Cowboy Bebop - Session 3
The centerpiece of the third disc of this popular series is the  two-part adventure "Jupiter Jazz," which offers hints about the shrouded past of  hero Spike Spiegel. Spike returns to his old haunts on Callisto in search of  a mysterious woman, and comes into conflict with his former underworld  associates: the icy Vicious, apprentice mobster Lin, and transgendered  barroom musician Gren. Director Shinichiro Watanabe's approach to  storytelling is often fragmented and nonlinear, but the results form a  strikingly moody collage of falling snow, gritty, blue-tinted cityscapes, and  melancholy saxophone riffs. Few big-budget Hollywood features have presented  a sense of urban alienation as effectively.The mini-mystery, "Toys in the Attic," comes to an unsatisfying conclusion  that the elaborate computer-generated tracking shots can't disguise--and  suggests that adding the spunky Ed to the cast was not a great idea. In  "Bohemian Rhapsody," the crew of theBebopfind themselves pitted  against an aged programming genius who designed a high-tech transportation  system--and hid a flaw in the software. But he also concealed clues in chess  pieces, setting up a formal and formidable battle of wits.Note: Viewers of Chinese ancestry and other viewers may find the depiction of  the gang lords in "Jupiter Jazz" offensive. Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and  older for nudity, violence, and adult situations.--Charles Solomon