Spring 1998

Effectively-balanced with high density action and light-hearted comedy, Cowboy Bebop is an area Western traditional and an homage to the graceful and improvised music it is named after.

Within the year 2071, humanity has colonized a number of of the planets and moons of the photo voltaic system leaving the now uninhabitable floor of planet Earth behind. The Inter Photo voltaic System Police makes an attempt to maintain peace within the galaxy, aided partially by outlaw bounty hunters, known as “Cowboys.” The ragtag group aboard the spaceship Bebop are two such people.

Mellow and carefree Spike Spiegel is balanced by his boisterous, pragmatic accomplice Jet Black because the pair makes a residing chasing bounties and amassing rewards. Thrown off beam by the addition of recent members that they meet of their travels—Ein, a genetically engineered, extremely smart Welsh Corgi; femme fatale Faye Valentine, an enigmatic trickster with reminiscence loss; and the unusual pc whiz child Edward Wong—the crew embarks on thrilling adventures that unravel every member’s darkish and mysterious previous little by little.

When Cowboy Bebop first aired in spring of 1998 on TV Tokyo, solely episodes 2, 3, 7-15, and 18 had been broadcast, it was concluded with a recap particular generally known as Yose Atsume Blues. This was because of anime censorship having elevated following the massive controversies over Evangelion, consequently a lot of the sequence was pulled from the air because of violent content material. Satellite tv for pc channel WOWOW picked up the sequence within the fall of that yr and aired it in its entirety uncensored. Cowboy Bebop was not a scores hit in Japan, however bought over 19,000 DVD items within the preliminary launch run, and 81,000 general. Protagonist Spike Spiegel received Finest Male Character, and Megumi Hayashibara received Finest Voice Actor for her function as Faye Valentine within the 1999 and 2000 Anime Grand Prix, respectively.

Cowboy Bebop‘s greatest affect has been in the USA, the place it premiered on Grownup Swim in 2001 with many reruns since. The present’s heavy Western affect struck a chord with American viewers, the place it turned a “gateway drug” to anime geared toward grownup audiences.