Cowboy Bebop (WARNING SPOILERS!!!!)

[Jodan]

Cowboy Bebop is probably my favorite anime series, and I've seen every episode, but I am left with a few questions.

In the Ballad of Fallen Angels, Spike said he was killed before, by a woman. Was he referring to how Julia was supposed to kill him? And what exactly happened? And in that same episode, Spike remembers wandering into Julia's apartment, and her nursing him back to health? Is that where he lost his eye?

And what exactly were the defects of the gate network that Chessmaster Hex created his plan to rob them? And what was the gate disaster that made Earth an undesirable place to live? And what was the accident that made Faye have to go into cryogenic storage?

And what was the creature that ravaged the Bebop's crew in Toys in the Attic? I know it was some mutation or something of the Ganymede Rock Lobster, but was the lobster still alive when Spike left it in there?

And what was the war that the saxophone guy from Jupiter Jazz (forgot his name) and Vicious fought together in. I know none of this is ever directly stated in the show, but I'm sure there is manga or something that explains a little bit more. And what is the movie about? Is it a prequel to the series or a sequel or something inbetween?

And do we know if Spike was killed in the end of the series, or just wounded, or is that something left up to our imaginations? And what about Jet and Faye? Do we know what happens to them?



I know that's alot, but I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.

[Martin the Warrior]

Ah, Cowboy Bebop. Second only to The Vision of Escaflowne in my book.

In the Ballad of Fallen Angels, Spike said he was killed before, by a woman. Was he referring to how Julia was supposed to kill him? And what exactly happened? And in that same episode, Spike remembers wandering into Julia's apartment, and her nursing him back to health? Is that where he lost his eye?

He was referring to Julia, yes. Moreso figuratively than literally, I believe, given what we saw. If I'm not mistaken, the actual "death" was the church shootout in the prologue for episode one.

When exactly Spike lost his eye was unclear, but we caught a glimpse of the procedure in episode six.

And what exactly were the defects of the gate network that Chessmaster Hex created his plan to rob them?

It's been awhile since I watched that episode, so I can't answer that.

And what was the gate disaster that made Earth an undesirable place to live?

A gate exploded, the effects of which we saw firsthand in a flashback in episode six. It effectively ruined Earth.

And what was the accident that made Faye have to go into cryogenic storage?

Also seen in flashback-- episode twenty-four, I believe. She was a passenger on a shuttle that was compromised in space.

And what was the creature that ravaged the Bebop's crew in Toys in the Attic? I know it was some mutation or something of the Ganymede Rock Lobster, but was the lobster still alive when Spike left it in there?

Whether it was alive or not was never really addressed, but it was the lobster, yes. It was basically about the lesson: don't leave food in the fridge. ;)

And what was the war that the saxophone guy from Jupiter Jazz (forgot his name) and Vicious fought together in. I know none of this is ever directly stated in the show, but I'm sure there is manga or something that explains a little bit more.

It was just a war on... either Titan or Io. I want to say Titan. Either way, Jupiter's moon. It served no real great purpose, just served to expand upon Vicious' history and give him a connection with Gren.

And what is the movie about? Is it a prequel to the series or a sequel or something inbetween?

The movie (subtitled "Knockin' on Heaven's Door") is set between episodes #22 and #23 (volumes five and six of the DVDs). It's just another fun Bebop case that deals with a bio-terrorist named Vincent (another ex-soldier from the war on Titan) and his attempt to release an experimental virus. No real story connections to Spike and Vicious' past, but we've got the full-Bebop crew and some nice music, so it's a great movie.

And do we know if Spike was killed in the end of the series, or just wounded, or is that something left up to our imaginations? And what about Jet and Faye? Do we know what happens to them?

To the latter, no. To the former, you can use your imagination if you wish, but the general consensus is Spike died. It just wouldn't work any other way.

"See ya Space Cowboy."

[Jodan]

Thanks Martin. See you, Space Samurai.

[Felldoh]

Yeah... I don't think the Spike dying part is really up to discussion... but thats me. I mean, can you imagine Spike dying of old age? I sure as heck can't.

Good to find another Cowboy Bebop fan though, its easily one of my top anime ever.

[Jodan]

Alright Bebop fans, to keep this thread alive, I'm going to pose the question to you guys, what is your favorite episode, and why?

I think mine would have to be the last episode, mainly because the part where Spike is running through the building to get to Vicious, where Spike is kicking butt with the ending theme, The Real Folk Blues playing in the background. That, and the part where Spike stumbles out, says Bang, and falls over.

[Felldoh]

My favorite episode eh? Thats a dang hard one. Ballad of Fallen Angels and Jupiter Jazz I&2 would be my favorites... I love the scene in Ballad of Fallen Angels when Spike falls out of the chruch window... it just... rocked... as did the rest of the episode.

[LadyBeelze]

Jodan
Alright Bebop fans, to keep this thread alive, I'm going to pose the question to you guys, what is your favorite episode, and why?

I think mine would have to be the last episode, mainly because the part where Spike is running through the building to get to Vicious, where Spike is kicking butt with the ending theme, The Real Folk Blues playing in the background. That, and the part where Spike stumbles out, says Bang, and falls over.

My favorite is the last epsiode as well for about the same reasons ^^. Another one i liked was Mushroom Samba where Ed & Ein go and look for some food. That episode was hilarious and bizarre lol.

[Jodan]

One more question, did the gate accident destroy the moon, and is that where the constant rain of meteorites comes from?

[Martin the Warrior]

what is your favorite episode, and why?

Ballad for Fallen Angels remains my favorite as everything related to the cathedral scenes was excellent. The Real Folk Blues (both parts, but two especially) also rates highly. I also liked Hard Luck Women for the emotions it evoked as little by little Cowboy Bebop was deconstructed ("Call Me, Call Me" set things up perfectly).

here Spike is kicking butt with the ending theme, The Real Folk Blues playing in the background.

It sounds similar, but it's actually the song "See Ya Space Cowboy", not "Real Folk Blues".

One more question, did the gate accident destroy the moon, and is that where the constant rain of meteorites comes from?

I don't recall anything about the moon being destroyed, no.

If you want to keep this thread alive, though-- Bebop is well-known for its music (composed by the always superb Yoko Kanno). What are your favorite songs? ;)

[Jodan]

Tank and the Real Folk Blues are most definitely my favorites. My friends and I even started a little jazz group, and learned Tank, but that was just for fun. We learned it and played it the few times we actually got together, but we became kind of disinterested in continuing the group. Too bad.

So if the gate accident didn't destroy the moon, then why the constant rain of meteorites that plague Earth?

[Felldoh]

My favorites are Blue (the song that plays right when Spike drops to the ground and dies) and... that one song that plays at the end of Jupiter Jazz Pt. 2.

[granola woodsworth]

Cowboy Bebop is awesome. I've watched every single episode in the whole series, and my favourite episode is probably Mushroom Samba. That one was hilarious! :D (Go Ein!) I also liked that one with the clown guy (Pierrot Le Fou?) and Toys in the Attic. :D I also liked 'Speak Like A Child' because it shows how far into the future it is, with video cassettes being a thing of the past and virtual reality gaming taking over. I found it hilarious when they found a TV and VCR, and tried various ways to work it because they had no idea. :rolleyes:

[Martin the Warrior]

The wonderful thing about the VCR gag was that they grabbed a VHS machine to play a Betamax tape.

that one song that plays at the end of Jupiter Jazz Pt. 2.

I believe that's called Space Lion.

[granola woodsworth]

The wonderful thing about the VCR gag was that they grabbed a VHS machine to play a Betamax tape.
Yes, that's right. I couldn't remember if it was a VCR or a different machine, but I thought it could have been an older tape player. I wouldn't remember the word Betamax because I'm not that old. :rolleyes:

[Jodan]

Beta was pre-VHS, correct? And how long was it around? The first time I ever heard of Beta was in the Bebop episode.

[Felldoh]

I believe that's called Space Lion.

I see, thanks Martin. :D

[Jodan]

I don't know if any of you guys know, but Bandai is coming out with a Cowboy Bebop game. Not much is known yet, but Bandai is saying the game will unravel some of the mysteries in the Cowboy Bebop storyline. Check out this article from IGN, where you can also get the trailer. The game is set for a Fall '04 release on the PS2. Find the article here. (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/502/502357p1.html) It doesn't look like it will be a Platinum award level game, but it will be a fun beat-em up for Bebop fans.

[granola woodsworth]

Beta was pre-VHS, correct? And how long was it around? The first time I ever heard of Beta was in the Bebop episode.
To my knowledge, Beta was before VHS and was widely popular, and then the VHS came along and Beta cassettes slowly died out. I believe it lasted from around the mid 80's to the early 90's..

[The Red Badger]

Beta came first and was actually of a superior quality, but Sony (think it was Sony) patented it so tightly that they refused to let anyone else use it and effectively shot off their own foot. They wanted to corner the market and they did. . . so the market went elsewhere. When the cheaper, more available VHS came on the scene, it slowly forced Beta off the scene until it died a painful death in the mid to late 80's.