You know what's great about "Cowboy Bebop?" It's aimed at grownups, without being porn. One of the things most fans like about anime is that the stories are often aimed more at an older audience than that of American animation, most of which is made for little kids. However, most anime, including most of my favorite shows, are also made for kids. The kids they're for are just a little older, that's all: 12-to-16 instead of 6-to-12. Not "Cowboy Bebop." This anime is aimed straight at the college-and-older crowd, with sophisticated themes and characters who, with one notable exception, are all over 20.

Of course, with sophisticated plots come sophisticated scripts, which require a better grade of acting to pull off. I'm pleased to say that the dub doesn't disappoint. In fact, "Cowboy Bebop" has the best acting I've ever heard in a dub of a television series.

The dub stars a talented cast of actors, the best of whom, in this reviewer's opinion, is Wendee Lee as Faye Valentine. One of the best actresses working in anime dubbing, and among the most accomplished, Lee began her career as Vanessa the bridge bunny in "Robotech." More recently, she has portrayed Ayaka in "Phantom Quest Corps," Ichino in "Battle Athletes" and "Tenchi Muyo's" Kiyone since the second movie. Lee portrays Faye as a truly adult woman, giving her a mature and sexy voice while hinting at the emotional depth of the character. She perhaps demonstrates this best in the two-part "Jupiter Jazz" story, which explores a contradiction in Faye's character. Faye hates to be lonely, but she hates being tied down even more. So when a chance presents itself in this story, she helps herself to the contents of the Bebop's safe and takes off. Soon afterward, she finds herself in a bar drinking away the misery of being adrift and alone once more. Lee absolutely blows me away in that scene, as well as in the first scene with the sax player who takes her home. Faye's last line in "Jupiter Jazz," "Oh, Ed. Anything but blue," taken in context, is such a powerful moment I can't begin to describe it here.

Also shining in this dub is Melissa Charles (Alielle in "El-Hazard"), who plays the bizarre little hacker girl, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tiruvski IV, the "notable exception" to the all-adult cast mentioned above. Almost everything that comes out of this character's mouth belongs on a list of quotes. (Ed explaining her name: "Edward is Edward!" Ed responding to an attempt to get her attention: "Edward is very busy now. Please call back later!") Charles takes the role almost completely over-the-top, perfectly appropriate for a character as over-the-top as Ed. Two great episodes for Ed lovers are "Toys in the Attic" and "Mushroom Samba." In the former, Ed helps search the Bebop for a "spooky space alien" that has stowed away. In the latter, Ed goes on a quest to find food while the others work to repair the crashed ship. ("Foody food food food, do you have a-ny? Yes you dooon't, no you dooo!" Ed sings). Both episodes feature plenty of Ed quotes.

I can't say as much about the two main male characters, Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, as the actors' names have yet to make it beyond the veil of secrecy that surrounds all Pioneer and Bandai dubs. I can say they both do exemplary jobs. Jet's voice is especially suitable for his character, gruff and experienced, but more than capable of handling comic moments. Spike's voice suits his character well also, cool and dry. Spike is a straight man character most of the time, but when necessary, his deadpan delivery can be used to hilarious effects. In the line "My ship always works better when I kick it," Spike offers an explanation for destroying a malfunctioning VCR with his boot.

The one flaw that keeps the "Cowboy Bebop" dub from receiving the full four stars is the incidental voices, those characters who appear briefly in a single episode. To be fair, "Cowboy Bebop" has some of the best acting I've heard for incidental voices, even using authentic accents when necessary. The problem is that director Melissa Williamson, re-uses the same actors a little too much. The most glaring example of this I've heard so far is the voice of the doctor who revives Faye in "My Funny Valentine." The doctor is quite obviously performed by the same actor who plays Jet. Mind you, he does a good job, acting the doctor as a completely different character. You'd never suspect anything if Jet's actor didn't have such a distinctive voice. When his voice relaxes near the end of the doctor's sentences, that rough, almost growling tone comes through, and you can tell it's Jet.

I'd rate this dub about equal with the Japanese track. The Japanese features the famous Megumi Hayashibara as Faye, but I honestly think Wendee Lee does a better job than Hayashibara, who is better suited to cute roles like Lina Inverse. And the English Spike and Jet sound so much like their Japanese counterparts, it's uncanny.

As I said before in a rave on Usenet, if you own the DVD of "Cowboy Bebop" and haven't listened to the dub, you're really missing something good.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of 4)

Released by: Bandai Entertainment

Dub by: ZRO Limit with Animaze..iNC

Director: Melissa Williamson

No individual cast credits given

Wendee Lee isn't the only actress to play Faye in this series. In the episode "Speak Like A Child," the young Faye is voiced by Sherry Lynn, Sasami in "Tenchi Muyo" (credited as Katie Ashley).

Okay, I have this thing for Lia Sargent, see? This actress is one of my absolute favorites and she appears all over the place, either acting or directing. So I've decided to point out every time she shows up in an anime I'm reviewing. In "Cowboy Bebop," Lia plays Judy, the blonde bimbo co-host of "Big Shot," the TV show for bounty hunters.

I couldn't possibly write this column without the help of the Dub Seiyuu Database.

Agree? Disagree? Have a comment about a dub, or just about dubbing in general? Let me know!