I guess you could say this should be tagged as a spoiler, but as no one actually knows how "Cowboy Bebop" ends, there's really not much to spoil, I suppose.
As anime goes, Bebop is pretty much the pinnacle achievement. Any conversation you've had with someone about good anime most likely mentioned it. In fact, only one I can think of didn't include it. And that doesn't count, since I was talking to a homeless man who accused me of stealing his thoughts at the time.
Since the series ended more than ten years ago, I don't feel all that bad talking about the ending. If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it now before reading any further. Overall, though, it's pretty much like "The Sixth Sense" - if you haven't seen it yet, you probably never will.
By the way, Bruce Willis is a ghost...or a superhero...or bad director. Sorry. I get my Shyamalan twist endings mixed up sometimes.
In any case, I think one of the enduring qualities of the show is that there was no definite ending. The main character, Spike, ends up falling after sustaining serious injuries. The audience is left to decide for themselves whether he got up later or not. In its way, it was a brilliant move by the writer. In another way, it makes me want to punch him in the stomach.
I suppose it's for the best. Some of the best discussion I've had online has been about the ending of the series. And while I've had my share of, "Spike died and you're a retarded gay jerk for thinking otherwise," I think the ending mostly created good discourse among anime fans.
Incidentally, I had to clean up the grammar of the above example argument. The people who make those statements usually don't spell that well. And they certainly don't use the word "otherwise."
As far as how it ended, I have no real opinion. But Spike - whether he lived or died - rocked my face off for twenty-six episodes and one movie. Well done, sir.
And...let the speculation begin. What do you think?
Well, I think he died but then came back as a zombie who inexplicably lost most of his vital organs causing him to be forced to be reborn as a giant robot shaped like Chuck Norris.
ReplyDeleteThen again I've never actually seen the show, but hey, that would be pretty epic.
remember the "see you next time space cowboys"? i don't remember the EXACT phrase of the last episode, but in my opinion, that pretty much condemns you to carry the legacy of spike. and you know, you can't carry the legacy of a live person.
ReplyDelete@Cronham - Well, yes, I think that was fairly obvious. Tell us something we don't know. Haha.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - Theoretically, you COULD carry on the legacy of a person. But they'd have to be very, very lazy. I don't know. Spike slept an awful lot during the series...
ReplyDeleteWell, it IS ambiguous so one can come to the conclusion that pleases one most.
ReplyDeleteMr Watanabe did the same thing with the movie that came out a few years later. He came right out and said in a panel discussion after the English version premiered that if you told him it was a dream, he'd say it really happened. If you told him it really happened, he'd say it was a dream.
He's been doing the same thing with Cowboy Bebop for the last 10 years except everyone asking him about it is assuming he died ('I never officially said he died, he may just be sleeping' is what he told The Daily Texan).
Since I am not comfortable with an ambiguous end, I'm in the camp that says he's alive. He'd contradict me no matter what I say, so...
@Anonymous, the tagline said "You're gonna carry that weight..."
ReplyDeleteIt was a Beatles reference. That was the song where the Beatles told the fans that they were breaking up, that there would be no more Beatles.
It was the end of the series, no more Cowboy Bebop. That's what that was.
Cowboy Bebop ending discussion is always so juicy. I could write a theory on the back of a box of instant mashed potatoes in the grocery store and come back five days later. Chances are, it would have a response written to it.
ReplyDeletePeople just can't resist, it seems.
And yes, it was a Beatles reference. Pretty much, I'd trust anything MrsSpooky says on the subject. Their wealth of knowledge on the subject is clearly demonstrated here:
ReplyDeletehttp://mrsspooky.net/bebop
i dont know the series, but the Monty Python reverence made me read this :p
ReplyDeletethis is so much like the Holy Grail....haha sure you didnt get it off of there?
ReplyDelete@Simon - I figured combining something very few people had seen with something everyone had seen would be a good mix.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - No, I'm not sure I didn't get it from there. In fact, I'm 100% sure that's exactly where I got it from. This, I believe, is what they call an "homage."
ReplyDelete