Amazon is offering amazing discounts on the classic anime series Cowboy Bebop. For a limited time, Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series on Blu-ray can be purchased for just $18 (originally $60). Alternatively, you might have the option to save nearly 50% on last year’s 25th Anniversary Special Edition, which includes a small amount of additional content.
Cowboy Bebop is one of two iconic anime referenced by Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann as an influence for the studio’s upcoming game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which was revealed at The Game Awards. The other anime Druckmann mentioned was Akira, the 1988 cult classic film adapted from Katsuhiro Otomo’s legendary manga. You can get Akira’s 4K Blu-ray ($18), 1080p Blu-ray ($11.49), and 35th Anniversary Manga Box Set ($131) at Amazon. You can learn more about Akira and Cowboy Bebop below. For further details on Intergalactic, check out our comprehensive overview of everything we know about Naughty Dog’s next game.
Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
$18 (originally $60)
Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series features all 26 episodes spread across four discs. This remastered edition maintains the original 4:3 aspect ratio, yet offers a high-definition resolution upgrade. It includes English voiceover dubs as well as the original Japanese audio track with subtitles. In addition to all the episodes, you’ll receive a variety of bonus features, including 5 audio commentaries, numerous featurettes, several interviews, and more.
The Amazon deal on Funimation’s 2014 release, which drops the price to $18, provides the best deal we’ve seen this year.
Furthermore, Amazon also offers the 25th Anniversary Special Edition on sale for $27.49 (was originally $50). Released by Crunchyroll last year, this edition is virtually identical to the $18 version, though it comes with a fifth disc featuring a 25-year retrospective and an interview with Koichi Yamadera (the voice actor for Spike) recorded for the series’ 20th anniversary.
Cowboy Bebop takes place 50 years after Earth has become uninhabitable. In 2071, many humans reside on moons and other planets in the galaxy. Similar to the main character in Intergalactic, Cowboy Bebop follows a bounty hunter. Spike Spiegel leads a band of bounty hunters (cowboys) who navigate the galaxy aboard an interplanetary fishing vessel (the Bebop) picking up contracts for bounties on criminals.
While it tackles some serious themes, Cowboy Bebop also maintains a sense of humor and emotional depth. The eclectic group of bounty hunters aboard the Bebop are well-developed characters that you truly empathize with throughout the show’s 26 episodes. Moreover, Cowboy Bebop features a really lovable and remarkably intelligent dog.
“`named Ein (a domestic corgi).
Akira on 4K Blu-ray
$18.44 (previously $30) | $11.49 for 1080p Blu-ray
Akira is currently offered on 4K Blu-ray for $18.44 (was once $30) at Amazon. This edition of Akira’s 4K remaster debuted in 2022 and also includes a standard Blu-ray disc containing previously released bonus content, such as storyboard compilations, original trailers and advertisements, documentaries on the film’s restoration, and much more. In total, you’re receiving over two hours of extra content.
If you do not have a 4K media player or wish to save some money, Akira’s 1080p Blu-ray and DVD combo has a price tag of just $11.49 (originally $35). This version was released for the anime’s 25th anniversary in 2013 and includes the film along with over two hours of bonus material.
Originally released in 1988, Akira continues to be one of the most cherished anime films today. The alternate-history film is set in Neo-Tokyo in 2019, 31 years after World War III caused the destruction of Tokyo. The advanced city is now filled with shady characters and rival gangs vying for control and dominance. The plot follows Shotaro Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang, and his friend Tetsuo Shima, who possesses psychic abilities that, if used maliciously, could lead to havoc and ruin.
The setting of Akira is not easy to comprehend, and it’s not always clear who is good and who is evil. The film is also quite distinct and critically compact compared to the original manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. It was released before Otomo’s manga concluded and only encompasses about the first third of the story.
Akira 35th Anniversary Manga Box Set
$130 (previously $220)
Akira remains an extraordinary film to watch today, especially on 4K Blu-ray. If you enjoy the movie, we highly encourage diving into the manga that expands the narrative in numerous significant ways.
The Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set is available for $130 (was once $220) at Amazon. This box set includes six hardcover volumes covering the complete Akira story, which was serialized from 1982 to 1990 and comprises 120 chapters. Additionally, this package also comes with a hardcover Akira Club art book and a stylish enamel pin. All seven volumes are housed within a clamshell box featuring two doors. Altogether, the 35th Anniversary Box Set is a comprehensive collection of 2,532 pages.
If you prefer not to commit to the entire box set, you have the option to purchase paperback volumes individually:
Akira Paperbacks
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