COWBOY BEBOP Red Planet Requiem, a Syndicate Story

Pun Bandhu narrates a prequel that explores the relationship between two characters in "Cowboy Bebop," a Japanese anime TV series. Fearless Spike and Vicious, low-level members of the Red Dragon crime syndicate, are unsure about how to move up in the ranks. When a deal goes bad, they quickly learn exactly where they stand in the organization. Bandhu overcomes stilted dialogue and a leaden plot to bring flat characters to life. His performance balances out the unevenly paced story as Fearless and Vicious meet the demands of being lackeys of the Red Dragon gang. Bandhu's strong theater background helps the frequent onomatopoeic language to become a seamless part of the story rather than a distraction. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2022]