Cowboy bebop: Watch it.

 "And the work which has become a genre unto itself shall be called: Cowboy Bebop"-Cowboy Bebop

This weekend...this weekend was relaxing to say the least. I know some of my friends reading this would hate me for saying that because they are constantly busy. I'm sorry. I have nothing to say. Sometimes grad school is busy and sometimes its like this, though I do think my week will be fairly occupied. I have presentations, things to work on and plan. Anyways, I spent this weekend rewatching a series that I had brought with me from home: Cowboy Bebop. It's an anime--and before you laugh, listen: If there was ever a show that I wanted somebody to watch it would be this. Over anything, any show. I know that sounds ludicrous to some, and I guess it sounds ludicrous to me a bit, too, because there are amazing shows like Mad Men, Luther, Sherlock, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, House, The Office, Seinfeld, Scrubs, Frasier, ..I could go on and on. But there is something about the feel Cowboy Bebop  emits, a pulling in my gut. Laugh all you want. But don't knock it until you watch it.

For those that don't know what it's about here is the lowdown (to paraphrase wikipedia a bit): Set in a futuristic sci-fi world, in the year 2071, the show follows a crew of bounty hunters and their adventures aboard their starship, the Bebop. It beautifully blends the concept of the old west with the future space odyssey of travel with hyperspace gates, habitation of new planets--specifically Mars, which where the main population lives now--and old school jazz and blues. Sound like Firefly? Yeah... Cowboy Bebop was made in 1998. Firefly didn't come around until 2002, I believe. I always wondered if Joss Whedon was influenced by this show, even Orson Scott Card (writer of Ender's Game) made a comment about how similar they are in a recent interview. Doesn't matter. Both are amazing shows, and both are unique in their own merit. But you know in America--and I think this goes for mainly anywhere, but--we don't give enough credit to foreign creations, especially japanese creations. Okay wait, Final fantasy is a huge hit here and that's a Japanese Role-Playing Series, but still... not many people really delve into much more. I know I don't. And I want to, trying to expand my horizons with anything. Netflix helps. You can catch a lot of stuff you've never heard of on there.

Anyways, yes, Cowboy Bebop. I won't describe the rest of the plot. In some rare instance that you want to watch it, its on late on adult swim if you have cable, usually every night, I think.... It's not on Netflix.

Sigh...okay what am I really trying to accomplish within this blog post? I guess it's me dealing with the feelings the show evoked. I can't even describe how good it is. It is widely considered the greatest anime of all time, though that's up for debate, and its soundtrack is also considered to be a landmark masterpiece, voted number 1 as well. Let's just say it isn't like other animes. It is highly influenced by blues/rock/jazz--people like Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood movies like Dirty Harry, bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. There are significant elements of existentialism within this work. And a persistent theme that life is but a dream and when we die we awaken.  It's gritty. It's violent. It's emotional. And comical.

I think I know what bothers me so much about it, what is forcing me to make a post about it: I wish I would have written it. It's the first show ever that made me want to pick up and write something down immediately after I watched the ending. It's only 26 episodes, though most Japanese Animes are... I think... lol. It had that strong of an effect on me. I was parched for more of it. I said to myself, 'There is no way that's it. No way!'

Wrong.

Since it aired in America, which I believe was 2001, people have been dying to see more, and the director, Shiniciro Watanabe, initially denied that he would ever consider a continuation, and then over the years he slowly hinted at it in interviews, at conferences. Why? Because people won't leave him alone about it. It's a masterpiece. I mean people are still wanting more, and it's been over 14 years since it originally aired. Personally...I think he knew the ending from the moment he wrote the first episode, but as a writer I'm learning something: great stories, great characters--especially for a writer--are hard to let go. And it truly isn't the fans he's battling with. I think he's battling with himself. No, I've never met the man directly or know anything about him, but the way he references to the characters, to the possibility of seeing more Bebop, is the way a recovering alcoholic resists the bottle. He wants to, badly, but he's holding himself back. Once again--why? Because the ending was absolutely amazing; he doesn't want to ruin it. However, if I had to guess, in the fourteen year hiatus he's had from the show, I guarantee he's already written another 26 sessions in his head or somewhere just itching to put it down, to let producers hear it.

It's 2013 and apparently there is news that Shiniciro will be working with the music composers and producers of legendary show once more, hinting all the while that a new series is on the horizon with elements of a space action sci-fi comedy. Do I want more of this show? Yes, absolutely. Do I think it may be related to Cowboy Bebop? Yes, absolutely. Am I scared it will ruin everything? Yes, absolutely. But at this point I don't care. There is so much left he could do with it, so much. Some would completely disagree, saying that the series should stay as it is, but I don't know. I just really don't know...

I guess all I have to say is watch it and decide for yourself. Oh, and try not to love it. Seriously.

--Matt