Cowboy Bebop Free

  1. Cowboy Bebop Free Online Dub
  2. Cowboy Bebop Free Full

Cowboy Bebop was a commercial success both in Japan and international markets, notably in the United States. After this reception, Sony Pictures released a feature film, Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Librivox Free Audiobook. Cowboy Bebop Identifier fansubCowboyBebop Scanner Internet Archive Python library 1.7.2. Plus-circle Add Review.

The Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop consists of 26 episodes, referred to as 'sessions'. Most episodes are named after a musical concept of some sort, usually either a broad genre (e.g. 'Gateway Shuffle') or a specific song (e.g. 'Honky Tonk Women'). The show had an aborted first run from April 3, 1998 until June 26, 1998 on TV Tokyo, broadcasting only episodes 2, 3, 7 to 15, 18 and a special. TXN canceled the show in June 1998 because of low ratings. Later that year, the series was shown in its entirety from October 24 until April 24, 1999, on the satellite network WOWOW. In the U.S., the series was aired repeatedly after 2001 on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.[1]

The show takes place in 2071 and follows a group of bounty hunters who hunt criminals on their ship, the Bebop. The main characters include Spike Spiegel, a laid-back former member of the Red Dragon Syndicate (a criminal organization) and hotshot ace pilot; Jet Black, a retired cop and the owner of the Bebop; Faye Valentine, a gambling-addicted amnesiac who always finds herself in financial debts; Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV (nicknamed 'Ed'), an eccentric computer hacking prodigy from Earth; and Ein, a 'data dog' as the group's pet.

A movie was released in 2001, titled Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. The movie takes place between episodes 22 and 23.[2]

Episodes[edit]

#TitleDirected ByWritten byOriginal airdate
(TV Tokyo)
Original airdate
(WOWOW)
English airdate
(Adult Swim)
1'Asteroid Blues'
Transcription: 'Asuteroido Burūsu' (Japanese: アステロイド・ブルース)
Yoshiyuki TakeiKeiko Nobumoto-October 24, 1998September 2, 2001
Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter, and his partner Jet Black head to the Tijuana asteroid colony on their ship, the Bebop, to track down a bounty-head named Asimov Solensan. Asimov is wanted for killing members of his own crime syndicate and stealing a cache of a dangerous combat drug known as Bloody-Eye. On the colony, Asimov and his girlfriend, Katerina, are ambushed at a bar by his former syndicate while attempting to sell a vial of Bloody-Eye, but Asimov fights his way out by using the drug himself. Spike later encounters Katerina and reveals to her that he is a bounty hunter searching for Asimov; Spike is assaulted by Asimov and nearly killed before Katerina intervenes. In the confusion, Spike steals Asimov's Bloody-Eye vial before the two leave. Spike later confronts Asimov at a staged drug deal with the stolen vial. Asimov escapes with Katerina in a ship when the two are interrupted by an attack from the syndicate. With Spike giving chase in his own ship, Asimov takes another dose of Bloody-Eye as they rush towards a police blockade. Katerina, realizing they will never escape, shoots Asimov as Spike nears their ship. As Spike approaches Asimov's ship, it is destroyed by attacking police cruisers, forcing Spike to pull away.
2'Stray Dog Strut'
Transcription: 'Norainu no Sutoratto' (Japanese: 野良犬のストラット)
Ikurō SatōMichiko YokoteApril 3, 1998October 31, 1998September 2, 2001
A bounty takes Spike and Jet to Mars, where their target, Abdul Hakim, is wanted for stealing a valuable lab animal. To avoid capture, Hakim has had plastic surgery to change his appearance. At a bar, Hakim's briefcase containing the animal is stolen. Spike discovers the thief attempting to sell the animal at a pet store and, assuming him to be Hakim, holds him at gunpoint. The case contains a Welsh corgi. As Spike leaves the store, Hakim attempts to take the dog back; the dog escapes, prompting Hakim, Spike, and the group of scientists who had illegally experimented on the dog to give chase. Spike loses Hakim but gains possession of the dog. Jet gives the dog a collar tracking device so he can pinpoint Hakim's location once he inevitably steals the dog back. Spike takes the dog for a walk in order to flush out Hakim. The scientists activate a dog whistle to find their 'data dog', resulting in the corgi escaping from Spike. All the city dogs including the corgi run past Hakim. Hakim steals a car and grabs the dog, while Spike and the scientists pursue him in their ship and truck, respectively. The dog manipulates the car door and jumps out. Spike reluctantly saves it by having it land on top of his ship. The scientists use the truck's harpoon to attach to Hakim's vehicle. This causes both vehicles to lose control and crash over the side rails of a bridge. They fall onto a police station and are apprehended. The bounty hunter show 'Big Shots' announces that Hakim turned himself in and reveal that a 'data dog' is a dog that has its intellect genetically enhanced. The dog, named Ein, now lives on the Bebop, much to Spike's chagrin.
3'Honky Tonk Women'
Transcription: 'Honkī Tonku Wimen' (Japanese: ホンキィ・トンク・ウィメン)
Kunihiro MoriRyōta Yamaguchi
Keiko Nobumoto
April 10, 1998November 7, 1998September 9, 2001
With Ein as a new companion, the crew of the Bebop cross paths with Faye Valentine, a wanted fugitive drowning in debt, who is forced to act as a middle-woman for an illegal transaction at a space station casino.
4'Gateway Shuffle'
Transcription: 'Geitowei Shaffuru' (Japanese: ゲイトウェイ・シャッフル)
Yoshiyuki TakeiSadayuki Murai-November 14, 1998September 9, 2001
After gambling away all the money she obtained, Faye finds a mysterious suitcase aboard a derelict spaceship. Meanwhile, Spike and Jet pursue a bounty on Twinkle Murdoch, the leader of the Space Warriors, a group of eco-terrorists armed with a biological weapon that can transform humans into apes. However, faced with the threat by Murdoch's sons of releasing the virus on Ganymede if she isn't released, the Ganymede government cancels the bounty and forces the Bebop crew to release her. When Murdoch and her sons renege on the deal and launch the virus anyway, Spike and Faye pursue her through the hyperspace gateway. They destroy two of the three missiles, but miss the third one, prompting the Ganymede government to shut down the spacegate, stopping the missiles by trapping them in hyperspace. Spike and Faye narrowly escape the gate before it closes, but Murdoch and sons are trapped. A container of the virus that Faye recovered from the suitcase and was subsequently slipped into Murdoch's pocket by Spike shatters, turning her and all her sons into monkeys. With the bounty lost, Faye decides to stay on the Bebop with Spike and Jet.
5'Ballad of Fallen Angels'
Transcription: 'Datenshi-tachi no Baraddo' (Japanese: 堕天使たちのバラッド)
Tetsuya WatanabeMichiko Yokote-November 21, 1998September 23, 2001
While pursuing the bounty on an executive of the Red Dragon Syndicate, Spike confronts Vicious, an old enemy of his.
6'Sympathy for the Devil'
Transcription: 'Akuma o Awaremu Uta' (Japanese: 悪魔を憐れむ歌)
Ikurō SatōKeiko Nobumoto-November 28, 1998December 16, 2001
Spike and Jet chase a dangerous enemy who, despite having the appearance of a little boy, is actually more than eighty years old.
7'Heavy Metal Queen'
Transcription: 'Hevi Metaru Kuīn' (Japanese: ヘヴィ・メタル・クイーン)
Kunihiro MoriMichiko YokoteApril 17, 1998December 5, 1998September 23, 2001
The crew of the Bebop chase a bounty named Decker, who is running a load of high explosives. While nursing a hangover at a diner, Spike meets a cargo hauler pilot named V.T., who hates bounty hunters, but ends up lending him a hand.
8'Waltz for Venus'
Transcription: 'Warutsu fō Vīnasu' (Japanese: ワルツ・フォー・ヴィーナス)
Yoshiyuki TakeiMichiko YokoteApril 24, 1998December 12, 1998December 23, 2001
While the crew hunts down a Venusian mob, Spike meets Rocco Bonnaro, who is on the run from the same mob the crew is tracking for stealing a very rare and valuable plant, which he plans to sell to pay for surgery to restore his sister's eyesight.
9'Jamming with Edward'
Transcription: 'Jamingu Wizu Edowādo' (Japanese: ジャミング・ウィズ・エドワード)
Ikurō SatōDai SatōMay 1, 1998December 19, 1998September 30, 2001
The crew enlists the help of an elite computer hacker nicknamed 'Radical Edward' to help them track down a bounty-head who has been vandalizing Earth's surface with hacked laser satellites.
10'Ganymede Elegy'
Transcription: 'Ganimede Bojō' (Japanese: ガニメデ慕情)
Hirokazu YamadaAkihiko InariMay 8, 1998December 26, 1998September 30, 2001
Jet is even more taciturn than usual as the Bebop lands on Ganymede, his last post before leaving the ISSP and the home of his ex-girlfriend, Alisa, whom he has never quite left behind. An old friend tips Jet off that Rhint Celonias, Alisa's new boyfriend, has a bounty on him.
11'Toys in the Attic' ('Heavy Rock of the Dark Night')
Transcription: 'Yamiyo no Hevi Rokku' (Japanese: 闇夜のヘヴィ・ロック)
Kunihiro MoriMichiko YokoteMay 15, 1998January 2, 1999October 7, 2001
A blob with a venomous bite infiltrates the Bebop and incapacitates Jet, Faye and Ein. It's up to Spike and Ed to destroy the creature and find out where it came from. The episode ends with the Bebop adrift in space, the entire crew dead.
12'Jupiter Jazz (Part 1)'
Transcription: 'Jupitā Jazu (Zenpen)' (Japanese: ジュピター・ジャズ(前編))
Yoshiyuki TakeiKeiko NobumotoMay 22, 1998January 9, 1999October 7, 2001
Faye cleans out the crew's safe and leaves the Bebop for Callisto. While Jet chases after her, Spike follows up on some clues about the location of his ex-girlfriend Julia, which leads him to another confrontation with Vicious.
13'Jupiter Jazz (Part 2)'
Transcription: 'Jupitā Jazu (Kōhen)' (Japanese: ジュピター・ジャズ(後編))
Ikurō SatōKeiko NobumotoMay 29, 1998January 16, 1999October 14, 2001
Faye is helped by Gren, a man who holds a grudge against Vicious. After explaining his story to Faye, he chases after Vicious, and when he and Spike reach him at the same time, a three-way battle takes place.
14'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Transcription: 'Bohemian Rapusodi' (Japanese: ボヘミアン・ラプソディ)
Hirokazu YamadaDai SatōJune 5, 1998January 23, 1999October 14, 2001
The Bebop crew hunts for Chessmaster Hex, the rumored mastermind behind a series of robberies at hyperspace gate tollbooths. While trying to dig up dirt on their target, they unearth some valuable data regarding the gate accident that devastated Earth fifty years earlier.
15'My Funny Valentine'
Transcription: 'Mai Fanī Varentain' (Japanese: マイ・ファニー・ヴァレンタイン)
Kunihiro MoriKeiko NobumotoJune 12, 1998January 30, 1999October 21, 2001
Faye meets an important man from her past, and the source of her massive debt is revealed.
16'Black Dog Serenade'
Transcription: 'Burakku Doggu Serenāde' (Japanese: ブラック・ドッグ・セレナーデ)
Ikurō SatōMichiko Yokote-February 13, 1999October 21, 2001
An ISSP prison ship suffers a mechanical malfunction and is taken over by the inmates, led by Udai Taxim, the Syndicate assassin who took Jet's arm. Jet's former partner, Fad, enlists him for the retrieval operation.
17'Mushroom Samba'
Transcription: 'Masshurūmu Sanba' (Japanese: マッシュルーム・サンバ)
Kunihiro MoriMichiko Yokote
Shinichirō Watanabe
-February 20, 1999October 28, 2001
The Bebop, out of food and fuel, is sideswiped in a hit-and-run off of Europa and crash-lands on Io. Ed, with Ein by her side, is sent out to procure food, and runs across Domino Walker, a bounty-head who is smuggling hallucinogenic mushrooms.
18'Speak Like a Child'
Transcription: 'Supīku Raiku A Chairudo' (Japanese: スピーク・ライク・ア・チャイルド)
Yoshiyuki TakeiAkihiko InariJune 19, 1998February 27, 1999October 28, 2001
While Faye wastes money betting on horse racing, a package addressed to her arrives on the Bebop containing an old Betamax tape, prompting Spike and Jet to look for an appropriate device to view its contents. The tape proves to be a time capsule recording of a teenage Faye and her friends, but Faye finds her pre-amnesia self unrecognizable apart from her physical appearance.
19'Wild Horses'
Transcription: 'Wairudo Hōsesu' (Japanese: ワイルド・ホーセス)
Hirokazu YamadaAkihiko Inari-March 6, 1999November 4, 2001
While Spike takes his mono-racer in for maintenance, Jet and Faye take on a group of pirates who use computer viruses to terrorize cargo ships.
20'Pierrot le Fou' ('The Clown's Requiem')
Transcription: 'Dōkeshi no Chinkonka' (Japanese: 道化師の鎮魂歌)
Yoshiyuki TakeiSadayuki Murai-March 13, 1999November 4, 2001
Spike is targeted by an insane, seemingly indestructible assassin named Mad Pierrot after accidentally witnessing the killer in action.
21'Boogie Woogie Feng Shui'
Transcription: 'Bugi Ugi Funshei' (Japanese: ブギ・ウギ・フンシェイ)
Ikurō SatōSadayuki Murai
Shinichirō Watanabe
-March 20, 1999November 11, 2001
Jet, spurred on by a cryptic e-mail, tries to find an old acquaintance but discovers only his grave—he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. His daughter, Mei-Fa, an expert in feng shui, asks for his help finding a 'sun stone' that can lead them to her father's location.
22'Cowboy Funk'
Transcription: 'Kaubōi Fanku' (Japanese: カウボーイ・ファンク)
Kunihiro MoriKeiko Nobumoto-March 27, 1999February 15, 2002
A terrorist known as the 'Teddy Bomber' has been using explosives hidden in teddy bears to bring down high-rise buildings in protest of humanity's excesses. Spike attempts to stop him, but constantly runs afoul of 'Cowboy Andy', a fellow bounty hunter who is far more similar to Spike than either would care to admit.
23'Brain Scratch'
Transcription: 'Burein Sukuratchi' (Japanese: ブレイン・スクラッチ)
Yoshiyuki TakeiDai Satō-April 3, 1999November 11, 2001
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Faye goes undercover to infiltrate SCRATCH, a cult that believes in achieving eternal life by digitizing the soul and uploading it into the Internet, in order to collect the bounty on the cult's leader, Dr. Londes. While Spike goes looking for her, Jet and Ed try to track down Dr. Londes.
24'Hard Luck Woman'
Transcription: 'Hādo Rakku Ūman' (Japanese: ハード・ラック・ウーマン)
Hirokazu YamadaMichiko Yokote-April 10, 1999November 18, 2001
While heading to Mars, the Bebop is diverted to an unplanned trip on Earth. After arriving, Faye travels to the landmarks she sees in the video she recorded as a child, taking Ed along. She and Ed find an orphanage where Ed stayed at previously. The nun in charge gives Ed a picture of her father, who came looking for her there several months back. Faye and Ed find one of the locations in the video, whereupon Faye is surprised by an old schoolmate. Jet and Spike notice a bounty on their computer which looks to be a lucrative payoff. After returning to the Bebop and dwelling on what has happened, Faye leaves again. Jet and Spike find their bounty, but Ed interrupts, revealing that the bounty head is her father, and she placed the bounty herself in order to find him. Ed's father asks if she wants to stay with him, but before Ed can answer, he and his assistant see another meteorite strike the Earth's surface in the distance and they speed off, leaving Ed behind, dumbfounded. Faye finds only ruins where her home used to be. Ed leaves the Bebop, and Ein goes with her.
25'The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)'
Transcription: 'Za Riaru Fōku Burūsu (Zenpen)' (Japanese: ザ・リアル・フォークブルース(前編))
Ikurō SatōKeiko Nobumoto-April 17, 1999November 18, 2001
Left alone by the rest of the crew, Spike and Jet are ambushed by members of the Red Dragon Syndicate. They are saved by Lin's brother, Shin, who explains that after Vicious unsuccessfully tried to seize control of the organization, all people connected to him are also being hunted down. Faye meets Julia in a chance encounter and passes on a message from her to Spike. Spike rushes to rendezvous with Julia. Vicious escapes his execution and kills the leaders of the Syndicate.
26'The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)'
Transcription: 'Za Riaru Fōku Burūsu (Kōhen)' (Japanese: ザ・リアル・フォークブルース(後編))
Yoshiyuki TakeiKeiko Nobumoto-April 24, 1999November 25, 2001
Reunited, Spike and Julia pick up where they left off in their plans to escape the Red Dragon Syndicate, but Julia is shot and killed. Spike returns to the Bebop for a meal with Jet, then storms the Red Dragon's headquarters to confront Vicious. Shin helps him, but is killed. Spike fights his way to the top floor of the Syndicate skyscraper, but is badly wounded. Spike shoots Vicious in the chest, killing him. As Spike stumbles down a set of stairs and faces the Syndicate members that rushed to the scene, he makes a gun with his fingers and says 'Bang' before collapsing.
XX'Mish-Mash Blues'
Transcription: 'Yoseatsume Burūsu' (Japanese: よせあつめブルース)
Shinichirō WatanabeKeiko Nobumoto
Shinichirō Watanabe
June 26, 1998-December 2, 2001
Due to the violence portrayed in the series, and the violence occurring at the time in Japan, the series was briefly canceled and 'Mish-Mash Blues' was created. The characters provide a philosophical commentary and it ends with the words: 'This Is Not The End. You Will See The Real 'Cowboy Bebop' Someday!'

References[edit]

  1. ^'Cowboy Bebop - TV Guide'. TVGuide.com.
  2. ^'Cowboy Bebop - Heaven's Door - About the Movie'. CowboyBebop.org. Archived from the original on November 17, 2002. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Cowboy_Bebop_episodes&oldid=909902747'
Cowboy Bebop
カウボーイビバップ
(Kaubōi Bibappu)
GenreSpace Western,[a]neo-noir[b]
Created byHajime Yatate
Anime television series
Directed byShinichirō Watanabe
Produced byMasahiko Minami
Kazuhiko Ikeguchi
Written byKeiko Nobumoto
Music byYoko Kanno
StudioSunrise
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo, Wowow
English network
Adult Swim (Toonami)
Original runTV Tokyo Broadcast
April 3, 1998 – June 26, 1998
WOWOW Broadcast
October 24, 1998
April 24, 1999
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Manga
Shooting Star Bebop
Written byHajime Yatate
Illustrated byCain Kuga
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
DemographicShōjo
MagazineMonthly Asuka Fantasy DX
Original runMay 1, 1998October 1, 1998
Volumes2 (List of volumes)
Manga
Written byHajime Yatate
Illustrated byYutaka Nanten
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
Tokyopop
DemographicShōjo
MagazineMonthly Asuka Fantasy DX
Original runApril 8, 1999April 10, 2000
Volumes3 (List of volumes)
Anime film
  • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップKaubōi Bibappu) is a Japanese animatedscience-fiction[12] television series animated by Sunrise featuring a production team led by director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno. The twenty-six episodes ('sessions') of the series are set in the year 2071, and follow the lives of a bounty hunter crew traveling in their spaceship called the Bebop. Although it covers a wide range of genres throughout its run, Cowboy Bebop draws most heavily from science fiction, western and noir films, and its most recurring thematic focal points include adultexistential ennui, loneliness and the difficulties of trying to escape one's past.

The series premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo from April 3 until June 26, 1998, broadcasting only twelve episodes and a special due to its controversial adult-themed content. The entire twenty-six episodes of the series were later broadcast on Wowow from October 24 until April 24, 1999. The anime was adapted into two manga series which were serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Asuka Fantasy DX. A film was later released to theaters worldwide.

The anime series was dubbed in the English language by Animaze and ZRO Limit Productions, and was licensed by Bandai Entertainment in North America and is now licensed by Funimation. In Britain, it was licensed by Beez Entertainment and is currently licensed by Anime Limited. Madman Entertainment has licensed it for releases in Australia and New Zealand. In 2001, Cowboy Bebop became the first anime title to be broadcast on Adult Swim in the United States.

Cowboy Bebop became a critical and commercial success both in Japanese and international markets (most notably in the United States), garnered several major anime and science fiction awards upon its release, and received wide acclaim for its style, characters, story, voice acting, animation, and soundtrack. In the years since its release, critics have hailed Cowboy Bebop as a masterpiece and frequently cite it as one of the greatest anime titles of all time. Credited with helping to introduce anime to a new wave of Western viewers in the early 2000s, Cowboy Bebop has also been labelled a gateway series for the medium as a whole.[13]

  • 2Genre and themes
  • 3Production
  • 4Distribution
  • 5Related media
  • 6Reception

Plot[edit]

In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters (also referred to as 'Cowboys') chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.[14] The series' protagonists are bounty hunters working from the spaceship Bebop. The original crew are Spike Spiegel, an exiled former hitman of the criminal Red Dragon Syndicate, and his partner Jet Black, a former ISSP officer. They are later joined by Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; Edward Wong, an eccentric girl skilled in hacking; and Ein, a genetically-engineeredPembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence. Over the course of the series, the team get involved in disastrous mishaps leaving them without money, while often confronting faces and events from their past:[15] these include Jet's reasons for leaving the ISSP, and Faye's past as a young woman from Earth injured in an accident and cryogenically frozen to save her life.

The main story arc focuses on Spike and his deadly rivalry with Vicious, an ambitious criminal affiliated with the Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike and Vicious were once partners and friends, but when Spike began an affair with Vicious's girlfriend Julia and resolved to leave the Syndicate with her, Vicious sought to eliminate Spike by blackmailing Julia into killing him. Julia goes into hiding to protect herself and Spike fakes his death to escape the Syndicate. In the present, Julia comes out of hiding and reunites with Spike, intending to complete their plan. Vicious, having staged a coup d'état and taken over the Syndicate, sends hitmen after the pair. Julia is killed, leaving Spike alone. His heartbreak feeds his desire to kill Vicious once and for all. Spike leaves the Bebop after saying a final goodbye to Faye and Jet. Upon infiltrating the syndicate, he finds Vicious on the top floor of the building and confronts him after dispatching the remaining Red Dragon members. The final battle ends with Spike killing Vicious, only to be mortally wounded himself in the ensuing confrontation. The series concludes as Spike descends the main staircase of the building into the rising sun. He eventually falls to the ground.

Genre and themes[edit]

Watanabe created a special tagline for the series to promote it during its original presentation, calling it 'a new genre unto itself'. The line was inserted before and after commercial breaks during its Japanese and US broadcasts. Later, Watanabe called the phrase an 'exaggeration'.[16] The show is a hybrid of multiple genres, including the Western and pulp fiction.[17]:113 One reviewer described it as 'space opera meets noir, meets comedy, meets cyberpunk'.[18] It has also been called a 'genre-bursting space western.'[19][20]

The musical style was emphasized in many of the episode titles.[21]:79–80[22][23] Multiple philosophical themes are explored using the characters, including existentialism, existentialennui, loneliness, and the effect of the past on the protagonists.[15][24] The series also makes specific references to or pastiches multiple films, including the works of John Woo and Bruce Lee, Midnight Run, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Alien.[22][25] The series also includes extensive references and elements from science fiction, bearing strong similarities to the cyberpunk fiction of William Gibson.[21]:81 Several planets and space stations in the series are made in Earth's image. The streets of celestial objects such as Ganymede resemble a modern port city, while Mars features shopping malls, theme parks, casinos and cities. Cowboy Bebop's universe is filled with video players and hyperspace gates, eco-politics and fairgrounds, spaceships and Native Americanshamans.[25] This setting has been described as 'one part Chinese diaspora and two parts wild west.'[17]:113

Characters[edit]

Main cast from left to right: Jet Black, Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Edward, and Ein

The characters were created by Watanabe and character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto. Watanabe envisioned each character as an extension of his own personality, or as an opposite person to himself.[26] Each character, from the main cast to supporting characters, were designed to be outlaws unable to fit into society.[27] Kawamoto designed the characters so they were easily distinguished from one another.[16] All the main cast are characterized by a deep sense of loneliness or resignation to their fate and past.[16] From the perspective of Brian Camp and Julie Davis, the main characters resemble the main characters of the anime series Lupin III, if only superficially, given their more troubled pasts and more complex personalities.[21]:81

The show focuses on the character of Spike Spiegel, with the overall theme of the series being Spike's past and its karmic effect on him.[28] Spike was portrayed as someone who had lost his expectations for the future, having lost the woman he loved, and so was in a near-constant lethargy.[16] Spike's artificial eye was included as Watanabe wanted his characters to have flaws. He was originally going to give Spike an eye patch, but the producers vetoed it.[27][29]

Jet is shown as someone who lost confidence in his former life and has become cynical about the state of society.[16][30] Spike and Jet were designed to be opposites, with Spike being thin and wearing smart attire, while Jet was bulky and wore more casual clothing.[27] The clothing, which was dark in color, also reflected their states of mind.[16]Faye Valentine, Edward Wong, and Ein joined the crew in later episodes.[30] Their designs were intended to contrast against Spike.[27] Faye was described by her voice actress as initially being an 'ugly' woman, with her defining traits being her liveliness, sensuality and humanity.[28] To emphasize her situation when first introduced, she was compared to Poker Alice, a famous Western figure.[27]

Edward and Ein were the only main characters to have real-life models. The former had her behavior based on the antics of Yoko Kanno as observed by Watanabe when he first met her.[27] While generally portrayed as carefree and eccentric, Edward is motivated by a sense of loneliness after being abandoned by her father.[30] Kawamoto initially based Ein's design on a friend's pet corgi, later getting one himself to use as a motion model.[31][32]

Production[edit]

Series director Shinichirō Watanabe at the 2009 Japan Expo

Cowboy Bebop was developed by animation studio Sunrise and created by Hajime Yatate, the well-known pseudonym for the collective contributions of Sunrise's animation staff. The leader of the series' creative team was director Shinichirō Watanabe, most notable at the time for directing Macross Plus and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Other leading members of Sunrise's creative team were screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical art designer Kimitoshi Yamane, composer Yoko Kanno, and producers Masahiko Minami and Yoshiyuki Takei. Most of them had previously worked together, in addition to having credits on other popular anime titles. Nobumoto had scripted Macross Plus, Kawamoto had designed the characters for Gundam, and Kanno had composed the music for Macross Plus and The Vision of Escaflowne. Yamane had not worked with Watanabe yet, but his credits in anime included Bubblegum Crisis and The Vision of Escaflowne. Minami joined the project as he wanted to do something different from his previous work on mecha anime.[22][28]

Concept[edit]

Cowboy Bebop was Watanabe's first project as solo director, as he had been co-director in his previous works.[33] His original concept was for a movie, and during production he treated each episode as a miniature movie.[34][35] His main inspiration for Cowboy Bebop was Lupin III, a crime anime series focusing on the exploits of the series' titular character.[22] When developing the series' story, Watanabe began by creating the characters first. He explained, 'the first image that occurred to me was one of Spike, and from there I tried to build a story around him, trying to make him cool.'[33] While the original dialogue of the series was kept clean to avoid any profanities, its level of sophistication was made appropriate to adults in a criminal environment.[22] Watanabe described Cowboy Bebop as '80% serious story and 20% humorous touch.'[36] The comical episodes were harder for the team to write than the serious ones, but though several events in them seemed random, they were carefully planned in advance.[27] Watanabe conceived the series' ending early on, and each episode involving Spike and Vicious was meant to foreshadow their final confrontation. Some of the staff were unhappy about this approach as a continuation of the series would be difficult. While he considered altering the ending, he eventually settled with his original idea.[29] The reason for creating the ending was that Watanabe did not want the series to become like Star Trek, with him being tied to doing it for years.[27]

Development[edit]

The project had initially originated with Bandai's toy division as a sponsor, with the goal of selling spacecraft toys. Watanabe recalled his only instruction was 'So long as there's a spaceship in it, you can do whatever you want.' But upon viewing early footage, it became clear that Watanabe's vision for the series didn't match with that of Bandai's. Believing the series would never sell toy merchandise, Bandai pulled out of the project, leaving it in development hell until sister company Bandai Visual stepped in to sponsor it. Since there was no need to merchandise toys with the property any more, Watanabe had free rein in the development of the series.[33] Watanabe wanted to design not just a space adventure series for adolescent boys but a program that would also appeal to sophisticated adults.[22] During the making of Bebop, Watanabe often attempted to rally the animation staff by telling them that the show would be something memorable up to three decades later. While some of them were doubtful of that at the time, Watanabe many years later expressed his happiness to have been proven right in retrospect. He joked that if Bandai Visual hadn't intervened then 'you might be seeing me working the supermarket checkout counter right now.'[33]

The city locations were generally inspired by the cities of New York and Hong Kong.[37] The atmospheres of the planets and the ethnic groups in Cowboy Bebop mostly originated from Watanabe's ideas, with some collaboration from set designers Isamu Imakake, Shoji Kawamori, and Dai Satō. The animation staff established the particular planet atmospheres early in the production of the series before working on the ethnic groups. It was Watanabe who wanted to have several groups of ethnic diversity appear in the series. Mars was the planet most often used in Cowboy Bebop's storylines, with Satoshi Toba, the cultural and setting producer, explaining that the other planets 'were unexpectedly difficult to use.' He stated that each planet in the series had unique features, and the producers had to take into account the characteristics of each planet in the story. For the final episode, Toba explained that it was not possible for the staff to have the dramatic rooftop scene occur on Venus, so the staff 'ended up normally falling back to Mars.'[38] In creating the backstory, Watanabe envisioned a world that was 'multinational rather than stateless'. In spite of certain American influences in the series, he stipulated that the country had been destroyed decades prior to the story, later saying the notion of the United States as the center of the world repelled him.[39]

Music[edit]

Series composer Yoko Kanno, photographed in 1999

The music for Cowboy Bebop was composed by Yoko Kanno.[40] Kanno formed the blues and jazz band Seatbelts to perform the music of the series.[41] According to Kanno, the music was one of the first aspects of the series to begin production, before most of the characters, story or animation had been finalized. The genres she used for its composition were western, opera and jazz.[27] Watanabe noted that Kanno did not score the music exactly the way he told her to. He stated, 'She gets inspired on her own, follows up on her own imagery and comes to me saying 'this is the song we need for Cowboy Bebop,' and composes something completely on her own.'[36] Kanno herself was sometimes surprised at how pieces of her music were used in scenes, sometimes wishing it had been used elsewhere, though she also felt that none of their uses were 'inappropriate'. She was pleased with the working environment, finding the team very relaxed in comparison with other teams she had worked with.[28]

Watanabe further explained that he would take inspiration from Kanno's music after listening to it and create new scenes for the story from it. These new scenes in turn would inspire Kanno and give her new ideas for the music and she would come to Watanabe with even more music. Watanabe cited as an example, 'some songs in the second half of the series, we didn't even ask her for those songs, she just made them and brought them to us.' He commented that while Kanno's method was normally 'unforgivable and unacceptable,' it was ultimately a 'big hit' with Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe described his collaboration with Kanno as 'a game of catch between the two of us in developing the music and creating the TV series Cowboy Bebop.'[36][42] Since the series' broadcast, Kanno and the Seatbelts have released seven original soundtrack albums, two singles and extended plays, and two compilations through label Victor Entertainment.[43]

Distribution[edit]

Broadcast[edit]

Cowboy Bebop debuted on TV Tokyo, one of the main broadcasters of anime in Japan, airing from April 3 until June 26, 1998.[44] Due to its 6 PM timeslot[45] and depictions of graphic violence,[46] the show's first run only included episodes 2, 3, 7 to 15, 18 and a special. Later that year, the series was shown in its entirety from October 24 until April 24, 1999, on satellite network Wowow.[47] The full series has also been broadcast across Japan by anime television network Animax, which has also aired the series via its respective networks across Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia.

The first non-Asian country to air Cowboy Bebop was Italy. There, it was first shown on October 21, 1999, on MTV, where it inaugurated the 9.00-10.30 pm Anime Night programming block.

In the United States, Cowboy Bebop was one of the programs shown the night Cartoon Network's late night block Adult Swim debuted on September 2, 2001, being the first anime shown on the block.[48] It was successful enough to be broadcast repeatedly for four years. It has been run at least once every year since 2007, and HD remasters of the show began broadcasting in 2015. In the United Kingdom it was first broadcast in 2002 as one of the highlights of the 'cartoon network for adults', CNX. From November 6, 2007, it was repeated on AnimeCentral until the channel's closure in August 2008. In Australia, Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on pay-TV in 2002 on Adult Swim in Australia. It was broadcast on Sci Fi Channel on Foxtel. In Australia, Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on free-to-air-TV on ABC2 (the national digital public television channel) on January 2, 2007.[49] It has been repeated several times, most recently starting in 2008.[50][51]Cowboy Bebop: The Movie also aired again on February 23, 2009, on SBS (a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting television network). In Canada, Cowboy Bebop was first broadcast on December 24, 2006, on Razer.

In Latin America, was first broadcast on pay-TV in 2001 on Locomotion. It is retransmitted from January 9, 2016 on I.Sat (Adult Swim block).[52][53]

Home media[edit]

DVD nameContentRelease date
Session One

Episodes 1–5

April 4, 2000
Session Two

Episodes 6–10

May 2, 2000
Session Three

Episodes 11–14

July 13, 2000
Session Four

Episodes 15–18

April 4, 2001
Session Five

Episodes 19–22

May 2, 2001
Session Six

Episodes 23–26

July 13, 2001
The Perfect Sessions
  • Episodes 1–26
  • Cowboy Bebop OST 1
  • Collector's Art Box
November 6, 2001
Best Sessions

Various

November 19, 2002

Cowboy Bebop has been released in four separate editions in North America.

The first release was sold in VHS format either as a box set or as seven individual tapes. The tapes were sold through Anime Village, a division of Bandai.[54]

The second release was sold in 2000 individually, and featured uncut versions of the original 26 episodes. In 2001, these DVDs were collected in the special edition Perfect Sessions which included the first 6 DVDs, the first Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, and a collector's box. At the time of release, the art box from the Perfect Sessions was made available for purchase on The Right Stuff International as a solo item for collectors who already owned the series.[55]

The third release, The Best Sessions, was sold in 2002 and featured what Bandai considered to be the best 6 episodes of the series remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound.[56]

The fourth release, Cowboy Bebop Remix, was also distributed on 6 discs and included the original 26 uncut episodes, with sound remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and video remastered under the supervision of Shinichiro Watanabe. This release also included various extras that were not present in the original release.[57] Cowboy Bebop Remix was itself collected as the Cowboy Bebop Remix DVD Collection in 2008.

A fourth release in Blu-Ray format was released on December 21, 2012 exclusively in Japan.[58][59]

In December 2012, newly founded distributor Anime Limited announced via Facebook and Twitter that they had acquired the home video license for the United Kingdom. Part 1 of the Blu-Ray collection was released on July 29, 2013, while Part 2 was released on October 14. The standard DVD Complete Collection was originally meant to be released on September 23, 2013 with Part 2 of the Blu-Ray release but due to mastering and manufacturing errors, the Complete Collection was delayed until November 27.[citation needed] Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment in 2012, Funimation and Sunrise had announced that they rescued Cowboy Bebop, along with a handful of other former Bandai Entertainment properties, for home video and digital release.[60] Funimation released the series on Blu-ray and DVD on December 16, 2014.[61][62] The series was released in four separate editions: standard DVD, standard Blu-ray, an Amazon.com exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo, and a Funimation.com exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo.[61][63]

Related media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Two Cowboy Bebop manga series have been released, both published by Kadokawa Shoten and serialized in Asuka Fantasy DX.[64][65] The first manga series, titled Shooting Star Bebop and illustrated by Cain Kuga, was serialized from October issue 1997, before the anime series' release, to July issue 1998.[64][66] It was collected into two volumes in 1998, the first one in May and the second one in September.[67][68] The second manga series, simply titled Cowboy Bebop and illustrated by Yutaka Nanten, was serialized from November issue 1998 to March issue 2000.[65][66] It was collected into three volumes, the first two in April and October 1999 and the third one in April 2000.[69][70][71] Both manga series were licensed by Tokyopop for release in North America.[72][73]

Video games[edit]

A Cowboy Bebop video game, developed and published by Bandai,[74] was released in Japan for the PlayStation on May 14, 1998.[75] A PlayStation 2 video game, Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade, was released in Japan on August 25, 2005,[76] and an English version had been set for release in North America. However, in January 2007, IGN reported that the release had likely been cancelled, speculating that it did not survive Bandai Namco's merger to Bandai Namco Games.[77]

Cowboy Bebop Free Online Dub

Film[edit]

An anime film titled Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, also known as Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉 Kaubōi Bibappu: Tengoku no Tobira), was released in Japan in September 2001 and in the United States in 2003.

On July 22, 2008, If published an article on its website regarding a rumor of a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie in development by 20th Century Fox. Producer Erwin Stoff said that the film's development was in the early stages, and that they had 'just signed it'.[78][79]Keanu Reeves was to play the role of Spike Spiegel.[80][81]Variety confirmed on January 15, 2009 that production company Sunrise Animation would be 'closely involved with the development of the English-language project'. The site also confirmed Kenji Uchida, Shinichirō Watanabe and series writer Keiko Nobumoto as associate producers, series producer Masahiko Minami as a production consultant, and Peter Craig as screenwriter. This was lauded by various sources as a promising move for the potential quality of the film.[82] At the time it was slated to release in 2011, but problems with the budget delayed its production. The submitted script was sent back for rewrite to reduce the cost and little has been heard about it since an interview with producer Joshua Long on October 15, 2010;[83] the project currently languishes in development hell. On October 25, 2014, series director Watanabe was asked about the live-action film at the MCM London Comicon. He stated: 'I'm afraid I don't know what they're thinking in Hollywood. Apparently the project hasn't come to a stop but I don't know how it's going to progress from here on. I hear that there are a lot of 'Hollywood' problems.'[84]

Live-action series[edit]

On June 6, 2017, it was announced that an American live-action adaptation of the series was being developed for television by Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between Marty Adelstein and Sunrise Inc., which also produced the original anime.[85]Christopher Yost is poised to write the series.[86] On November 27, 2018 Netflix announced that the live-action series would be heading to its streaming service.[87][88] On April 4, 2019, Variety reported that John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda and Alex Hassell have all been cast in lead roles as Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine and Vicious in the series.[89] On August 22, 2019, it was announced that Elena Satine is cast as Julia.[90]

Other[edit]

An official side story titled Cowboy Bebop: UT tells the story of Ural and Victoria Terpsichore (V.T. from the session 'Heavy Metal Queen') when they were bounty hunters. The story was available in its own official site, however the website was closed and is currently available at the site mirror.[91]

Reception[edit]

Cowboy Bebop Free Full

Critical reception[edit]

Cowboy Bebop received widespread critical acclaim, beginning at the time of its initial broadcast. Beginning in 1998, Japanese critic Keith Rhee highlighted the series as a standout in an otherwise 'run-of-the-mill' season, praising its overall production values, and singling out Kanno's soundtrack as 'a much-welcome change from all the sugary J-pop tunes of most anime features'. Rhee also highlighted the show's Japanese 'all-star cast',[45] which his colleague Mark L. Johnson described as being filled with 'veteran voice talent', turning in even greater performances than those of their 'above average' US counterparts.[92]

Anime News Network's Mike Crandol gave the series an 'A+' rating for the dubbed version, and an 'A' rating for the subbed version. He claimed the series was 'one of the most popular and respected anime titles in history,' before adding that it was 'a unique television show which skillfully transcends all kinds of genres.' Crandol praised its characters as 'some of the most endearing characters to ever grace an anime,' and commended the voice acting, especially the 'flawless English cast.' He also complimented the series' 'movie-quality' animation, 'sophisticated' writing, and its 'incredible' musical score. Crandol hailed Cowboy Bebop as a 'landmark' anime 'that will be remembered long after many others have been forgotten', and went on to call it 'one of the greatest anime titles ever.'[93] Additionally, Michael Toole of Anime News Network named Cowboy Bebop as one of the most important anime of the 1990s.[94]

T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews gave the entire series a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars, with reviewer Christina Carpenter believing Cowboy Bebop as 'one of the best [anime]' and touting it as a masterpiece that 'puts most anime..and Hollywood, to shame.' She described it as a 'very stylish, beautifully crafted series that deserves much more attention than it gets.' Carpenter praised the animation as 'a rarity and a marvel to behold' and that it was 'beyond superb,' and the plot and characterization as having 'a sophistication and subtlety that is practically one-of-a-kind.' She also praised the soundtrack, and hailed the opening theme as one of the best intro pieces she had ever heard. Carpenter went to say that Bebop was a 'must-have for any serious collector of Japanese animation.'[95]

In his article 'Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of Cowboy Bebop', The Atlantic writer Alex Suskind states, 'On paper, Cowboy Bebop, the legendary cult anime series from Shinichirō Watanabe, reads like something John Wayne, Elmore Leonard, and Philip K. Dick came up with during a wild, all-night whiskey bender.' He goes on to write, 'The response from critics and fans may have sounded hyperbolic—the word 'masterpiece' was thrown around a great deal—but the praise was justified. First-time solo director Watanabe had created a gorgeous tale of morality, romance, and violence–a dark look at the lives of outlaws that's shot like an independent film.'[96]

In January 2015, television writer Kyle Mills of DVD Talk awarded the series five stars upon review. He stated, 'Regardless of the medium, be it live action television, film, or animation, Cowboy Bebop is simply one of the finest examples of storytelling ever created.' In his review, he describes the finale as 'one of the best in television history,' referring to it as a 'widely revered' ending that 'still sparks fan conversation, resonating with viewers 15 years on.' He closes by writing, 'Cowboy Bebop ends with a bang.'[97]

In his 2018 review of the series, Paste critic John Maher wrote, “It feels like a magnum opus produced at the pinnacle of a long career despite being, almost unbelievably, Watanabe’s first series as a director. It is a masterwork that should justly rank among the best works of television of all time.” It was also placed at #1 on the publication's list of the ‘’50 Best Anime Series of All Time’’.[98]

The series holds a 100% “Certified Fresh” approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus stating, “Blending a head-spinning array of genres and references, Cowboy Bebop is an anime television classic that must be experienced.”[99]

Accolades[edit]

In the 1999 Anime Grand Prix awards for the anime of 1998, Cowboy Bebop won two 1st place awards: Spike Spiegel was awarded the best male character; and Megumi Hayashibara was awarded the best voice actor for her role as Faye Valentine. Cowboy Bebop also received rankings in other categories: the series itself was awarded the 2nd best anime series; Faye Valentine and Ed were ranked the 5th and 9th best female characters respectively; 'Tank!' and 'The Real Folk Blues' were ranked the 3rd and 15th best songs respectively; and 'Ballad of Fallen Angels', 'Speak Like a Child', 'Jamming with Edward' and 'Mish-Mash Blues' were ranked the 2nd, 8th, 18th and 20th best episodes respectively.[100]

In the 2000 Anime Grand Prix awards for the anime of 1999, Cowboy Bebop won the same two 1st place awards again: best male character for Spike Spiegel; and best voice actor for Megumi Hayashibara. Other rankings the series received are: 2nd best anime series; 6th best female character for Faye Valentine; 7th and 12th best song for 'Tank!' and 'Blue' respectively; and 3rd and 17th best episode for 'The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)' and 'Hard Luck Woman' respectively.[101] In the 2000 Seiun Awards, Cowboy Bebop was awarded for Best Media of the Year.[102]

A 2004 poll in Newtype USA, the US edition of the Japanese magazine Newtype, asked its readers to vote the 'Top 25 Anime Titles of All Time'; Cowboy Bebop ranked 2nd on the list (after Neon Genesis Evangelion), placing it as one of the most socially relevant and influential anime series ever created.[103] During that same year, Cinefantastique listed the anime as one of the '10 Essential Animations', citing the series' 'gleeful mix of noir-style, culture-hopping inclusiveness and music'.[104] In 2007, the American Anime magazine Anime Insider listed the '50 Best Anime Ever' by compiling lists of industry regulars and magazine staff, and ranked Cowboy Bebop as the #1 anime of all time.[105] In 2012, Madman Entertainment compiled the votes of fans online for 'The Top 20 Madman Anime Titles' and ranked Cowboy Bebop at #7.[106]

Cowboy Bebop has been featured in several lists published by IGN. In the 2009 'Top 100 Animated TV Series' list, Cowboy Bebop, labelled as 'a very original – and arguably one of the best – anime', was placed 14th, making it the second highest ranking anime on the list (after Evangelion) and one of the most influential series of the 1990s.[107] In 2011, Bebop was ranked 29th in the 'Top 50 Sci-Fi TV Shows' list, once again being the second highest ranking anime on the list (after Evangelion).[108] In 2006, Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack was ranked #1 in 'Top Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All-Time' list, with the series being commented as 'one of the best anime ever and certainly is tops when it comes to music.'[109] Spike Spiegel was ranked 4th place in the 'Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time' article.[110] IGN Movies also placed Cowboy Bebop in their list of '10 Cartoon Adaptations We'd Like to See'.[111]

Analysis[edit]

The series has been subject to study and analysis since its debut, with the main focus being on its style and mixture of genres. Miguel Douglas, describing the series style in a review, said that 'the series distinctly establishes itself outside the realm of conventional Japanese animation and instead chooses to forge its own path. With a setting within the realm of science fiction, the series wisely offers a world that seems entirely realistic considering our present time. Free from many of the elements that accompany science fiction in general — whether that be space aliens, giant robots, or laser guns — the series delegates itself towards presenting a world that is quite similar to our own albeit showcasing some technological advances. Certainly not as pristine a future we would see in other series or films, Cowboy Bebop decides to deliver a future that closely reflects that of our own time. This aspect of familiarity does wonders in terms of relating to the viewer, and it presents a world that certainly resembles our very own.'[112] Daryl Surat of Otaku USA, commenting on the series' appeal, said that it was 'that rare breed of science-fiction: 'accessible'. Unlike many anime titles, viewers weren't expected to have knowledge of Asian culture — character names, signs, and the like were primarily in English to begin with — or have seen any other anime series prior.'[113] Michelle Onley Pirkle, in her book Science Fiction Film, Television, and Adaptation: Across the Screens, said that 'Cowboy Bebop is taking a new take on genre, not by creating unique images and sounds, but by playing 'freely' with, 'remixing', or adapting the images and sounds of other familiar genres in a dynamic way.'[114]:164 Robert Baigent, writing for the Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, said that the series' appeal likely stemmed from the trend in anime to emulate Western fiction.[25]

Legacy[edit]

In March 2009, the print and web editions of The Onion's The A.V. Club called Cowboy Bebop 'rightly a huge hit', and listed it as a gateway series to understanding the medium of anime as a whole.[13] Suskind said: 'It was unlike anything the genre had seen before. It even approached its music differently. The show kicked off with a wormhole of a theme song, and the soundtrack moves so seamlessly through genres, from rock to country to pop to jazz to funk, it's shocking to learn that one set of musicians is behind it all'. In an interview, producer Sean Akins also states that the series 'created a whole new world'. 'It's hard for me to quantify the impact that I think it has had. It changed anime. I think people began to think about what shows would be cool. I think it redefined cool within animation, not only in Japan but in the States'.[96]

American film director, screenwriter, and producer Rian Johnson has cited Cowboy Bebop as a visual influence on his films, most notably Brick.[115]Ender's Game writer, novelist, critic, playwright, and poet Orson Scott Card also praised the series. He states that the series is 'better than most sci-fi films out there'. He goes on to say that he 'found this series brilliant, but what held me was a combination of strong relationship-based storytelling, a moody visual style that never got old and really smart dialogue'.[96]Adobe flash player version 10.3.

After the creation of the series, an interviewer asked Watanabe if he had any plans to create more Cowboy Bebop material. Watanabe responded by saying that he does not believe that he 'should just keep on making Cowboy Bebop sequels for the sake of it'. Watanabe added that ending production and 'to quit while we're ahead when people still want more' is more 'in keeping with the Bebop spirit'.[116] In a more recent interview from 2006 with The Daily Texan, Watanabe was asked if there would ever be more Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe's answer was 'someday..maybe, someday'.[117]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^See [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
  2. ^See [1][2][8][9][10][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abGreenberg, Raz (February 27, 2015). 'Cowboy Bebop and Leiji Matsumoto'. All the Anime. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. ^ abHeyde, Adam (April 23, 2016). 'Retro Romp: Cowboy Bebop Review'. AnimeLab. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  3. ^Funimation (October 10, 2014). 'Cowboy Bebop Premium Editions Revealed - See Bebop at Its Best!'. Funimation. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  4. ^Hulu (December 18, 2014). 'Cowboy Bebop Comes to Hulu December 19' (Press release). Anime News Network. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  5. ^Andreeva, Nellie (June 6, 2017). ''Cowboy Bebop' Cult Anime TV Series Gets US Live-Action Remake'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  6. ^Oh, Ashley (June 6, 2017). 'Cowboy Bebop live-action series riles up the internet'. Polygon. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  7. ^Mufson, Beckett (June 10, 2017). 'Bang, Cowboy Bebop Is Getting Turned into a Live-Action Hollywood Movie'. Vice. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  8. ^Jeffries, L.B. (January 18, 2010). 'The Film Noir Roots of Cowboy Bebop'. PopMatters. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  9. ^Chapman, Jacob (December 16, 2014). 'Cowboy Bebop Complete Series Blu-ray - Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. ^The Anime News Network Editorial Team (March 3, 2016). 'What's The Best (And Worst) Anime Ending You've Ever Seen?'. Anime News Network. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  11. ^Egan, Toussaint (June 11, 2017). 'The Live-Action Cowboy Bebop Series Has Potential, but Can It Deliver?'. Paste. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  12. ^Mahon, Christopher (September 10, 2018). 'HOW SCI-FI ANIME LIKE COWBOY BEBOP BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND FICTION'. SyFy. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  13. ^ abRobinson, Tasha (2009-03-05). 'Gateways To Geekery: Anime'. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  14. ^'Cowboy Bebop - Original Sessions - Background'. CowboyBebop.Org. Archived from the original on January 7, 2003. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  15. ^ abWarren, Mary. 'STAFF PICKS: OLD SCHOOL CARTOONS'. The Vault Magazine. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  16. ^ abcdefBricken, Robert (January 2003). 'Behind the Bebop - Murder, Mars and All That Jazz'. Anime Invasion. Wizard (#5).
  17. ^ abClements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (November 1, 2006). 'Déjà Vu All Over Again?: Cowboy Bebop's Transformation to the Big Screen'. The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN978-1933330105.
  18. ^'Cowboy Bebop: Space Opera Meets Noir, Comedy, and Cyberpunk'. Sci-Fi Addicts. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  19. ^'20 Years Later, 'Cowboy Bebop' Remains the (Undisputed) Greatest, Coolest Anime Series Ever Made'. MEL Magazine. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  20. ^'Cowboy Bebop to Return in Live-Action'. Film School Rejects. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  21. ^ abcCamp, Brian; Davis, Julie (September 15, 2007). Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN978-1-933330-22-8.
  22. ^ abcdefPatten, Fred (March 31, 2003). ''Cowboy Bebop: The Movie'.. At Last'. Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  23. ^Jeffries, L.B. (2010-01-19). 'The Film Noir Roots of Cowboy Bebop'. PopMatters. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  24. ^Alderman, Nathan (June 27, 2002). 'Anime for the Rest of Us'. Teevee.org. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  25. ^ abcBaigent, Robert (2004). 'Cowboy Bebop: Complete Sessions Collection Review'(PDF). Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 4, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  26. ^Charles Solomon (March 30, 2003). 'Dirty Harry in outer space?'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  27. ^ abcdefghi'Cowboy Bebop Panel'. Anime on DVD.com. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on June 5, 2003. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  28. ^ abcd'Season #0'. Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete (DVD) (in Japanese) (Standard ed.). Beez Entertainment. October 5, 2009.
  29. ^ ab''Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime'. The Daily Texan. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  30. ^ abcAntonio, Tripodi (March 20, 2006). 'Anime Review: Cowboy Bebop'. Terre di Confine. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  31. ^Kawamoto, Toshihiro (2004). Cowboy Bebop Illustrations: The Wind. Softbank Creative. p. 8. ISBN4797327812.
  32. ^McCarter, Charles (1999). 'Interview with Kawamoto Toshihiro'. EX. Archived from the original on 2012-09-23. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  33. ^ abcdSevakis, Justin (August 15, 2013). 'Shinichiro Watanabe focus panel - Otakon 2013'. Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  34. ^'Animatrix Director: Kid's Story and A Detective's Story'. The Animatrix official website. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  35. ^'From the Small Screen to the Big Screen'. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (DVD). Culver City, California: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. 2003.
  36. ^ abcDuBois, Todd (August 21, 2013). 'Otakon 2013: Press Conference and Public Q&A With Director Shinichiro Watanabe'. Toon Zone. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  37. ^'The Director's Voice: Shinichiro Watanabe Interview'. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie website (English). Archived from the original on March 7, 2003. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  38. ^Newtype (May 21, 2002). Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide Volume 4. Tokyopop. p. 64. ISBN1-931514-08-9.
  39. ^カウボーイビバップ Extra Session [Cowboy Bebop Extra Session] (in Japanese). Bandai Visual. January 28, 2005. pp. 22–23.
  40. ^'Composer Yoko Kanno to Perform Concert at Otakon'. Anime News Network. May 16, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  41. ^'Seatbelts Reunite'. Anime News Network. December 16, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  42. ^Bridges, Rose (2017). Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN9781501325854.
  43. ^Green, Scott (November 13, 2012). 'Out of Print 'Cowboy Bebop' Soundtracks Reissued'. Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  44. ^Sunrise Broadcast 1Archived 2011-09-17 at the Wayback MachineSunrise
  45. ^ abRhee, Keith (1998). 'Cowboy Bebop'. Ex.org. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  46. ^Fox, Kit (January 2000). 'Cowboy Bebop The New Cool'. Animerica (801): 14.
  47. ^Sunrise Broadcast 2Archived 2012-06-19 at the Wayback MachineSunrise
  48. ^'Cowboy Bebop - TV Guide'. TVGuide.com.
  49. ^'ABC TV Guide'. www.abc.net.au.
  50. ^'Cowboy Bebop – Asteroid Blues'. www.abc.net.au.
  51. ^'Cowboy Bebop – The Real Folk Blues Part 2'. www.abc.net.au.
  52. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2015-12-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) I.Sat Blog Adult Swim January 2016
  53. ^Cowboy Bebop arrives in January to I.Sat
  54. ^'Cowboy Bebop - Collector's Box 1 (Dub.VHS 1-7) - Anime News Network'. www.animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  55. ^'Cowboy Bebop box set 'box' available separately'. Anime News Network. 2001-11-07. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  56. ^'Otakon 2002: Bandai Panel'. Anime News Network. 2002-07-29. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  57. ^'New Cowboy Bebop Special Edition'. Anime News Network. 2005-02-16. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  58. ^'Cowboy Bebop BD Box to Include Novel, Ein Picture Drama'. Anime News Network. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  59. ^'カウボーイビバップ'. Sunrise. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  60. ^'Funimation Adds Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Outlaw Star and More'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  61. ^ ab'Release Date for Cowboy Bebop'. Funimation. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  62. ^'North American Anime, Manga Releases, December 14–20'. Anime News Network. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  63. ^'Cowboy Bebop Blu-ray Slated for N. America in December'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  64. ^ ab'ふぁんデラ 1997年10月号・中古・角川書店・通販ショップの駿河屋'. Surugaya Japan. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  65. ^ ab'ふぁんデラ 1998年11月号・中古・角川書店・通販ショップの駿河屋'. Surugaya Japan. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  66. ^ ab'[Q&A] カウボーイビバップ'. OKWave Japan. April 30, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  67. ^'シューティングスタービバップ-カウボーイビバップ- 1 : 中古 久雅カイン'. Net Off Japan. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  68. ^'シューティングスタービバップ-カウボーイビバップ- 2 : 中古 久雅カイン'. Net Off Japan. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  69. ^'カウボーイビバップ 第1巻:コミック&アニメ:南天佑'. Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  70. ^'カウボーイビバップ 第2巻:コミック&アニメ:南天佑'. Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  71. ^'カウボーイビバップ 第3巻:コミック&アニメ:南天佑'. Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  72. ^'February Manga Releases - News'. Anime News Network. December 5, 2001. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  73. ^'New Manga from TokyoPop - News'. Anime News Network. January 8, 2003. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  74. ^'Cowboy Bebop - PlayStation'. IGN. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  75. ^'Cowboy Bebop International Releases'. Giant Bomb. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  76. ^IGN Staff (August 30, 2005). 'Now Playing in Japan'. IGN. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  77. ^Hatfield, Daemon (January 31, 2007). 'Missing in Action: The Lost Games of PS2'. IGN. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  78. ^IF Magazine: Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop' Movie Is In The WorksArchived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, IF Magazine.
  79. ^FirstShowing.Net, Cowboy Bebop Movie
  80. ^'Keanu Reeves Hopes to Star in Live-Action Cowboy Bebop'. Anime News Network. 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  81. ^Elisabeth Rappe (2009-01-16). 'Keanu Reeves To Play Spike Spiegel In Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop' Movie'. MTV. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  82. ^Siegel, Tatiana (2009-01-15). 'Keanu Reeves set for 'Bebop' Actor to star in live-action adaptation of anime'. Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  83. ^'Longview - ANNCast'. Anime News Network. 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  84. ^'Shinichiro Watanabe London Comicon'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  85. ^Erin Nyren (2017-06-06). ''Cowboy Bebop' Live-Action TV Series in the Works'. Variety. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  86. ^Andreeva, Nellie (6 June 2017). ''Cowboy Bebop' Cult Anime TV Series Gets U.S. Live-Action Remake By Tomorrow Studios, Midnight Radio & 'Thor' Writer'. Deadline.
  87. ^https://comicbook.com/anime/2018/11/27/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-netflix/
  88. ^https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cowboy-bebop-live-action-series-a-go-at-netflix-1164398
  89. ^Otterson, Jon (April 4, 2019). 'Cowboy Bebop: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir Among Four Cast in Netflix Live-Action Series'. Variety.
  90. ^Petski, Denise (August 22, 2019). ''Cowboy Bebop': Elena Satine Cast In Netflix Space Western Series'. Deadline.
  91. ^Dai Sato (2001-04-16). 'Cowboy Bebop: UT'. Bandai. Archived from the original on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  92. ^Johnson, Mark (2000). 'Cowboy Bebop 1st Session DVD Review'. Ex.org. Archived from the original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  93. ^Crandol, Mike (February 21, 2002). 'Cowboy Bebop: The Perfect Sessions DVD Box Set - Review'. Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  94. ^Toole, Mike (5 June 2011). 'Evangel-a-like - The Mike Toole Show'. Anime News Network. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  95. ^Carpenter, Christina. 'Cowboy Bebop Review'. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  96. ^ abcSuskind, Alex (December 17, 2014). 'Asteroid Blues: The Lasting Legacy of Cowboy Bebop'. The Atlantic. Atlantic Media. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  97. ^'Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)'. DVD Talk.
  98. ^Paste Magazine: The 50 Best Anime of All Time
  99. ^'Cowboy Bebop: Series 1 - Rotten Tomatoes'.
  100. ^'21st Anime Grand Prix'. Animage. June 1999. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  101. ^'22nd Anime Grand Prix'. Animage. June 2000. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  102. ^'List of Seiun Award Winners'. Federation of the Science Fiction Fan Groups of Japan. April 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  103. ^'Newtype USA Announces the Top 25 Anime of All Time'. Anime News Network. October 13, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
  104. ^Persons, Dan (February–March 2004). 'The Americanization of Anime: 10 Essential Animations'. Cinefantastique. 36 (1): 48. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  105. ^'Best Anime Ever'. Anime Insider. Wizard Entertainment (50–52). November 2007.
  106. ^'The Top 20 Madman Anime Titles - 2012'. Madman Entertainment. 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  107. ^'Top 100 Animated TV Series - 14. Cowboy Bebop'. IGN. January 14, 2009. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  108. ^Pirello, Phil; Collura, Scott; Vejvoda, Jim; Schedeen, Jesse; Goldman, Eric; Fowler, Matt (February 21, 2011). 'Top 50 Sci-Fi TV Shows'. IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  109. ^Pool, Josh (May 16, 2006). 'Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All-Time'. IGN. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  110. ^Mackenzie, Chris (October 20, 2009). 'Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time'. IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  111. ^IGN Movies (August 7, 2009). '10 Cartoon Adaptations We'd Like to See'. IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  112. ^Douglas, Miguel (September 1, 2010). 'Anime Review: Cowboy Bebop - カウボーイビバップ - Kaubōi Bibappu'. iSugoi. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  113. ^Surat, Daryl (December 16, 2010). 'Cowboy Bebop: Reflections on a Modern-Day Anime Relic'. Otaku USA. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  114. ^Pirkle, Michelle Onley (2011). 'Déjà Vu All Over Again?: Cowboy Bebop's Transformation to the Big Screen'. In Jay Telotte; Gerald Duchovnay (eds.). Science Fiction Film, Television, and Adaptation: Across the Screens. Routledge. ISBN978-1-136-65009-3.
  115. ^Johnson, Rian (April 19, 2006). 'The Visuals of Brick'. Rian's Forum. rcjohnso.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  116. ^'The Director's Voice Shinichiro Watanabe Interview.' CowboyBebop.com.
  117. ^Leathers, Kevin (10 June 2009). 'Classics of Anime – Cowboy Bebop'. UK Anime Network. p. 2. Retrieved 2 May 2012.

External links[edit]

  • Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2002-11-22) (CowboyBebop.org) (in Japanese)(in English)
  • Official website (Cowboy-Bebop.net) (in Japanese) (repost of official website)
  • Official Bandai Channel website(in Japanese)
  • Cowboy Bebop at AllMovie
  • Cowboy Bebop at Curlie
  • Cowboy Bebop at TV.com
  • Cowboy Bebop on IMDb
  • Cowboy Bebop in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
  • Cowboy Bebop (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cowboy_Bebop&oldid=919635016'