Cowboy Bebop: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective

Cowboy Bebop was an instant favorite of mine. Growing up, Cartoon Network was my channel, and I always stayed up late so inevitably Boomerang and Adult Swim came on, I'd always see an episode of Mobile Suit Gundam or Harvey Birdman, but at that age and at that time of night I didn't recollect much. It was much later on in my life, Senior year of high school that I discovered the familiar tune and faces of the characters. When I sat down to actually watch it though, I felt a connection to the human condition like I'd never experienced. It was one of those pieces of work that made me take a pause to appreciate and say damn, that's art.

There are so many facets to what makes it appealing and engaging to a universal audience. Set in space following the lives of a few bounty hunters just trying to eat, the themes are simple and relatable yet conveyed in realms outside of reality. Mixed with the creator's love for Western Music, it establishes a cool blues tone to the stories. It's a space noir if I may say so. The music broke barriers for advances in styles and incorporating music to enhance the action of a scene. Nothing is more rushing watching a shoot-out or space dogfight with the rush of a jazz band backing up the action.

For me, the unique characters who all come together from twisted dark paths was what first made me notice it's quality. Each live interesting enough lives to rest an entire episode storyline in, usually character stories will intertwine, but it's never set to a pattern, it's all casual, unpredictable, and realistic as can be.