Ask John: Is Cowboy Bebop Still Relevant?

Question:
Is Cowboy Bebop still relevant? And are there any modern day classics of its caliber?

Answer:
This is a fascinating question because it addresses a point that’s relevant to every anime fan, but a point which anime fans often don’t consciously realize. I’ll sum it up with the adage, “classics are timeless.” The fact that a particular work is no longer a frequently discussed, or fans have become blasé over a particular work does nothing to diminish its innate qualities. An anime production that exhibits excellent literary and cinematic qualities will always be excellent. Certain anime may be dated or may become a historical landmark of their time – for example Speed Racer or Space Cruiser Yamato – but other stylistically timeless works like Nausicaa and Lupin the 3rd: Cagliostro’s Castle, Jubei Ninpucho, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Cowboy Bebop are ageless works that are as impressive now as they were when they were new. After all, animation quality is theoretically finite. It’s possible for a vintage anime production to have animation quality as good or better than anything contemporary because the number of hand drawn frames used to make fluid animation is a constant number that doesn’t change with time or technology. Similarly, the human artistic capacity to create absorbing narrative stories isn’t a variable that has changed significantly within the past half-century.

Rather than speak in general terms, I should concentrate on Cowboy Bebop. The 1998 Cowboy Bebop anime was a thinly disguised recreation of Lupin the Third set in outer space and imbued with the 70s jazz and crime action movie tone that the Lupin the 3rd anime originally exemplified. Spike Spiegel shared Lupin’s jacket, tie, tall and lanky build, and penchant for keeping a cool head while getting into dangerous situations. Jet Black emulated Jigen, the elder, grizzled gunslinger. Ed mirrors the loner expertise of Goemon. And Faye Valentine is virtually a reincarnation of Fujiko’s sultry and self-serving demeanor. While the show wasn’t the only technically impressive work from the year – other memorable debuts from 1998 include Serial Experiments Lain and Blue Sub No. 6 – it was significantly more visually and stylistically impressive than many of its contemporaries, such as DT Eightron, Lost Universe, YAT Anshin! Uchuu Ryokou, and Weiss Kreuz.

Especially during the late 1990s Cowboy Bebop was a technical marvel because it was so much more vividly realized than most anime of the time. In addition to just its memorable characters and character design, Cowboy Bebop illustrated a believable world filled with small, realistic details and colors. And the show’s pacing, editing, musical score, and its exuberant eagerness to deal with unusual concepts in unusual ways made Cowboy Bebop unique and fascinating. Cowboy Bebop succeeded in creating an energetic, atmospheric, absorbing universe, while later shows including Samurai Champloo and Coyote Ragtime Show failed because Cowboy Bebop effortlessly and seamlessly created its engrossing atmosphere. Later attempts like Samurai Champloo and Coyote Ragtime Show felt obviously manipulative and artificial.

The very fact that Cowboy Bebop was able to create magic that later series haven’t been able to emulate is evidence that Cowboy Bebop is still just as good now as it was in 1998. Although it’s largely taken for granted in America’s fan community now, and long since forgotten in Japan’s fan community, the show still has every bit of its power to enthrall viewers and serve as an example of the engrossing ability that’s unique to anime. In 1998 Cowboy Bebop was something fresh, original despite its obvious influences, and impressive. It was relevant then as a high water mark for the artistic and creative ability of the anime industry at the time.

Now, nearly ten years later, Cowboy Bebop is still a very relevant show. It remains a valuable introductory anime for novice viewers; it has become one of the respected pillars of the definition of anime for American fans; and it now serves as a measuring stick for other anime to compare to. Particularly in the Japanese fan community, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi may be the similarly empowered landmark anime series of the 2000s because Suzumiya Haruhi represents the bright, cheerful, and social aspects of anime that characterize Japanese interest in anime, opposed to the melancholy, literally darker colored, more solitary and violent image of anime that Cowboy Bebop defines for American fans. If anything may be the present day iconic rival of Cowboy Bebop for American fans, it’s Death Note. The Death Note anime stands in stark contrast to the contemporary typical image of anime – stylized and colorful bishoujo romantic and adventurous comedy. Death Note enthralled American fans with its twisting narrative, striking visual design, and evocative moral and philosophical quandaries. It may yet take some time to decide if Death Note really is the modern heir to Cowboy Bebop’s position as an iconic, landmark title, but that very fact illustrates how incomparable Cowboy Bebop is. Despite Cowboy Bebop’s weaknesses (I’ve never thought that the show was flawless), the fact that it remains one of a small handful of evergreen titles that define anime for American viewers confirms that it’s undeniably still a powerful and relevant title, even though it’s not spoken of as frequently in American fan circles as it once was, and isn’t as prominent in the consciousness of American fans as it once was.