This one is a certified classic

Cowboy Bebop is also one of the easiest anime’s to get into for someone new to anime. It’s an all time great piece of work and the first anime for a lot of people in America. One of the greatest English dubs too.

Yoko Kanno is a musical genius without limitations. Fun fact: she formed The Seatbelts specifically for Cowboy Bebop. Also, much of the music for the show was composed BEFORE the show was written and the music was used as inspiration for scenes and characters when they were writing.

The sax solo is done by Masato Honda. He just turned 60 recently and is still a giant in the Japanese blues and jazz scene.

Man, this guy would go nuts for the entire Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. He could make an entire week's worth of content just exploring that.

Yoko Kanno is like the John Willaims of Japan in that she's written just a huge number of intensely memorable themes for TV and movies. I really recommend checking out more of her stuff!

Tank! is one of the most well known and loved anime theme songs ever written, and for good reason. Not only is it an incredible groove that really sets the feel for the show it accompanies (a space western), the show itself is one of the most highly revered shows in anime history. The entire soundtrack for that show oozes character, and absolutely elevates the show. Yoko Kanno is a musical chameleon. She seems completely capable of writing just about any style of music. Her wikipedia lists he genres as: Jazz, classical, orchestral, electronic, new age, blues, folk, pop, art rock, ambient, post-rock, heavy metal, bossa nova, jazz fusion, funk, soul music, city pop. She is one of the most incredible composers to have worked in the anime world. She also wrote lyrics and sang on a number of recordings under the pseudonym Gabriela Robin (she later revealed this was so she could freely mix english and japanese lyrics, presumably to avoid any sort of expectations), only to eventually reveal that Gabriela Robin was indeed her.

Space Lion, real folk blues, knock a little harder, there are so many great tracks from this show

Yoko Kanno is spectacular. Her solo stuff, stuff with the Seatbelts, soundtrack work for series from Macross to Bebop, it's all great.

Yoko Kanno's work is terrific, especially throughout Cowboy Bebop. Across the four LPs and three EPs that make up the full soundtrack, there is such an immense variety of moods, sounds, styles, and colours, while never coming across as disjointed or fragmentary. I'd love for you to return to it sometime, nearly every piece is very satisfying - "Space Lion', "The Real Folk Blues", "Gotta Knock a Little Harder", "Ave Maria", "Fantasie Signe", "Adieu", "What Planet Is This", "Butterfly", "Blue", just a handful among many great tracks (really it would require at least a full EPL to get the sense of it, but that's probably too outside the bounds of that program).

watching real musicians like you get such a kick out of the tunes from my childhood is such a vindicating feeling since growing up their was so much dismissive attitudes in not just adults but also anyone my own age who wasnt a fan and just didn't get it. thank you for this video man, much appreciated

I like Tank, but I especially love "What Planet is This" from the same soundtrack. Thanks for doing this song

You should ABSOLUTELY watch Cowboy Bebop (just not the live action). The crazy thing about the production of the show is that the music actually came first (for the most part) basically Shinichiro Watanabe is MASSIVELY inspired by music. He doesn't write scene's and have someone score them, Kanno would literally just pump out these eclectic jams as part of production and Watanabe would write scenes AROUND the music. Watanabe would do the exact same thing in his next series Samurai Champloo - though this time it was his rap and hip-hop friends he drew inspiration from and it is equally as amazing a show to watch as Bebop is.

watched every episode multiple times and never got sick of the theme song

Cowboy Bebop is a great show, each episode is titled after a music genre and music plays a huge role in it.

Tank! is of course amazing. I'm an even bigger fan of Kano's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex theme. It's a new age-ee scifi masterpiece with russian lyrics and an amazing sound.

Kanno's Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon) OST is a pure masterpiece.

Yoko Kanno is pretty much my favorite composer, period. it just blows my mind how good she is! tank is a masterpiece for sure! however, her music is so vast and diverse, it's really hard to get deep into it, I love the cyber bicci album, the ghost in the shell OST albums and the darker than black OST albums too, might be worth taking a look at those! cheers!

Kanno's quote you mentioned at the end is hitting it right on the nose, really. She very prone to just synthesizing musical styles and making tracks that are eclectic as all get out, and it's always a ride when she's on the production team for something.

It's so informational and educational to watch multiple music professionals react to the same piece of music. Something that wouldn't have happened w/o YT. Enriched life chunk.

A classic opener for a genuinely classic anime. Cowboy Bebop is one of the few series I think even the vast majority of non-anime fans would enjoy. It's the only anime I ever really got my parents into back when I was ~12-13 as they rarely liked anime. The fact that it was so influenced by western media like westerns and noirs probably helped; that and the fact the English voice actors were excellent. Also, Yoko Kanno gets my vote for the best composer working in anime or video games today. She's incredibly versatile and has written soundtracks in pretty much every style/genre (classical, jazz, electronica, pop, soul, etc.) and succeeded in all of them. Never known of a more versatile composer anywhere.

To me, Tank! is arguably the single greatest jazz number to come out of the last 30 years at the least. Thank you for this react.

another absolute banger of a track on this album is Bad Dog, No Biscuits. Very bebop/ska/bluesy and just all around a good time!

The saxophone player is Masato Honda, you'd love some of his solo work, and some of the work he did with T-Square.

The music from Cowboy bebop is phenominal, IIRC they got 3 or 4 soundtrack albums of material out of 26 episodes. Not only did the show have great music but they did a fantastic job of juxtaposing the music with the visuals.

Yoko Kanno's work on Macross Plus and Kids on the Slope is just amazing.

Now you see why I was so excited when you first mentioned doing this song on Sunday! Other faves include Rain, Knock a Little Harder; Call Me, Call Me and No Reply. The last two have brilliant vocals from Steve Conte and No Reply will break your heart with its simple, beautiful construction and achingly longing lyrics. I love this show, and LOVE Kanno's music for it.

yoko kanno is one of the most underappreciated contemporary composers. her whole body of work is amazing and so multifaceted, it's incredible

There was a time in my life where I binged all the anime that Yoko Kanno composed for. Wolf's Rain has a special place in my heart. I would love for Doug to react to one of the songs from that series.

It's always fun to watch someone dive in to anime and video game music without having previous exposure to it. Being from an anime or video game doesn't automatically make something good, but there's some really exceptional stuff out there that unfortunately gets overlooked because of its association with "childish" cartoons and games. Thank you for being open minded and giving these songs a real chance.

Yoko Kanno is amazing and did work all over the industry. One of my favorites is from Escaflowne and underrated af. All of her work is amazing, tbh.

I mean it’s almost mandatory that you do “Inner Universe” from the Ghost in the Shell OST. That’s the Yoko Kanno song that blew me away when I was a kid

Yoko Kanno's work on Turn A Gundam is spectacular, and my personal favorite from among her OST work.

Yoko Kanno is an amazing composer and arranger. I particularly love her work in the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex OSTs.

Cowboy Bebop has one of the greatest soundtracks in anime history. Definitely worth diving into more.

I KNEW you would love this song. The entire soundtrack is full of instant classics. One of my favorites is called Blue, the final song of the series. I want it to be played at my funeral. It means so much to me

What a surprise! I really enjoyed all about Yoko Kanno's work on that soundtrack. Nice to see the reaction vídeo

There's a series called Lupin III, about a master thief, that's described as 'Where Cowboy Bebop got its cool'. The theme music certainly hits in a similar vein, and just as hard. Thoroughly recommend, and there's so many different renditions of the same song that there's bound to be one you'll love.

Subbed just for this video. Always like new ears taking on old classics. Respect for Yoko Kanno she is brilliant. Also for Nobuo Uematsu who I think was briefly mentioned. They are both musical heroes of my childhood.

Yoko Kanno is one of these Japanese composers that mastered so many foreign styles, it's always a pleasure to listen to anything she creates. The Cowboy Bebop anime has many musically-themed episodes. After watching the series, when you listen to the sound track, you will very likely remember the episode the song was featured in. She truly succeeded in adding a tremendous level of depth to the storytelling. Most series just have a few thematic songs that get reused for characters or situations, it's rare to dedicate a composition to a single episode.

ever since i found your channel last month ive been waiting for this .

Anything by Kano is guaranteed to be awesome. As a classical composer i would recommend checking out the Sound track for Macross Plus. The Israel Philharmonic loved recording the orchestral parts. Voices is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.

There will never be a more well done piece of work. I loved the way the story was shown to you rather than explained.

Such many bangers on the CowBe and Yoko Kanno's OST catalog, LESSGO!!

My favorite piece from that soundtrack is Space Lion. Something about it speaks to my soul. It'd be worth listening to, in my opinion.

I watched this show a few years back (my first anime), and the opening theme got me EVERY SINGLE TIME. The way it synched up with the visuals was also amazing.

It's so wonderful to witness other people learning why Yoko Kanno is effectively anime royalty from what she brings to their soundtracks If you are looking for other tracks of hers that are wonderful, I recommend Information High, and Santi-U from the Macross Plus soundtrack.

And then you compare this to the heartbreak of Green Bird off the same soundtrack, or Stray from Wolf’s Rain. Yoko Kanno is astounding.

Instrumental anime openings always have a place in my heart. To me, its Tank (Cowboy Bebop) and the incredible H.T (Trigun).❤

Yoko Kanno made me a fan with her Macross Plus soundtrack. I’ve been listening to what ever she produced ever since.

You looked like you were having so much fun, it was a joy watching you dissect the song. Looking forward to more stuff by you!

Yeah man you did it! A reaction to Tank, incredible soundtrack for this anime and this song is the better example for that. I enjoyed your video man!

Yuji Ohno is a master of this kind composition and has been producing stuff since the 70's . You should check his works out too.

You know? Watching you react to this big band jazz track has made me consider that you could enjoy a Swedish band called Diablo Swing Orchestra. They are avant-garde metal and, as the name indicates, their music swings and it does it HARD. I can recommend their track Superhero Jagganath from the 2017 album Pacifisticuffs.

You are a joy to watch. I'm gratified that you're getting to experience some of my favorite compositions in such a public way. Blessings to you and yours.

I remember when I used to binge this show alot and I’d wake up from my all nighter to this playing over the credits and have to resart the episode fighting sleep to see what I missed

As a musician myself that has listened to this track for many, many years, I have confirmed that the best part of the piece is the bongo player and it's not even close. The bongo player makes the track. Any percussionist can recognize that this player is playing out of his mind the entire track.

I'm glad to see that you also featured Japanese anime sounds, such as "Jojo" and "Cowboy Bebop." Many of the composers who contributed to the sound side of Japanese anime and games in their early days were influenced by progressive rock, and the context has been passed on to modern composers, the music of "Jojo" being a prime example. There is also a lot of other good Japanese progressive rock. In particular, 四人囃子(Yoninbayashi)'s "一触即発(Isshoku shokuhatsu)" incorporates the essence of Pink Floyd, YES, ELP, and others to create high quality progressive rock. Please give it a listen! I look forward to your continued coverage of Japanese music as well! From a listener in Japan

OMG, haven't heard Tank for a while. Still got the chills. Classic song. Awesome anime.

Doug did 2 of my favorite soundtracks back to back. I'm jammin

Spokey Dokey is my favorite track from the OST, the harmonica was used perfectly in the show and it truly shines in the episode Sympathy for the Devil, which, is among my favorite episodes. If you watch the show, look out for it.

Started at the AoT Suite reaction, then to JoJo, and now I'm here. Really enjoy this content along with being able to see you experience the love for anime OSTs I've had for many years! I remember my reactions all being so similar the first time hearing them.

Oh you would have a blast listening to the soundscape that they made in the entire movie! It rivals, and surpasses so many movies it’s almost funny😂 The mood and banger after banger… I rewatch it as my Halloween movie, almost every year🙌🏻🔥

The entire soundtrack is just as good. You should watch the show... keep the fun rolling

honestly, you should listen to the whole album. This is such amazing music.

Cowboy Bebop is a classic and a significant part of its excellence is the soundtrack. From the moment this track kicks off you know you're going to be in for a wild ride. Thanks for doing this.

Fantastic!! I love all this for you and for us and viewers of your channel!! Bring on the Anime!

Anything from Shiro Sagisu is a must hear , The composer for Bleach , Neon Genesis Evangelion , and Berserk. From biblically epic orchestras , to jazz , metal , opera , tearful ballads , this man never misses. Edit : How could I forget flamenco , from Clavar la Espada , Fiesta de Guerra , to Nube Negra ...

If you continue anime reactions, I recommend one of the following from Trigun (which was created at around the same time as Cowboy Bebop): H.T (intro song) Blue Funk (fun energetic song) Never Could Have Been Worse (very Led Zeppelin) Trigun still endures as one of the best in my book, although I wish they'd extend the ending to match how epic it was in the manga. Another anime with a great soundtrack is FLCL, with The Pillows as the music group behind all but one of their songs. Hybrid Rainbow is an easy recommendation from that anime.

So it's been a while since I listened to the Bebop soundtrack, but one comment that I can make on it is that without qualification, a lot of musicians would retire happily with after recording half the bredth of that series of soundtrack albums, especially when you factor in outliers like the remixes and movie OST. But no, Kanno has been prolific well beyond that one series. My personal favourite showcase of her work is on Macross Frontier, especially the achingly beautiful Diamond Crevasse (a song I can't listen to without dissolving into tears within the first verse), the epic Prologue F (which I played at my wedding), and the firebreathing Northern Cross, a future-pop song that wouldn't feel out of place on some powermetal albums. Both originally recorded with a vocalist that hadn't seen her 19th birthday, as I recall.

Your expert commentary, though short, is always cool to listen to and learn from. Thanks!

This soundtrack is legit in my top 5 albums of all time. It is a phenomenal musical experience with a piece for every taste. Could not recommend this soundtrack any higher.

Letting it just play the first time is a good move with this one, as it's not too long. I won't speak for the others here but I kind of like when reactors just kind of let it go and groove along, then go back. Some don't have the attention span for that, but I think it works here.

Cowboy bebop is definitely a great first anime to watch. It’s unanimously considered a classic. I also found it interesting that you said you have a classical music background because there’s a lot of videogame OST’s out there that really do sound like reinvention of classical music for the modern age and a revival for the genre. I definitely recommend not sleeping on them! Anyway, good luck with your journey, it’s always enjoyable to discover new things!

I died laughing when he started shaking that thing to the beat, that’s awesome 😂

i hope yiu deep dive on Yokko Kanno. i only know a little about Her i know she traveled around America and hit all.the Jazz underground spots and absorbed Pure Soul.

Really special anime, glad you liked the Opening theme. Here is the link for the other really famous song "Real Folk Blues" from the series. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bq2neJOo3LPRe3k.html

I was surprised she also did the main theme song (Inner Universe) for the also well known and ultra popular anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Quite different from Cowboy Bebop but still an amazing piece of work.

Love your analysis. TANK! is such a (modern) classic for a reason.

It would be amazing if you dived more into Kanno's work. Her work on Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell, Macross Plus, Wolf's Rain and Kids on the Slope are some of my scores of all time.

Wowsers!!!! That was amazing! It sounds like a mash-up of 60's movie and TV show themes. So cool! Thanx Doug!

Your reaction was fantastic to watch but the education you give on what’s happening musically is absolutely fascinating!

If you liked that one, you should check out the opening for Gunsmith Cats!

I understand that Cowboy Bebop is an introduction to jazz anime for current American viewers, but as a fan of Japanese anime, I want you to watch the opening of ``Lupin the Third'' first. Lupine the Third is famous for being directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii, and is a work with countless opening arrangements.

This was one of my favorite videos you've ever put out, Doug.

Man this song makes me so nostalgic. The whole OST was amazing and every time I listen to it, I get nostalgic. I can't listen to Blue without wanting to cry.

I highly recommend the soundtracks from the Nier videogames, they have some of the best tracks i've ever heard in a game, and also use a unique, made up language that sounds beautiful to listen to.

Glad you liked it... the ending song of the show, The Real Folk Blues, is also a masterpiece :)

The full soundtrack is amazing. The anime has the best music and story integration. This is one of my favorites shows.

the way you immediately launch into flappy hands ahhh i could watch you listen to music all day i'm so glad there's so many of these T_T

Loved the review! Cowboy Bebop is a classic, as well as it's opening theme Tank! You owe it to yourself to watch the series because the music only gets better from there. If you're going to review other anime music, please please please look into "Wolf's Rain". I would say check out the opening theme "stray" sung by Steve Conte but the OST was also produced by Yoko Kanno!

Yoko Kanno's work on Ghost in the Shell is also fantastic. Plus there's a great live performance of hers on YT, for the ending of Turn A Gundam, titled Moon, that is also great. Origa sings soprano which doesn't hurt at all.

First time watching a video of yours, 11 seconds in, and I’m subscribing for your intro alone. And rewinding to hear it again.

You are the only guy that I give a like even before pressing play, because you ALWAYS get the best topics and your videos are GREAT!

Been waiting for this for a while! Once again recommending Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion for a similar style (and it's also probably the most popular song from anime, maybe tied with TANK!). Also recommend Komm Suss Tod from the Evangelion movie for a nice prog rock song (that's also in English)

I think the ending theme is better, but this one is very very good too and can see why Doug liked it so much.

i remember waiting for cowboy bebop to come on tv not only so i could watch the show, but specifically for this song used as the intro music.

Hi Doug, expert Anime enjoyer here. Very happy you are giving this music a chance. As a musician myself, it warms my heart to see someone with an established musical background take it seriously and shed light on the medium. I can't support the channel financially (Patreon), BUT I have compiled a list of classic songs from Anime to help further your listening. Hope to see some of these on the Channel soon! they are ALL 100% worth it. -Tokyo Ghoul: Unravel -Made In Abyss: Old Stories -The End Of Evangelion: Komm Süsser Tod -Spy x Family: Mixed Nuts -Attack On Titan: Guren no Yumiya -No Game No Life: This Game -Jujutsu Kaisen: Lost In Paradise -Kancolle: Miiro -Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Jotaro's Theme -Your Lie In April: Hikaru Nara -Baccano: Gun's n Roses -Higurashi: Dear You; Cry -Death Note: What's Up, People!? -Zankyou no Terror: VON -Angel Beats: Ichiban no Takaramono -Domestic Girlfriend: Crying for Rain -Bacceno: Main Theme -Bocchi The Rock: Seisyun Complex -Another: Main Theme (see note *) -Jojo's Bizarre Advenure: Sono Chi no Sadame -Future Diary: Kuusou Mesorogiwi (* NOTE: the Main Theme (NOT THE OPENING THEME, that's a different song) from Another would be PERFECT for this time of year. very Spooky orchestral stuff with some elec. guitar in there too..) Edit: you should DEFINTLY watch Your Lie In April. it's a sad one, but it center's around 2 young kids, both a piano and violin prodigy. This anime features a bunch of "performances" of Debussy songs, and the animation and recordings are TOP NOTCH, it's like actually watching them being played live.

Something to love about bebop, every episode has a song in a style. Pick an episode, check out the song, and LOVE it. As for the Seatbelts? You'll love EVERYTHING they perform.

A wonderful series. The epitome of 90's sci-fi adventure but also mixed with so many other cinematic themes and elements. Each episode its own little journey on a theme, and the music throughout is amazing. Music had a huge influence on the series as a whole which was intentional. Each episode incorporates a type of musical style into the title, with themes often appearing as a feature for a single episode to fit the theme. Even the episodes themselves aren't even called "episodes" by the show, they're referred to as Sessions, as in a jam session. Each episode is disjointed, having continuity, but rarely re-treading prior elements of itself leaving the series as a whole in a rather strange vacuous space where there is no ultimate meaning or satisfying resolution, just like music. It has no purpose other than to be what it is, and to make you want to experience it again for its own sake because it makes you feel good.