The mark of the 1998 Anime space westerns part 3: Cowboy Bebop

Much has already been said and written about Cowboy Bebop. The characters, story and storyworld have been put under a magnifying glass by countless people. With the Netflix remake coming soon the influence of the show cannot be denied. Even 13 years after its debut many people remain fascinated by a show which, according to some, stands alone in the medium. I’m not here to discuss that. Instead I want to focus on what I think gives this show its stickiness: Atmosphere. This is the third part in my series on the 1998 space western anime. You can find part one on Trigun here and part two on Outlaw star here.

3, 2, 1 let’s jam!

The atmosphere of Cowboy Bebop

From the first episode it’s clear that this is a strange world. The unfamiliar scenes of spaceships travelling through hyperspace gates are blended with the familiarity of bar shootouts and smoking, lots of smoking. It might not be very far fetched to say that the smoke is the connecting tissue between the show’s western and noir elements with the science fiction part of it. Rickety space crafts are piloted by (smoking) gangsters and other dirty characters. In fact, the whole world seems to be filled with less than honest people. 

In this world we find Spike, Jet and Faye1. A strange group of bounty hunters or cowboys who hunt criminals of all shapes and sizes to claim the reward money. At first sight they seem to be on the good side of the law, but all of these characters are deeply flawed with a dark past. And while some are stuck in their past, others seem to just ignore it.

The portrayal of these characters, especially in combination with the close up shots, give us a picture of a world that is unfair. A world where the characters are disconnected, simply because they believe they cannot influence it anymore. They feel powerless and always return to the one place or mental state that they feel comfortable with. The Bebop itself is a relic that supports this notion. A ship that feels as lived in and looks like it’s flying on the fumes of the last earned reward. Much of the world is shown this way: dirty and gray. Especially in the episodes where we explore a bit of the characters history it looks like humanity is trying very hard to just sustain itself, rather than moving forward.

It’s Noir

This thick layer of Film Noir is all over Cowboy Bebop. The Britannica says this about the genre:  “Classic images of noir included rain-soaked streets in the early morning hours; street lamps with shimmering halos; flashing neon signs on seedy taverns, diners, and apartment buildings; and endless streams of cigarette smoke wafting in and out of shadows.”

This is the world of Cowboy Bebop in a nutshell. And it’s not just the images on screen, but also the music that empowers this feeling that the show is trying to convey to the viewer. While listened to out of context the OST might give you just the notion that it’s just blues or jazz, but combined with the imagery it creates a feeling of nostalgia. Nostalgia of an imaginary time long ago when the world was perhaps a more depressing place to live in. A world where characters make selfish decisions for their own benefit and nothing that lasts comes from it. 

Watching Cowboy Bebop is a good experience

Due to time constraints over the last few weeks rewatching the entire show to write a blog was a bit of a scary prospect for me. I already knew the episodes well enough to just start writing. And I probably would have been able to write an interesting piece in this anime western series, even if I wasn’t able to find a specific hook to start with.

But that notion left me as soon as the opening credits rolled on episode one. I could not suppress a big grin, knowing that watching the whole thing would be a good experience. I created time in my schedule to watch the entire series and wasn’t disappointed. The world and characters remain interesting; the shots feel important; and the music completes the bittersweet package. 

Though I am heavily biased when it comes to this show, I continually find that there’s something special with it. For me it is the combination of genre elements; the use of the animated medium and the nostalgic feeling of a time when I was younger. A time when the outside world seemed less detached then it is now. Perhaps that is a reason to watch the show. To remind yourself of that feeling and to realise that things aren’t as bad as they might seem. Because for all the detachment and somberness shown on screen, the music of this show shines a light of hope on the world that is sorely needed.

Should you watch it?

Somewhere on the background images of the commercial bumpers it says: “it’s not a kind of space opera; it’s a sort of space jazz.”

I believ that this is how you should approach this show. See it as a sort of jazz. Sometimes it’s slow and methodical and a few minutes later it’s a high energy dance. You alone can decide if this is for you, but you’ll never know if you like it if you haven’t tried. After rewatching this show, I can only conclude that Cowboy Bebop remains a staple in the medium. A character show where the characters don’t seem to progress that much over it’s 26 episode run. And that’s fine, given how contradictory it sounds. I also believe it was a good decision of the creators to end it. Sometimes it is just better to stop with a great project to let it live. Especially for Cowboy Bebop, since its ending allowed it to breathe amongst the community. And we now know the result of this decision. Cowboy Bebop remains a show that fascinates people like myself for many years to come.

Next month in the final part of this series I will put all previous parts together. And also comment on the value of doing a remake. Because I believe that there are valuable comments to make. See you then, space cowboy.


1. I’m not denying that Edward and Ein aren’t part of the crew. They play a different role in the show.

The mark of the 1998 Anime space westerns part 1: Trigun

The old west is dead. The frontiers we still have as humanity are arguably the deep sea and space, the final frontier. The western, with heroes riding their horses into the setting sun, rarely graces our screen. Instead the western genre has become a place of flawed characters, who defend our way of living by venturing to the edge of the abyss. Killing others who’ve fallen into it. It is in this context that we find three distinct anime. Three space westerns released in the same year: 1998. At a time when the change of the millennium was ever coming closer, we got three distinct storyworlds where the bad guys needed to be stopped: Trigun, Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop

I do not know if the writers of these shows all were inspired by the same sources like spaghetti westerns and sci fi movies, or that it was just a big coincidence they dropped in the same year. But the fact is that we have three entertaining space westerns who somehow ended up in multiple top 10 lists of 1998.1

While Cowboy Bebop still is one of the heralds of the animation medium, Trigun and Outlaw Star fly a little bit under the radar. I’ve been playing with the idea to bring these three shows into a similar spotlight. And it also provides an insight in why people prefer one over the other. So in the coming months I will dive into one anime per blog to see what the stickiness factor of each of these shows is. Note that there will be some spoilers.


Trigun and the power of facade

We see a deserted landscape. A post-apocalyptic view of dust and sand where humanity lives in small towns similar to the old west. The lightbulbs towering over the wooden and limestone houses tell us that this is not the world as we know it. This is the frontier of Trigun, where the highest bounty known has been issued on the head of Vash the Stampede. The humanoid Typhoon, who leaves destruction wherever he goes. The man is a legend and most people fear him. When they hear that Vash is in their town they either run or try to collect the bounty placed on him. Men and woman who tried all failed because when they encounter the main character of the show he doesn’t look like a dangerous killer, but like a stumbling idiot. 

Opening credits:

Yes, the main character of the show is not a homicidal maniac. He is a pacifist. But that doesn’t mean he can not be dangerous. He just prefers to solve his problems in a different manner. This facade, this way of presenting himself to the world is not just to make him look inconspicuous to people who encounter him. It is also to protect them from those that intend to harm him. Because those people, bounty hunters and desperate townsfolk alike usually destroy small cities in the process of assaulting Vash. Leaving the Bernadelli Insurance Company with ever-increasing costs to repair it. So they do the most sensible thing: send two girls to find The Humanoid Typhoon and try to sway him with donuts to limit the damage.

Evolving genre

At first glance Trigun seems like a comedy. Even the scenes depicted in the early part of the opening credits strengthen this image. But as the credits continue we see a more mature, serious and even threatening side of Vash. This is a great representation of the show as a whole. The series starts with a quite light-hearted and comedic tone which fades into the background later on. This starts at episode 12: Diablo, when the show becomes more serious and shows a darker side to Vash that we did not quite see before. The stakes are raised again for our main character in episode 17 where we learn of Vash’s tragic past and how the facade of the world around him is broken down as well. The first of Vash being a godlike alien being and the second that he is stuck on a planet with a remnant of humanity.

These are the two main instances where the show changes, or flips elements of the narrative to push the plot forward. The stakes rise for our main character. We learn a bit of his past and eventually get an view of the “end boss” of the show. But because Knives is a shadow in the background for most of the episodes, coupled with the lack of exposition this does quite hamper my enjoyment of the show.

Lack of worldbuilding

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed learning about the Vash as a character and watch him interact with the world. Which is especially important because we learn very little about the side characters. For example we know more of Wolfwood then we know of Milly, Meryl and perhaps even Knives. So it was a treat to learn about Vash’s past and how he sees the world around him. 

But the mentioned lack of plot and world exposition is in my opinion detrimental to the show. For me Trigun is now a villain of the week show where the backstory is only important to (A) push the plot in a new direction and (B) to finish the series.

I personally do not mind being left with questions about the workings of a world or the future of a character when a series concludes. But for me Trigun the anime leaves a bit too many questions unanswered. Like it desperately wants to uphold some facade after the final episode. Even if that one was an info dump on steroids.2

Should you watch it?

Having said all this, should you watch it? Well, Trigun is for you if you like a space western story with comedic elements. Even when it changes into a more serious tone later on the comedy will pop up. It is an interesting story about a lone gunman whose appearance is deceiving. Vash is not only enjoyable but honestly quite adorable to watch. And despite its flaws, Trigun is a show where the ending is true to its nature, even if you don’t expect it. Love and Peace!

Next month in part 2: Outlaw Star


1 Anime lists of 1998: IMDB, Anime News Network, Listal, Top-ten.tv

2 If you have questions after watching the show I recommend reading this fandom page. The manga section answers most questions I had.