"they make my eyes leak precum" is one of the most cursed, most visceral, most relatable ways I've ever heard anyone describe the mechanical designs in this show.
Why did he say that oh god, people usually say eyegasm, even that’s a little uncomfortable for someone as lewd as myself, i guess it just makes me think of eyeball fucking which just makes me wanna vomit.
spikes kick seriously looks STRAIGHT out of an old bruce lee movie, i would not be surprised if the animators went through and copied a frame by frame kick
Well, the fight between Spike and Abdul Hakim in the second episode is a copy of a fight scene between Bruce Lee's character and Kareem Abdul Jabbar's in 1972 movie Game of Death.
“In the opening, there’s a cut with him kicking right? That was actually from a Bruce Lee action flick that the director had scrutinized frame by frame. It was a reference for the key animators who had to draw it.” This is from Yutaka Nakamura, who animated many of the best action scenes from the show and the movie, though not the opening.
As someone who's studying music, I'm glad there's openings with only instrumentals. Music don't always need words to be great. Edit: also I can't believe you just forgot to mention Yoko Kanno. According to her, her music was created before the animation, characters, and story even existed!
@@andrewf8366 they are technically, but I think it's more instrumental in of itself, since it was spoken statement. Instrumental songs can still have voices, but only for a short time. Think of Lupin the 3rd's op. The backing vocalists only say "Lupin the 3rd". That would still make the opening an instrumental song. But that's just my theory, I could be wrong. (Sorry, I got carried away in my musical discussions.)
A lot of the music comes from blues and jazz standards so it fits perfectly when brought into the show. Some of the non-standard tracks are my favorite though; the song in Heavy Metal Queen is a perfect generic heavy metal song
I remember being 6 years old not knowing any English and trying my best to stay awake past my curfew just to catch Bebop's opening. There was just something that goes beyond language, music, and visual mediums that the opening captures. Probably, one of the reasons that I got into Jazz. Also, Real Folk Blues is the best ending song to any anime ever. Sorry, Evangelion.
There is no other way to say it, Cowboy Bebop is the anti-anime enthusiast’s anime. The show itself even states that it transcends genres and Tank sort of proves that. It’s got all the hallmarks of an OP without any of the trappings, and when that title card comes on screen just as the jazz dies down you can already tell you’re in for something special.
I still think Golden Boy is the ultimate "anime for people who hate anime" but yeah Bebop is up there. As, perhaps, is Samurai Champloo, although it hews closer just because it's far more culturally Japanese.
I like champloo more just becaue its less depressing. And spike is cool, but too cool personally for a bundle of messes. Or i am over hard boiled seriou detectives. And it is positive somehow with that they , its obvious its intentional less depressing than bebop. Ther are dark stories i can happily rewatch, that isnt one off them. An hiphop personally over jazz, It gotme to apreciate the diversity of hiphop more and i jut dont like jazz. But tastes i guess.
@@polskiwyrob7650 Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV just so we know who where talking about ... Ed was the original pepe ... dude 1999 everyone smoked lol
They really fucking are man, like Tank, pumps me up, and gets me excited for the episodes, but then you have real folk blues which just stabs me right in the heart, and makes me feel sad for spike, and his tragic past.
It's also the perfect length. Each character's arc is complete and you're left wanting more, but there's nowhere left for the story to go. So, like a jazz song, it just ends.
You don't even need this video to know how amazing the opening is. Even if you don't view analytically, you just know that watching it there MUST be something under it, something to be analyzed because that just perfectly reflects the show.
@@janisir4529 I learned a few years ago to not skip OP/ED, not in anime. Too many shows put so much effort into them that they can be enjoyed on their own. I won't necessarily watch each them for each & every episode, but most of them I do. & I make sure to know when the director changes them, not just for the new material but because they will signify a major change in the show, and often what that change is. It can help to thematically understand & appreciate the show.
@@markuhler2664 I personally just really appreciated Shinsekai Yori respecting my time and not having any opening beyond a title card. And just because domestic girlfriend happened to have an opening song, that's actually good to listen to on its own, doesn't mean I care for a cut down version of it, while watching a show for the plot.
How the hell is it that despite knowing the comparison of Disney and Warner Bros as classical and jazz, I never once noticed that Bebop was meant to be the jazz response to space opera?! _~smacks forehead. . .hard~_
Thank you, Mother's Basement. You're one of the few who got it. It's a meta show. Minor thing you missed, Jet lights Spike's cigarette, Spike is the virtuoso, but it's Jet's combo.
Pretty sure that shot comes from right before Spike’s final confrontation with Wen. Which makes since seeing as that encounter is one of the big foreshadowing moments for Spike’s character arc.
Fun Fact: While the composition of the music was made by Yoko Kanno, the actual recording and mixing of the songs made in Cowboy bebop was done by Rudy Van Geller. This man did all the most famous recordings from Bebop and Hard Bop in his time, including John Coltrane's _Blue Train_ and _Love Supreme_ , Herbie Hancock's _Maiden Voyage_ , and Art Blakely's "Moanin' " Soundtrack (which of course would be featured in Watanabe's later work _Kids On the Slope_ ). This show and its opening would already be impressive due to the level of animation and detail, but I feel the authenticity of the work is increased by having the main recording artist on set to make all the wonder pieces we hear.
Technology in animation has allowed people with less talent to get jobs, and made learning obsolete. Why learn to hand draw, when any job your likely to get is using Flash.
To me, Cowboy Bebop will always be the anime I recommend newcomers to watch. It's easy to get into, easy to re-watch, doesn't require any knowledge of Japanese culture. Just a 10/10 show across the board.
Yeah this, or like JoJo, i honestly feel like JoJo, isn’t a bad anime for people that aren’t really interested, but i have tried to tell people that don’t like anime to watch Cowboy Bebop, but they never did sad.
I don’t think we’ll ever get an anime like Cowboy Bebop again tbh. Not with the same level of animation at the very least. The art style and animation is just absolutely brilliant. We just don’t get shoes that look like that anymore, and it’s super sad
90's-era hand-painted animation is always going to look a _little_ different from animation inked and colored digitally, but the differences are small enough that there's not much point in going to go ArcSys on the aesthetic. I understand being sad to see that different aesthetic fade away-that sort of thing is always sad-but please don't dismiss what new anime bring to the table just because modern sakuga doesn't look quite like vintage sakuga. You're doing yourself a disservice.
They may have created a disappointing live action for Bebop, but that won’t tarnish the show’s image in my eyes. It’s one of those perfect gateway anime shows for me.
@@grayalmeida9622 the trailers already show that it’s going to have a different tone and direction. Plus the casting is definitely not the best. It could still be an ok live action show but as an adaptation it looks like it’ll disappoint.
For Spike's past, the anime has two types of flashback. A gray looking one that only shows what Spike can remember for sure, and a yellow one that shows various scenes that sometimes are in Spike's pov and sometimes are things that Spike wasn't present. The mechanical eye in the op has a yellow coating that I think shows that is that eye that is seeing those flashbacks. Is this is Spike's mechanical eye? I cannot say for sure. Maybe it is the viewer pov inside the camera, I don't know...
When I was watching it on Netflix back to back, it would automatically skip “Tank” and go to the beginning of the episode, and I dragged it back to watch it again every time;)
I never did, same with Evangelion, i always had to let the banger play out, and Fly Me To The Moon, is beautiful so i couldn’t skip that either Netflix, fucking butchered that though.
Insta-like, insta-comment. Must be boosted. This stuff rocks. Hyperbole isn't enough to describe my feelings about this song, and I will always support discussion about it. Well done and thank you!
As an opening that draws together everything before during and after the series it really can't be matched. Yoko Kanno's music is always next level, though this is probably I think where she shined the most as she had the most creative freedom. Please Save my Earth, Macross Plus and Escaflowne all had gorgeous immersive music but her work on Cowboy Bebop topped them all IMO. What is ironic is that she and others on the team didn't think it would ever play on the air in the US, when we asked why she made a syringe motion to her arm and said theater whispered "Drugs!" Later 9/11 also had very negative impact on the series on TV due to the skyscraper destroying bomber episode as well that no one could see coming...
Samurai Champloo is also from the same creators. Even though the setting and style are a lot different, it still carries the same level of attention to detail and storytelling in the characters. Really recommend for those who didn't watch it. Also it's the birthplace for the famous lofi hiphop style we see all around youtube.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein I'm planning to watch it, but it isn't legally available on streaming services in my country at the moment. Hopefully that changes soon
@@scorpia0314 to be honest, it's hard to find even pirated episodes with good video quality these days. When I have money to spare I'm going to find and buy the original blueray versions directly from japan. And keep it for my kids to watch when they get old enough lol
Well it’s been a couple years from me still one of my favorite anime’s ever now, I’ve basically watched all the classics now, since i just finished Ghost In The Shell, i was honestly the most underwhelmed by it out of the 4, which is Akira, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost In The Shell, i feel like the hype of those other 3 was actually felt by me, but Ghost, eh i really liked it very cool concept, and movie, but it didn’t really feel like much happened like i feel like the movie could have been longer, and not as fast because the pacing is really bad in my eyes.
Hey Geoff! Can you please make a sequel to your Gloria's theatre analysis and talk about other Levels in the Psychonauts franchise? Would love to hear your takes about the mental worlds of Psychonauts 2
To this day I still haven't truly finished this show. I watched the whole show except the last 2 episodes so many times but never the last 2. I have only watched the last 2 episodes 2 times. Once while absolutely plastered so I forgot what happened, and another Tim after a collage party do again I forgot the last 2 episodes. All I know is that both times I cried heavily. And I can't bring myself to finish it sober because then I will remember it all and it will truly end. I can't let spike, jet, and fai go.
@@naverilllang oh I know the he either dies or doesn't part. I'm in the not dead camp since we'll he survived the church earlier in the series. But I just won't actually watch the episodes. It's not truly over then
Improvisation used to be a very common part of what you'd consider classical music. It was the birth of pop orchestras though that killed off invention (that's what the improv was called), as people came to expect the same song every time. There's still a living culture of invention among organists though. There is a movement though to revive classical invention... Which could be seen as analogous to Bebops attempts to 'revive' Scifi from its stale operatic haze. Probably not an intent, but another fun interpretation.
Sometimes I think about how much this anime influenced my life. I watched it very young and it had a huge impact on me, it made me a huge fan of science fiction and jazz music and since then I've been dreaming about a future in space I'll sadly never experience. It felt so real back then.
A Cowboy Bebop OVA where the gang take on the Happy Science cult would be the single greatest elevator pitch in the history of anime ever. The sheer sakuga-fueled insanity that OVA would produce would be timeless.
I've never skipped the cowboy bebop intro, even without understanding any deeper message it just felt like skipping it would be evil like kicking a puppy, no other anime has ever provided me with that experience either, the only few that even come close is the neon genesis evangelion op Naruto op 4/7 and bleach op 1/2 but the last two series are solely because of nostalgia and all three still fall short
As a non smoker, I was always a bit envious of the solidarity smokers all seem to effortlessly share... And that's about the only thing I picked up on Before watching the video. I didn't think you could pull so much from this seemingly simple op but you did it, terrific job and I love it
Sopranos, also makes me wanna smoke for some strange reason i guess it’s because Tony Soprano, looks cool doing it plus it just makes it seem chill, but I’d never smoke, or drink i just don’t like not being me to be honest. Bonus points though Fei, looks hot while doing it.
I have been watching this channel for years, actually starting with an op analysis. Geoff, this is by far the best and funniest opening examination you have ever done. Being a fan of Cowboy Bebop for a long time I always enjoyed listening to it be thought it was one of the weakest op's ever that still somehow caught my attention. Thank you for making me rethinking that and for such an amazing (g-fueled) video.
There’s so many great things I could say about Cowboy Bebop, so many memorable moments that were etched in my young, impressionable, and naive mind that only got better and more rich as I aged. However, from a time where cooties were serious concern of mine to today’s career decisions and taxes, Faye Valentine will forever still be my first and oldest “I’d risk it all” kinda gal.
My man, it takes some balls to build a career off anime openings,and take this many years to finally cover the legendary Bebop intro. I respect the hustle. Also,I'm bi now.
Tank! is one of my favorite anime openings of all time. I know Yoko Kanno deserves credit for writing it but the band is crazy good. Masato Honda (Alto Sax) and Koji Nishimura (Trumpet) are two members that are easy S-tier musicians.
Cowboy Bebop is pretty popular amongst the gun community as well. The characters guns are all real guns. Spike - IWI Jericho 941 Jet - Walther P99 Faye - Glock 30 Gren - H&K USP Shin - SIG Sauer P226 Julia - Colt Combat Commander Cowboy Andy - Colt Single Action Army Hakim - Desert Eagle Fad - Smith and Wesson Model 29
1:13 into this video and I already know it's greatest shortcoming. You didn't PUMP THE JAMS!!! Curse you DMCA you've foiled my plans to enjoy something to it's fullest extent yet again!
The ONLY OP I never skipped. EVER. Every episode, my brother and I sat through and loved every second of this show. And we watched it on Funimation (in original Japanese of course). I'm not saying its my favorite anime of all time, buuutt, its the first anime I bought on DVD/BLU-RAY.
Maybe it's just me, but there was some real Tim Rogers energy to a lot of Geoff's line delivery in this video. Very similar cadence in places, at least to my ear.
God dang man, your sponsorship ads are seamlessly integrated into fantastically entertaining interpretation of a masterpiece classic. Most vids on the interwebs are horrendously approached for their sponsors, and I can usually skip them without missing much. Not so much here. I think g-fuel will be damn proud of the presentation here.
I love listening to you talk about this stuff man, you do it so well. It's always wonderful to listen to someone talk about and deconstruct something with such entertaining passion that by the end of it you appreciate a thing you already love even more.
No joke in your last video I complimented the background artist for making a 1:1 recreation of Tokyo Dome amusementpark and how as a rollercoaster enthausiast I could recognize all the design detail of the rollercoaster in the background. Now knowing it was the same guy who did backgrounds in Bebop makes perfect sense.
I did not expect the "SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY..." to hit as hard as it did. In that one moment, my heart just sank. Amazing video as always. Thank you for your expert analysts of one of my favorite opeings of all time!
5:58 "Abound with so much information" ...Wait wrong OP... Really goes to show how influential this OP is though. There's really no denying Pursuing My True Self was influenced by Tank! They even have the part with the tower of TVs (which was _also_ referenced by Nier Automata). Weird thing is that there are videos with the song to the P4G and P5 openings but not P4... I know what I must do!
Thank you for the great analysis Geoff, It was nice to learn about the subtle details hidden in the opening Hopefully the new live action does a better job with the episodes than they did with the op Hope you have a great week and see you again next week for another great video Take care and Be safe out there (^=W=^) And (^=W=^)7 'Salutes' SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...
I worked at Christie's auction house in NYC for a decade. Not because i was artsy. Far from it; I just needed a job. I understood the importance of provenance and review/analysis of a particular work. But i never...cared. M'sieur's piercing, refreshing, illuminating dive into this show's opening is... is.... it's just a f*cking gift. I thought the OP was unusual. Dense. Informative. But this review enables me to enjoy it in a whole new way. This right here? I can state enough how much I appreciate this
@@mothersbasement a very poor attempt to repay what i got from this video. Watching this made me smarter for the anesthetics. Keep doing what you do! Subscribed.
It was one of those shows it made you feel like you matured a little bit after every episode. Not only the world represented was fascinating, with its mix of futuristic technology and nostalgic decadence, but also the deep stories of the various characters involved.
It changed my life. Whenever someone would ask 14 year-old me if I liked anime, my response was always, "Not really." When CB came along, I had to start adding, "Except for Cowboy Bebop. That's my shit!" These days, I'm subbed to channels like Mother's Basement and am currently working on a Junji Ito-inspired manga. Like I said, it changed my life.
It was like watching a serious movie every weekend. I was used to the bright colors and child heroes of Pokemon or Yu Gi Oh that the darker tones and older main characters made me feel pretty cool for a 9 year old. XD
I never understood anything that was going on and used to get extra confused because I didn't catch it in order and thought cowboy bebop and ghost in the shell were the same show cus young dumb tired kid who only caught the middle of the episodes on either series.
@@CERTAIND00M I never truly understood what was going on so my favorite episodes were the little adventure ones like when they had that trucker episode. Like I learned today that Faye had amnesia. I loved it but could never explain why I loved watching it. And I was hella mad when Spike left everyone behind so it was years before I could even watch it again.
Ight. Imma rewatch Cowboy Bebop now. Please don’t stop making Anime Opening Breakdowns, Geoff, I love every one of them and they’re really really nice, they open my eyes to so many things I hadn’t been appreciating in some of my favorite shows! I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way!
I think Netflix's take on Tank! is a passable one. I did have a couple gripes with it (some of the movements weren't as fluid, admittedly), but I don't think I'd call it disappointing. I'm honestly pretty hopeful for it; I don't expect it to outdo or match the original, but I'm optimistic that it can still be enjoyable, satisfying, and respectful to the source material, even though the transition from animation to live-action will demand some changes, not all of which will be for the better.
Well I’m fucking not it’s just going to be a trash fire like Ghost In The Shell, and i bet they would fuck up a live action Evangelion, and Akira, i just really dislike these old classic animes, or anime movies of are time getting made in live action, and very Americanized, like some shit in the live action looks racist to me, also the fact women can’t be sexy, and badass at the same time like Fei, is so boring now.
I feel like you have helped me realize something about the game I am trying to design but I don't know what that is yet. I freaking love your insight and Bebop has always been something I have wanted to grasp. Thank you.
Normally you're really on top of giving credit where its due, I'm genuinely surprised you didn't mention Tank! is a song composed by Yoko Kanno. ( and all the epicness that entails )
Thank you for this video. I won't lie I was one of those ridiculous people that thought, since I missed this show growing up, that the show had to still be "tropey" and "over hyped". But through watching your videos, and starting the show. Masterpiece is the only word that makes sense when talking about this show!
While I love the intro and ending , my rule for all anime is to watch it once and not watch it again till the last episode So yes it was easy to skip the intro and ending for me, of course I would listen to it outside of watching Cowboy Bebop
I really love when you analyze ops because I swear all the hidden meanings just go wooooooshing by far over my head. I just think "that song is the coolest! Sick visuals!" And go on with my day, lol.
Could you maybe make something about Space Dandy it is related to Watanabe and so unknown even if it is such a good Anime about a silly, pervert ,lazy, incompetent anilen hunting space crew with the heart in the right place, that have the the most silly adventures with strangest outcomes.
Carole and Tuesday, Samurai Champloo, as well as Kids on the Slope were also directed by Watanabe. One thing these anime all have in common is the attention that Watanabe puts in the music.
@@notationmusical oh yes all his shows have beautiful sound tracks. Michiko & Hatchin was although anime where watanabe was responsible for the soundtrack in cooperation with Alexander Kassin, sadly no one knows this anime. In short it's about the life brazilian favelas.
"they make my eyes leak precum" is one of the most cursed, most visceral, most relatable ways I've ever heard anyone describe the mechanical designs in this show.
Why did he say that oh god, people usually say eyegasm, even that’s a little uncomfortable for someone as lewd as myself, i guess it just makes me think of eyeball fucking which just makes me wanna vomit.
It's vulgar and stupid, unlike the show.
Or ANY show...
great vid but that sentence never needs to be uttered from a humans mouth again for the rest of eternity
spikes kick seriously looks STRAIGHT out of an old bruce lee movie, i would not be surprised if the animators went through and copied a frame by frame kick
Well, the fight between Spike and Abdul Hakim in the second episode is a copy of a fight scene between Bruce Lee's character and Kareem Abdul Jabbar's in 1972 movie Game of Death.
“In the opening, there’s a cut with him kicking right? That was actually from a Bruce Lee action flick that the director had scrutinized frame by frame. It was a reference for the key animators who had to draw it.” This is from Yutaka Nakamura, who animated many of the best action scenes from the show and the movie, though not the opening.
As someone who's studying music, I'm glad there's openings with only instrumentals.
Music don't always need words to be great.
Edit: also I can't believe you just forgot to mention Yoko Kanno. According to her, her music was created before the animation, characters, and story even existed!
"3, 2, 1, let's jam"
Is that technically lyrics or not? I genuinely don't know.
@@andrewf8366
they are technically, but I think it's more instrumental in of itself, since it was spoken statement.
Instrumental songs can still have voices, but only for a short time.
Think of Lupin the 3rd's op. The backing vocalists only say "Lupin the 3rd". That would still make the opening an instrumental song.
But that's just my theory, I could be wrong.
(Sorry, I got carried away in my musical discussions.)
@@andrewf8366 it's been my ringtone on and off for well over a decade.
Never picked up before I got told to jam.
I mean it's just a fact that Yoko Kanno is a goddess of music made manifest, anyone who says otherwise is a heathen and should be ignored
A lot of the music comes from blues and jazz standards so it fits perfectly when brought into the show. Some of the non-standard tracks are my favorite though; the song in Heavy Metal Queen is a perfect generic heavy metal song
I remember being 6 years old not knowing any English and trying my best to stay awake past my curfew just to catch Bebop's opening. There was just something that goes beyond language, music, and visual mediums that the opening captures. Probably, one of the reasons that I got into Jazz.
Also, Real Folk Blues is the best ending song to any anime ever. Sorry, Evangelion.
Real Folk Blues is just perfect
real folk blues never skip
I can never skip real folk blues. It cant be explained why it hits me the way it does.
We are all children's of Bebop ♥ :)
That’s awesome!
There is no other way to say it, Cowboy Bebop is the anti-anime enthusiast’s anime. The show itself even states that it transcends genres and Tank sort of proves that. It’s got all the hallmarks of an OP without any of the trappings, and when that title card comes on screen just as the jazz dies down you can already tell you’re in for something special.
In other words, quality transcends genre.
I still think Golden Boy is the ultimate "anime for people who hate anime" but yeah Bebop is up there. As, perhaps, is Samurai Champloo, although it hews closer just because it's far more culturally Japanese.
I like champloo more just becaue its less depressing. And spike is cool, but too cool personally for a bundle of messes. Or i am over hard boiled seriou detectives. And it is positive somehow with that they , its obvious its intentional less depressing than bebop. Ther are dark stories i can happily rewatch, that isnt one off them.
An hiphop personally over jazz, It gotme to apreciate the diversity of hiphop more and i jut dont like jazz.
But tastes i guess.
@@marocat4749 Also Champloo has the baseball episode which just... Chef's kiss. Amazing.
Is Ein Ed? Like in the New Cowboy Bebop they just combined the two Characters. And so technically Ed was in the nee opening all along.
The live action opening does have one thing over the animated opening: They included Ein.
But on the other hand, no Ed
@@samt3412 Equivalent Exchange 😔
hate to say it but ed>ein
@@furkanaknc4588 not the first time someone named Ed had to deal with it
@@polskiwyrob7650 Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV just so we know who where talking about ... Ed was the original pepe ... dude 1999 everyone smoked lol
The fact the amazing world of gumball made a parody of this opening with Larry the cashier is just amazing
I need to see that!
@doomzone megabomb When?
Where???
You mean you haven’t already? Come on, man! I thought you were cultured!
Isn't Archer's opening basically a whole refrence to this opening?
“Tank!” and “Real Folk Blues” are the greatest one-two punches of OP and EDs in Anime.
They really fucking are man, like Tank, pumps me up, and gets me excited for the episodes, but then you have real folk blues which just stabs me right in the heart, and makes me feel sad for spike, and his tragic past.
utena has a pretty good combo too
Real folk blues is better to me. I never cared for tank.
"Stray" and "Gravity" are phenomenal from Wolf's Rain.
Stand Alone Complex has a "two-one" punch, so to say, and I might like it even more than Bebop
Cowboy bebop is the definition of "old but gold"
Ages like fine wine
Old AND Good 👍
It's also the perfect length. Each character's arc is complete and you're left wanting more, but there's nowhere left for the story to go. So, like a jazz song, it just ends.
OLD AND GOOD
I'd say it's more timeless
You don't even need this video to know how amazing the opening is. Even if you don't view analytically, you just know that watching it there MUST be something under it, something to be analyzed because that just perfectly reflects the show.
But I just skip OP/ED songs, so even if I had watched the show I wouldn't know.
@@janisir4529 I learned a few years ago to not skip OP/ED, not in anime. Too many shows put so much effort into them that they can be enjoyed on their own. I won't necessarily watch each them for each & every episode, but most of them I do. & I make sure to know when the director changes them, not just for the new material but because they will signify a major change in the show, and often what that change is. It can help to thematically understand & appreciate the show.
@@markuhler2664 I personally just really appreciated Shinsekai Yori respecting my time and not having any opening beyond a title card.
And just because domestic girlfriend happened to have an opening song, that's actually good to listen to on its own, doesn't mean I care for a cut down version of it, while watching a show for the plot.
oh shit, long time no see- I've been missing your comments back at crunchyroll
@@rushiasapostle5thapostleof587 I'll be back soon after my college semester ends.
At the tender young age of 16, Faye Valentine was my first ever anime crush. I could go on for days LOL
Good place to start. Good taste.
That was almost twenty years ago..... Time does fly. 😭
primo therapy
"I think it's time to blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together... 3,2,1-Let's jam!"
Ohhh no my OCD, is going the fuck off, because you didn’t put okay 3 2 1 let’s jam AAAAAAAA.
How the hell is it that despite knowing the comparison of Disney and Warner Bros as classical and jazz, I never once noticed that Bebop was meant to be the jazz response to space opera?! _~smacks forehead. . .hard~_
This depiction is absolutely incredible. You are nailing the show, the OP, and the song, Tank. Wow Geoff, seriously good job. You got the White Whale
Thank you, Mother's Basement. You're one of the few who got it. It's a meta show. Minor thing you missed, Jet lights Spike's cigarette, Spike is the virtuoso, but it's Jet's combo.
Pretty sure that shot comes from right before Spike’s final confrontation with Wen. Which makes since seeing as that encounter is one of the big foreshadowing moments for Spike’s character arc.
Fun Fact: While the composition of the music was made by Yoko Kanno, the actual recording and mixing of the songs made in Cowboy bebop was done by Rudy Van Geller. This man did all the most famous recordings from Bebop and Hard Bop in his time, including John Coltrane's _Blue Train_ and _Love Supreme_ , Herbie Hancock's _Maiden Voyage_ , and Art Blakely's "Moanin' " Soundtrack (which of course would be featured in Watanabe's later work _Kids On the Slope_ ).
This show and its opening would already be impressive due to the level of animation and detail, but I feel the authenticity of the work is increased by having the main recording artist on set to make all the wonder pieces we hear.
That IS a fun fact! That explains why it sounds so friggin' legit!
Technology in animation has allowed people with less talent to get jobs, and made learning obsolete. Why learn to hand draw, when any job your likely to get is using Flash.
Thanks for calling attention to the producer, as someone who mixes music myself, I can appreciate the mastery of that dark art.
"I could talk about the panel design of Bebop's ships ALL day." Well don't be a tease Jeff.
To me, Cowboy Bebop will always be the anime I recommend newcomers to watch. It's easy to get into, easy to re-watch, doesn't require any knowledge of Japanese culture. Just a 10/10 show across the board.
Yeah this, or like JoJo, i honestly feel like JoJo, isn’t a bad anime for people that aren’t really interested, but i have tried to tell people that don’t like anime to watch Cowboy Bebop, but they never did sad.
I don’t think we’ll ever get an anime like Cowboy Bebop again tbh. Not with the same level of animation at the very least. The art style and animation is just absolutely brilliant. We just don’t get shoes that look like that anymore, and it’s super sad
90's-era hand-painted animation is always going to look a _little_ different from animation inked and colored digitally, but the differences are small enough that there's not much point in going to go ArcSys on the aesthetic. I understand being sad to see that different aesthetic fade away-that sort of thing is always sad-but please don't dismiss what new anime bring to the table just because modern sakuga doesn't look quite like vintage sakuga. You're doing yourself a disservice.
One of my favorite touches from the OP is how all of the starship guns are shown in close ups that makes them look like a cowboy’s six shooter
They may have created a disappointing live action for Bebop, but that won’t tarnish the show’s image in my eyes. It’s one of those perfect gateway anime shows for me.
The live action trash fire just re-enforce s how truly top tier the anime series really is!
The show... isn't even out yet? How do you know it's going to disappoint you?
@@obsidian00 trash fire is a little harsh for something that hasn't been released yet
@@grayalmeida9622 the trailers already show that it’s going to have a different tone and direction. Plus the casting is definitely not the best. It could still be an ok live action show but as an adaptation it looks like it’ll disappoint.
Dude it’s not even out yet the live looks hype af
For Spike's past, the anime has two types of flashback. A gray looking one that only shows what Spike can remember for sure, and a yellow one that shows various scenes that sometimes are in Spike's pov and sometimes are things that Spike wasn't present. The mechanical eye in the op has a yellow coating that I think shows that is that eye that is seeing those flashbacks. Is this is Spike's mechanical eye? I cannot say for sure. Maybe it is the viewer pov inside the camera, I don't know...
"Because it's a fucking banger", there I saved you 18 minutes
When I was watching it on Netflix back to back, it would automatically skip “Tank” and go to the beginning of the episode, and I dragged it back to watch it again every time;)
It's simple: it's the best damn opening ever
Evangelion tards: “WANNA RUN THAT BACK AGAIN” *Blasts Cruel Angels Thesis.*
@@joshshrum2764
By Evangelion tards, you're also including the Japanese. Right?
Both OP and ED of Cowboy Bebop are superb, it's hard to skip over them while watching the episodes 💯💯
I honestly don’t think I have ever skipped either…I really don’t!
@@obsidian00 Neither do I. In fact, I have the opening on my phone & will just watch that on occasion.
It's unfortunate that Adult Swim/Toonami seems to do that now, at least when it comes to the ED.
I never did, same with Evangelion, i always had to let the banger play out, and Fly Me To The Moon, is beautiful so i couldn’t skip that either Netflix, fucking butchered that though.
@@obsidian00 I know i didn’t i probably didn’t watch the outro in full everytime, but just about.
This was an excellent breakdown. Really helped me appreciate Cowboy Bebop is not just entertainment, it's art.
Insta-like, insta-comment. Must be boosted. This stuff rocks. Hyperbole isn't enough to describe my feelings about this song, and I will always support discussion about it. Well done and thank you!
As an opening that draws together everything before during and after the series it really can't be matched. Yoko Kanno's music is always next level, though this is probably I think where she shined the most as she had the most creative freedom. Please Save my Earth, Macross Plus and Escaflowne all had gorgeous immersive music but her work on Cowboy Bebop topped them all IMO. What is ironic is that she and others on the team didn't think it would ever play on the air in the US, when we asked why she made a syringe motion to her arm and said theater whispered "Drugs!" Later 9/11 also had very negative impact on the series on TV due to the skyscraper destroying bomber episode as well that no one could see coming...
Escaflown, thats so atmospheric.
Just recently watched Cowboy Bebop for the first time. Instantly one of my all time favorites.
Samurai Champloo is also from the same creators. Even though the setting and style are a lot different, it still carries the same level of attention to detail and storytelling in the characters. Really recommend for those who didn't watch it. Also it's the birthplace for the famous lofi hiphop style we see all around youtube.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein I'm planning to watch it, but it isn't legally available on streaming services in my country at the moment. Hopefully that changes soon
@@scorpia0314 to be honest, it's hard to find even pirated episodes with good video quality these days. When I have money to spare I'm going to find and buy the original blueray versions directly from japan. And keep it for my kids to watch when they get old enough lol
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein The funimation blu ray of champloo is great.
Well it’s been a couple years from me still one of my favorite anime’s ever now, I’ve basically watched all the classics now, since i just finished Ghost In The Shell, i was honestly the most underwhelmed by it out of the 4, which is Akira, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost In The Shell, i feel like the hype of those other 3 was actually felt by me, but Ghost, eh i really liked it very cool concept, and movie, but it didn’t really feel like much happened like i feel like the movie could have been longer, and not as fast because the pacing is really bad in my eyes.
When I think about "unforgettable openings", this is always the first one that comes to mind.
Cowboy Bebopd opening has great fight chroyogrophy and many cool scenes. One of the best openings ever. Pretty cool visuals.
My god, you said there was a twist, but it was more like a frickin' bombshell... Holy 🎏 I couldn't have seen that one coming. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I actually skipped it once. It was an accident tho
Happens to the best of us in this age of Netflix
Sometimes I skip it when I'm in a hurry
Hey Geoff! Can you please make a sequel to your Gloria's theatre analysis and talk about other Levels in the Psychonauts franchise? Would love to hear your takes about the mental worlds of Psychonauts 2
I'm gonna do something for Psychonauts 2! Just not sure what yet
@@mothersbasement how about Fatherland Follies? I haven't seen any analysis videos on it
Though ideally I would like a mini-series on all the levels of the psychonauts franchise
To this day I still haven't truly finished this show. I watched the whole show except the last 2 episodes so many times but never the last 2. I have only watched the last 2 episodes 2 times. Once while absolutely plastered so I forgot what happened, and another Tim after a collage party do again I forgot the last 2 episodes. All I know is that both times I cried heavily. And I can't bring myself to finish it sober because then I will remember it all and it will truly end. I can't let spike, jet, and fai go.
Without spoiling, the ending is open to interpretation, and one of the valid interpretations is not sad.
@@naverilllang oh I know the he either dies or doesn't part. I'm in the not dead camp since we'll he survived the church earlier in the series. But I just won't actually watch the episodes. It's not truly over then
*Why you CANT skip the Cowboy Bebops Theme* fixed it for you MB
Improvisation used to be a very common part of what you'd consider classical music. It was the birth of pop orchestras though that killed off invention (that's what the improv was called), as people came to expect the same song every time. There's still a living culture of invention among organists though. There is a movement though to revive classical invention... Which could be seen as analogous to Bebops attempts to 'revive' Scifi from its stale operatic haze. Probably not an intent, but another fun interpretation.
I've missed these OP analyses, they make my ADHD brain very happy, and this video is no exception, keep up the great work Geoff!
Sometimes I think about how much this anime influenced my life. I watched it very young and it had a huge impact on me, it made me a huge fan of science fiction and jazz music and since then I've been dreaming about a future in space I'll sadly never experience. It felt so real back then.
A Cowboy Bebop OVA where the gang take on the Happy Science cult would be the single greatest elevator pitch in the history of anime ever. The sheer sakuga-fueled insanity that OVA would produce would be timeless.
This is one of the few animes that everytime I rewatch always find something new.
FINALLY someone brings up the fact that Ed not being in that OP is a CRIME!
Wait ppl actually liked ed?
@@papi_chulo- yes. I love her
Ed is a treasure
The whole adaptation is a crime
She's not in it.
Man this may be your best vid yet. Absolutely great.
Another one: the shot of 3 guns one after another stands for the 3 times Spike went against Vicious in the series
That's neat! I'm kinda torn on liking the 3 shot from the OG or the new one with each characters gun once. Both are pretty good imo.
I've never skipped the cowboy bebop intro, even without understanding any deeper message it just felt like skipping it would be evil like kicking a puppy, no other anime has ever provided me with that experience either, the only few that even come close is the neon genesis evangelion op Naruto op 4/7 and bleach op 1/2 but the last two series are solely because of nostalgia and all three still fall short
As a non smoker, I was always a bit envious of the solidarity smokers all seem to effortlessly share... And that's about the only thing I picked up on Before watching the video. I didn't think you could pull so much from this seemingly simple op but you did it, terrific job and I love it
Sopranos, also makes me wanna smoke for some strange reason i guess it’s because Tony Soprano, looks cool doing it plus it just makes it seem chill, but I’d never smoke, or drink i just don’t like not being me to be honest. Bonus points though Fei, looks hot while doing it.
@@joshshrum2764 you can still drink and smoke and be yourself mate idk what u on about
I admit, I've been binging your old videos recently, so this was a welcome surprise!
I have been watching this channel for years, actually starting with an op analysis. Geoff, this is by far the best and funniest opening examination you have ever done. Being a fan of Cowboy Bebop for a long time I always enjoyed listening to it be thought it was one of the weakest op's ever that still somehow caught my attention. Thank you for making me rethinking that and for such an amazing (g-fueled) video.
speaking on the backgrounds i love the space trucker episode for this exact reason every single cockpit you cut too is bursting with personality
There’s so many great things I could say about Cowboy Bebop, so many memorable moments that were etched in my young, impressionable, and naive mind that only got better and more rich as I aged. However, from a time where cooties were serious concern of mine to today’s career decisions and taxes, Faye Valentine will forever still be my first and oldest “I’d risk it all” kinda gal.
It has been a good few months since OP analysis. Glad to see another one!
My man, it takes some balls to build a career off anime openings,and take this many years to finally cover the legendary Bebop intro. I respect the hustle. Also,I'm bi now.
Spike?
That's last part was unnecessary. No one asked...
congratulations!
Tank! is one of my favorite anime openings of all time. I know Yoko Kanno deserves credit for writing it but the band is crazy good. Masato Honda (Alto Sax) and Koji Nishimura (Trumpet) are two members that are easy S-tier musicians.
Cowboy Bebop is pretty popular amongst the gun community as well. The characters guns are all real guns.
Spike - IWI Jericho 941
Jet - Walther P99
Faye - Glock 30
Gren - H&K USP
Shin - SIG Sauer P226
Julia - Colt Combat Commander
Cowboy Andy - Colt Single Action Army
Hakim - Desert Eagle
Fad - Smith and Wesson Model 29
One of your best analyses so far. Fantastic work :)
1:13 into this video and I already know it's greatest shortcoming. You didn't PUMP THE JAMS!!!
Curse you DMCA you've foiled my plans to enjoy something to it's fullest extent yet again!
Just finished watching Ladyknightthebrave’s excellent Cowboy Bebop analysis and then this was up. Perfect timing.
So, wait... If we have Space Opera, and CB is "Space Jazz", then that opens up for many new space genres! Where then is my "Space Ska"?
The ONLY OP I never skipped. EVER. Every episode, my brother and I sat through and loved every second of this show. And we watched it on Funimation (in original Japanese of course). I'm not saying its my favorite anime of all time, buuutt, its the first anime I bought on DVD/BLU-RAY.
Maybe it's just me, but there was some real Tim Rogers energy to a lot of Geoff's line delivery in this video. Very similar cadence in places, at least to my ear.
Just started watching this again and I said the exact same thing when the "skip intro" button appeared.
God dang man, your sponsorship ads are seamlessly integrated into fantastically entertaining interpretation of a masterpiece classic. Most vids on the interwebs are horrendously approached for their sponsors, and I can usually skip them without missing much. Not so much here. I think g-fuel will be damn proud of the presentation here.
I love listening to you talk about this stuff man, you do it so well. It's always wonderful to listen to someone talk about and deconstruct something with such entertaining passion that by the end of it you appreciate a thing you already love even more.
The title is in fact accurate
I always thought that last shot at the end with the "blue eye" was a camera shot looking into the Swordfish's barrel.
Man, your ability to analyze these is next-level. I've always loved this OP, but I clearly missed at least 60% of the things you mentioned
Idk how…but u made me like my favorite thing even more than I already did. I just rewatched it with your framing…it’s so great
No joke in your last video I complimented the background artist for making a 1:1 recreation of Tokyo Dome amusementpark and how as a rollercoaster enthausiast I could recognize all the design detail of the rollercoaster in the background. Now knowing it was the same guy who did backgrounds in Bebop makes perfect sense.
I did not expect the "SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY..." to hit as hard as it did. In that one moment, my heart just sank.
Amazing video as always. Thank you for your expert analysts of one of my favorite opeings of all time!
It should be a law to NEVER skip the op.
Funny that you uploaded this today. I just finished watching the first two episodes this morning. This is my first watch of the series.
5:58 "Abound with so much information"
...Wait wrong OP... Really goes to show how influential this OP is though. There's really no denying Pursuing My True Self was influenced by Tank! They even have the part with the tower of TVs (which was _also_ referenced by Nier Automata). Weird thing is that there are videos with the song to the P4G and P5 openings but not P4... I know what I must do!
You really made Jet lip sync you at 9:55 and it was really good
That was some cursed trivia at the end there, that's gonna take some processing
Amazing analysis of a classic great OP. Great video!
i must say, The World's Finest Assassin Etc.'s intro has proved itself to be pretty damn unskippable as well...
14:32 Edward's quirk is she's always moving forward, never looking back
Thank you for the great analysis Geoff, It was nice to learn about the subtle details hidden in the opening
Hopefully the new live action does a better job with the episodes than they did with the op
Hope you have a great week and see you again next week for another great video
Take care and Be safe out there (^=W=^)
And (^=W=^)7 'Salutes'
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY...
I worked at Christie's auction house in NYC for a decade. Not because i was artsy. Far from it; I just needed a job.
I understood the importance of provenance and review/analysis of a particular work. But i never...cared.
M'sieur's piercing, refreshing, illuminating dive into this show's opening is... is.... it's just a f*cking gift. I thought the OP was unusual. Dense. Informative. But this review enables me to enjoy it in a whole new way.
This right here? I can state enough how much I appreciate this
DAMN. I've gotten some very nice comments on my channel over the years, but this one I kinda wanna frame!
@@mothersbasement a very poor attempt to repay what i got from this video. Watching this made me smarter for the anesthetics.
Keep doing what you do!
Subscribed.
One doesn’t experience self-transcendence, the illusion of self only dissipates .🎈
pass me some of that G-Fuel
Recently watched this for the first time. Now I have to go watch it again... Really good analysis.
For anyone who watched this show as a kid (Most likely when the parents were asleep) what was it like to watch it?
It was one of those shows it made you feel like you matured a little bit after every episode. Not only the world represented was fascinating, with its mix of futuristic technology and nostalgic decadence, but also the deep stories of the various characters involved.
It changed my life. Whenever someone would ask 14 year-old me if I liked anime, my response was always, "Not really."
When CB came along, I had to start adding, "Except for Cowboy Bebop. That's my shit!"
These days, I'm subbed to channels like Mother's Basement and am currently working on a Junji Ito-inspired manga. Like I said, it changed my life.
It was like watching a serious movie every weekend. I was used to the bright colors and child heroes of Pokemon or Yu Gi Oh that the darker tones and older main characters made me feel pretty cool for a 9 year old. XD
I never understood anything that was going on and used to get extra confused because I didn't catch it in order and thought cowboy bebop and ghost in the shell were the same show cus young dumb tired kid who only caught the middle of the episodes on either series.
@@CERTAIND00M I never truly understood what was going on so my favorite episodes were the little adventure ones like when they had that trucker episode. Like I learned today that Faye had amnesia. I loved it but could never explain why I loved watching it. And I was hella mad when Spike left everyone behind so it was years before I could even watch it again.
Ight. Imma rewatch Cowboy Bebop now. Please don’t stop making Anime Opening Breakdowns, Geoff, I love every one of them and they’re really really nice, they open my eyes to so many things I hadn’t been appreciating in some of my favorite shows! I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way!
I think Netflix's take on Tank! is a passable one. I did have a couple gripes with it (some of the movements weren't as fluid, admittedly), but I don't think I'd call it disappointing. I'm honestly pretty hopeful for it; I don't expect it to outdo or match the original, but I'm optimistic that it can still be enjoyable, satisfying, and respectful to the source material, even though the transition from animation to live-action will demand some changes, not all of which will be for the better.
This is exactly how I feel.
I like the fact that they use not the same gun 3 times, but each of the main casts guns once. Pretty nice touch.
The eye at the end is definitely a general reference to the theme of eyes in the show, but it's also the eye of the viewer I think, like a mirror.
Mother’s Basement, like Bebop itself, is a stronghold anime classic.
I am so incredibly hyped for the live action that no snarky comment from any anituber can stop me, but this was still a really good watch
Well I’m fucking not it’s just going to be a trash fire like Ghost In The Shell, and i bet they would fuck up a live action Evangelion, and Akira, i just really dislike these old classic animes, or anime movies of are time getting made in live action, and very Americanized, like some shit in the live action looks racist to me, also the fact women can’t be sexy, and badass at the same time like Fei, is so boring now.
@@joshshrum2764
Waaaaaaah
OH MY GOD THAT TWIST LMAO
also i'm definitively rewatching Cowboy Bebop now
Gfeul revelations are very underrated
I feel like you have helped me realize something about the game I am trying to design but I don't know what that is yet. I freaking love your insight and Bebop has always been something I have wanted to grasp. Thank you.
Normally you're really on top of giving credit where its due, I'm genuinely surprised you didn't mention
Tank! is a song composed by Yoko Kanno.
( and all the epicness that entails )
Thank you for this video. I won't lie I was one of those ridiculous people that thought, since I missed this show growing up, that the show had to still be "tropey" and "over hyped". But through watching your videos, and starting the show. Masterpiece is the only word that makes sense when talking about this show!
"The work which becomes a new genre itself, will be called COWBOY BEBOP". fml I always thought what that meant. Im a fake Cowboy Bebop fan.
Before they were introduced in the show, I thought that shot of Ed upside-down was a random old man with a beard right-side-up.
While I love the intro and ending , my rule for all anime is to watch it once and not watch it again till the last episode
So yes it was easy to skip the intro and ending for me, of course I would listen to it outside of watching Cowboy Bebop
I really love when you analyze ops because I swear all the hidden meanings just go wooooooshing by far over my head. I just think "that song is the coolest! Sick visuals!" And go on with my day, lol.
Could you maybe make something about Space Dandy it is related to Watanabe and so unknown even if it is such a good Anime about a silly, pervert ,lazy, incompetent anilen hunting space crew with the heart in the right place, that have the the most silly adventures with strangest outcomes.
Carole and Tuesday, Samurai Champloo, as well as Kids on the Slope were also directed by Watanabe. One thing these anime all have in common is the attention that Watanabe puts in the music.
Space Dandy always seemed like a parody/riff on Cowboy Bebop to me, so that little tidbit makes a lot of sense.
@@notationmusical oh yes all his shows have beautiful sound tracks.
Michiko & Hatchin was although anime where watanabe was responsible for the soundtrack in cooperation with Alexander Kassin, sadly no one knows this anime.
In short it's about the life brazilian favelas.
@@55was I can't believe I forgot to mention that one! I love its visuals and characters. And I agree, it continues to be unknown.
@@notationmusical yeah it is a really nice gem most anime fans will never hear of.
OKAY YEAH. THAT SURE WAS A PLOT TWIST AT THE END THANK YOU.
So... you gonna do a video on Arcane? Or a comparison between Dragon's Dogma/Dota: Dragon's Blood/Arcane?