Born from an idea by Shinichiro Watanabe, the anime of Cowboy Bebop it still ranks among the high points in anime history. With a hybrid nature between noir and sci-fi, the adventure of the characters on board the Bebop has won over millions of spectators over the years, but perhaps not everyone is aware of these 10 curiosities.
Let’s start with a reference to one of the pillars of science fiction serialization, Star Trek, which the authors were inspired by for the cryogenicization of Faye Valentine, who woke up in a world different from the one she was used to. With regard to Spike, however, the source of inspiration was the Japanese actor Yusaku Matsudaand particularly in his role as Shunsaku Kundo in the series Tantei Monogatari from 1979.
Staying aboard the Bebop, the friendly corgi Ein was expressly wanted by one of the screenwriters of the series, and character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto took his friend’s dog as inspiration. Moving on to anecdotes and details about the production, Shinichiro Watanabe he treated each episode as if it were a short film, a story in itself compared to the others, with a story that develops and ends in a few minutes. This is because he wanted to address different themes, different situations, throughout the entire series.
The character of Ed was initially thought of as a boy, but the desire to create a balance between men and women in the team ended up changing the initial idea. Shinichiro Watanabe confirmed that Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy, another series directed by him, are set in the same universe. Even today, the soundtrack composed by Yoko Kanno remains one of the strong points of the series, and what not many people know is that she finished creating it long before the designs of the protagonists were even defined. Those notes, in fact, ended up heavily influencing the appearance of the characters, their personalities and, in some ways, even their personal journey.
Given the period of airing of the series in the United States, and the event of September 11, 2001, episode 22, in which a terrorist planted explosives in skyscrapers, was not originally broadcast out of respect for the tragedy of the Twin Towers. The opening theme features writings that together form a message where we can read the authors’ desire to create something original and non-traditional. Mission accomplished.
In conclusion, At the time of its first broadcast in Japan, Cowboy Bebop faced many challenges. First of all, she was relegated to the second evening, and this already greatly limited the audience. Secondly, the mix of genres such as sci-fi, western and noir did not convince those who had managed to see a few episodes. The reception abroad, however, especially in Europe and the USA, ended up making Japanese spectators also rediscover the uniqueness of the space adventure on board the Bebop.
Finally, we leave you with 5 anime to watch if you are a Star Wars fan, including Cowboy Bebop, and an excellent Faye Valentine cosplay.
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