October 30, 2024 • 56 mins
Ever wondered how an anime from the late '90s continues to resonate with audiences today? Join us as we journey through the iconic world of Cowboy Bebop, uncovering its profound impact since its Toonami and Adult Swim days. Get ready to explore the unforgettable characters and music that have etched this series into anime history, making it a cultural touchstone. From the mysterious Spike Spiegel to the whimsical Ed and the adorable Ein, each character brings something unique to the Bebop crew, crafting a narrative that stands the test of time.
Our conversation doesn't stop there; we dive into the existential themes and storytelling nuances that Cowboy Bebop shares with other beloved series like Samurai Champloo. We reflect on Spike's and Faye's quests for identity and redemption, while also critically examining the live-action adaptation. With a special focus on character representation, we discuss the creative choices around Ed's gender ambiguity and Grin's portrayal, offering a personal and nuanced perspective. Our guests, Sebby Phantom, Mira Jane, and Playboi, add their voices to this rich discussion, making this a truly engaging episode.
Finally, we celebrate the stunning animation that blends traditional hand-drawn techniques with futuristic design, capturing the very essence of science fiction and film noir. The legendary music of Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts takes center stage, a character in its own right, resonating with universal themes of hope and redemption. As we close this episode, we invite you to ponder your own journey through life, encouraging you to embrace the present and look forward to the future with courage. Stay nerdy and optimistic, Space Cowboys—until we meet again.
Text us for feedback and recommendations for future episodes!
We thank everyone for listening to our podcast! We hope to grow even bigger to make great things happen, such as new equipment for higher-quality podcasts, a merch store & more! If you're interested in supporting us, giving us feedback and staying in the loop with updates, then follow our ZONE Social Media Portal to access our website, our Discord server, our Patreon page, and other social media platforms!
DISCLAIMER: The thoughts and opinions shared within are those of the speaker. We encourage everyone to do their own research and to experience the content mentioned at your own volition. We try not to reveal spoilers to those who are not up to speed, but in case some slips out, please be sure to check out the source material before you continue listening!
Stay nerdy and stay faithful,
- J.B.
Subscribe to "Content for Creators" on YouTube to listen to some of the music used for these episodes!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back to the Zone Podcast, the show for nerdy
news and reviews.
I'm Jet Blackestream Feel freeto call me JB and joining me
today is Sebi Phantom on anotherreview.
This one is a classic.
Everybody well, I won't sayeverybody like that's too
objective, but this one'sdefinitely a classic.
(00:24):
A lot of anime fans.
Objective, but this one'sdefinitely a classic.
A lot of anime fans should knowthis one we're gonna be
reviewing cowboy bebop today andwe might talk about the live
action.
Uh, depending, uh, what's thelive action?
the live action yeah, yeah, youdid.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, we might talk about it a little bit, but let's
go ahead and get into it.
3, 2, 1, let's jam.
So, in this vast universe ofanime, a few titles have
achieved the iconic status ofCowboy Bebop.
This series, which first airedin 1998, left a very huge mark
(01:09):
on both fans and critics alike.
It's a cultural touchstone thatcontinues to inspire and
captivate audiences worldwide.
With rich characters,compelling themes, distinctive
art style, unforgettable music,cowboy Bebop stands as a
masterpiece that transcends theboundaries of a genre, like, for
(01:30):
instance, that opening themesong, bro.
Like when you hear that themesong, especially late at night
during the tsunami, adult swimdays.
Like back in during, like Iwant to say, silver age, like
the golden age was, like I wantto say the golden age, I want to
say Late 90s, early 2000s.
Well, yeah, cowboy Bebop willcount as golden age.
(01:52):
Toonami slash, don't Swim.
So yeah, when you hear thattheme song go off In the middle
of the 90s, I was just.
I was just.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
This is the anime you be watching.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Like, yeah, I'm not gonna get a whole bunch of sleep
during Ola for school the nextmorning, but hey man, I had to
see that new episode of CowboyBebop.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, no, I definitely agree with you.
I mean it became the firstanime title to ever be
broadcasted on Adult Swim backin 2001.
So I mean you gotta kind of bechopped here for that.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Oh yeah, definitely.
I mean the hold on, like, firstof all let's get into the
characters, like I'll get to thethemes and everything later,
but let's start with charactersNow.
At the core, cowboy, bebop havethis vibrant, multi-dimensional
characters bringing their ownunique flair to narrative.
Uh revolve around this group ofbounty hunters or cowboys who
(02:52):
travel through space abroad.
The spaceship bebop and leadingthis uh monthly crew you could
say, is spike spiegel, you know,laid back sharp, with ex-hitman
from the Blood Syndicate, witha mysterious past, like I know I
just said it, but like youdon't really get really a whole
(03:12):
lot on his backstory until lateinto the series, like almost the
last few episodes, wheneverything is starting to heat
up a little bit dramatically.
And everything is starting toheat up a little bit
dramatically.
Spike's cool demeanor andmartial arts prowess makes him
instantly likable and he gotthis internal struggle and debt
(03:35):
that resonates with viewers.
Jet Black, I know, I know, butit's a coincidence.
I honestly didn't think hisname was Jet Black when, when I
was a kid, I knew his name wasjet but I it just went over my
head that his last name wasblack.
Like really jet black really.
So I think my name's notinspired by him.
(03:59):
Funny enough, believe it or not, my name was inspired by red x
from teen titans, where I had tothink of something that sounds
cool, but something that soundslike a brand, you know, like
something I can use as a brandname for like years to come.
And I'm thinking like, okay, Ilike the shade of jet black and
I was thinking like red x forsome reason.
so I like jet black x and I'mlike nah that doesn't sound
(04:22):
strong enough and down like JetBlack Extreme Boom.
But yes, jet Black, he's theBebop's captain and former Inner
Solar System Police Officer, soISSP, so he's a cop essentially
and he kind of complimentsSpike with his pragmatic
(04:44):
approach and strong moralcompass.
And he kind of complimentsSpike with his pragmatic
approach and strong moralcompass and he got a lot of this
fatherly aura around him andmechanical expertise, providing
the stabilizing force amongstthe whole chaos of bounty
hunting.
And then you have FayeValentine, who's this femme
fatale with this penchant forgambling, and she has amnesia.
(05:04):
She adds layers of intrigue andsass to the group dynamic and
she got this complex backstoryand vulnerability that make her
stand out and she evolvessignificantly throughout the
series.
And rounding out the whole crewis the brilliant hacker Edward
Wong, hal Peppaloo, trubus,tiberiuski IV, or simply Ed and
(05:31):
Ein.
Now, ein is a highlyintelligent well, I mean Ein is
a Welsh Corgi with enhanced datacapabilities and Ed's, like
this eccentric, whimsical natureand have exceptional hacking
skills, is like a delight andkind of unpredictable to the
(05:52):
crew, while Ayn's, like adorablepresence and hidden talent,
often surprise and amuse.
So, sebi, how do you feel aboutthe characters?
Well, at least the maincharacters.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Ayn is the cutest thing in the entire world.
I'm kind of biased becauseCorgis are my favorite dog ever,
but Ayn is the cutest.
And of course Spike.
That's classic.
You hear Tank theme song andSpike is the first thing that
comes up With Jet Black Ithought it was kind of funny
that your name is JB and ofcourse Edward and Faye.
(06:27):
The team altogether is just aclassic in and out of itself.
So this team is always doingsomething disastrous and always
confronting and facing eventsfrom their past.
So I mean, this is just aclassic team.
When you think about classicanimes, this is it.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
That's it.
Now let's get into the themesof Cowboy Bebop.
But before I get into that, wegotta welcome another person
that's adding on to the podcast.
Give me just one more game.
(07:09):
Bring it what up?
Mirror Jane, how you doing.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Cool, cool.
So real quick, oh my bad, realquick.
How you feeling about CowboyBebop?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
I love Cowboy Bebop.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Like.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Cowboy Bebop is my number one anime.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Really.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
It is my number one anime, interchangeably at times
Depending on my mood, but it ismy number one anime,
interchangeably at timesdepending on my mood, but it is
my number one anime.
I love it so much.
I have CU Space Cowboy tattooedon my ankle.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay, cool, and how do you feel about the characters
, like the main characters inparticular?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Spike is honestly one of the saddest characters ever.
Like I don't think peoplereally understand how sad Spike
as a character is, but he's alsothe funniest comedic relief.
(08:24):
And then you have freaking JetHim and that bell peppers and
beef without the beef, oh my God.
And just giving that fatherfigure like he's the person
who's trying to keep the familytogether but he doesn't have all
of the pieces to do so.
(08:44):
And then you have Faye Like thefuck, just Bayman bombshell of
a beauty, like, oh my God.
And then her backstory Ugh,tears.
And then Ayn is the smartestkid on the freaking planet and
oh wait, that's the dog.
Yeah, I was thinking like holdon, oh wait, that's the dog yeah
(09:06):
, I was thinking like hold on,mine is the smartest dog on the
planet and then teamed up withthe smartest kid on the planet,
which is Ed.
Right, because it's just thesecharacters is the most ragtag
team of people, but they fit sowell together and it's favorite
(09:27):
characters Like this is myfavorite crew.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Welcome to the podcast Playboy.
How you feeling about CowboyBebop?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Man, listen, so I'm going to give it to you.
Like this Cowboy Bebop was likekind of suggested to me, and
the person who suggested it waslike I can't get into it.
And I'm gonna give it to you.
Like this cowboy beeper waslike kind of suggested to me and
a person who suggested it waslike I can't get into it.
I'm like why they're like Idon't know the animation is.
The animation is kind of old,so I'm like.
I'm gonna give it a try,whatever, cool being so, I'm
watching it.
Right, first two episodes I'mlike, okay, I see what you're
(10:00):
talking about, but it's the 90s,like it's old and for whatever
reason.
That's exactly why I watchedthe whole shit in one day.
But listen, cowboy, this thesoundtrack, nigga.
Listen, there's so much.
Yeah, I like I got the fuckinghiccup.
That's how you know I'm drunk.
Oh my gosh, I tried, I tried,but um, yeah, so the dude, that
(10:25):
is one intro I don't skip.
I don't skip, bro.
Yeah, you never skip that intro.
I don't skip Cowboy Bebop'sintro.
It's one of those shows whereyou technically can watch it in
the middle of the series andkind of like pick up what's
going on.
But if you watch it from thebeginning then you know exactly
(10:49):
what's going on, because allthese characters are introduced
at different times.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You know, I'm saying like I I ain't the dog which one
uh, I'm sorry, but I was justgonna uh interject real quick
and say, remember, when wereviewed Samurai Champloo, where
it was like, okay, if you wantthe plot, it's literally the
first episode and then the last,like four, so you can just jump
(11:14):
into Samurai Champloo like anymoment.
I'm like, hey man, like they'rejust doing random bullshit yeah
, basically, yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
And it's crazy because watching both shows kind
of did give me a similarity,kind of like how you compare and
contrast a lot of shows andgames.
Now, there's a lot to do withthat.
Even though they're like in twodifferent time eras and I
didn't even realize, they werelike, um, damn near in the same
fucking universe, like that'sthe crazy part, like you can
(11:46):
watch them and believe it like,okay, I can kind of see that you
know what I mean.
But, um, definitely, man, likeCowboy Bebop, I'd recommend it
and they definitely get 5 out of5 from me definitely this is
like a goaded anime like this.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
See Professor Tuck, he wanna talk about goated anime
.
I listen to y'all Talk aboutShangri-La Frontier.
I listen.
If it doesn't make you want tore-watch the show Just for the
shits and giggles, it's notgoated If it's one of those
shows when you can sit throughit and be like damn, I can't
(12:24):
think of a damn thing wrong withthis show.
It's a go to show.
I honestly can't think ofanything wrong with Cowboy Bebop
.
Like everything from thecharacters to the themes and all
that Like damn, this is like avery solid anime.
Like it's one of those animeswhere like, yeah, uh, if you're
(12:45):
like a 90s kid, you probably umwatched it late at night and
you're thinking like, okay, it'skind of cool, it's kind of cool
.
But then when you're an adult,I'm like damn, I really feel
this anime now I it's like mygod, I get it now, you know,
because when you were young it'slike you kinda get it.
(13:06):
But when you get older it'slike you get it even more
Because it's like you kinda beenthrough it In some form or
fashion yourself, but maybe notexactly like them, but in some
form or fashion you kindaunderstand a little bit better
Because you had a similarexperience.
Yeah, so, uh, speaking of things, uh, one of the defining
(13:30):
aspects of kel would be by justexploration of profound themes
that resonate with a universallevel.
Uh, central to the series inthe theme of existentialism, as
characters grapple withquestions of identity, purpose
and the nature of theirexistence, each member of the
bebop crew haunted by their past, and much of the series revolve
(13:52):
around their individualjourneys to confront and
reconcile with their histories.
For instance, spite theenigmatic past, particularly his
association with I thought wasthe blood syndicate for some
reason, but actually the'sactually the Red Dragon Crime
Syndicate and his tragicrelationship with Julia served
me as a recurring motivethroughout the series, and his
(14:15):
struggle to escape the shadowsof his former life and finding
meaning in his present existenceis both compelling and poignant
.
Similarly, faye's quest touncover her forgotten past and
reclaim her identity is apowerful exploration of
self-discovery and resilience.
Another significant theme isthe concept of redemption.
Each character is seeking someform of redemption in some form
(14:38):
or fashion, whether it's justdesire to atone for past
mistakes, faye's quest forbelonging, or a spice-elusive
search for peace.
Now, the series definitelyweaves these personal stories
into a larger narrative,creating a rich tapestry of
sorts of human experience thatresonates deeply with viewers.
(14:59):
Now let me pause, and I'm goingto open it up to y'all in just a
moment.
But let me pause and say Now letme pause, and I'm going to open
it up to y'all in just a moment.
But let me pause and say this iswhy, if y'all like the
live-action Cowboy Bebop, that'scool, but I'm going to be
honest with you, by episode 2,I'm like, hey, man, I kind of
(15:27):
can't with how it seemed likethe action in the live, the live
action fields wouldn't compareto the anime.
And I'm not trying to say likeoh, because I've seen the anime
like the live action, justinferior by design.
It's just more like if I wereto judge netflix bebop, um, by
its own merits, like, in otherwords, I'm not even considering,
uh, how different or similar itis to the uh anime.
(15:48):
Even then I'm like, uh, I cankind of, I'm kind of cool with
it up until the end where, withvicious doing all that hollering
, screaming and all whatnot, I'mlike bro, like it kind of makes
me feel like um y y'all I don'tknow, because compared to the
bitches in the anime, he waslike stone cold in the anime,
(16:13):
but in this one he's like he wasgiving me Kylo Ren vibes for
real.
He's not like a simp, prettymuch, pretty much.
But other than that I'm likeokay, like I can't say I really
vibe with the live action.
(16:33):
So, uh, I'm not gonna be toomean towards it, but I'm just
gonna say I just prefer theanime.
Like, if y'all like the liveaction, cool beans, I'm gonna
let y'all have it, but not forme.
Uh, oh, okay, with spike, hisand julia's relationship,
(16:54):
obviously that's tragic.
Uh bay, her thing was I thinkshe had the same situation uh
bride did, from futurama towhere essentially she was like
uh holed up in a cryogenic tubeand uh came out into the future
trying to figure out what'sgoing on.
Um, she lost her memories andall that.
(17:15):
And by the time she regains hermemory like it's not, like she
can just go back into the pastand uh rekindle our family
because they're long gone by thetime she remembers anything.
And I was like, damn, that's,that's sad.
And um, the crazy.
Oh, um, jet, uh, the differencebetween jet and uh live action
(17:39):
and anime.
In the anime I like how dudehad like a girlfriend but it was
like he couldn't commit to herfully because he was too busy
being married to his job andthat kind of created this rip
and eventually, uh, come to findout that, um, she's like
(18:02):
getting involved with a dudethat he has to um, bring into
justice for like a bounty orwhatnot.
So I'm like, damn, that's kindof tough.
And then, um, who else?
Uh, I want to say no, that wasabout it.
For Jed, I did say Faye.
I did say Spike.
Uh, ed and Ayn.
I would say Faye.
I did say Spike, ed and Ayn.
(18:23):
I would say I like how they didbring a lighthearted energy to
the whole thing.
But as soon as they decided youknow what, I think it's time
for us to go.
That's how you know shit gotserious.
From that point on it was likeuh-uh, get the tissues out,
you're going to see some tearjerkers.
(18:44):
You're're gonna carry thatweight.
See, that's the funny thing.
Like, that's my favorite lineout of the whole series, and it
was just from a title card atthe end of it to where I'm like
because, when you think aboutthat line, I'm like damn, like,
because imagine, like, whetheryou have any regrets or mistakes
(19:05):
that you know about, likeanything that, um, you probably
wish you could forget.
It's like, even though you canmove on from it, but you're
gonna carry that weight, uh,going forward and I'm like it's
kind of deep like that.
So that's pretty much thethings any of y'all want to add
(19:27):
on to that you mean like thelike, the generalization, like
the theme of the show yeah, like, how do you feel about how the
general vibe of the show, howy'all feel about it?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
see, that's the thing , even watching it, like I know
what's going on, but it's likebecause every episode so when I
watch anime right, most animes,that goes on every anime Like
okay, episode two followsdirectly from episode one, and
so forth and so on.
But, with Cowboy Bebop.
(20:03):
It's one of those animes thatit.
It does that, but the theirtheir goal.
They're about their spacebounty hunters.
So the episodes are basicallyabout them finding bounties.
They're basically poor, they'rescavenging for shit, you feel
(20:24):
me.
So it's like they have to takeevery bounty that comes up, and
in those instances they're agroup, but it's like they're
also independent within theirfriendship.
So when it came to fey, that'sjust one thing, bro I kind of I
like and hate fey because wait,hold on like Faye as a character
.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Or like it depends on which version Like, because I
don't know.
Anime Faye was fine.
Live action Faye got kind ofannoying.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I didn't see her, but I'm finna tell y'all why and
what she did, and it might bepetty, but listen, it was
episode 6.
She went in the kitchen and shegot dog food and she was eating
that shit and I ain't lookingat her like you feel me, you
gonna feed me, and she's talkingabout some and she's trying to
(21:14):
justify why she's not giving itto him.
She's like you're a dog, gohunt for some food.
I'm a girl, I need to bepampered and taken care of.
And then I'm looking like sheeating fucking dog food out of
the can and then rolling to Iand I'm like, oh bitch, I don't
know how I forgot this part.
I guess I overlooked it becauseof the long hair I have.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
She was having a bad day.
She had a bad day you don't do.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
I like that.
I didn't do nothing to nobody.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Nobody In a spaceship , in a Milky.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Way Nah bro.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
In the middle of the Milky Way.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Come on See as a dog owner, I wouldn't be having that
shit.
Like you ain't gonna be takingfood.
Nah, you better go out thereand get you a bounty.
I'm like you ain't gonna takemy dog food.
Look, I paid for that food,you're not gonna.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I've been there.
My water went off.
I gave my dog water out thefridge, out the jug, you feel me
and she is hot Like I'm gonnagive my dog some water.
My dad got mad at me because Igave her the last little bit
Understandable, true, but youhad her outside in the sun.
Now I'm not gonna not give herno fucking cold water.
We could easily go to the storeand buy a Powerade.
(22:31):
She can't, you feel me.
Dogs can only do so much.
Yeah, they can go out and hunt,but then what's gonna happen?
You're gonna call the animalcontrol and put them down.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So yeah, when I see this, wow, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Yeah, I seen that shit.
I'm like damn you did, I ain'tdirty and then just roll with
them in the empty fucking can.
I'm like bitch you.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
There was a little bit.
It was something I ain't havingthat though.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
If I ain't not fucking with it, I ain't fucking
with it and I ain't say thatbitch are up, then I ain't
fucking with it.
I'm with I, you feel me.
I fuck with Ed.
She's a little slow, smart man.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
That was crazy.
Ed confused me as far as gender.
I'm like are you a boy or agirl?
God damn.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, she definitely did.
You're like one of thoseandrogynous characters.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I'm like it can go either way.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Facts what is Ed short for?
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Edward.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Yeah, because I'm thinking like, okay, yeah,
you're thinking like, okay, yeah, you're thinking like that's a
male name, right, but like bro,that's a very androgynous little
like that could have been agirl, especially with the voice.
The voice didn't help either,so I'm like I don't know where
to go.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
I loved the fact that they didn't freaking know the
whole time.
I loved it Until they found outthey was like wait, you're a
girl.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I'm like, see, that's what I'm talking about.
I'm like you got like girlishfeatures, but I'm like with that
name and shit, I'm like I don'twant to assume your gender but,
I'm like I'm almost afraid toask you.
I'm like, so what's your gender?
(24:22):
Because I'm trying to, you know, be respectful you know, what I
mean.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I didn't hit the road with that.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
But hey, yo Speaking of witches, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I think it's funny that in the manga it was a boy
for three sessions and then itwas a girl in another session.
It switched over gender ratioat one point Halfway through the
manga they were like, oh yeah,she's a girl.
And then the next issue cameout and they're calling it as a
(25:01):
he.
You know what I mean.
Even in session five, ed wasstealing an adult magazine as a
young boy and smuggling it.
It's really funny.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
And that even the creator even calls Ed as an it.
Ooh, ooh, you know what youreminded me?
Y'all remember Grin.
I thought so Check this outthat sounds familiar, that
sounds familiar.
It's the one guy that's likefriends with Faye.
It's like okay.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
I have no idea what Grin was.
I still don't know.
The soldier, the soldier.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Yeah, the soldier yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Okay, so check this out.
I like how in the live actionthey were like okay, he's just
straight up trans, but in theanime, no, he is a man, but
because with the military andtaking on some experimental
medicine, he's a man with boobs.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Yeah, Like the way they touched on that was crazy.
And then I also love that Fayewas confused for herself.
She was like I don't know.
No because okay, hold on.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
You look at the medical records born a man.
And because you likeexperimental, okay, so you're a
man with boobs, that's it.
I mean, you don't have a vagina, so I'm like it's not like um
live action, grin.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So it's like you're just a man with boobs first of
all, okay, I'm gonna just goahead and get this out the way
so that way I can say I hatedFaye in the live action, man
boobs, not man boobs Movies,movies.
But I hated Faye, yes, movies.
I hated Faye in the live action.
She got on my freaking nerves.
She was ugly.
(26:47):
I don't mean this until the end.
I'm just saying Faye is boombastard.
Like Faye, a badass bitch.
You see Faye walk past.
You question your own sexuality.
I didn't know if I was alesbian or not the first time I
saw Faye.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
She was leaned over that counter with that ass.
Faye was my walker for months.
I don't blame you, hey yo.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Let me just say, I can make 3D models over, so if
you ever want one, hit me up.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I'm just saying I don't need that in my house.
I don't need to continuequestioning my sexuality.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
I've made up my mind no, I agree with you, mj.
Like the way she walks in theanime is like she's so sensual
about it, but then in, like thelive action, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Can we talk about how the actors from the live action
was like oh well, you know wehad to make changes to the
costume because it was toorevealing and you know it
doesn't seem functional.
Meanwhile there was a wholebunch of fay valentine
cosplayers like fucking killingthe cosplay, and they were like
oh well, you mean to tell methat this is unrealistic?
(28:04):
And then she got back on thatplatform.
I'm like look here, youmotherfuckers I'm like listen
like, don't be like RachelZegler pretty much making things
worse for your PR, to where I'mlike look here, like your
show's barely out there.
Like, don't antagonize youraudience, you don't need that,
(28:25):
we barely know you.
So you kind of need this roletoo.
Like, see, at least with theblack guy who was jet black in
the live action, he was good, hewas good.
John Cho, like listen, like Ilike him as Harold from Harold
and Kumar, but as Spice Beagle,really really I'll leave it at
(28:53):
that.
But um, yeah, like I just gotit at that.
But um, yeah, like.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I just got to.
The actress is beautiful.
Okay, she's a beautiful woman,but when you say the outfit is
too revealing, it's cause youdon't have titties, bitch, it's
cause you did not have, youdidn't have the proper like.
That's why it was too revealingfor you.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I'm sorry, you're not well endowed you're not well
equipped.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
You wasn't equipped with the right things to, and I
just felt like they could havefound somebody who had.
No, they can find a body likeanywhere else, but they chose
her.
Why?
And then the wig was ugly, likethey just they didn't think to
just dye her hair purple.
No, absolutely not.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
(29:40):
I just they just did such adisservice to one of the most
beautiful women in anime, justsuch a disservice, and I could
not take it.
So that means, if they don'tget it right in One Piece with
Boa boa, I'm literally going toblow up netflix, blowing them up
.
That's it.
Nope, all right, continue, jp.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I'm off my pedestal speaking of art style and
character design and whatnot, uh, let's go ahead and talk about
the art style and animation incowboy bebop.
Now, this art style animation,cowboy bebop nothing short of
spectacular, blendingtraditional hand-drawn
techniques with cutting-edgetechnology to create a visually
(30:24):
stunning experience.
Now, the series is renowned forits meticulous attention to
detail, from um designspaceships to futuristic
cityscapes, to the expressivecharacter animation that
captured the nuances of emotionand action.
The director, shinichiroWatanabe, and character designer
(30:47):
Toshihiro Kawamoto crafted auniverse that seamlessly blends
elements of science fictions,film noir and cyberpunk, and
this unique fusion of genres isreflected in the show's
aesthetic, which just supposesthe gritty, lived-in feel of the
bebop with the sleek, high-techenvironments of the future, and
(31:10):
the result is a visually richworld that feels both familiar
and otherworldly.
I'm starting to sound like Big Owhen I think about it.
Like we just reviewed Big O,I'm, like you know what Big O
kind of felt like that too.
Now the animation itself isfluid and dynamic, particularly
in the action sequences, whichare choreographed with precision
(31:32):
and flair, like Spike Lee, notSpike Lee, spike Spiegel.
In the action sequences, whichare choreographed with precision
and flair like Spike Lee, notSpike Lee, spike Spiegel's
martial arts battles, what wasit Jeet Kune Do?
Or something like that.
But it was showcased in a blendof Bruce Lee-inspired movements
and graceful acrobatics, theattention to realism and fight
(31:57):
scenes and use of camera anglesand lighting.
I'm not lightning lightingelevate the action and the
cinematic levels, making eachencounter a thrilling spectacle.
Y'all got anything y'all wantto add on to the art style and
all that.
Look, I know Playboy.
You were talking about how,yeah, it's old, but you know, to
(32:18):
be fair, it was made in 98, soit's going to be old.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
But it's still kind of old.
Here's what I just got to sayabout that in general.
Okay, so, anime to me is artand when I look at it I look at
it as art.
Somebody took the time out todraw and do whatever they do to
do it.
You feel me?
I understand computer codes.
When I see apps, I understand.
(32:44):
I haven't gotten too deep intoanimation to know how much work
goes behind making frames move.
I do appreciate Now, when itcomes to animation and the
quality of it, the old animes,and you could kind of like tell
because of the quality it's kindof like a trend, kind of like a
wave that's going on, or maybea popular software that all the
(33:08):
animators were using, to thepoint where you could tell that
this is 90s anime, this isnostalgia.
This is my looking at it Now,with To the point where you
could tell that this is 90sanime.
This is nostalgia.
This is my looking at it Now.
With that being said, forwhatever reason, that is
aesthetic to me.
You know what I'm saying.
So I don't know why it's like,because there have been newer
animes With bad animation, and agood comparison, in my opinion,
(33:30):
is Dragon Ball Super, with whatit was remade after and I've
seen them side by side.
There is literally more detailin Dragon Ball Z than there is
in Dragon Ball Super, and thatis a fact.
I've seen it and I'm not tryingto bash it or anything.
I'm not trying to bash it oranything at all.
All I'm saying is, for whateverreason, the 90s anime, the old
(33:53):
anime, just hits different.
I'm not taking anything fromthe new ones, because the new
ones have been delivering,especially this year.
Man, they've been doing it.
So, yeah, when it comes toshows the cowboy, bebop, samurai
, champ, blue, death note, evenhunter hunter these shows, video
haku, show yugioh, dragon ballz a lot of these old shows that
have paved Death Note.
(34:14):
Even Hunter x Hunter theseshows, yu Yu Hakusho, yu-gi-oh,
dragon Ball Z A lot of these oldshows that have paved the way
for a lot of the new ones isalmost like a music industry
it's old, it's a classic, butit's never going to go out of
style, right?
Speaker 1 (34:26):
Hell yeah, mira Jane, you had something to add on.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
I was going to say I absolutely agree with you,
playboy.
There's something so, in myopinion, something so
aesthetically pleasing about 90sanime.
There's ronin warriors, there'suh fushigi, there's there's
just uh, that romeo and julJulia anime that I always keep
(34:55):
forgetting, but it's with.
Sam but there was somethingabout that animation that just
felt natural, felt real, feltauthentic.
There's something in theirfaces, like Spike's death face.
I know that sounds crazy.
Spike's dying face was the mostuniquely drawn, peaceful face
(35:20):
of death I've ever seen in ananime.
I cried watching him die thatlast day like I can remember the
image so clearly and it stickswith you.
I don't understand.
I don't get me wrong.
I like the new animation.
I do.
It's not like I want to justcompletely live in the 90s and I
(35:42):
don't watch anything else new Imean, we just talked about with
dory and how clean thatanimation was yeah, but there's
also just something like that.
There's a lack of impact and Ireally there's a lack of like.
Sometimes it feels too sharp.
It feels too sometimes thatlittle dirty, that little grit
(36:03):
that comes with 90s anime.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
You know what I'm talking about yeah, it's like
for some reason, some anime justgive that.
Oh yeah, I definitely got thison a bhs tape somewhere kind of
vibe like uh, I want to say likeigpx or uh, I want to say
degradement.
I know they're not like bhs tape, but, like you know, it's like
(36:27):
that kind of vibe where you it'slike I said when the golden age
, tsunami, adult swim era towhere it feels like yeah, like
for some reason it feels like afever dream that you woke up
from where you just watch thisanime and it just happened
(36:48):
beyond this one time and it'slike you're just really digging
it and you were like trying tofigure out what, digging it, and
you were like trying to figureout, um, what show is this and
whatnot.
And then maybe one day yourealized, like a core memory on
a lot of things, oh shit, Iremember this anime.
Like you remember shit like uh,shinzo and uh, fuck, I'm trying
(37:10):
to remember a whole bunch BlueDragon, d, greyman, shit.
We're going to get to them.
That's why we got NerdyNostalgia in November to where
we talk about the nostalgiastuff you know, like the
Miyazaki films and whatnot.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Or like Princess Mononoke oh my god.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
Yeah, sebi, you have anything to add on to the art
style of Cowboy Bebop?
Speaker 3 (37:43):
No, it's definitely very much classic and I agree
with everyone else with thatwhole 90s feeling to it.
Like Hunter x Hunter, dragonBall, all of those together is
just something about.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
It is just perfection to me, so I definitely agree
with that oh yeah, I mean lookat bleach like don't forget that
bleach came out in like theearly 2000s and if you go back
to those uh episodes not justdown to your blood war, but the
old episodes like the beginningof that first season, yeah, it
(38:16):
still had that little nuance,that 90s nuance.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
So did naruto yeah, naruto that same feeling too,
like there was just somethingabout.
So I will say I know likethere's a towards the animation,
there's a lot more likecomputers being used, there's a
lot, there's a lot less hands-onwith the animation per se,
(38:41):
right versus 90s, versus likeearly 2000s, um, but that's why
we also get the episodes faster,right, like we get more content
way sooner than like back then.
So and then, and I get it, butI guess it's because I could go
on and on, but I'm gonna shut upum after I say this um, there's
(39:05):
just something homely aboutthat animation style and also
there's something emotionalabout it.
It's like you can feel theartist when you're watching, and
I think that's kind ofsometimes what's lacking
nowadays, like there's justwe're just gonna keep putting
out this content so that way youguys can watch it.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay, that's great, but there's like man, cowboy,
bebop just makes me feel thingsso much I feel that see it shows
like veroni k Kenshin and um,there was like one other that I
just remember, just slipped mymind To where it just feels so
90s, like see, I know we werejust talking about?
Speaker 4 (39:45):
Oh my god.
Outlaw Star.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Oh yeah, we're gonna review that Next month for sure.
Uh, but you know that nextmonth for sure.
But you know some of theseshows.
I understand that.
Some shows you know like howcan I put this?
It's kind of like Sport Onlineto where that show came out and
(40:13):
for some reason it just seemslike a bunch of shows kind of
want to where that show came outand for some reason it just
seems like a bunch of shows kindof want to replicate that whole
virtual reality gaming trend,kind of like with Isekai and
other things.
As soon as one anime catch firewith a certain theme going on,
it's like everybody and theirmama got to make an anime with
(40:35):
this same thing and that's whyit feels like that's what makes
it bad when it seems like allthese anime just look and feel
the same, like like how I saidabout reign of the seven
spellblades, where, aside from afew things that kind of make it
stand out, it felt a littlegeneric.
(40:58):
So like compared to wistorialike I know we're not trying to
compare and all that but like atleast with wistoria it had what
I was saying in that review towhere with storia it had that
sauce, like you could just tellthat they were actually trying
to be about something.
And that's kind of problemnowadays, to where not just an
(41:20):
anime but in western media tooto where it just feels like
y'all just putting something outthere, but y'all not really
about anything.
Like y'all just puttingsomething out there but y'all
not really about anything.
Like y'all not really trying totell a story that people can't
like see, that's another thing,like not to put too much
politics into it all.
But you know, we got movies andTV shows that try to appeal to
(41:47):
a certain demographic, andthat's fine and dandy.
Movies and TV shows that try toappeal to a certain demographic
, and that's fine and dandy.
But when it seems like Y'alltrying to appeal to people From
a surface level but not from aspiritual level, then that's why
it seems like, yeah, you'rejust pretty much doing it for
the money, like you're kind ofpandering to people For the
money.
So that's why I appreciateanime, like Cowboy Be bebop to
(42:10):
where, like it doesn't matterwho you are, it doesn't matter
where you come from.
It's since, essentially, um,most people have something in
their past that they have toconfront, otherwise they're not
going to move forward with theirum present and future, like
damn near anybody can relate tothat.
(42:30):
That's what I like about CowboyBebop and other anime or movies
or whatnots, where, if you'regoing to put in thousands,
millions of dollars into thisshit to make thousands or
millions of people watch it, beabout something Speaking of
which let like, be aboutsomething you know and, speaking
(42:52):
of which, let's talk about themusic real quick now.
We already talked about a littlebit, but there's no discussion
that with cowboy bebop, he hasthis groundbreaking soundtrack
composed by the legendary yokokano and performed by her band,
the Seatbelts.
The music of Cowboy Bebop is asiconic as the series itself,
(43:15):
blending a wide array of genres,including jazz, blues, rock,
classical, creating thisauditory experience that is both
exhilarating and emotionallyresonant.
The opening theme tank,energetic jazz piece perfectly
sets the tone for the series,captivating audiences with
(43:36):
fast-paced rhythm and catchybrass melodies.
Each episode or session, likeSebi mentioned, features a
unique musical composition thatcomplements the narrative,
enhancing the emotional depthand intensity of the story.
And, from the hauntinglybeautiful blue to the soulful
rain and the lively mushroomhunting, the soundtrack is a
(44:00):
masterclass in musicalstorytelling.
Now, connell's ability toseamlessly integrate diverse
musical styles into the fabricof the series is a testament of
her genius.
That's right, woman.
And the music of Cowboy Bebopremains one of the most
celebrated aspects of the show.
(44:22):
And it's no exaggeration to saythat the soundtrack is much a
character in the series, asSpike or Faye or Jet or Ed and I
, adding layers of depth andrichness to the viewing
experience.
Y'all got anything else y'allwant to add on to the music.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I don't know if y'all know this, but you can buy the
vinyl in Walmart.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
See, that's the thing .
If I were going to buy anyvinyl, it would definitely be
for Cowboy Bebop.
That's the sound track.
Like.
See, if I fuck with the wholealbum, I'm getting the vinyl.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
I bought the vinyl.
It is so amazing.
When Tank comes on, you're justlike, like.
You feel like you're backwatching the anime.
You feel like you're smoking acigar, a cigarette.
You feel like you're in spacelistening to this soundtrack all
over again.
(45:23):
Now, the only thing I will saythe downside uh-huh real quick.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Um, this may sound weird, but here's one thing that
I always had this headcanonabout.
I don't know, it's like someside fan thing going on, but
sometimes for some reason, Ikeep thinking Tank from Cowboy
Bebop.
And if you play Sonic Adventure2 Battle, there's this one
(45:52):
Soundtrack Called SuitableOpponent.
That's whenever you fightsomebody Against, like, say, for
instance, you're up againstEggman or Shadow or what not,
and then it's like See, for somereason I keep thinking like why
does that soundtrack, that onetrack from sonic adventure 2,
(46:16):
sound like the opening themesong of cowboy bebop?
And honestly, it kind of makesme want to do like a mash-up
between that theme song I meanfrom the theme song of Cowboy
Bebop and that one track fromSonic Adventure.
I'm like bro, I swear to God,they sound so similar, if not
(46:37):
exactly alike.
I can kind of mash it togetherand just like why do they sound
so well together?
Speaker 2 (46:47):
I just want to say this you have to be a special
kind of big nerd to even comparethose two.
Speaker 1 (46:54):
I'm sorry, I was like bro, like it was almost like on
one day I just took the twotracks together.
I'm like bro.
Why do they sound alike?
Speaker 2 (47:04):
To go from Sonic Adventure Battle to the Cowboy
Bebop.
Bro, I'm not even mad.
That's honestly impressive.
That's nerdly impressive.
Speaker 4 (47:14):
That is very nerdly impressive.
Somebody out there is going tobe like that was hot.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
Nah see, that's my thing, like sometimes be doing
it like that, like say, forinstance, if we were talking
about Invincible and some peoplewere going online talking about
so what exactly all theviltrumites?
And I shit you not every time Isay this.
People are like you know what,you're not wrong.
Every time I explain whatviltrumites are, I just tell
(47:41):
them hey, man, they're justkryptonians.
If they acted more like saiyans, wow, I mean, am I wrong?
I mean no, no, no, you ain't youain't have a lot you ain't have
a lot because like see,kryptonians would be like okay,
(48:01):
like, yeah, we're like superpower if we go to like a certain
planet with it's sun and allthat and we gain like super
powers and what not and cool,cool.
But we're not trying to liketake over planets yet.
We're more peaceful than that,aside from you know, general Zod
.
But then you have the Saiyans,where they're all about taking
over planets and destroyingpeople and all that shit.
(48:24):
And when you get the Viltrumitesyou're just like, okay, they
look like Kryptonians but theyact like Saiyans with the way
they low-key, want to take overthe planet but they like gotta
go about it in a low-key fashion, kind of like Akatsuki style,
and essentially it's like um, Ialso like how similar to the
(48:45):
Saiyans, where, um, you can havebabies with the humans and
they're probably better Off forit, because Gohan and Goten,
they have Like a and also Trunks, excuse me, they have like this
advantage To where old Pan andBola, like you know, whoever
like Half Saiyan, they kind ofhave this advantage over full
(49:07):
Blooded Saiyans versus InInvincible if you're half
Viltrumite, I mean, I don'tthink they have a advantage over
full Viltrumites, but it's morelike well you're.
You look enough like aViltrumite to where.
I'm like hey man, you know what?
I don't mind if Vulture Mitesmate with humans, but don't mate
(49:32):
with those inferior beings.
You know what?
I mean, but yeah, I be doingthat sometimes.
Hey, jp, what's up?
Speaker 3 (49:42):
I got a question for all of us.
Have y'all seen Carol onTuesday?
I heard of it so that is thesequel to Cowboy Bebop.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
No fucking way.
Speaker 3 (49:55):
So it's made by Watanabe and in Carol and
Tuesday I have seen it.
There is little things in it.
There's a wanted sign and it'sSpike.
It's in the same Mars town,it's everything.
It's the same marstown, it isit's everything.
It is the sequel, so how wouldyou buy?
Speaker 1 (50:15):
so it got that thing going on with bakuno and
durarara to where, okay, inbakuno it's like old timey uh
type shit and a whole bunch ofthings going on, bacchanal.
But then you're thinking like,okay, it's like modern age, uh,
(50:36):
street wars or whatnot like, andbut then, uh, two of the
characters from bacchanal keepin mind that they're immortal
show up and do rah rah and I'mlike that kind of confirms that
they're in the same universe.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I'm like okay, okay, yeah.
So Cowboy Bebop In the movieKnocking on Heaven's Door Is the
same town, same city, alba City, where Carol and Tuesday takes
place, and there's even like ascene when they're visiting
Tuesday's home.
And there's the ship, there'sBebop's ship.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
I did not know that.
You know what I'm going towatch it, and we might review
that at some point.
Speaker 3 (51:13):
It is one of my favorite, favorite shows.
I think it's hilarious.
I just thought that was kind ofcool to share with you guys,
what's the name of it?
Carol and Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
Carol and Tuesday, and there's a Cowboy Bebop
reference in there.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
No, it's in the same city, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
Oh, it's in the same city.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Yeah, like they share a universe.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (51:38):
Oh, okay, okay, that's great Made by the same
Watanabe, the whole Nine Yardsteam and admitted like they're
together.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
So I wonder if there's a way we could link all
three shows Samurai Champloo,that one and Cowboy Beatbox.
If there's a way, we could liketimeline that shit.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
I mean, if that was the case.
I mean if that was the case,then Samurai Champloo would have
been way back in the past, likethere probably wouldn't have
been, unless you're talkingabout that been way back in the
past, like there probablywouldn't have been, unless
you're talking about that veryfirst episode where you see like
modern urban type shit andmaybe you might see like a
(52:19):
little wink towards it, like I'mnot even.
Speaker 4 (52:22):
Spike is a descendant of Logan.
There we go.
They got the same hair, samekicks.
I feel like that ties it alltogether.
But if we're gonna do that, wegotta tie in.
I Lost Stars oh, good lord.
I mean, it would make perfectsense okay what about Space
(52:44):
Dandy?
Speaker 3 (52:44):
have y'all seen that one?
Speaker 1 (52:46):
I did.
That's also in the sameuniverse.
Space Dandy is like not onlyfunny, but it gets kinda that
one I did that's also in thesame universe.
Space Dandy is like not onlyfunny but it gets kind of tricky
too, to a degree like,depending on the episodes.
Speaker 3 (52:59):
Yeah, that's in the same universe as those two.
All made by the same creator,all in the same universe man.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
Nah, I mean, yeah, I see it now I'm looking it up and
yeah, he did all this.
But I'm like, really they'reall connected, michiko and
Hachin too.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
What was that?
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Michiko and Hachin.
I've seen that one.
It's actually pretty good.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (53:33):
So yeah, so yes.
Macross Plus Cowboy Bebop,samurai, champloo Kids on the
Slope.
Space Dandy, Terror in theResonance, Carolyn Tuesday, as
you said, and Lazarus, which iscoming up.
Speaker 3 (53:47):
Yeah, okay, all together.
Speaker 1 (53:53):
Bro, that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (53:55):
That's crazy.
Yeah, the more you knowDo-do-do-do-do.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
And now we know, and knowing is half the battle.
Speaker 4 (54:09):
GI Joe, oh God.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
So you know what?
Let's go ahead and wrap this upreal quick, because I'm pretty
much spent so.
In the years since his debut,cowboy Bebop has maintained its
status as a beloved, influentialwork of art, continuing to
captivate new generations ofviewers.
Its success lies in its abilityto transcend the traditional
(54:36):
boundaries of anime, offering anarrative that is both
universally relatable anduniquely compelling.
The series' exploration ofexistential themes, combined
with its unforgettablecharacters, stunning visuals and
iconic music, creates anexperience that resonates long
after the final credits roll.
And as we journey alongside thecrew of the Bebop, we are
(54:58):
reminded of the complexities ofthe human experience, the search
for identity, the longing forredemption and their enduring
power of hope.
Cowboy Bebop invites us toreflect our own lives,
encouraging us to confront ourpast, embrace our present and
look forward to the future withcourage and determination.
In the vast expanse of theuniverse, cowboy Bebop stands as
(55:23):
a shining star, a testament tothe power of storytelling and
the enduring magic of animation.
Whether you're a longtime fan ora newcomer to the series, the
journey through the stars withSpike, jet Bay, ed and Ein is
one that promises adventure,introspection and the timeless
reminder that, in the end, we'reall just space cowboys
(55:44):
searching for a place in thecosmos.
And on that note, we're goingto go ahead and close out this
episode.
Thank you for listening to usto the end, and I thank you,
sebby, phantom Mirror, jane andPlayboy for being on the show.
Remember that great things arecoming and to stay nerdy, my
dear listener, you go ahead andhave yourself a good morning,
(56:05):
good afternoon and good night,and we'll see you on the next
episode.
So see you.
Speaker 3 (56:11):
See you, Space Cowboy .
Bye.
Speaker 2 (56:16):
See you, Space Cowboy .
Welcome back to the Zone Podcast, the show for nerdy
news and reviews.
I'm Jet Blackestream Feel freeto call me JB and joining me
today is Sebi Phantom on anotherreview.
This one is a classic.
Everybody well, I won't sayeverybody like that's too
objective, but this one'sdefinitely a classic.
(00:24):
A lot of anime fans.
Objective, but this one'sdefinitely a classic.
A lot of anime fans should knowthis one we're gonna be
reviewing cowboy bebop today andwe might talk about the live
action.
Uh, depending, uh, what's thelive action?
the live action yeah, yeah, youdid.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, we might talk about it a little bit, but let's
go ahead and get into it.
3, 2, 1, let's jam.
So, in this vast universe ofanime, a few titles have
achieved the iconic status ofCowboy Bebop.
This series, which first airedin 1998, left a very huge mark
(01:09):
on both fans and critics alike.
It's a cultural touchstone thatcontinues to inspire and
captivate audiences worldwide.
With rich characters,compelling themes, distinctive
art style, unforgettable music,cowboy Bebop stands as a
masterpiece that transcends theboundaries of a genre, like, for
(01:30):
instance, that opening themesong, bro.
Like when you hear that themesong, especially late at night
during the tsunami, adult swimdays.
Like back in during, like Iwant to say, silver age, like
the golden age was, like I wantto say the golden age, I want to
say Late 90s, early 2000s.
Well, yeah, cowboy Bebop willcount as golden age.
(01:52):
Toonami slash, don't Swim.
So yeah, when you hear thattheme song go off In the middle
of the 90s, I was just.
I was just.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
This is the anime you be watching.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Like, yeah, I'm not gonna get a whole bunch of sleep
during Ola for school the nextmorning, but hey man, I had to
see that new episode of CowboyBebop.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, no, I definitely agree with you.
I mean it became the firstanime title to ever be
broadcasted on Adult Swim backin 2001.
So I mean you gotta kind of bechopped here for that.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Oh yeah, definitely.
I mean the hold on, like, firstof all let's get into the
characters, like I'll get to thethemes and everything later,
but let's start with charactersNow.
At the core, cowboy, bebop havethis vibrant, multi-dimensional
characters bringing their ownunique flair to narrative.
Uh revolve around this group ofbounty hunters or cowboys who
(02:52):
travel through space abroad.
The spaceship bebop and leadingthis uh monthly crew you could
say, is spike spiegel, you know,laid back sharp, with ex-hitman
from the Blood Syndicate, witha mysterious past, like I know I
just said it, but like youdon't really get really a whole
(03:12):
lot on his backstory until lateinto the series, like almost the
last few episodes, wheneverything is starting to heat
up a little bit dramatically.
And everything is starting toheat up a little bit
dramatically.
Spike's cool demeanor andmartial arts prowess makes him
instantly likable and he gotthis internal struggle and debt
(03:35):
that resonates with viewers.
Jet Black, I know, I know, butit's a coincidence.
I honestly didn't think hisname was Jet Black when, when I
was a kid, I knew his name wasjet but I it just went over my
head that his last name wasblack.
Like really jet black really.
So I think my name's notinspired by him.
(03:59):
Funny enough, believe it or not, my name was inspired by red x
from teen titans, where I had tothink of something that sounds
cool, but something that soundslike a brand, you know, like
something I can use as a brandname for like years to come.
And I'm thinking like, okay, Ilike the shade of jet black and
I was thinking like red x forsome reason.
so I like jet black x and I'mlike nah that doesn't sound
(04:22):
strong enough and down like JetBlack Extreme Boom.
But yes, jet Black, he's theBebop's captain and former Inner
Solar System Police Officer, soISSP, so he's a cop essentially
and he kind of complimentsSpike with his pragmatic
(04:44):
approach and strong moralcompass.
And he kind of complimentsSpike with his pragmatic
approach and strong moralcompass and he got a lot of this
fatherly aura around him andmechanical expertise, providing
the stabilizing force amongstthe whole chaos of bounty
hunting.
And then you have FayeValentine, who's this femme
fatale with this penchant forgambling, and she has amnesia.
(05:04):
She adds layers of intrigue andsass to the group dynamic and
she got this complex backstoryand vulnerability that make her
stand out and she evolvessignificantly throughout the
series.
And rounding out the whole crewis the brilliant hacker Edward
Wong, hal Peppaloo, trubus,tiberiuski IV, or simply Ed and
(05:31):
Ein.
Now, ein is a highlyintelligent well, I mean Ein is
a Welsh Corgi with enhanced datacapabilities and Ed's, like
this eccentric, whimsical natureand have exceptional hacking
skills, is like a delight andkind of unpredictable to the
(05:52):
crew, while Ayn's, like adorablepresence and hidden talent,
often surprise and amuse.
So, sebi, how do you feel aboutthe characters?
Well, at least the maincharacters.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Ayn is the cutest thing in the entire world.
I'm kind of biased becauseCorgis are my favorite dog ever,
but Ayn is the cutest.
And of course Spike.
That's classic.
You hear Tank theme song andSpike is the first thing that
comes up With Jet Black Ithought it was kind of funny
that your name is JB and ofcourse Edward and Faye.
(06:27):
The team altogether is just aclassic in and out of itself.
So this team is always doingsomething disastrous and always
confronting and facing eventsfrom their past.
So I mean, this is just aclassic team.
When you think about classicanimes, this is it.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
That's it.
Now let's get into the themesof Cowboy Bebop.
But before I get into that, wegotta welcome another person
that's adding on to the podcast.
Give me just one more game.
(07:09):
Bring it what up?
Mirror Jane, how you doing.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Cool, cool.
So real quick, oh my bad, realquick.
How you feeling about CowboyBebop?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
I love Cowboy Bebop.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Like.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Cowboy Bebop is my number one anime.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Really.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
It is my number one anime, interchangeably at times
Depending on my mood, but it ismy number one anime,
interchangeably at timesdepending on my mood, but it is
my number one anime.
I love it so much.
I have CU Space Cowboy tattooedon my ankle.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay, cool, and how do you feel about the characters
, like the main characters inparticular?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Spike is honestly one of the saddest characters ever.
Like I don't think peoplereally understand how sad Spike
as a character is, but he's alsothe funniest comedic relief.
(08:24):
And then you have freaking JetHim and that bell peppers and
beef without the beef, oh my God.
And just giving that fatherfigure like he's the person
who's trying to keep the familytogether but he doesn't have all
of the pieces to do so.
(08:44):
And then you have Faye Like thefuck, just Bayman bombshell of
a beauty, like, oh my God.
And then her backstory Ugh,tears.
And then Ayn is the smartestkid on the freaking planet and
oh wait, that's the dog.
Yeah, I was thinking like holdon, oh wait, that's the dog yeah
(09:06):
, I was thinking like hold on,mine is the smartest dog on the
planet and then teamed up withthe smartest kid on the planet,
which is Ed.
Right, because it's just thesecharacters is the most ragtag
team of people, but they fit sowell together and it's favorite
(09:27):
characters Like this is myfavorite crew.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Welcome to the podcast Playboy.
How you feeling about CowboyBebop?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Man, listen, so I'm going to give it to you.
Like this Cowboy Bebop was likekind of suggested to me, and
the person who suggested it waslike I can't get into it.
And I'm gonna give it to you.
Like this cowboy beeper waslike kind of suggested to me and
a person who suggested it waslike I can't get into it.
I'm like why they're like Idon't know the animation is.
The animation is kind of old,so I'm like.
I'm gonna give it a try,whatever, cool being so, I'm
watching it.
Right, first two episodes I'mlike, okay, I see what you're
(10:00):
talking about, but it's the 90s,like it's old and for whatever
reason.
That's exactly why I watchedthe whole shit in one day.
But listen, cowboy, this thesoundtrack, nigga.
Listen, there's so much.
Yeah, I like I got the fuckinghiccup.
That's how you know I'm drunk.
Oh my gosh, I tried, I tried,but um, yeah, so the dude, that
(10:25):
is one intro I don't skip.
I don't skip, bro.
Yeah, you never skip that intro.
I don't skip Cowboy Bebop'sintro.
It's one of those shows whereyou technically can watch it in
the middle of the series andkind of like pick up what's
going on.
But if you watch it from thebeginning then you know exactly
(10:49):
what's going on, because allthese characters are introduced
at different times.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You know, I'm saying like I I ain't the dog which one
uh, I'm sorry, but I was justgonna uh interject real quick
and say, remember, when wereviewed Samurai Champloo, where
it was like, okay, if you wantthe plot, it's literally the
first episode and then the last,like four, so you can just jump
(11:14):
into Samurai Champloo like anymoment.
I'm like, hey man, like they'rejust doing random bullshit yeah
, basically, yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
And it's crazy because watching both shows kind
of did give me a similarity,kind of like how you compare and
contrast a lot of shows andgames.
Now, there's a lot to do withthat.
Even though they're like in twodifferent time eras and I
didn't even realize, they werelike, um, damn near in the same
fucking universe, like that'sthe crazy part, like you can
(11:46):
watch them and believe it like,okay, I can kind of see that you
know what I mean.
But, um, definitely, man, likeCowboy Bebop, I'd recommend it
and they definitely get 5 out of5 from me definitely this is
like a goaded anime like this.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
See Professor Tuck, he wanna talk about goated anime
.
I listen to y'all Talk aboutShangri-La Frontier.
I listen.
If it doesn't make you want tore-watch the show Just for the
shits and giggles, it's notgoated If it's one of those
shows when you can sit throughit and be like damn, I can't
(12:24):
think of a damn thing wrong withthis show.
It's a go to show.
I honestly can't think ofanything wrong with Cowboy Bebop
.
Like everything from thecharacters to the themes and all
that Like damn, this is like avery solid anime.
Like it's one of those animeswhere like, yeah, uh, if you're
(12:45):
like a 90s kid, you probably umwatched it late at night and
you're thinking like, okay, it'skind of cool, it's kind of cool
.
But then when you're an adult,I'm like damn, I really feel
this anime now I it's like mygod, I get it now, you know,
because when you were young it'slike you kinda get it.
(13:06):
But when you get older it'slike you get it even more
Because it's like you kinda beenthrough it In some form or
fashion yourself, but maybe notexactly like them, but in some
form or fashion you kindaunderstand a little bit better
Because you had a similarexperience.
Yeah, so, uh, speaking of things, uh, one of the defining
(13:30):
aspects of kel would be by justexploration of profound themes
that resonate with a universallevel.
Uh, central to the series inthe theme of existentialism, as
characters grapple withquestions of identity, purpose
and the nature of theirexistence, each member of the
bebop crew haunted by their past, and much of the series revolve
(13:52):
around their individualjourneys to confront and
reconcile with their histories.
For instance, spite theenigmatic past, particularly his
association with I thought wasthe blood syndicate for some
reason, but actually the'sactually the Red Dragon Crime
Syndicate and his tragicrelationship with Julia served
me as a recurring motivethroughout the series, and his
(14:15):
struggle to escape the shadowsof his former life and finding
meaning in his present existenceis both compelling and poignant
.
Similarly, faye's quest touncover her forgotten past and
reclaim her identity is apowerful exploration of
self-discovery and resilience.
Another significant theme isthe concept of redemption.
Each character is seeking someform of redemption in some form
(14:38):
or fashion, whether it's justdesire to atone for past
mistakes, faye's quest forbelonging, or a spice-elusive
search for peace.
Now, the series definitelyweaves these personal stories
into a larger narrative,creating a rich tapestry of
sorts of human experience thatresonates deeply with viewers.
(14:59):
Now let me pause, and I'm goingto open it up to y'all in just a
moment.
But let me pause and say Now letme pause, and I'm going to open
it up to y'all in just a moment.
But let me pause and say this iswhy, if y'all like the
live-action Cowboy Bebop, that'scool, but I'm going to be
honest with you, by episode 2,I'm like, hey, man, I kind of
(15:27):
can't with how it seemed likethe action in the live, the live
action fields wouldn't compareto the anime.
And I'm not trying to say likeoh, because I've seen the anime
like the live action, justinferior by design.
It's just more like if I wereto judge netflix bebop, um, by
its own merits, like, in otherwords, I'm not even considering,
uh, how different or similar itis to the uh anime.
(15:48):
Even then I'm like, uh, I cankind of, I'm kind of cool with
it up until the end where, withvicious doing all that hollering
, screaming and all whatnot, I'mlike bro, like it kind of makes
me feel like um y y'all I don'tknow, because compared to the
bitches in the anime, he waslike stone cold in the anime,
(16:13):
but in this one he's like he wasgiving me Kylo Ren vibes for
real.
He's not like a simp, prettymuch, pretty much.
But other than that I'm likeokay, like I can't say I really
vibe with the live action.
(16:33):
So, uh, I'm not gonna be toomean towards it, but I'm just
gonna say I just prefer theanime.
Like, if y'all like the liveaction, cool beans, I'm gonna
let y'all have it, but not forme.
Uh, oh, okay, with spike, hisand julia's relationship,
(16:54):
obviously that's tragic.
Uh bay, her thing was I thinkshe had the same situation uh
bride did, from futurama towhere essentially she was like
uh holed up in a cryogenic tubeand uh came out into the future
trying to figure out what'sgoing on.
Um, she lost her memories andall that.
(17:15):
And by the time she regains hermemory like it's not, like she
can just go back into the pastand uh rekindle our family
because they're long gone by thetime she remembers anything.
And I was like, damn, that's,that's sad.
And um, the crazy.
Oh, um, jet, uh, the differencebetween jet and uh live action
(17:39):
and anime.
In the anime I like how dudehad like a girlfriend but it was
like he couldn't commit to herfully because he was too busy
being married to his job andthat kind of created this rip
and eventually, uh, come to findout that, um, she's like
(18:02):
getting involved with a dudethat he has to um, bring into
justice for like a bounty orwhatnot.
So I'm like, damn, that's kindof tough.
And then, um, who else?
Uh, I want to say no, that wasabout it.
For Jed, I did say Faye.
I did say Spike.
Uh, ed and Ayn.
I would say Faye.
I did say Spike, ed and Ayn.
(18:23):
I would say I like how they didbring a lighthearted energy to
the whole thing.
But as soon as they decided youknow what, I think it's time
for us to go.
That's how you know shit gotserious.
From that point on it was likeuh-uh, get the tissues out,
you're going to see some tearjerkers.
(18:44):
You're're gonna carry thatweight.
See, that's the funny thing.
Like, that's my favorite lineout of the whole series, and it
was just from a title card atthe end of it to where I'm like
because, when you think aboutthat line, I'm like damn, like,
because imagine, like, whetheryou have any regrets or mistakes
(19:05):
that you know about, likeanything that, um, you probably
wish you could forget.
It's like, even though you canmove on from it, but you're
gonna carry that weight, uh,going forward and I'm like it's
kind of deep like that.
So that's pretty much thethings any of y'all want to add
(19:27):
on to that you mean like thelike, the generalization, like
the theme of the show yeah, like, how do you feel about how the
general vibe of the show, howy'all feel about it?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
see, that's the thing , even watching it, like I know
what's going on, but it's likebecause every episode so when I
watch anime right, most animes,that goes on every anime Like
okay, episode two followsdirectly from episode one, and
so forth and so on.
But, with Cowboy Bebop.
(20:03):
It's one of those animes thatit.
It does that, but the theirtheir goal.
They're about their spacebounty hunters.
So the episodes are basicallyabout them finding bounties.
They're basically poor, they'rescavenging for shit, you feel
(20:24):
me.
So it's like they have to takeevery bounty that comes up, and
in those instances they're agroup, but it's like they're
also independent within theirfriendship.
So when it came to fey, that'sjust one thing, bro I kind of I
like and hate fey because wait,hold on like Faye as a character
.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Or like it depends on which version Like, because I
don't know.
Anime Faye was fine.
Live action Faye got kind ofannoying.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I didn't see her, but I'm finna tell y'all why and
what she did, and it might bepetty, but listen, it was
episode 6.
She went in the kitchen and shegot dog food and she was eating
that shit and I ain't lookingat her like you feel me, you
gonna feed me, and she's talkingabout some and she's trying to
(21:14):
justify why she's not giving itto him.
She's like you're a dog, gohunt for some food.
I'm a girl, I need to bepampered and taken care of.
And then I'm looking like sheeating fucking dog food out of
the can and then rolling to Iand I'm like, oh bitch, I don't
know how I forgot this part.
I guess I overlooked it becauseof the long hair I have.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
She was having a bad day.
She had a bad day you don't do.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
I like that.
I didn't do nothing to nobody.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
Nobody In a spaceship , in a Milky.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Way Nah bro.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
In the middle of the Milky Way.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Come on See as a dog owner, I wouldn't be having that
shit.
Like you ain't gonna be takingfood.
Nah, you better go out thereand get you a bounty.
I'm like you ain't gonna takemy dog food.
Look, I paid for that food,you're not gonna.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I've been there.
My water went off.
I gave my dog water out thefridge, out the jug, you feel me
and she is hot Like I'm gonnagive my dog some water.
My dad got mad at me because Igave her the last little bit
Understandable, true, but youhad her outside in the sun.
Now I'm not gonna not give herno fucking cold water.
We could easily go to the storeand buy a Powerade.
(22:31):
She can't, you feel me.
Dogs can only do so much.
Yeah, they can go out and hunt,but then what's gonna happen?
You're gonna call the animalcontrol and put them down.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So yeah, when I see this, wow, wow.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Yeah, I seen that shit.
I'm like damn you did, I ain'tdirty and then just roll with
them in the empty fucking can.
I'm like bitch you.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
There was a little bit.
It was something I ain't havingthat though.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
If I ain't not fucking with it, I ain't fucking
with it and I ain't say thatbitch are up, then I ain't
fucking with it.
I'm with I, you feel me.
I fuck with Ed.
She's a little slow, smart man.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
That was crazy.
Ed confused me as far as gender.
I'm like are you a boy or agirl?
God damn.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Yeah, she definitely did.
You're like one of thoseandrogynous characters.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I'm like it can go either way.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Facts what is Ed short for?
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Edward.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Yeah, because I'm thinking like, okay, yeah,
you're thinking like, okay, yeah, you're thinking like that's a
male name, right, but like bro,that's a very androgynous little
like that could have been agirl, especially with the voice.
The voice didn't help either,so I'm like I don't know where
to go.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
I loved the fact that they didn't freaking know the
whole time.
I loved it Until they found outthey was like wait, you're a
girl.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I'm like, see, that's what I'm talking about.
I'm like you got like girlishfeatures, but I'm like with that
name and shit, I'm like I don'twant to assume your gender but,
I'm like I'm almost afraid toask you.
I'm like, so what's your gender?
(24:22):
Because I'm trying to, you know, be respectful you know, what I
mean.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I didn't hit the road with that.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
But hey, yo Speaking of witches, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I think it's funny that in the manga it was a boy
for three sessions and then itwas a girl in another session.
It switched over gender ratioat one point Halfway through the
manga they were like, oh yeah,she's a girl.
And then the next issue cameout and they're calling it as a
(25:01):
he.
You know what I mean.
Even in session five, ed wasstealing an adult magazine as a
young boy and smuggling it.
It's really funny.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
And that even the creator even calls Ed as an it.
Ooh, ooh, you know what youreminded me?
Y'all remember Grin.
I thought so Check this outthat sounds familiar, that
sounds familiar.
It's the one guy that's likefriends with Faye.
It's like okay.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
I have no idea what Grin was.
I still don't know.
The soldier, the soldier.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Yeah, the soldier yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Okay, so check this out.
I like how in the live actionthey were like okay, he's just
straight up trans, but in theanime, no, he is a man, but
because with the military andtaking on some experimental
medicine, he's a man with boobs.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Yeah, Like the way they touched on that was crazy.
And then I also love that Fayewas confused for herself.
She was like I don't know.
No because okay, hold on.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
You look at the medical records born a man.
And because you likeexperimental, okay, so you're a
man with boobs, that's it.
I mean, you don't have a vagina, so I'm like it's not like um
live action, grin.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
So it's like you're just a man with boobs first of
all, okay, I'm gonna just goahead and get this out the way
so that way I can say I hatedFaye in the live action, man
boobs, not man boobs Movies,movies.
But I hated Faye, yes, movies.
I hated Faye in the live action.
She got on my freaking nerves.
She was ugly.
(26:47):
I don't mean this until the end.
I'm just saying Faye is boombastard.
Like Faye, a badass bitch.
You see Faye walk past.
You question your own sexuality.
I didn't know if I was alesbian or not the first time I
saw Faye.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
She was leaned over that counter with that ass.
Faye was my walker for months.
I don't blame you, hey yo.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Let me just say, I can make 3D models over, so if
you ever want one, hit me up.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
I'm just saying I don't need that in my house.
I don't need to continuequestioning my sexuality.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
I've made up my mind no, I agree with you, mj.
Like the way she walks in theanime is like she's so sensual
about it, but then in, like thelive action, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Can we talk about how the actors from the live action
was like oh well, you know wehad to make changes to the
costume because it was toorevealing and you know it
doesn't seem functional.
Meanwhile there was a wholebunch of fay valentine
cosplayers like fucking killingthe cosplay, and they were like
oh well, you mean to tell methat this is unrealistic?
(28:04):
And then she got back on thatplatform.
I'm like look here, youmotherfuckers I'm like listen
like, don't be like RachelZegler pretty much making things
worse for your PR, to where I'mlike look here, like your
show's barely out there.
Like, don't antagonize youraudience, you don't need that,
(28:25):
we barely know you.
So you kind of need this roletoo.
Like, see, at least with theblack guy who was jet black in
the live action, he was good, hewas good.
John Cho, like listen, like Ilike him as Harold from Harold
and Kumar, but as Spice Beagle,really really I'll leave it at
(28:53):
that.
But um, yeah, like I just gotit at that.
But um, yeah, like.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I just got to.
The actress is beautiful.
Okay, she's a beautiful woman,but when you say the outfit is
too revealing, it's cause youdon't have titties, bitch, it's
cause you did not have, youdidn't have the proper like.
That's why it was too revealingfor you.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I'm sorry, you're not well endowed you're not well
equipped.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
You wasn't equipped with the right things to, and I
just felt like they could havefound somebody who had.
No, they can find a body likeanywhere else, but they chose
her.
Why?
And then the wig was ugly, likethey just they didn't think to
just dye her hair purple.
No, absolutely not.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
(29:40):
I just they just did such adisservice to one of the most
beautiful women in anime, justsuch a disservice, and I could
not take it.
So that means, if they don'tget it right in One Piece with
Boa boa, I'm literally going toblow up netflix, blowing them up
.
That's it.
Nope, all right, continue, jp.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
I'm off my pedestal speaking of art style and
character design and whatnot, uh, let's go ahead and talk about
the art style and animation incowboy bebop.
Now, this art style animation,cowboy bebop nothing short of
spectacular, blendingtraditional hand-drawn
techniques with cutting-edgetechnology to create a visually
(30:24):
stunning experience.
Now, the series is renowned forits meticulous attention to
detail, from um designspaceships to futuristic
cityscapes, to the expressivecharacter animation that
captured the nuances of emotionand action.
The director, shinichiroWatanabe, and character designer
(30:47):
Toshihiro Kawamoto crafted auniverse that seamlessly blends
elements of science fictions,film noir and cyberpunk, and
this unique fusion of genres isreflected in the show's
aesthetic, which just supposesthe gritty, lived-in feel of the
bebop with the sleek, high-techenvironments of the future, and
(31:10):
the result is a visually richworld that feels both familiar
and otherworldly.
I'm starting to sound like Big Owhen I think about it.
Like we just reviewed Big O,I'm, like you know what Big O
kind of felt like that too.
Now the animation itself isfluid and dynamic, particularly
in the action sequences, whichare choreographed with precision
(31:32):
and flair, like Spike Lee, notSpike Lee, spike Spiegel.
In the action sequences, whichare choreographed with precision
and flair like Spike Lee, notSpike Lee, spike Spiegel's
martial arts battles, what wasit Jeet Kune Do?
Or something like that.
But it was showcased in a blendof Bruce Lee-inspired movements
and graceful acrobatics, theattention to realism and fight
(31:57):
scenes and use of camera anglesand lighting.
I'm not lightning lightingelevate the action and the
cinematic levels, making eachencounter a thrilling spectacle.
Y'all got anything y'all wantto add on to the art style and
all that.
Look, I know Playboy.
You were talking about how,yeah, it's old, but you know, to
(32:18):
be fair, it was made in 98, soit's going to be old.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
But it's still kind of old.
Here's what I just got to sayabout that in general.
Okay, so, anime to me is artand when I look at it I look at
it as art.
Somebody took the time out todraw and do whatever they do to
do it.
You feel me?
I understand computer codes.
When I see apps, I understand.
(32:44):
I haven't gotten too deep intoanimation to know how much work
goes behind making frames move.
I do appreciate Now, when itcomes to animation and the
quality of it, the old animes,and you could kind of like tell
because of the quality it's kindof like a trend, kind of like a
wave that's going on, or maybea popular software that all the
(33:08):
animators were using, to thepoint where you could tell that
this is 90s anime, this isnostalgia.
This is my looking at it Now,with To the point where you
could tell that this is 90sanime.
This is nostalgia.
This is my looking at it Now.
With that being said, forwhatever reason, that is
aesthetic to me.
You know what I'm saying.
So I don't know why it's like,because there have been newer
animes With bad animation, and agood comparison, in my opinion,
(33:30):
is Dragon Ball Super, with whatit was remade after and I've
seen them side by side.
There is literally more detailin Dragon Ball Z than there is
in Dragon Ball Super, and thatis a fact.
I've seen it and I'm not tryingto bash it or anything.
I'm not trying to bash it oranything at all.
All I'm saying is, for whateverreason, the 90s anime, the old
(33:53):
anime, just hits different.
I'm not taking anything fromthe new ones, because the new
ones have been delivering,especially this year.
Man, they've been doing it.
So, yeah, when it comes toshows the cowboy, bebop, samurai
, champ, blue, death note, evenhunter hunter these shows, video
haku, show yugioh, dragon ballz a lot of these old shows that
have paved Death Note.
(34:14):
Even Hunter x Hunter theseshows, yu Yu Hakusho, yu-gi-oh,
dragon Ball Z A lot of these oldshows that have paved the way
for a lot of the new ones isalmost like a music industry
it's old, it's a classic, butit's never going to go out of
style, right?
Speaker 1 (34:26):
Hell yeah, mira Jane, you had something to add on.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
I was going to say I absolutely agree with you,
playboy.
There's something so, in myopinion, something so
aesthetically pleasing about 90sanime.
There's ronin warriors, there'suh fushigi, there's there's
just uh, that romeo and julJulia anime that I always keep
(34:55):
forgetting, but it's with.
Sam but there was somethingabout that animation that just
felt natural, felt real, feltauthentic.
There's something in theirfaces, like Spike's death face.
I know that sounds crazy.
Spike's dying face was the mostuniquely drawn, peaceful face
(35:20):
of death I've ever seen in ananime.
I cried watching him die thatlast day like I can remember the
image so clearly and it stickswith you.
I don't understand.
I don't get me wrong.
I like the new animation.
I do.
It's not like I want to justcompletely live in the 90s and I
(35:42):
don't watch anything else new Imean, we just talked about with
dory and how clean thatanimation was yeah, but there's
also just something like that.
There's a lack of impact and Ireally there's a lack of like.
Sometimes it feels too sharp.
It feels too sometimes thatlittle dirty, that little grit
(36:03):
that comes with 90s anime.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
You know what I'm talking about yeah, it's like
for some reason, some anime justgive that.
Oh yeah, I definitely got thison a bhs tape somewhere kind of
vibe like uh, I want to say likeigpx or uh, I want to say
degradement.
I know they're not like bhs tape, but, like you know, it's like
(36:27):
that kind of vibe where you it'slike I said when the golden age
, tsunami, adult swim era towhere it feels like yeah, like
for some reason it feels like afever dream that you woke up
from where you just watch thisanime and it just happened
(36:48):
beyond this one time and it'slike you're just really digging
it and you were like trying tofigure out what, digging it, and
you were like trying to figureout, um, what show is this and
whatnot.
And then maybe one day yourealized, like a core memory on
a lot of things, oh shit, Iremember this anime.
Like you remember shit like uh,shinzo and uh, fuck, I'm trying
(37:10):
to remember a whole bunch BlueDragon, d, greyman, shit.
We're going to get to them.
That's why we got NerdyNostalgia in November to where
we talk about the nostalgiastuff you know, like the
Miyazaki films and whatnot.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Or like Princess Mononoke oh my god.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
Yeah, sebi, you have anything to add on to the art
style of Cowboy Bebop?
Speaker 3 (37:43):
No, it's definitely very much classic and I agree
with everyone else with thatwhole 90s feeling to it.
Like Hunter x Hunter, dragonBall, all of those together is
just something about.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
It is just perfection to me, so I definitely agree
with that oh yeah, I mean lookat bleach like don't forget that
bleach came out in like theearly 2000s and if you go back
to those uh episodes not justdown to your blood war, but the
old episodes like the beginningof that first season, yeah, it
(38:16):
still had that little nuance,that 90s nuance.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
So did naruto yeah, naruto that same feeling too,
like there was just somethingabout.
So I will say I know likethere's a towards the animation,
there's a lot more likecomputers being used, there's a
lot, there's a lot less hands-onwith the animation per se,
(38:41):
right versus 90s, versus likeearly 2000s, um, but that's why
we also get the episodes faster,right, like we get more content
way sooner than like back then.
So and then, and I get it, butI guess it's because I could go
on and on, but I'm gonna shut upum after I say this um, there's
(39:05):
just something homely aboutthat animation style and also
there's something emotionalabout it.
It's like you can feel theartist when you're watching, and
I think that's kind ofsometimes what's lacking
nowadays, like there's justwe're just gonna keep putting
out this content so that way youguys can watch it.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay, that's great, but there's like man, cowboy,
bebop just makes me feel thingsso much I feel that see it shows
like veroni k Kenshin and um,there was like one other that I
just remember, just slipped mymind To where it just feels so
90s, like see, I know we werejust talking about?
Speaker 4 (39:45):
Oh my god.
Outlaw Star.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Oh yeah, we're gonna review that Next month for sure.
Uh, but you know that nextmonth for sure.
But you know some of theseshows.
I understand that.
Some shows you know like howcan I put this?
It's kind of like Sport Onlineto where that show came out and
(40:13):
for some reason it just seemslike a bunch of shows kind of
want to where that show came outand for some reason it just
seems like a bunch of shows kindof want to replicate that whole
virtual reality gaming trend,kind of like with Isekai and
other things.
As soon as one anime catch firewith a certain theme going on,
it's like everybody and theirmama got to make an anime with
(40:35):
this same thing and that's whyit feels like that's what makes
it bad when it seems like allthese anime just look and feel
the same, like like how I saidabout reign of the seven
spellblades, where, aside from afew things that kind of make it
stand out, it felt a littlegeneric.
(40:58):
So like compared to wistorialike I know we're not trying to
compare and all that but like atleast with wistoria it had what
I was saying in that review towhere with storia it had that
sauce, like you could just tellthat they were actually trying
to be about something.
And that's kind of problemnowadays, to where not just an
(41:20):
anime but in western media tooto where it just feels like
y'all just putting something outthere, but y'all not really
about anything.
Like y'all just puttingsomething out there but y'all
not really about anything.
Like y'all not really trying totell a story that people can't
like see, that's another thing,like not to put too much
politics into it all.
But you know, we got movies andTV shows that try to appeal to
(41:47):
a certain demographic, andthat's fine and dandy.
Movies and TV shows that try toappeal to a certain demographic
, and that's fine and dandy.
But when it seems like Y'alltrying to appeal to people From
a surface level but not from aspiritual level, then that's why
it seems like, yeah, you'rejust pretty much doing it for
the money, like you're kind ofpandering to people For the
money.
So that's why I appreciateanime, like Cowboy Be bebop to
(42:10):
where, like it doesn't matterwho you are, it doesn't matter
where you come from.
It's since, essentially, um,most people have something in
their past that they have toconfront, otherwise they're not
going to move forward with theirum present and future, like
damn near anybody can relate tothat.
(42:30):
That's what I like about CowboyBebop and other anime or movies
or whatnots, where, if you'regoing to put in thousands,
millions of dollars into thisshit to make thousands or
millions of people watch it, beabout something Speaking of
which let like, be aboutsomething you know and, speaking
(42:52):
of which, let's talk about themusic real quick now.
We already talked about a littlebit, but there's no discussion
that with cowboy bebop, he hasthis groundbreaking soundtrack
composed by the legendary yokokano and performed by her band,
the Seatbelts.
The music of Cowboy Bebop is asiconic as the series itself,
(43:15):
blending a wide array of genres,including jazz, blues, rock,
classical, creating thisauditory experience that is both
exhilarating and emotionallyresonant.
The opening theme tank,energetic jazz piece perfectly
sets the tone for the series,captivating audiences with
(43:36):
fast-paced rhythm and catchybrass melodies.
Each episode or session, likeSebi mentioned, features a
unique musical composition thatcomplements the narrative,
enhancing the emotional depthand intensity of the story.
And, from the hauntinglybeautiful blue to the soulful
rain and the lively mushroomhunting, the soundtrack is a
(44:00):
masterclass in musicalstorytelling.
Now, connell's ability toseamlessly integrate diverse
musical styles into the fabricof the series is a testament of
her genius.
That's right, woman.
And the music of Cowboy Bebopremains one of the most
celebrated aspects of the show.
(44:22):
And it's no exaggeration to saythat the soundtrack is much a
character in the series, asSpike or Faye or Jet or Ed and I
, adding layers of depth andrichness to the viewing
experience.
Y'all got anything else y'allwant to add on to the music.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I don't know if y'all know this, but you can buy the
vinyl in Walmart.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
See, that's the thing .
If I were going to buy anyvinyl, it would definitely be
for Cowboy Bebop.
That's the sound track.
Like.
See, if I fuck with the wholealbum, I'm getting the vinyl.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
I bought the vinyl.
It is so amazing.
When Tank comes on, you're justlike, like.
You feel like you're backwatching the anime.
You feel like you're smoking acigar, a cigarette.
You feel like you're in spacelistening to this soundtrack all
over again.
(45:23):
Now, the only thing I will saythe downside uh-huh real quick.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Um, this may sound weird, but here's one thing that
I always had this headcanonabout.
I don't know, it's like someside fan thing going on, but
sometimes for some reason, Ikeep thinking Tank from Cowboy
Bebop.
And if you play Sonic Adventure2 Battle, there's this one
(45:52):
Soundtrack Called SuitableOpponent.
That's whenever you fightsomebody Against, like, say, for
instance, you're up againstEggman or Shadow or what not,
and then it's like See, for somereason I keep thinking like why
does that soundtrack, that onetrack from sonic adventure 2,
(46:16):
sound like the opening themesong of cowboy bebop?
And honestly, it kind of makesme want to do like a mash-up
between that theme song I meanfrom the theme song of Cowboy
Bebop and that one track fromSonic Adventure.
I'm like bro, I swear to God,they sound so similar, if not
(46:37):
exactly alike.
I can kind of mash it togetherand just like why do they sound
so well together?
Speaker 2 (46:47):
I just want to say this you have to be a special
kind of big nerd to even comparethose two.
Speaker 1 (46:54):
I'm sorry, I was like bro, like it was almost like on
one day I just took the twotracks together.
I'm like bro.
Why do they sound alike?
Speaker 2 (47:04):
To go from Sonic Adventure Battle to the Cowboy
Bebop.
Bro, I'm not even mad.
That's honestly impressive.
That's nerdly impressive.
Speaker 4 (47:14):
That is very nerdly impressive.
Somebody out there is going tobe like that was hot.
Speaker 1 (47:20):
Nah see, that's my thing, like sometimes be doing
it like that, like say, forinstance, if we were talking
about Invincible and some peoplewere going online talking about
so what exactly all theviltrumites?
And I shit you not every time Isay this.
People are like you know what,you're not wrong.
Every time I explain whatviltrumites are, I just tell
(47:41):
them hey, man, they're justkryptonians.
If they acted more like saiyans, wow, I mean, am I wrong?
I mean no, no, no, you ain't youain't have a lot you ain't have
a lot because like see,kryptonians would be like okay,
(48:01):
like, yeah, we're like superpower if we go to like a certain
planet with it's sun and allthat and we gain like super
powers and what not and cool,cool.
But we're not trying to liketake over planets yet.
We're more peaceful than that,aside from you know, general Zod
.
But then you have the Saiyans,where they're all about taking
over planets and destroyingpeople and all that shit.
(48:24):
And when you get the Viltrumitesyou're just like, okay, they
look like Kryptonians but theyact like Saiyans with the way
they low-key, want to take overthe planet but they like gotta
go about it in a low-key fashion, kind of like Akatsuki style,
and essentially it's like um, Ialso like how similar to the
(48:45):
Saiyans, where, um, you can havebabies with the humans and
they're probably better Off forit, because Gohan and Goten,
they have Like a and also Trunks, excuse me, they have like this
advantage To where old Pan andBola, like you know, whoever
like Half Saiyan, they kind ofhave this advantage over full
(49:07):
Blooded Saiyans versus InInvincible if you're half
Viltrumite, I mean, I don'tthink they have a advantage over
full Viltrumites, but it's morelike well you're.
You look enough like aViltrumite to where.
I'm like hey man, you know what?
I don't mind if Vulture Mitesmate with humans, but don't mate
(49:32):
with those inferior beings.
You know what?
I mean, but yeah, I be doingthat sometimes.
Hey, jp, what's up?
Speaker 3 (49:42):
I got a question for all of us.
Have y'all seen Carol onTuesday?
I heard of it so that is thesequel to Cowboy Bebop.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
No fucking way.
Speaker 3 (49:55):
So it's made by Watanabe and in Carol and
Tuesday I have seen it.
There is little things in it.
There's a wanted sign and it'sSpike.
It's in the same Mars town,it's everything.
It's the same marstown, it isit's everything.
It is the sequel, so how wouldyou buy?
Speaker 1 (50:15):
so it got that thing going on with bakuno and
durarara to where, okay, inbakuno it's like old timey uh
type shit and a whole bunch ofthings going on, bacchanal.
But then you're thinking like,okay, it's like modern age, uh,
(50:36):
street wars or whatnot like, andbut then, uh, two of the
characters from bacchanal keepin mind that they're immortal
show up and do rah rah and I'mlike that kind of confirms that
they're in the same universe.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
I'm like okay, okay, yeah.
So Cowboy Bebop In the movieKnocking on Heaven's Door Is the
same town, same city, alba City, where Carol and Tuesday takes
place, and there's even like ascene when they're visiting
Tuesday's home.
And there's the ship, there'sBebop's ship.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
I did not know that.
You know what I'm going towatch it, and we might review
that at some point.
Speaker 3 (51:13):
It is one of my favorite, favorite shows.
I think it's hilarious.
I just thought that was kind ofcool to share with you guys,
what's the name of it?
Carol and Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
Carol and Tuesday, and there's a Cowboy Bebop
reference in there.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
No, it's in the same city, yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
Oh, it's in the same city.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Yeah, like they share a universe.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (51:38):
Oh, okay, okay, that's great Made by the same
Watanabe, the whole Nine Yardsteam and admitted like they're
together.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
So I wonder if there's a way we could link all
three shows Samurai Champloo,that one and Cowboy Beatbox.
If there's a way, we could liketimeline that shit.
Speaker 1 (51:58):
I mean, if that was the case.
I mean if that was the case,then Samurai Champloo would have
been way back in the past, likethere probably wouldn't have
been, unless you're talkingabout that been way back in the
past, like there probablywouldn't have been, unless
you're talking about that veryfirst episode where you see like
modern urban type shit andmaybe you might see like a
(52:19):
little wink towards it, like I'mnot even.
Speaker 4 (52:22):
Spike is a descendant of Logan.
There we go.
They got the same hair, samekicks.
I feel like that ties it alltogether.
But if we're gonna do that, wegotta tie in.
I Lost Stars oh, good lord.
I mean, it would make perfectsense okay what about Space
(52:44):
Dandy?
Speaker 3 (52:44):
have y'all seen that one?
Speaker 1 (52:46):
I did.
That's also in the sameuniverse.
Space Dandy is like not onlyfunny, but it gets kinda that
one I did that's also in thesame universe.
Space Dandy is like not onlyfunny but it gets kind of tricky
too, to a degree like,depending on the episodes.
Speaker 3 (52:59):
Yeah, that's in the same universe as those two.
All made by the same creator,all in the same universe man.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
Nah, I mean, yeah, I see it now I'm looking it up and
yeah, he did all this.
But I'm like, really they'reall connected, michiko and
Hachin too.
Speaker 3 (53:22):
What was that?
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Michiko and Hachin.
I've seen that one.
It's actually pretty good.
Speaker 3 (53:27):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (53:33):
So yeah, so yes.
Macross Plus Cowboy Bebop,samurai, champloo Kids on the
Slope.
Space Dandy, Terror in theResonance, Carolyn Tuesday, as
you said, and Lazarus, which iscoming up.
Speaker 3 (53:47):
Yeah, okay, all together.
Speaker 1 (53:53):
Bro, that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (53:55):
That's crazy.
Yeah, the more you knowDo-do-do-do-do.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
And now we know, and knowing is half the battle.
Speaker 4 (54:09):
GI Joe, oh God.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
So you know what?
Let's go ahead and wrap this upreal quick, because I'm pretty
much spent so.
In the years since his debut,cowboy Bebop has maintained its
status as a beloved, influentialwork of art, continuing to
captivate new generations ofviewers.
Its success lies in its abilityto transcend the traditional
(54:36):
boundaries of anime, offering anarrative that is both
universally relatable anduniquely compelling.
The series' exploration ofexistential themes, combined
with its unforgettablecharacters, stunning visuals and
iconic music, creates anexperience that resonates long
after the final credits roll.
And as we journey alongside thecrew of the Bebop, we are
(54:58):
reminded of the complexities ofthe human experience, the search
for identity, the longing forredemption and their enduring
power of hope.
Cowboy Bebop invites us toreflect our own lives,
encouraging us to confront ourpast, embrace our present and
look forward to the future withcourage and determination.
In the vast expanse of theuniverse, cowboy Bebop stands as
(55:23):
a shining star, a testament tothe power of storytelling and
the enduring magic of animation.
Whether you're a longtime fan ora newcomer to the series, the
journey through the stars withSpike, jet Bay, ed and Ein is
one that promises adventure,introspection and the timeless
reminder that, in the end, we'reall just space cowboys
(55:44):
searching for a place in thecosmos.
And on that note, we're goingto go ahead and close out this
episode.
Thank you for listening to usto the end, and I thank you,
sebby, phantom Mirror, jane andPlayboy for being on the show.
Remember that great things arecoming and to stay nerdy, my
dear listener, you go ahead andhave yourself a good morning,
(56:05):
good afternoon and good night,and we'll see you on the next
episode.
So see you.
Speaker 3 (56:11):
See you, Space Cowboy .
Bye.
Speaker 2 (56:16):
See you, Space Cowboy .
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.