Cowboy Bebop One

The wait is finally over - the first volume of Shinichirô Watanabe’s classic 1998 anime series Cowboy Bebop has finally reached our great southern shores. Written by Keiko Nobumoto (Tokyo Dragon) and with character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto (Ghost in the Shell), this superb series was greeted with adulation by both Japanese and Western audiences alike, and has since appeared regularly on the Japanese Top 10 anime list of all time. So just what is all the fuss about?

The year is 2071 and, with the advent of hyperspace travel, humanity has spread its wings out into the solar system; escaping the polluted wreck of a planet from which it sprung. The problem, however, is that with so many newly inhabited worlds, and with such great distances separating them, the ability of the Solar System’s criminals to flee from justice has greatly increased. This proliferation of lawlessness has also swelled the ranks of professional bounty hunters; a profession where anyone with a fast ship, a big gun and few years of martial arts training can make a decent living. Or so it seems.

Roaring their way around the Solar System in a converted fishing ship ‘The Bebop’ are two such bounty hunters. The first, Spike Spiegel, is a wise-cracking, chain-smoking, Jeet Kun-Do master and former member of the Chinese Mafia. He’s the frontman for the pair’s little operation; the man of action. He’s the guy who flies the jets, kicks the arse, and gets the girls. His partner, Jet Black, remains behind the scenes and runs support. A former hard-nosed cop, Jet sports a robotic arm as testament to the his violent former life, and is satisfied to keep a low profile, maintaining their equipment, doing the cooking, and utilising his computing skills to dig up new jobs. Of course, he’s not averse to swooping in guns-a-blazing whenever Spike gets in over his head (which is often). Together they make a pretty good team, even if they can’t seem to turn the criminals they collar into cold hard cash. That a significant proportion of them seem to die in the attempt may be partly the reason...

Session #1: Asteroid Blues
With a bounty of two million woolongs being offered for the capture of the dangerous drug-trafficker ‘Asimov’, dead or alive, Jet and Spike head to Earth and the seedy Mexican den of Tijuana to bring him in. However, the drug Asimov and his beautiful girlfriend are peddling is no substance of pleasure. It is ‘Red-Eye’; a substance that, when administered directly into the eyes, produces razor sharp senses and reflexes, but also induces a tumultuous, berserker of a rage. Spike soon learns that this isn’t going to be the easy collar he first thought. Aah, a little help Jet, if you don’t mind...?

Session #2: Stray Dog Strut
Having stolen a precious commodity from a Martian research laboratory, Abdul Hakim (a nod to Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s towering character in Bruce Lee’s final film Game of Death) is on the run in the backstreets of Martian Chinatown. Seeking the irresistible eight million woolong bounty, Spike heads down to the surface of the planet. But soon he finds himself chasing not only the elusive Hakim, but a damned mangy dog into the bargain.

Session #3: Honky Tonk Woman
In search of a bit of R&R, Spike and Jet head to the Solar System’s biggest casino; operated, as it happens, by the Solar System’s biggest gangster. Spike is on a roll and everything is going great, until their paths cross that of the luscious Faye Valentine; a compulsive gambler who is down on her luck and is being forced to work at the casino to pay off her mammoth debt. Surprisingly, our heroes only become interested in this beautiful young minx when her considerable, erm... bounty, comes to light.

Session #4: Gateway Shuffle
A group of environmental terrorists calling themselves the ‘Space Warriors’, led by the infamous Twinkle Marie Murdoch, are holding the rich community of Ganymede to ransom, demanding an end to the hunting of the endangered delicacy - the Ganymede sea-rat. However, it soon becomes obvious that the group’s agenda is much bigger than first thought, and the human species itself is threatened. Can Spike and Jet save humanity and collect some large wads of cash into the bargain? Well, with the help of the busty (yet perky) Faye Valentine they just might!

Session #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels
Back down on Mars, the head of Spike’s old underworld syndicate the Red Dragons is murdered by the head of a rival clan - a mysterious man known only as ‘Vicious’. With a score to settle and a bounty to collect, Spike ignores Jet’s advice and heads back to his old stomping ground. But has his past finally caught up with him? In a wonderful climax reminiscent of John Woo’s The Killer, Spike goes at it Chow Yun-Fat style with dual 45s.

Wow, what a great series! Within five minutes of watching the first episode I was irreversibly and passionately hooked. Picture, if you will, a small bar called ‘El-Rey’ in a non-descript corner of Mexico. As the doors swing open, the interior is revealed to be an exact replica of the bar from Robert Rodruigez’s classic action film Desperado. While weather-worn old men play cards at a side table, in walks a man and woman not too dissimilar to Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. Then, in a beautifully choreographed, slow-motion sequence, the bar is attacked by machine-gun wielding goons and the interior explodes into a thousand splinters. God am I’m sucker for these kinds of insider references to other cult favourites (and classic action scenes no less)! And as I mentioned above, in these first five episodes alone we also see nods to Bruce Lee’s Game of Death, and the spectacular climax to John Woo’s The Killer.

Whilst concerned primarily with introducing the series’ main characters and their various dynamics, these first five episodes supply copious amounts of laughter and action. The structure of the series is also quickly established, with each episode providing a complete adventure and also (as we glimpse in session #5) adding to a number of much longer story arcs based around the shady past of each protagonist. And with a little kung-fu, sci-fi, bullet-ballet and comedy all thrown into the mix, Cowboy Bebop is certainly a series with something for everyone. Featuring strong male and female characters, it’s also the kind of series that will be enjoyed by male and female alike. And exhibiting high production values reminiscent of other series' with wide appeal such as Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop's impeccably written plots and witty, intelligent dialogue drag the viewer into each and every episode. In short, Cowboy Bebop is a magnificent anime series whose reputation is certainly well earned.

In terms of its animation quality, Cowboy Bebop sits at the higher end of the scale with regards to anime produced specifically for television. Despite some establishing sequences being re-used in almost every episode, none of the more typical cost-cutting techniques (such as stills) have been employed here. In general the series’ backgrounds exhibit a reasonable level of detail (for television) and the character animation, especially in the all–important action sequences, is wonderfully choreographed and beautifully fluid. Believe me, when Spike kicks arse, he seriously kicks! The character designs themselves are well thought out and beautifully realised, with each of the key individuals exhibiting a distinctive style, clothing and unique physical mannerisms. Spike just oozes rattlesnake cool, and the scantily clad yet very capable Faye Valentine balances female-empowerment with just a pinch of school-boy titillation.

Similarly, the series’ mechanical designs are unique, and more importantly believable, with future technologies such as space vehicles and hyperspace terminals not only well drawn, but presented in a realistic context. The decrepit nature of the Bebop and all Spike and Jet’s gear also adds an edge of realism. In addition to the more traditional animation techniques, CGI is used sparingly but to great effect in generating such things as the streaming tunnel of hyperspace, huge asteroids, and the spinning casino in Session #3.

In terms of the digital transfer, it’s getting pretty boring telling you week after week just how good Madman have become in their treatment of the animated medium, but goddamn is this another great transfer! The full-frame (obviously non-anamorphic) image is very close to perfect; exhibiting a full and vibrant palette that literally leaps off the screen and that is complimented by deep solid blacks. Beautiful and sharp without introducing any distracting aliasing, the considerable wealth of detail that the source material has to offer is here for all to see. Madman have also taken full advantage of the extra space afforded by the dual layer disc, with colours rendered without a hint of chroma noise, and only the very slightest hint of macro-blocking in one or two of the darker depictions of outer-space.

Overall, I’d have to say that volume 1 of Cowboy Bebop looks absolutely stunning. This is yet another fine job from Madman, and another boon for anime fans in our region.

To the delight of all anime fans, the release of the original Japanese soundtrack alongside the obligatory English dub is quickly becoming the standard for the DVD release of more recent anime titles. Thankfully, Cowboy Bebop is no exception, with both English and Japanese soundtracks sporting impressive two-channel Dolby Digital mixes that sound impressive through a Prologic decoder.

Certainly these mixes make good use of all virtual 4.1 tracks afforded them. Channel separation across the front and out to the rear channel is great with reasonable panning effects across and down the room as all manner of space and jet aircraft roar around the place. So too the rear channel is utilised almost constantly to carry a reasonable amount of ambient sound from the many and varied locations. At times Spike’s incessant whistling, some beautifully constructed echoes, and the dull hum of the Bebop fill the room. When the action heats up so does the mix with guns blazing from all directions, bullets ricocheting here there and everywhere, fists and feet thudding on baddies' skulls and explosions ripping through the room. The subwoofer is hardly quiet, adding its voice to the aforementioned roar of jet engines, the explosions and the odd clap of thunder, just to name a few.

Complimenting the rest of the soundtrack, Yoko Kanno’s sumptuous score also plays a large part in the overall experience that is Cowboy Bebop. Beginning with the series’ wonderfully jazzy theme song and its deep bass riffs, each episode is furnished with its own distinctive score. For session #1, a wonderful blues-based score accentuates the Tijuana location. For session #2 it’s cool African beats. For session #5 there’s even a touch of opera. And all, I might add, with a generous helping of guitar pop thrown into all episodes just for good measure.

Thankfully, the English language aspects of the disc are handled very well. Surprisingly, the group of English voice actors that Sunrise have employed are actually quite capable, and the original Japanese script has not been altered to any real extent during the translation. For those that prefer the original Japanese dialogue, Madman’s subtitles are clear and easy to read. All in all, Cowboy Bebop provides a great audio experience; certainly one that is at the high end of soundtracks produced for television, and one that makes the most of the limits imposed by a two-channel signal.

Featuring animated menus that are in keeping with the series’ retro title sequence, the disc also supplies a small number of extras that will be of minimal long-term interest.

• Character Introductions: (1:17) A fast-cut montage of snippets from the series provide an introduction to the five main characters Spike, Jet, Faye, Ein (the dog) and one that doesn’t appear in these first five episodes – the pint size Edward Wong. Unfortunately, although the original dialogue has been kept, there are no English subtitles.

• Spike’s Profile: Two pages of text giving some back story for Spike, as well as an image gallery comprising five stills taken from the series.

• Tank! Music Video: (3:34) the Jazz fusion theme song to Cowboy Bebop is here in all its glory, with tons of footage from the series to keep it racing along.

• Madman Propaganda: Trailers for some current and upcoming Madman releases, the much anticipated Vampire Hunter D-Bloodlust, Gundam Wing, Robotech, Love Hina and my personal favourite, Rurouni Kenshin.

Despite the weird title, Cowboy Bebop is one of the most enjoyable anime series' ever produced. A bold statement, I know, but with its deft mix of humour and action, plus a dash of titillation, it’s a bloody hard act to beat. This is a series with a little something for everyone; certainly a great way for the anime novice to get themselves hooked, and everything the hardened anime fan has dreams about. My recommendation is to go out and see it at all costs, or for only a couple of woolongs, go out and grab yourself these first five episodes on our beloved format.