Doing the Cowboy Bebop

I just finished watching the anime series Cowboy Bebop. After watching an episode on Adult Swim by accident, I felt compelled to dedicate several hours of my life to it.

Let's get a few things clear right away. I've spent most of my life holding my nose up in derision of anime. Not just the animation itself, but the culture and fandom that surrounds it. To me, anime fans were pariahs in the nerd kingdom. They made my Star Wars obsession look healthy by comparison.

Bebop has helped me realize that anime has a lot of redeeming qualities. Like anything else, 99% of it is crap, but there are a few gems that shouldn't be dismissed. I still think that most anime is low-budget, overly dramatic, and just plain weird. Maybe that's the appeal to some people. But at least the medium has the stones to tackle stories that we may never see in traditional Western animation.

Thankfully, Bebop mostly keeps the wackiness in check. The biggest grievance I have with the series is the character Edward. She (yes, it's a she) must have been intended to lighten up the sometimes grim tone. Instead, the character seems cartoonish and out-of-place. If Edward was on a Saturday morning cartoon for kids, I wouldn't bat an eyelash. But Ed's utter silliness takes the viewer out of the eclectic mix of film noir, western, and sci-fi influences that make Bebop great.

I wasn't the only one pissed off by Edward's antics... 

The noir style and themes can be a tad too heavy at times. But there's always a dash of humor – and a good ol' fashioned dog/gunfight to get things back on track. The hard sci-fi tropes (RCS thrusters, terraforming) brought back fond memories of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica and the short-lived Firefly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Bebop had some influence on the space western style of Firefly. The ship design is absolutely fantastic; I can see why Spike's Swordfish is so popular among model builders. It's strange how well these designs mesh with modern-looking wardrobe and weapons, but that just adds to the charm.

For all the whiz-bang spaceships and action, it's the characters that carry the series. The English-dubbed voicework is, for the most part, excellent. I came to accept Steve Blum's take on Spike Spiegel, but I never actually liked it. Steve Blum is actually my least favorite voice actor next to Tom Kane. Some of the incidental characters (especially elderly men) had rather poor voice acting. Fortunately, an engaging script and some poignant moments keep the focus on the crews' journey and not on the voice acting. Bebop is at its best when there are no words.

In terms of overall story, I really enjoyed the chronic bad luck of the Bebop crew. The poor saps almost never got their bounty; indeed, they barely had enough money for food. A lot of the setups involved them sitting around starving, eagerly accepting whatever jobs they could find just to put food on the table. Watching space bounty hunters have to struggle financially may not be the most exciting thing to watch, but it definitively lends a sense of realism to the story. Just because they fly in spaceships doesn't mean they don't have bills like the rest of us.

I would have liked more backstory and emphasis on Jet's character. I feel too much was wasted on Spike and Faye's angsty quarter-life crises. While they rushed off on fool's errands, Jet was always there to fix their busted ships and do the real investigative work. And the poor guy did all the cooking! Throw in his awesome facial hair, and Jet is hands-down my favorite character. As for Edward… let's just say I'd rather put up with Jar Jar Binks. That's harsh, I know, but I'm sure you'll agree after watching the series.

I have yet to watch the movie Knocking on Heaven's Door, but I'm otherwise finished with Cowboy Bebop. Who knows? Maybe this is only the first of many anime series I'll enjoy. But I'm pleased to report that my first experience was a pleasant one. If you're anime virgin like I was, you could do a whole lot worse than rollin' with the Bebop crew.

Until next time,
See you space cowboy...