Written by: Kevin Berge
The Bebop crew are more a family than anything, and Jet's the best grandpa ever. (Image Courtesy of: play.google.com)
The most popular anime fall into a certain category with series that can be classified as good, great, or even classic. Few anime have truly reached that classic label because of just how saturated anime can become. Few series are truly original in construction.
Cowboy Bebop is true complete classic anime. Very few anime are better episode to episode, and there is no anime that can match the series in its setting and concept. This science fiction-western-noir setting is one that can hardly be missed and has made it one of the definitive anime.
Because of this, it took me far too long to dive into this series, but I finally got a chance to check out Cowboy Bebop. While it is not wholly perfect, few anime have captured my attention with such sudden and complete focus.
Cowboy Bebop is true complete classic anime. Very few anime are better episode to episode, and there is no anime that can match the series in its setting and concept. This science fiction-western-noir setting is one that can hardly be missed and has made it one of the definitive anime.
Because of this, it took me far too long to dive into this series, but I finally got a chance to check out Cowboy Bebop. While it is not wholly perfect, few anime have captured my attention with such sudden and complete focus.
Synopsis
In the year 2071, Spike Spiegel and Jet Black are bounty hunters or Cowboys who pilot the spaceship Bebop with their Welsh corgi Ein, seeking bounties that can keep them going. They are soon joined by the con artist Faye Valentine then later the hacker Edward Wong.
The group seek bounties together while their histories continue to come back to bite them. Each characters must face their own past and decide what is worth fighting against and for, both individually and as a crew.
The group seek bounties together while their histories continue to come back to bite them. Each characters must face their own past and decide what is worth fighting against and for, both individually and as a crew.
What a wonderful duo of rivals. Too bad they only meet three times. (Image Courtesy of: stuffpoint.com)
Story Arc Analysis
***This is the only section of the anime that contains. Skip ahead to Impact and Art Style if you have not seen the series and do not wish to be spoiled on details.***
Instead of doing the typical story arc breakdown here, I will breakdown the themes of the show instead due to Cowboy Bebop's structure. This is not a series with story arcs but rather a series of loosely fitting tales about the same group of characters with an epic but small main arc.
Adventure: At its core, Cowboy Bebop is just fun, a story of a group of bounty hunters who want to explore the world and make a living doing it. Its film noir aspects couple with an often western edge in a science fiction world to tell a whole host of stories about this crew.
Their own adventurous nature drives the story. Spike seeks danger, encourages it. He puts himself in harm's way because it is what means the most to him. Faye sells herself short by conveying her lack of need for action yet gambles frequently just to feel a rush and gets the same from going into action. Even Jet shows a tired itch for adventure.
Horrors of the Past: Here we get to the meat of Cowboy Bebop. Spike is a bounty hunter who was bred to power yet gave it all away and has been running since. Faye has no recollection of who she is and seeks to find her true self. Jet is a former policeman who was forced into retirement by a betrayal from his own partner.
Throughout the series, their histories are meant at and explored with aloof detail. It almost makes the anime itself feel like an epilogue, an exploration of what already happened more often than what it currently happening. The contrast of Spike's fear and Faye's insistence on discovery defines their relationship, a defining part of the series.
Belonging: The Bebop crew are a mishmash, a hapless bunch. Nothing can quite explain why these personalities can coexist thus making them a fairly ordinary family even without having any blood relation. Understanding the way that these five interact makes for the best drama and comedy of the series.
From their shared mushroom high stumbles through the ship to their constant quiet chats to their quiet acknowledgement that they will protect one another, this anime is always showing what makes these characters special by who they are together.
Existentialism: If there is one goal in the series, it is for these characters to find their meaning in life. They work outside the bounds of society, and they do it together. These often unconnected events guide them. They become a part of something more. They become defined by being the crew of the Bebop together.
Ultimately, the last three episodes define the existentialism of the series. Everyone has an ending, a final statement of who they are. Ed takes Faye's advice and follows after her father with Ein at her back. Faye finds her home with the Bebop crew after finding no solace in the truth of her past. Jet comes to terms with his past and lets it go. Each of them decide finally who they are.
That leave the last two episodes to Spike who is the most truly uncertain in his own identity. In fact, he is stuck wholly wondering if all he has done since leaving his old life was a lie. Thus he must face his past and (probably) dies in the process at the hands of Vicious. He abandons what could be his home and goes out in a blaze of glory and thus ends this dream even if it is in fact reality. He is thus defined by his end.
The Movie: As a side note, the Bebop movie is quality, a strong and intense two hours. It shows that the series could have told longer narratives though it does feel more like an intelligent slow burn than the quick binge of the main series.
Instead of doing the typical story arc breakdown here, I will breakdown the themes of the show instead due to Cowboy Bebop's structure. This is not a series with story arcs but rather a series of loosely fitting tales about the same group of characters with an epic but small main arc.
Adventure: At its core, Cowboy Bebop is just fun, a story of a group of bounty hunters who want to explore the world and make a living doing it. Its film noir aspects couple with an often western edge in a science fiction world to tell a whole host of stories about this crew.
Their own adventurous nature drives the story. Spike seeks danger, encourages it. He puts himself in harm's way because it is what means the most to him. Faye sells herself short by conveying her lack of need for action yet gambles frequently just to feel a rush and gets the same from going into action. Even Jet shows a tired itch for adventure.
Horrors of the Past: Here we get to the meat of Cowboy Bebop. Spike is a bounty hunter who was bred to power yet gave it all away and has been running since. Faye has no recollection of who she is and seeks to find her true self. Jet is a former policeman who was forced into retirement by a betrayal from his own partner.
Throughout the series, their histories are meant at and explored with aloof detail. It almost makes the anime itself feel like an epilogue, an exploration of what already happened more often than what it currently happening. The contrast of Spike's fear and Faye's insistence on discovery defines their relationship, a defining part of the series.
Belonging: The Bebop crew are a mishmash, a hapless bunch. Nothing can quite explain why these personalities can coexist thus making them a fairly ordinary family even without having any blood relation. Understanding the way that these five interact makes for the best drama and comedy of the series.
From their shared mushroom high stumbles through the ship to their constant quiet chats to their quiet acknowledgement that they will protect one another, this anime is always showing what makes these characters special by who they are together.
Existentialism: If there is one goal in the series, it is for these characters to find their meaning in life. They work outside the bounds of society, and they do it together. These often unconnected events guide them. They become a part of something more. They become defined by being the crew of the Bebop together.
Ultimately, the last three episodes define the existentialism of the series. Everyone has an ending, a final statement of who they are. Ed takes Faye's advice and follows after her father with Ein at her back. Faye finds her home with the Bebop crew after finding no solace in the truth of her past. Jet comes to terms with his past and lets it go. Each of them decide finally who they are.
That leave the last two episodes to Spike who is the most truly uncertain in his own identity. In fact, he is stuck wholly wondering if all he has done since leaving his old life was a lie. Thus he must face his past and (probably) dies in the process at the hands of Vicious. He abandons what could be his home and goes out in a blaze of glory and thus ends this dream even if it is in fact reality. He is thus defined by his end.
The Movie: As a side note, the Bebop movie is quality, a strong and intense two hours. It shows that the series could have told longer narratives though it does feel more like an intelligent slow burn than the quick binge of the main series.
Sure, everyone wants to be Spike or Faye, to radiate that coolness, but Ed will always be their superior in the ways that truly matter. (Image Courtesy of: zombiesruineverything.files.wordpress.com)
Impact and Art Style
Cowboy Bebop works well in many ways. It captures the imagination without ever relying on its trappings. Often referred to as the perfect gateway anime, Cowboy Bebop introduces anime trends with subtlety behind a strong cast of characters and surprisingly deep storytelling.
However, Cowboy Bebop does feel a bit like it is missing a trick. With so much going for it, the series makes the mistake of understaying its welcome. It tells a fairly disparate main plot with a whole lot of strong individual episodes. It is easy to get attached to the characters, but there is a rushed feeling particularly to the ending.
While the final three episodes are excellently told, they just don't answer much of what they have come to set up. The whole world is so ambiguous in its construction that it often feels like the writers play it loose just so that they have easy outs in storytelling when necessary.
The art style of the series is well done with a classic edge that makes it rarely feel as dated as it actually is (originally began airing in 1999). The music of the series though is of particular note, excellently crafted jazz from Yoko Kanno who formed the band Seatbelts particularly for the series, giving it a fascinating old school Western feel.
However, Cowboy Bebop does feel a bit like it is missing a trick. With so much going for it, the series makes the mistake of understaying its welcome. It tells a fairly disparate main plot with a whole lot of strong individual episodes. It is easy to get attached to the characters, but there is a rushed feeling particularly to the ending.
While the final three episodes are excellently told, they just don't answer much of what they have come to set up. The whole world is so ambiguous in its construction that it often feels like the writers play it loose just so that they have easy outs in storytelling when necessary.
The art style of the series is well done with a classic edge that makes it rarely feel as dated as it actually is (originally began airing in 1999). The music of the series though is of particular note, excellently crafted jazz from Yoko Kanno who formed the band Seatbelts particularly for the series, giving it a fascinating old school Western feel.
Sub vs. Dub
Very few anime have been given the special designation that the English dub is officially better than the sub. Cowboy Bebop is at the very top of the list as the anime that is recognized as being definitive for its dub rather than the original Japanese.
Part of this comes from a fairly Western setting, but this is also simply due to a spectacular cast with Steve Blum (Digimon) as Spike, Wendee Lee (Ruroni Kenshin) as Faye, Beau Billingslea (Naruto Shippuden) as Jet, and Melissa Fahn (Digimon) as Ed. Blum and Fahn in particular are absolutely perfect in their roles.
Recommendation: Dub
Part of this comes from a fairly Western setting, but this is also simply due to a spectacular cast with Steve Blum (Digimon) as Spike, Wendee Lee (Ruroni Kenshin) as Faye, Beau Billingslea (Naruto Shippuden) as Jet, and Melissa Fahn (Digimon) as Ed. Blum and Fahn in particular are absolutely perfect in their roles.
Recommendation: Dub
There is no greater hero in Cowboy Bebop than Ein, just because his cuteness cannot be contained. (Image Courtesy of: myanimelist.net)
Conclusion
Cowboy Bebop is perfect in what it does, but there is a sense to the anime that it could be more. It is a story of characters rather than the characters' story with much of the anime devoted to single episode arcs and main stories that hardly impact the show week to week.
This is not a bad thing but simply keeps the anime from creating one story that stands as a defining impact. At only 26 episodes, Cowboy Bebop never feels like it has completed all that it could have, an excellently crafted first season of a story that had four seasons of material.
One season of never perfect storytelling though can never be wrong, and it is easy to recommend the entire series to any prospective viewer. Spike, Jet, Faye, Edward, and Ein are a delightful crew with many delightful stories to tell. You will hardly find a more excellently crafted concept.
For any fan of quality science fiction, westerns, gunslinging, adventure, comedy, drama, or just plain anime, Cowboy Bebop is one of the most definitive experiences in all of entertainment.
This is not a bad thing but simply keeps the anime from creating one story that stands as a defining impact. At only 26 episodes, Cowboy Bebop never feels like it has completed all that it could have, an excellently crafted first season of a story that had four seasons of material.
One season of never perfect storytelling though can never be wrong, and it is easy to recommend the entire series to any prospective viewer. Spike, Jet, Faye, Edward, and Ein are a delightful crew with many delightful stories to tell. You will hardly find a more excellently crafted concept.
For any fan of quality science fiction, westerns, gunslinging, adventure, comedy, drama, or just plain anime, Cowboy Bebop is one of the most definitive experiences in all of entertainment.