It's not just the name of the spaceship.
In 1998, a science fiction anime with the unusual name Cowboy Bebop began airing on Japanese television. Its plot centered on a group of space bounty hunters and was aimed at adult viewers.
The main director of the series was Shinichiro Watanabe. Keiko Nobumoto, who worked with Watanabe on the Macross Plus series, became the main scriptwriter for the anime. Toshihiro Kawamoto was responsible for the appearance of the characters, and Kimitoshi Yamane was responsible for the design of the mechanical elements.
They could hardly be called a dream team – but the result they produced was absolutely brilliant.
The Soundtrack is One of the Most Important Parts of Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop became a cult classic both in Japan and abroad. There are several main reasons for the success of this anime: a complex and varied plot, a masterful presentation of the story and, of course, the soundtrack.
The main characters' spaceship is called Bebop after the jazz style of bebop that was popular in the 1940s. This music was characterized by a fast tempo, complex improvisations, and the lack of clear rules, which was reflected in the musical design of the anime.
In the late 90s, when the series was released, critics noted not only the outstanding visuals of Cowboy Bebop, but also the wonderful soundtrack created by composer Yoko Kanno.
Cowboy Bebop Name Origin
The music in Cowboy Bebop is something very special. As the series progresses, the viewer hears many vaguely familiar melodies and songs. And only later, after watching all the episodes and listening to the soundtrack, do we learn that all those melodies, all those vaguely familiar songs, with a few exceptions, were written specifically for the series.
So Bebop is the music the space cowboys listen to, and in fact it is the lifestyle they lead.
What is Cowboy Bebop About?
Life on Earth has become nearly impossible, and humanity has spread throughout the solar system. In 2071, people live on Mars or Venus and travel between planets in personal ships. However, the well-being of habitable space is still a long way off, so there are a lot of bounty hunters – cowboys.
Spike and Jet make their living by catching criminals who have a bounty on their head. Usually, they are not very lucky: most of the time, the bounties have to be spent on repairing the ship or paying off debts. Both Spike and Jet do not like to talk about their past.
Over time, however, their team is joined by two other companions and a very smart corgi. All of them are more or less in conflict with the law, so they manage to find a common language.