There are works which stand the test of time to truly become classics. The time necessary for a work to gain such a distinction varies; a book will have to last for a century or two and a movie for several decades. An anime series that lasts for more than two or three years is one of the greats of the genre. “Cowboy Bebop” has been around for five years now, and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
Made first in Japanese, “Bebop” originally ran in the spring of 1998, although only 13 out of its 26 episodes were aired.
The series’ plots often involve drug dealers, terrorism, fraud, and more as it forays into the grimy corners of society. “Bebop” has continued in various airings and releases with different English dubbings and re-edits under the direction of its original creator, Shinichiro Watanabe.
In addition, a feature length movie was made, first in Japanese. A dubbed English version was released on April 4, 2003, one day after the five year anniversary of the show’s first airdate of April 3, 1998.
“Cowboy Bebop” takes place in 2071, when humanity has established an interplanetary society overflowing with crime. Rising from the ashes of society come the bounty hunters, called cowboys, to put at least a sizable dent in criminal activity.
The main characters of “Bebop”—Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed, and Ein—are bounty hunters. Their ship is the Bebop.
“Cowboy Bebop” is its characters. Therein lies its stamina. The stories revolve around exploring the rich history of each character. Spiegel, the main character, is a former organized crime agent with an expert knowledge of the martial arts. Black is a former cop and the owner of the Bebop. Valentine, who awoke from a 50 year coma with no memory, has a penchant for gambling. Ed is an androgynous teenager with brilliant hacking skills and Ein is a superintelligent canine.
Spiegel’s backstory yields the most action; his former partner Sid Vicious remained with the crime organization and is now trying to take over the organization and kill Spiegel.
The second, and perhaps more important, aspect of “Bebop” is its style. Everything that happens, from the plot twists to the fight and action scenes, is precisely orchestrated so the series plays more like a symphony than an action adventure show. This analogy is an apt one because a significant element of the show’s style is the music. Flowing, jazzy, energetic, and poignant, it truly is bebop.
“Bebop” is not without a sense of humor, which stems both from the frequent verbal sparring between its main characters and from one character playing straight man to another. The show’s fluidity is such that the straight man character will sometimes become the oddball in mere seconds.
Overall, “Cowboy Bebop” is a tour de force of character, style and animation that is required viewing for any serious anime fan. For the rest of us, however, it’s just one heck of a ride. As the frequent ending tagline of the show says, “See you, space cowboy.”
