Cowboy Bebop

Japanese media franchise

Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese anime television show aired from 1998 to 1999. It was created by Sunrise and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. The show is about a group of bounty hunters who travel in outer space to catch criminals. It has 26 episodes. The series has received a TV-14 rating in the United States, while six episodes received a TV-MA and three episodes receiving a TV-PG. The series aired in the United States in 2001 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It was the first anime to be aired on Adult Swim. It was very successful. It was so successful that Cartoon Network decided to put more anime on Adult Swim. There is a movie, a manga, and two video games based on the show. The movie is called Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door. The video games are for Playstation and Playstation 2 were not released in the United States. The series is inspired by American culture. Jazz music is mostly played in the show. The episodes are called "Sessions."

Cowboy Bebop
Title card of the anime television series
カウボーイビバップ
(Kaubōi Bibappu)
GenreNeo-noir,[a] space Western[b]
Manga
Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star
Written byCain Kuga
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
DemographicShōjo
MagazineMonthly Asuka Fantasy DX
Original runSeptember 18, 1997June 18, 1998
Volumes2 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byShinichirō Watanabe
Produced byMasahiko Minami
Kazuhiko Ikeguchi
Written byKeiko Nobumoto
Music byYoko Kanno
StudioSunrise
Licensed by
Anime Limited
Original networkTV Tokyo, Wowow
English network
Viceland
Adult Swim (Toonami)
Original run TV Tokyo Broadcast
April 3, 1998 – June 26, 1998
WOWOW Broadcast
October 24, 1998
April 24, 1999
Episodes26 (12 Episodes and a Special for its TV Tokyo Broadcast) (List of episodes)
Manga
Written byYutaka Nanten
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
NA
Tokyopop
DemographicShōjo
MagazineMonthly Asuka Fantasy DX
Original runOctober 18, 1998February 18, 2000
Volumes3 (List of volumes)
Anime film
  • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Story

In 2071, the members of the space ship Bebop travel through outer space trying to catch criminals. Bounty hunters are known as "Cowboys". If they catch the criminals alive then they get a reward. If the criminals die, the cowboys get nothing. The criminals are called bounties. Most episodes are about catching a bounty. Some episodes are about the characters' pasts and lives. At the beginning there are two main heroes, Spike and Jet. Later they would meet with others. They had become the crew of the space ship Bebop. Other members of the Bebop are Faye, computer hacker Ed, and a dog named Ein.

Characters

  • Spike Spiegel is the main character. He is a master in shooting and martial arts, and is also a good pilot. He is voiced by Koichi Yamadera in the Japanese version and Steven Blum in the English version.
  • Jet Black is a former detective and is the owner of the Bebop. He is voiced by Unsho Ishizuka in the Japanese version and Beau Billingslea in the English version.
  • Faye Valentine is a novice fighter with a gambling addiction. She joins the crew of the Bebop uninvited. She is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara in the Japanese version and Wendee Lee in the English version.
  • Edward is a female character who likes to hack into computers, and walk on her hands. She is voiced by Aoi Tada in the Japanese version and Melissa Fahn in the English version. Her full name is Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV.
  • Ein is a pet dog. He is very smart because scientists did experiments on him. Ein cannot speak, but he seems to understand what people say. He also knows how to play the board game Go.
  • Vicious is a villain voiced by Norio Wakamoto in the Japanese version and Skip Stellrecht in the English.
  • Julia is Spike's love interest. She is voiced by Gara Takashima in the Japanese version and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in the English version.
  • Punch and Judy. Punch is voiced by Tsutomu Taruki in the Japanese version and Paul St. Peter in the English version. Judy is voiced by Miki Nagasawa in the Japanese version and Lia Sargent in the English version. The name Punch and Judy comes from the popular British puppet show.

Episode List

EpisodeTitle
Episode 1Asteroid Blues
Episode 2Stray Dog Strut
Episode 3Honky Tonk Woman
Episode 4Gateway Shuffle
Episode 5Ballad of Fallen Angels
Episode 6Sympathy for the Devil
Episode 7Heavy Metal Queen
Episode 8Waltz for Venus
Episode 9Jamming with Edward
Episode 10Ganymede Elegy
Episode 11Toys in the Attic
Episode 12Jupiter Jazz, Part One
Episode 13Jupiter Jazz, Part Two
 
EpisodeTitle
Episode 14Bohemian Rhapsody
Episode 15My Funny Valentine
Episode 16Black Dog Serenade
Episode 17Mushroom Samba
Episode 18Speak Like a Child
Episode 19Wild Horses
Episode 20Pierrot Le Fou
Episode 21Boogie Woogie Feng Shui
Episode 22Cowboy Funk
Episode 23Brain Scratch
Episode 24Hard Luck Woman
Episode 25The Real Folk Blues, Part One
Episode 26The Real Folk Blues, Part Two

Notes

References

Other websites