Story
The 2nd session of Cowboy Bebop reveals more about the past of Spike Seigel as well as the history on why mankind lives in space and the tragedy of the Earth. Not only the history of Spike is slowly unclothed in the five episodes contained on this disc, Jet Black's  history is as well. Further, a new main character is introduced, a girl hacker extraordinaire by the name of Ed.

Packaging
The same format used for the first Cowboy Bebop DVD is used once again, however, this time around Faye Valentine made the cover. Two pictures of her grace the cover of the 2nd session, one of her face and the other of her entire body. With the mood of the series being jazz, the technique and style of the cover fits perfectly. The back cover contains about four paragraphs on the series, followed by a profile biography of Faye. Above all of this is the cover image in black and white, which stands beside the episode titles. To the right of the titles we are given production information.

Within the DVD casing, an extra is provided which has the same cover as the DVD. Within are two pages containing short descriptions of the episodes along with a screen capture from each. The background image is a re-colored grab of Ed. Further, a list of some of the main extras is included as well. The last page of this extra are covers to various other animes along with their titles. It is nice to get more than just one page on an extra such as this.

Menus
A computer like window opens revealing your options on this DVD. In my review of the first Cowboy Bebop DVD, I failed to credit the astonishing creativity put into the creation of this menu. I failed to realize that the window is in fact the same window used by Jet and Spike on their computer when searching for bounties. Further, the background of the menu is smiling faces moving slowly through blue space. I was unaware that this is the internet during this time. The people who made this DVD's menu deserve applause for their creativity and hard work. 

The menu itself is listed as "Play", "Scene Selection", "Languages", "Subtitles", and "Extras". Behind these choices short scenes play from the episodes along with the "Tank" theme playing. Now that I have seen more of the series, the "Tank" theme that I had previously not enjoyed has grown on me. The menu itself is very easy to navigate.

Video
I failed to see any scratches, but did notice one or two rainbows throughout the entire DVD. Meaning, in the five episodes contained, I saw maybe two rainbows. The quality of the picture is simply superb.

Audio
The audio on this DVD is very clear and smooth. The shots are heard very realistically as well as the ships flying and landings. The voices are also very clear and easy to hear in all instances.

English
Despite the fact that the original music is left in, the changes in the dialogue to "Americanize" the show is a bit irritating at times. The best example is the VA that had been cast for Jet Black. Though I had previously stated that I didn't have a problem with any of the voice actors chosen, some scenes on this DVD made Jet sound like a "1970's jive cat". I know that jazz music and the mood of the musical genre plays a large part in the series, but making one of the voices fit with that doesn't work with the dialogue Bandai wrote for him. 

The dialogue itself is again "Americanized", however the main idea of the statements made remain intact. The mood of the story is barely changed and you get the same feeling when watching either version. The minor characters still sound like normal human beings, instead of making some guy have a raspy voice because he looks run down. The only character other than Jet that I had a problem with on this DVD was Wen (the child from session 6). His voice did not have the maniacal sound that the Japanese version provided. He simply sounded like an ordinary kid.

Japanese
A few parts of the dialogue were mistranslated, but the translation provided is pretty close to what I would have considered the best translation. The subtitles themselves are yellow with a black border. 

I found the voices chosen for all the characters in the Japanese version to be perfect, though I always do. The best example is the voice actor chosen for Ed. They make Ed sound like a hyper opium addict, which may sound horrible, but is the best sounding voice for the character. 

Extras
The extras menu is arranged by listing the various extras included with a background image of Jet. Extras contained on this DVD are interviews with the Sunrise Staff, Shoji Kawamori (creator), and Shinichiro Watanabe (director). This is followed by trailers and credits.

The interviews are all very well done and informative. The one with the Sunrise Staff gives you a brief walkthrough of the production and drawing rooms used for Cowboy Bebop as well as discussions with the various people involved with the creation of the series. Shoji Kawamori's interview is over the telephone as he explains his reasoning and theories regarding the hyperspace travel used. While he explains this, clips are shown of the hyperspace terminals as well as the Bebop and other ships flying through them. Shinichiro Watanabe's interview is a sit down where he discusses the creation of the show and his opinions towards what was used when they attempted to come up with original and innovative ways to handle space travel.

The trailers extra contains trailers to four other animes. These include "Blue Submarine No. 6", "Gundam Wing", "Outlaw Star", and "Saber Marionette J Again." Each of the trailers is well done and the narrator's performance is good.

Finally, the last extra is simply credits to those involved in the creation of the DVD and their position.

Final Thoughts
The story of Cowboy Bebop seems to get more interesting with each episode. Unlike the first DVD, which introduced the characters and their personalities, this DVD deals more with their pasts as well as the past of the human race. Cowboy Bebop is one of those few series in which the story flows so perfectly that you never feel as if something was left unexplained or misunderstood. This is a definite DVD to purchase, and Cowboy Bebop is a series that deserves to be seen. Later minna!

© Eric.