3. Radical Edward - Cowboy Bebop
The entry is probably the most obscure and yet most controversial with its specific fan base. Cowboy Bebop is one of those anime shows, which virtually everyone who has a passing interest in the genre has seen. The show certainly deserves this recognition- my upcoming gripe aside- it is a brilliant representation of anime at its best. The story, art design and especially the soundtrack combine to make a memorable and endlessly enjoyable series. There is however, one thing that has always bothered me about Bebop. In the episode Jamming with Edward, the series ninth, we are introduced to Radical Edward and from this point on the audience is divided. To be clear the fans are not split on whether the show is good or not-regardless of your opinion of Ed, Bebop is a fantastic show- but there is a clear division, some hate her and some lover her. Clearly I am a member of the former group. From the very moment that she appeared, I knew that I was going to loathe Ed, and loathe her I did. The cutesy and eccentric kid is an anime staple and in the right show it can work perfectly, but I this case it is an irritating nuisance. Anybody, even a fictional character, immediately scores annoying points when they speak in the third person. It is not cute or funny, it is just wrong and immediately puts peoples backs against the wall. I know that sounds like a nit-picking complaint- perhaps it is- but if youre going to have this kind of character in the show, why make it so easy to hate her? The biggest annoyance overall, is that she just doesnt seem necessary to the overall quality of the series. Though I will concede that she has a big role in some great episodes- specifically Mushroom Samba- I believe that her departure just before the show entered its endgame, is proof that she didnt fit in with the crew or the larger themes of the series. Ed was nothing more than a comic relief character, that had an overstated purpose on the show. Thankfully the quality of the series didnt suffer much, due to Spike sharing the audiences annoyance. Every time that I watch Jamming with Edward a small part of me hopes, that somehow some way, the Bebop manages to make it off the Earth without her.