Let's watch! Cowboy Bebop

[Socratov]

That was a brilliant move and my favorite scene of the episode.

the look on the dude's face said it all really. No subtitles or dub necessary. We can all gather the same 4 letters the face tried to express. That was indeed a good scene and I think one of the most beautiful things on screen so far was Spike falling down and looking up while above him the church's second story explodes in a torrent of fire. It was beautiful and poetic.

[Calemyr]

Well, I think Ballad of Fallen Angels (see post above) start to explain why. I mean, if you have had a pretty hefty trauma and experienced some quite tragic loss then you might just become desensitised and apathetic.

Yeah, it does do a lot to explain why. His history with Vicious certainly demonstrates to him that life doesn't give a rat's ass about your plans. However, as I said, I think it's his core nature. In Waltz for Venus he states his fighting style is like water, flowing and improvising with the changing circumstance with every second, and I don't think there's any indication that he's ever been any different. That's why he works so well with (and against) characters like Jet and Vicious.

Spoiler: Minor but obvious spoiler about Vicious

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Vicious is Family rather than family, if you know what I'm sayin'.

That said, I do love how they treat Faye. She's not a useless perma-hostage (like, say, Princess Peach), but she's also far more ambitious than she should be so she's not all that effective either. Most female characters are either walking perfection or completely useless and Faye just manages to be "one of the guys" by being very good while regularly biting off more than she can chew (just like Spike and Jet).

[DigoDragon]

It was beautiful and poetic.

It was. And the music they put to it was an interesting choice. So soft and soothing played against a burning chapel. That's art. :D

[CarpeGuitarrem]

That music piece ("Greenbird") is absolutely wonderful.

And I think you'll enjoy a good number of the upcoming ones. The Yakuza plot isn't threaded through every single episode, but you get some great standout episodes. I'm a fan of the next one.

(Also curious to see what you make of Toys in the Attic.)

[Eldan]

Yeah. Looking at it, from here on out it's a lot of hits and few misses. And the misses still aren't terrible.

[Socratov]

Yeah, it does do a lot to explain why. His history with Vicious certainly demonstrates to him that life doesn't give a rat's ass about your plans. However, as I said, I think it's his core nature. In Waltz for Venus he states his fighting style is like water, flowing and improvising with the changing circumstance with every second, and I don't think there's any indication that he's ever been any different. That's why he works so well with (and against) characters like Jet and Vicious.

Spoiler: Minor but obvious spoiler about Vicious

Show

Vicious is Family rather than family, if you know what I'm sayin'.

That said, I do love how they treat Faye. She's not a useless perma-hostage (like, say, Princess Peach), but she's also far more ambitious than she should be so she's not all that effective either. Most female characters are either walking perfection or completely useless and Faye just manages to be "one of the guys" by being very good while regularly biting off more than she can chew (just like Spike and Jet).

Tomato, tomato. And yes, it's rare to see a competent, yet not incredibly successful female character. I like how they do it. It makes for bit more believable story. (note how I don't use realistic here?)

It was. And the music they put to it was an interesting choice. So soft and soothing played against a burning chapel. That's art. :D

You mean Art? But yes, interesting choice, however, it has been done before and not just once either. In literature this stylistic element is called the antithesis which, despite its information poorer form it actually increases the impact of detail. it's the stylistic 'Less is more'. When used sparingly it's awesome and very enriching to a story. Another visual medium that has done this well is Requiem for a Dream. If you haven't seen this movie, do. If not entertaining it's certainly educating on what not to do.

That music piece ("Greenbird") is absolutely wonderful.

And I think you'll enjoy a good number of the upcoming ones. The Yakuza plot isn't threaded through every single episode, but you get some great standout episodes. I'm a fan of the next one.

(Also curious to see what you make of Toys in the Attic.)

We'll see

[DigoDragon]

(Also curious to see what you make of Toys in the Attic.)

My favorite episode. Second is Mushroom Samba.

Probably says a bit about me.

[Eldan]

I must be sentimental. My favourite are the trio of Faye-background episodes.

[Socratov]

I must be sentimentalgoing soft. My favourite are the trio of Faye-background episodes.

fixed that for you

[Eldan]

I'm not going soft. I've always been soft.

[Socratov]

I'm not going soft. I've always been soft.

same difference

[CarpeGuitarrem]

My favorite episode. Second is Mushroom Samba.

Probably says a bit about me.

You're a very special person.

I must be sentimental. My favourite are the trio of Faye-background episodes.

Hard Luck Woman is my absolute favorite episode of the series, I think. Eggs, yo.

[GPuzzle]

MUSHROOM SAMBA! That episode was silly-fun. And that does say a lot about you, Digo - but hat the heck, your campaign quotes already did.

[DigoDragon]

You're a very special person.

Yup. ...wait.

And that does say a lot about you, Digo - but hat the heck, your campaign quotes already did.

Heh, then I guess there's no doubt there. ^^;

[TeChameleon]

Hah... yay, someone new to Cowboy Bebop doing a Let's Watch! Longtime favourite of mine, and I think the series that really got me into anime in the first place.

I wouldn't say that it was a series that was particularly standout in terms of plot... if anything, it's kind of vanilla in that regard. However, it more than makes up for that in sheer, raw style. Gorgeous animation (the movie has what are arguably the best-animated dogfight and best-animated martial-arts fight ever put to film), a pitch-perfect visual aesthetic and design sense, exquisite timing, and of course that magnificent music.

... and I have to admit, the theme for the Blue Crow Bar from the episode Jupiter Jazz ('Goodnight Julia'), is one of the only pieces of music that can pretty consistently hit me right in the 'sorry, something in my eye' spot.

[Kalmageddon]

That music piece ("Greenbird") is absolutely wonderful.

A lot of music from Cowboy Bebop is just amazing.
"Rain" even got sampled by a famous hip-hop artist, Tech N9ne, for one of his songs.

[Socratov]

Episode 6: Sympathy for the Devil

• smooth wake-up call by way of fantastic baselines and a nice bit of copper.
• creepy operation, I'm guessing organ trade.
• Faye, you are really stupid right? You don't eat a dog's food and tell him to get his own. that's just stupid. Because Ein will.
• Spike meets an old friend? Must have been a good one since he can just call him fatty.
• Haha! Karma bitch!
• Ah the kid is an eternally young dude. Seems plausible with the surgery thing. I'm guessing he is the referenced devil. What with the music and the line about his age and all.
• Oh, it's not the surgery, but a hyperspace screwup that caused him to live forever.
• Damnit Spike, it's not good to first shoot his weapon out of his hands, and then miss the rest of your mag.
• they are making it appear Spike is going to die, but he needs to last a couple more so I'm not worried.
• Cool ageing effect. Apparently the only thing to do is to put a bullet made from a pink gem into a bullet and shoot him with it.
• Well, at least he's happy. You know, I'd rather called this episode 'Who wants to live forever', instead of sympathy for the devil. it seems more fitting somehow.

Hm, not a long list this time. It stands in such stark contrast with the previous episode. I mean this one even had some plot holes. Spike's shooting for instance. In the previous episode and this one he is being established as a pretty good to fantastic shot. Unless he is supposed to miss, then he can't hit a tea cosy on a high tea. Besides, if the boy has been researched and indeed sports eternal life then you'd think he'd be famous, right? Besides, a 10 y/o boy doesn't have the strength to keep a magnum .50 sized gun steady with one hand, let alone swing it around as if it's made from plastic. It's a bit nit picky, but this is how I feel about this episode. Which is a shame because the title really set me up for greatness (unconscious link to the song, you know).

Now the good parts: Faye and Ein. Love the chemistry there. Faye, Jet and the bill of expenses. And I liked how Spike saved the guy's bacon by catching him on his thingie, only for his bounty to die on him. It was both tragic and funny.

5.5/10 - this only just passed the mark. the episode had some great points, but they were eclipsed by a weak episode plot. I am guessing this one of those 'miss' episodes. But it's said that there are only a few of them, so, one down and statistically more 'hits' to follow.

By the way, loved the way they previewed the next episode.

[Eldan]

I don't even remember this episode much, I must say. However, it is important for a few background details it sets up for later.

[Socratov]

I don't even remember this episode much, I must say. However, it is important for a few background details it sets up for later.

Well, it does establish 3 things: up until now Faye has been a freeloader, Spike can shoot very well if he can be bothered en Jet is quite handy with tech.

[Eldan]

Not character building, though that's nice too. World building.

[Brewdude]

Caught up to this thread just in time.

Episode 5 is pretty much the make or break episode. The church sequence is some of the best music/action I've seen in any media anywhere (including the end of Portal 2). If you don't like cowboy beebop by episode 5, then it's probably not for you.

Episode 4 and 6 is all about the world (solar system?) building: how gates work, that the moon exploded, that some people caught in that explosion don't age.

Yer in for a ride. :)

[Feytalist]

Bebop has a couple of really weird episodes. This one is one of them. (Pierrot le Fou is another. Also; Toys in the Attic.)

It helps that so much of the show homages other iconic scenes and movies. See: the previous episode's church shootout for John Woo's The Killer.

The more, err... logical episodes are my favourites. (As is the film, as I previously mentioned.)

[Psyren]

Pierrot Le Fou is awesome.

But really, my favorite episodes are anything with Vicious. I love villains like that. (I also loved Knives from Trigun, though Legato was really my favorite character.)

(Actually, I wonder if they should next do a "FMA Brotherhood/SM Crystal" style modernized remake of Trigun that follows the manga?)

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Spoiler: Off-Topic Trigun Stuff

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(Actually, I wonder if they should next do a "FMA Brotherhood/SM Crystal" style modernized remake of Trigun that follows the manga?)

The creator's talked about wanting to get Trigun Maximum made as a series, but as I recall, there haven't been enough sales to justify it. Last I heard, they were hoping to see if the movie made enough of a splash to maybe raise the possibility, but I don't think it did.

[Cristo Meyers]

(Also curious to see what you make of Toys in the Attic.)

My favorite episode. Second is Mushroom Samba.

Probably says a bit about me.

Toys was the first episode I saw, way back when this was shown on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

I was hooked immediately.

[Psyren]

My first was Mushroom Samba and I pretty much wrote off the entire series because of it for months.

Then later on I gave it another shot with Ballad of Fallen Angels, which convinced me that there was more to the show. Jamming With Edward is really what hooked me though.

Spoiler: Off-Topic Trigun Stuff

Show

The creator's talked about wanting to get Trigun Maximum made as a series, but as I recall, there haven't been enough sales to justify it. Last I heard, they were hoping to see if the movie made enough of a splash to maybe raise the possibility, but I don't think it did.

FUUUU-

[DigoDragon]

World building.

A little detail I like about the "world" is that there is no magic gravity on spaceships like the Bebop. It has a rotating section to simulate gravity for the main living area, but other areas like the bridge leave passengers floating.

[Lost Demiurge]

Ah, good, you got to Ballad of Fallen Angels.

Yeah, this is the iconic episode of the series, for me. It's the one I show for people who don't want to watch the whole thing, but are like "What's with all the fuss about Cowboy Bebop?" The choreography, the script, the art and above all the MUSIC.

Sure, the series is overall silly, but every now and then it gets serious, and when it does, it's usually awesome.

Don't get me wrong, the silly's fun too, but not usually as good. Well, except for someone who you'll meet later, who's pure distilled joy.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Yeah, this is the iconic episode of the series, for me. It's the one I show for people who don't want to watch the whole thing, but are like "What's with all the fuss about Cowboy Bebop?" The choreography, the script, the art and above all the MUSIC.

I'd give that honor to a much later episode, however...said episode is a bunch of massive emotional payoff from the earlier episodes.

[Socratov]

Episode 7: Heavy Metal Queen

• Time for some nightly jamming. Great start with the congas, bass guitar and brass. Seriously, I'm starting to want to get married to that baseline.
• Stark contrast with the metal now, that's for sure.
• You know, if it wasn't a train like vehicle, I'd almost thought someone was compensating for something...
• It seems we get some sort of tough guy routine.
• BWAAAHAAAA! Hungover Spike looks funny! I mean, I know what he is going through (having bested some of the bigger specimen of the felidae alcoholidae (explanation below) myself on numerous occasions, but still, he looks so damn funny when hungover.
• I'm guessing Faye isn't much better. she does get lucky though.
• Or so it seems.
• You know, this might be the first mention of (apparent) nerds becoming the top dogs. I mean, the dude doesn't exactly look like the top dog. I'd rather expected to find him in some computer lab or something.
• Meanwhile Spike is not amused and decides to clean the place up.
• Ein isn't amused as well.
• Funny to see Beefeaters Gin is still in business *grin*
• *grin* Now this is only funny if you speak Dutch. You see, in Dutch a hangover is a "kater", which incidently is also the word for a male cat. So the fact that a)most hangovers take place in your head, b) it's called a "kater" (the a pronounced like the 'a' in rather when pronounced by an upperclass brit) in Dutch, c) Spike now has a literal cat on his head, amuses me. Some say puns are the lowest form of humour (like sarcasm is rumoured to be the lowest form of wit), I find that masterfully crafted puns are just gorgeous. This, ladies and gentlemen, is one such example.
• By the way, I'm taking a stab at the dark here, but Spike is going to guess VT's name and use the money to live another day (and fix the mini ships)
• Jet, meanwhile, has joined the party of not being pleased at all. Good, now the main crew is at least in the same mood.
• Now this is cool! Drifting with spacetrucks!
• Ooh! Explosives! And Ein trying to run in weightlessness. thanks for pointing it out DigoDragon!
• there goes the bounty. At least they can save someone and guess their name...
• Faye finally saying something smart: "This is a delicate operation and I'm not suited for delicate operations".
• Spike, even when the laws of physics aren't really followed to the letter, this is still a Very Bad Idea(tm). As in catastrophically bad.
• Aha, that's the story. And Spike, you could at least go at it for 50/50. Or at least something to repair your material...
• I may be late observing this, but Spike+Faye seems to be shaping up for a apathy+Tsundere couple...

So, this episode was decent. Not great, but certainly not bad at all. Ok, the bad things. First off: Space is not anything like water hmkay? and even if you cover your ears, nose and mouth, your tear ducts are connected to your nose, so don't bother. Second, I find it funny how Faye used to be quite smart and such, but recently has caught the dumb. Oh, and the plot wasn't entirely strong and quite predictable. Some stuff I could see coming down a kilometer away.

I loved the metal. I mean, I'm by no means a metalhead but this wasn't the bad-for-non-metal-listeners-metal, but if you don't mind my phrasing easy-listening-metal. And I liked Ein moving his paws back and forth while in a no-gravity-zone, very funny. Also, Faye dropping the idiot ball for a second and commenting on how stupid the move with the explosive is. I also find it funny how in a very subtle way the crew is getting more and more adjusted to each other.

All in all a solid 7/10.