spike's past which leaves us to wonder how that will play into the story. Then,

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

in Ballad of the Fallen Angels, we get a vague introduction to what's been going on with Spike. Again, we mostly see flashbacks, but we can kind of start to piece it together more. In Jupiter Jazz Parts 1 and 2, we get an even clearer picture and we learn more about Julia. And finally, it all wraps up in The Real Folk Blues Parts 1 and 2.
Though the ending was tragic and left me in tears for at least an hour, I couldn't think of anything more fitting and beautiful. Although I believe that he met his end, I think the ambiguity of whether Spike is dead or alive that it ends with is perfect for him, the man who was always teetering on the edge of life and death.
Faye's backstory is also incredibly interesting to me and definitely made me tear up. Normally for us, we'd see pictures or videos of ourselves as children and although we'd feel some disconnect just because we're not that age anymore and likely don't act the exact same, there is still a connection because we know it was us at some point. But for Faye, there's no connection there. She's pretty sure it's supposed to be her, but she feels no connection to the child she sees in the beta tape. Truly heartbreaking.

I feel like everything else I want to say is just spoilers, so I'll leave it off here.
Overall, Cowboy Bebop is easily one of the greatest pieces of media I have consumed and I would recommend it to almost everyone. The plot, the characters, the messages and themes, the music (which we have Ms. Kanno to thank for)... everything just blends together to create a masterpiece. Shinichiro Watanabe is truly a master of his craft.