A Reintroduction to Cowboy Bebop

An anime that used give me reasons to stay up late trying to catch episodes on Adult Swim. I was drawn to this anime by the opening song and the coolness personified that is Spike Spiegel. The show is filled with great music and characters that have been fleshed out that you grow attachted to. It is bittersweet that it comes to a close in 26 episodes and the later released movie did little to fill the void that was opened by the ending of this anime. Well we’re here so let’s jam.

The series protagonists are bounty hunters working from the spaceship Bebop. The original crew are Spike Spiegel, an exiled former hitman of the criminal Red Dragon Syndicate, and his partner Jet Black, a former ISSP officer. They are later joined by Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; Edward Wong, an eccentric girl skilled in hacking; and Ein, a genetically-engineered Pembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence. Over the course of the series, the team get involved in disastrous mishaps leaving them out of pocket, while often confronting faces and events from their past.

Spike Spiegel is the main protagonist of Cowboy Bebop. He is a bounty hunter on a spaceship called the Bebop. Spike was born on Mars. Spike is a slothful, listless, indifferent, and lazy character. He indeed passes the vast majority of his time on the Bebop lounging, watching TV, or sleeping. He usually behaves phlegmatically and walks slouching almost as if he is sleepwalking. He appears to be tormented by the ghosts of his past and has frequent nightmares. Spike has many talents and abilities, including very sharp eyesight, abnormally acute perception, and extraordinary luck. Spike makes use of sleight-of-hand techniques to win card games, pick pockets, and even to slip things onto other people unnoticed. Spike is also a pilot, and flies a converted Asteroid racer called Swordfish II which is armed with four machine guns, multiple missile launchers, and a single plasma cannon. Spike also repeatedly demonstrates an exceptionally sharp intellect, although he has a habit for neglecting to plan ahead, as noted by Jet.

Jet Black is a bounty hunter and a former member of ISSP. After retirement, Jet became the captain of a converted fishing vessel, the Bebop. Jet was born on Ganymede. Jet, reaching maturity, enlists in the Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP) and soon becomes an investigator. Due to the stubbornness he shows when he chases after criminals, he is nicknamed the Black Dog: the dog that bites its prey and never lets it go.Jet, as the senior member of the Bebop, is presented as mature, wise, and austere. He often gives wise advice to his companions and always shows great patience for their over the top attitudes. Jet is basically a good and thoughtful man who, while hiding his feelings, has a great affection for his own companions and thinks of them the same way of a family. Undoubtedly the most reliable member of the crew.

Faye Valentine is a wanted bounty head and a member of the bounty hunting crew aboard the Bebop. Faye was born on Earth. Faye is an opportunist, arrogant, selfish, and downright lazy character, spending most of her time taking care of her appearance rather than being helpful. She behaves very provocatively and often tries to seduce men for her own benefit, but she claims to hate to feel desired and is rarely seen romantically interested in someone.Faye basically doesn’t trust anyone who claims to be able to live without suffering and is used to never stay too long in the same place because of her creditors.

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV commonly called Ed, colloquially known as Radical Edward and born as Françoise Appledelhi a hacker prodigy from Earth. Ed develops a strong bond with Jet, who behaves towards her as sort of a father, and also with Faye. She is also the only one who seems to understand Ein, and the only one to treat him with respect, coming to consider him as her own pet. Ed has many attitudes manifested by an eccentric genius such as a great susceptibility to distraction, and a tendency to talk to herself aloud and sing nursery rhymes or other children’s popular culture. She could be considered sort of a “free spirit”, very fond of nature and open spaces. Her eccentric character, who often seems to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the primary source of humor in the anime.

Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi whose intelligence was greatly enhanced by a research facility. Ein is known as a “data dog.” Despite Ein’s enhanced intelligence, he remains incapable of speaking (other than barking). Because of this, his intelligence largely goes unnoticed.

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY…