Cowboy Bebop
“Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is a fake and I lost it in an accident. Since then, in one eye I see the past and in the other the present. And because of that I thought I could only see pieces of reality, never the whole picture” – Spike Spiegel
Ah, “Cowboy Bebop”… this is simply a classic. Not an anime classic, but a classic in general. From the moment of its appearance, it was in its own league, its own story. Starting from the atmosphere, story, music, to some serious themes it dealt with. At the end of the day, (almost) all the heroes of this series are adults.
“Cowboy Bebop” is set in 2071, 50 years after the accident in which the hyperspace gateway (faster than light) for space travel exploded and made planet Earth uninhabitable, so humanity urgently had to colonize planets and moons in the Solar System to survive…2071 minus 50…um, considering there are still four months left until the end of this (2021) year, and Branson, Bezos, Gates and Musk are full steam ahead poking around with space technology and AI…now I see how this sounds…uh…anyway…
As we said, humanity spread out like filo dough across the Solar System and, of course, learned its lesson and united and turned to an honest way of life…so much so that a special space police (ISSP) had to be formed…and crime decreased so much that police had to legalize a procedure by which bounty hunters can be engaged to help police catch criminal scum in exchange for good cash. So if you notice your child/grandchild is adventurously inclined and obsessed with firearms, and also shows signs of entrepreneurial spirit, there will be work for them in the future, on one side of the law or the other.
The series follows the adventures of a bounty hunter group on the spaceship “Bebop.” The original crew consists of lanky Spike Spiegel, an exiled former mercenary of a dangerous criminal organization (Red Dragon Syndicate…say what you want, that’s a cool organization name) and Jet Black, a bearded giant who was once an ISSP member. This unusual (and obviously opposite character) duo is soon joined (under, expectedly, abnormal circumstances) by Faye Valentine, a charming con artist with amnesia, as well as Edward, an eccentric 13-year-old teenage (I’ll leave you to watch the series to guess gender) hacker genius with silly behavior. Oh yes, there’s Ein, a genetically modified Welsh Corgi with the intelligence of a (maybe above-average) human.
As you can see, quite an abnormal lineup that’s supposed to catch criminals and survive in space…though more because they don’t have money to eat, not so much because someone will shoot them. 😀
As I mentioned, the plot follows the adventures of this unusual fivesome while they take on “bounties,” with the goal of catching criminals alive and getting money…and meanwhile terribly irritating each other, arguing, provoking, stealing food from each other…in translation, like a typical family.
Why is this precursor to the brilliant series “Firefly” so phenomenal?
Let’s start with the plot…
The plot is really interesting. The “bounties” this team takes on always get complicated, in the direction of being either comic or tragic…or tragicomic. You won’t always see a classic happy ending here. Success here is if the heroes survive the day and if they possibly get some money. Also, many episodes reveal quite dark details from their past that gradually unravel and so we learn what defined them to become what they are and what their motives for the future are. We’ll discover why Faye has amnesia and what trauma she survived as “young” (there’s a reason I put this in quotes), who Jet lost while working in the police, why (and whether) Edward is an orphan from planet Earth, as well as what’s so special about the likeable mutt Ein. However, the central character (around whose past most of the series revolves) is Spike. The past hasn’t left him alone, which includes lost love Julia and rivalry with former friend/blood brother Vicious who now runs the Red Dragon criminal organization. Between Spike, Julia and Vicious exists a quite complicated triangle watched over by death.
The characters are phenomenal…phenomenally wonderful, charming, rude and extremely complicated…in translation, very human.
Spike Spiegel is a man many will easily connect with. This 27-year-old with messy hair and brown eyes, who doesn’t let a cigarette out of his mouth (really really heavy smoker), is a man of few words, who shows even fewer emotions (or shows them indirectly, usually through arguments and provoking and even hostile attitude toward people he really cares about). Although he’s excellent with firearms (cowboy style) and piloting space racing craft and space confrontations, one unusual specificity is that in close combat he uses Jeet Kune Do, and focuses more on technique and speed than strength. For those 5% who maybe don’t know, Jeet Kune Do is a martial art developed by Bruce Lee. What’s even more interesting is that Spike is presented as a great admirer of Bruce Lee’s character and work, and this is seen through some of Spike’s behaviors and positions. Though now, as older, he has a calm and cool-headed attitude, in dangerous situations his (former) impulsive nature and that passion for fighting and (deadly) conflicts occasionally surfaces. His unpredictable behavior and getting into dangerous situations often seem to subtly show he doesn’t really see much value in his life, and maybe subconsciously seeks death…i.e., some “resolution.” Mentioning Julia awakens in him some emotion that could be interpreted as “painful lost love,” and for her Spike (very rarely) says she’s “his woman” or simply, “better half.” An interesting fact is that one of his eyes is artificial (hence the quote at the beginning), and it’s questionable whether it serves only as “decoration” or has some deeper meaning. And how not to wonder how much depth and pain there is in this character. Except in moments when he behaves like a lazy and uninterested a**hole (I have no milder expression), that you simply want to break a bottle over his head.
Jet is also a man of few words, but the complete opposite of Spike in behavior. This 36-year-old grump is dignified, measured, authoritative (which no one on the ship respects), honorable and sometimes too much of a police character. He has an artificial/cybernetic arm, although he could have had a biological implant, but decided on such an arm to always remind him of a mistake from the past when a person he trusted betrayed him. He has (or at least believes he has) that vibration of some Renaissance zen artist: prunes bonsai trees, cooks, reads, listens to jazz/blues music, loves Charlie Parker. But when it comes to action…as a former (and good) policeman, he’s an expert in vehicles, firearms and mechanics, but shouldn’t be underestimated in close combat either, since he’s a strong grump. He should be some “archetype” of a dad to everyone on the ship, though he’s relatively young and everyone sees him as an older brother…whom no one listens to…
Faye Valentine is a good-looking 23-year-old (or is she?) woman of attractive appearance who feels quite comfortable in clothes that reveal more than they cover. Although she behaves quite (freely) in accordance with her con artist nature, she’s very capable in piloting vehicles and handling a pistol. She doesn’t have many bad habits…except she drinks…smokes…gambles…becomes occasionally unnecessarily aggressive…looks to con and scam for money…however, although outwardly she seems attractive, strong, independent and armed to the teeth with sarcasm, she hides inside a vulnerable girl who needs support and love, but is quite distrustful in showing emotions toward people. The reasons probably lie in her challenging past and secrets her amnesia hides. But she’s still a vital team member.
Ed is an androgynous 13-year-old brat who is a genius (real prodigy)…and very silly and very eccentric. And that has nothing to do with puberty, as much as being silly by nature. Moves silly, constantly somersaulting and contorting (they’ll see when the spine tightens in later years) and walks barefoot (and then rheumatism when it arrives). Refers to themselves when talking in third person, and generally constantly talks childishly and giggles. Favorite activities: hacking, wandering around the ship (and outside it), sleeping, eating and getting into trouble. One often isn’t sure if such behavior is caused by a strange, unusual (sad) childhood…or this brat is simply silly by nature. Ed serves as classic comic relief (i.e., comic character who serves to bring fun, silly, comic atmosphere to the series, but also as a comic character whose purpose is to soften the tone of serious and dark series), which works very well for “Cowboy Bebop,” considering the tone of the series itself and themes it deals with.
Ein is…well, a dog. Welsh Corgi, to be precise. And cute. We’ve already mentioned we’re talking about a mutt with high IQ, so they can perform various actions an average dog definitely couldn’t (you’ll see, they made him likeable). Loves most to spend time with Ed (either on the ship or outside it).
Spike: Hey, Jet…do you know there are three things I really hate?
Jet: Whatever…
Spike: Kids…animals…women with attitude…
Jet: Oh?
Spike: And why did we so easily collect all three things on our ship!!!???
The interaction among characters on the ship is hilarious. Spike and Jet harbor mutual (tacit) respect, though they often do things the opposite way (which drives Jet crazy). Faye just looks to scam these two for money (and even stab them in the back a couple of times and run off with money, but always in the end returns to the Bebop ship). Ed drives everyone crazy with their silly free spirit behavior. And Ein…well, I believe he wonders what he’s doing on a ship with these lunatics. Especially interesting is the relationship between Spike and Faye, because they behave like cat and dog who can’t be together but can’t be without each other, but all through the series you can’t be sure if there’s some strange (non)friendship between them, platonic sympathy or something third…and considering their specific (described above) natures and painful pasts, it’s no surprise viewers throughout the series can’t define their relationship. And Spike’s triangle with Julia and Vicious…
And the themes/motifs “Cowboy Bebop” deals with through its main heroes…that’s a special story, maybe the series’ most brilliant point. Existentialism (meaning of our heroes’ existence and whether it even exists), boredom, loneliness, frustrations, withdrawal into oneself (and alcohol) so painful topics don’t surface, how the past defines us (and whether it defines us), broken hearts, friendships, possibility to trust someone again, facing consequences of one’s past choices, facing one’s greatest fears, mental health (especially men’s). The series shows it’s okay to sometimes be alone, but not lonely, as well as that sometimes people’s presence in our lives can mean something, even if they’re silent with us in the same room. One should know how to forgive both oneself and people. One should face one’s past. And many quite serious themes you’ll understand better as adults.
Action in “Cowboy Bebop” isn’t to be underestimated either. Shootouts of smaller space (racing) craft, both in space and atmosphere; chases and shootouts with criminals. A special treat are moments when agile Spike starts bare-handed to confront opponents, complete with application of the mentioned martial art.
The atmosphere is also a story in itself…That mix of Wild West, futurism, mixed blend of influences (in the series) from one side China, and from the other side the West…really gives one specific style. Just as specific and unique as “Firefly” had, only twice as good.
Visually the series is very pleasant, and the quality is (at least for me) in the spirit of the best anime titles of the 90s and early 2000s.
And finally, one of the series’ best aspects, which is also seen from its title. Music. Yoko Kanno is quite an unusual person. She composed music for quite a few excellent anime titles, video games and films. For this series’ needs she created unique music, where jazz, bebop, funk, blues, western, old rock and opera combine. Meaning, here there are no classic anime heavy metal/rock/synth numbers. The rhythm of “Cowboy Bebop” will sometimes shake you up, sometimes throw you into heavy jazz/saxophone zen, and some numbers are so melancholic and sad you won’t want to play them when it’s raining (or you’re an incorrigible tearful romantic, so you’ll play them precisely then).
A couple of interesting facts that will show how important, if not crucial a factor the music is for the series: when series development began, music was one of the first aspects being worked on. Shinichirō Watanabe, series director (who also worked on the excellent “Samurai Champloo” series which, lo and behold, also has brilliant music), reportedly often first heard Yoko’s numbers, then formed certain scenes based on them. For the series’ needs the composer even formed a band (SEATBELTS), who in following years performed music from this series, but also other projects she worked on. I think this says a lot about the music’s significance for this series and its quality. Don’t believe me? Here’s a link to the soundtrack…
And what else can I tell you about this unusual series that inserts this sentence in sequences “The work, which becomes a new genre itself, will be called… COWBOY BEBOP”? This mix of science fiction, techno neo-noir, western, drama, hilarious comedy and action made a definitely interesting hybrid that did become some story of its own.
By the way, another (incredible) interesting fact: this is one of the rare series where you won’t go wrong even if you watch it with audio (synchronization) in English (dub) instead of (sub)! I’m not a dub fan (except for some exceptions), but the English synchronization is so quality done and praised on all sides, many consider it the best synchronization of any anime title in English.
It’s interesting there’s no confirmation “Cowboy Bebop” inspired Whedon to create “Firefly.” Probably because “Firefly” pushes the western vibe more, while “Cowboy Bebop” has more noir elements. But there’s no doubt he once watched this series and used many details for “Firefly.” 😀
Simply, the series is top, peak. Many consider it one of the best anime series, but also series in general. Maybe this isn’t far from the truth.
We’ll see what “Netflix” will do with the adaptation arriving mid-November. It’s no small thing and it’s certain fans are awaiting this adaptation with great impatience…but also anxiety, because there have been few good adaptations…and “Rurouni Kenshin” raised the bar incredibly high with its quality.
But we’ll see…
And we certainly won’t see brother Keanu as Spike…
By the way, there’s also the animated film “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie,” which fits somewhere in the middle of the series and is also good, and you should watch it, but maybe we’ll talk about it some other time 😉
I’m signing off from the review of this brilliant series with the famous sentence that would end each episode:
“See you later, space cowboy” 🙂
Trailer
IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Release date: 1998
Format: Series
Number of seasons: 1 (26 episodes)
