Cowboy Bebop : A retrospective (part 3)

In my previous post I described Bebop as an episodic series and by its nature strong characters are a necessity to make up for a loose story Each episode functions as its own plot and outside of a key arch or two there is no real story. The characters therefore have to be strong to make the most out of the plot. We see this in most comedy and crime fiction series such as The Simpsons and Law and Order in that each episode stands on its own but the characters are so relatable and iconic that we’re willing to overlook the paper-thin story or even weak plot. Bebop is no exception as while the main cast and the secondary characters are based on tried and true tropes and archetypes it’s Director Wantanabe’s take on said archetypes that make these characters so damn fun. In general terms we can spot the tropes each character represents a mile away: Spike’s the stoic antihero with a dark past; Jet’s the old-fashioned parental figure obsessed with keeping order in an otherwise chaotic environment; Faye’s the bitchy femme fatal who uses her…ahem…talents to woo men to her advantage; Ed’s the mischievous kid genius who acts as the team hacker and intel gatherer; Ein’s the team pet, obviously. What should be flat, two-dimensional characters, however, are turned into strong and relateable ones in the hands of an expert character creator.

Spike is a former Syndicate enforcer partnered with brother-in-arms Vicious until a girl, Julia, got between them. Betrayed by Vicious, Spike is on the run from his former employers and his psychotic ex-partner who’d like nothing more than to disembowel him himself. Spike’s stoic and focused demeanor are undermined by his chaotic nature as he deals with most if not all his problems with violence. As much as a badass he appears to be, he’s trying to run away from a past that’s actively trying to kill him and still holding a torch for the woman he loved. Jet’s the least liked character of the crew with his uptight attitude and old-fashioned ways make him less of an aging badass and more of a crotchety old man in the eyes of some if not most of the fanbase. For me, he reminds me of Mel Gibson’s partner, Rodger in Die Hard: both were played by Black actors, both were/are cops, and both have to deal with over-aggressive and over-confident younger partners. An old-fashioned sort who still belives in honor, he’s the sole voice of reason amongst the selfish and/or crazy other member. A true renisane man, he’s the ship captain, cook, mechanic, and an aging hipster who enjoys jazz and blues while tending to his bonsai. Faye’s more than just a manipulating, selfish bitch: she’s also a troubled soul. A fish out of time-space water, Faye was put in cryo-freeze and knows absolutely nothing about her past. Her first love since waking up turned out to be a con who faked his own death and left Faye with debt up to her eyeballs. She’s convinced that humans are inherently selfish creatures and uses that as her excuse to cheat, con, and seduce anyone to get her way. Underneath it all is just a hurt girl looking to belong. Hacker child prodigy Ed combines both Doc Brown’s eccentricity with Calvin’s mischievous nature and animal partnership (Ein). She is an odd, adorable, and fun character who’s feline nature and habit of singing random songs make her one of the most fun and memorable characters in anime history. This is pure magic, folks: thanks to director Shinichiro Wantanabe and writer Keiko Nobumoto who put exceptional effort in turning two dimensional tropes and archetypes into living and breathing characters that are nothing less than iconic.

On the technical side of things, the animation is crisp, smooth, and fluid old-school anime animation. We're talking the turning point of anime technique: when CGI was first experimented in traditional hand-drawn anime and Bebop was on of the first to experiment. The CGI was minimal: the space gates and a few other small scenes here and there. In today's world where practically any and every anime series incorporates CGI into overuse (the late Studio Gonzo, Kyoto Animation, et all), this minimalist use of CGI is nothing short of refreshing. The non-CGI animation is gorgeous and still holds its own even in today's CGI saturated landscape. The dub is simply the greatest dub in anime: even better than the original Japanese. The reason being that the main cast simply added on to the character's personality. Steve Blum gives Spike an added Eastwood-esque edge while Wendee Lee adds more sexy and even a much needed vulnerability to Faye. Beau Billingslea adds a more paternal tone to Jet and Melissa Fahn provides a more mischievous Ed. This dub is what launched the careers of both Steve "Spike" Blum and the Hardest Working Man in Dubbing Buisness herself Wendee Lee, who currently holds 300+ voice acting roles. and is our version of Megumi Hayabshibara. Directing the dub was Mary "The Major" Elizabeth Mcglynn who's also the velvet-smooth voice behind Major Kusanagi of Ghost In the Shell. When you bring this much talent to a dub, you know it's going to match if not outdo the original. And the soundtrack? One of the best and most revolutionary soundtracks in anime history. No other anime used jazz and blues so extensively in their soundtrack, and it includes other genres such as heavy metal, big band swing, and everything in between. The uniting theme as I stated in my previous post is that every genre used was a counter-culture one to match the equally misfit crew. You can listen to the soundtrack on its own, but its one of the rare ones where its designed to move specifically for the show, as it moves along with the action like partners in a flawless ballroom dance. All these elements combine to complement the already solid characters and plot.

Cowboy Bebop is not just an anime but as it likes to refer to itself "a genre unto itself". This revolutionary series was our Batman: the Animated Series: what we could point at as proof that our medium can not only be mainstream but sophisticated as well, and the go-to we used to introduce our non-fan friends into the madness that is anime. Where other series pushed the boundaries or even added unto the genre, Bebop succeed in where they didn't: bringing a whole new generation into anime. Kudos, Sunrise, Wantanabe, and all the rest of the cast.

Well that's it for the show itself. For the finale, I'll examine the Bebop legacy: how its aged, its rightful inheritors, and why we desperately need a series with like mainstream appeal.