"Kaubôi bibappu" (1998) TV series

User Rating:

9.4/10   

Creator:

Hajime Yatate
(more)

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

8 January 2003 (Germany)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

The futuristic adventures of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Ex Cop | Corgi | Futuristic | Police

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 26	4:00 AM	TOON
Sun. Aug. 2	4:00 AM	TOON

Cast

Steve Blum	...	Spike Spiegel (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Beau Billingslea	...	Jet Black (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Spike Spiegel (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Unshô Ishizuka	...	Jet Black (26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Wendee Lee	...	Faye Valentine (24 episodes, 1998-1999)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Faye Valentine (24 episodes, 1998-1999)
Melissa Fahn	...	Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV (16 episodes, 1998-1999)
Aoi Tada	...	Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV / ... (16 episodes, 1998-1999)

(more)

Series Directed by
Shinichirô Watanabe		(26 episodes, 1998-1999)
Yoshiyuki Takei		(2 episodes, 1998-1999)

Series Writing credits
Keiko Nobumoto		(1 episode, 1998)
Sadayuki Murai		(1 episode, 1999)
Marc Handler		(unknown episodes)
Akihiko Inari		(unknown episodes)
Dai Sato		(unknown episodes)
Shinichirô Watanabe		(unknown episodes)
Ryota Yamaguchi		(unknown episodes)
Hajime Yatate		(unknown episodes)
Michiko Yokote		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Tsunetoshi Koike	....	associate producer (1 episode, 1998)
Ryo Miyaki	....	assistant producer (1 episode, 1998)
Jerry Chu	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Kazuhiko Ikeguchi	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Haruyo Kanesaku	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Richard Kekahuna	....	assistant producer (unknown episodes)
Osamu Maseba	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Yutaka Maseba	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Charles McCarter	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Masahiko Minami	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Miyuki Ogino	....	assistant producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Yôko Kanno		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Yoichi Ogami		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Tomoaki Tsurubuchi		(1 episode, 1998)
Makoto Imazuka		(unknown episodes)
Shinichi Sugawara		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Jun'ichi Higashi		(unknown episodes)

Series Set Decoration by
Isamu Imakake		(unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yoshiyuki Takei	....	unit director (1 episode, 1998)
Shinichirô Watanabe	....	unit director (1 episode, 1998)
Hirokazu Yamada	....	assistant unit director (1 episode, 1998)

Series Art Department
Shinichirô Watanabe	....	storyboard artist (2 episodes, 1998)
Isamu Imakake	....	set designer (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Katsuyoshi Kobayashi	....	sound director (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Toshio Hasegawa	....	special effects (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Mami Kumasawa	....	photographer: Asahi Production (1 episode, 1998)
Youhei Sakurai	....	photographer: Asahi Production (1 episode, 1998)
Keiko Sato	....	photographer: Asahi Production (1 episode, 1998)
Yoshio Sugisawa	....	photographer: Asahi Production (1 episode, 1998)
Nobutaka Taguchi	....	assistant camera (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Masami Goto	....	animation director / key animator: opening / ... (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Kôichi Horikawa	....	animator / key animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Yoshiyuki Itô	....	animator / key animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Koichi Iwanaga	....	animation checker (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Takahiro Komori	....	animation director / key animator / ... (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Tadaaki Miyata	....	animator / key animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Yutaka Nakamura	....	animator / key animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Hiroshi Ôsaka	....	animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Tsunenori Saitô	....	animator / key animator (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Hideyuki Motohashi	....	animation director (2 episodes, 1998)
Tomoko Tanifuji	....	animator: Studio Live (2 episodes, 1998)
Kaori Fujii	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Seiichi Hashimoto	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Animeya Honpo	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Nobuaki Ishihara	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Kunihiko Ito	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Akira Itoman	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Nobuo Kajiwara	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Hironori Kanno	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Akira Matsunaga	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Sadako Minamisawa	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Yuji Mishayita	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Hiroyuki Mori	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Eiji Nakata	....	key animator (unknown episodes)
Shizuko Nakata	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Takahiro Omori	....	key animator: opening animation (unknown episodes)
Yasuhiro Seo	....	animator (unknown episodes)
Aya Shimizu	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Kenya Shimizu	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Tomoko Takahashi	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Toshiyuki Tokuda	....	background artist (unknown episodes)
Kimitoshi Yamane	....	mechanical designer (unknown episodes)
Kohei Yoneyama	....	key animator (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Ryoko Yoshimori	....	color key (1 episode, 1998)
C.P. Booth	....	on-line editor (unknown episodes)
Bill Mochon	....	color timer (unknown episodes)
Shihoko Nakayama	....	color coordinator (unknown episodes)
Greg A. Simone	....	on-line editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	....	voice director: English version (25 episodes, 1998-1999)
Tadaaki Goto	....	assistant painter (unknown episodes)
Takako Ito	....	assistant painter (unknown episodes)
Yoshiko Kishi	....	assistant painter (unknown episodes)
Takako Matsumoto	....	assistant painter (unknown episodes)
Mei Mizusawa	....	assistant painter (unknown episodes)
Takaaki Ushiyama	....	operator (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Bandai Visual Company
• Sunrise
• ZRO Limit Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• AXN (2009) (Hungary) (TV) (re-release) (on AXN Sci-Fi)
• Adult Swim (2001) (USA) (TV)
• Bandai Visual Company
• Cuatro (2005) (Spain) (TV)
• Locomotion (Brazil) (TV)
• Selecta Vision
• Sunrise

Other Companies

• Bandai Entertainment Inc.  English adaptation
• Sunrise  Animation Production

Also Known As:

"Cowboy Bebop" (International: English title) (USA)

Runtime:

25 min (26 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

French | German | Italian | Spanish | Tagalog | English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Japan:R | USA:TV-MA | Singapore:Unrated | Spain:15 | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:18 | Canada:14A (some episodes) | Brazil:18 | Peru:18 | Canada:18A | Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:MA | Italy:VM14 (video rating) | New Zealand:R13 (some episodes) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:18 | Germany:16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating)

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Spike regularly uses an IMI Jericho 941 pistol.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Spike was hit by Faye, he had a card on his head. His right hand is covered in bandages when he took it off his head. The next shot, his hand has no bandages at all.

Quotes:

Faye Valentine: The past is the past and the future is the future. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. The present is the present. I am who I am and you are who you are. That's all there is to it. Does it really matter? Or do we just think it does?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kirby's Pieces (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Real Folk Blues

You have no idea what you are missing

Cowboy Bebop will break any prejudgement you've ever had on anime. Simply put, the show is amazing. From the art, to the music, and most importantly, the story line - Cowboy Bebop delivers. Although most reviewers have summed up the storyline fairly well, I'll give a brief overview.

In the not so distant future, many planets have been colonized and huge technological advancements have been made, but enough with the obvious. Two men, Spike and Jet meet up with future comrades Faye and Ed and team up (or fly it solo) to form the most effective bounty hunting team in the universe. Technology benefits both bounty hunter (known as Cowboys) and criminal as the crew of the Bebop Ship try to make an honest Wulong (the futuristic form of currency) while each member encounters shades of their illuminous past.

A huge bondship amongst the characters is felt almost from the start, despite on-going tensions on the Bebop. Furthermore, each character is given at least two whole episodes, which elaborate on their past, which intertwines oddly with the present (an on-going theme in Cowboy Bebop).

Their pasts are as diverse as their personalities and at some points you'll have a hard time even figuring out who the main character is. One is a former worker of a crime syndicate, one a former police officer, one a thief, and the last a computer hacker. Some similarities do exist though, namely stylish outfits and attitudes, but even then, these similarities are VERY few.

The coolest thing about Cowboy Bebop is it's ability to give you something drastically different each session (don't call it an episode, it's a session). Some sessions wrap you up in action, some make you cry, still some sessions will make you roll on the ground in laughter. One thing for sure is you will get a very satisfying feeling once the credits hit.

The soundtrack for the entire series is another high point. Virtually each session is entangled in some form of sophisticated music, usually Jazz, which is a welcome breeze from the stagnation of today's modern music.

Compared to other anime, Bebop reigns supreme (along with a couple of others), and puts kids shows like Dragon Ball Z (which are virtually plotless in the light of Cowboy Bebop) to shame. This is definitely worth viewing if you're looking for something new to watch, but worried you might just fall victim to another piece of trash reality show or sitcom. Your previous conceptions of anime are about to be shattered.