Lately, I’m enjoying movies. Last week was also spent mostly inside, so I had to find alternative pastimes.
I didn’t give too many chances to Cowboy Bebop, the only reason I clicked was that it looked weird, colorful and somehow cringe. A Sci-Fi set in a weirdly jazzy future, in which all the planets on the Solar System have been colonized. And yet, a future in which we have saloons, teleshopping (only for promoting bounties for bounty hunters), bars and entire cities reconstructed so they look like ones in the fifties. Or later than that a bit. Or sooner, I couldn’t tell.
The entire setting is so weird, that it can hardly be ignored. It’s a Sci-Fi, but an artsy one. Music is also very good, including the fact that there are entire dialogues describing the music theory behind some passages.
It was only after I finished it that I learned there was an anime called Cowboy Bebop, which is considered in some circles to be the best anime of all. Or even the best animated television series of all time. I didn’t see it, so I can’t tell.
But I did see the series made by Netflix and I have to say I liked it. It’s a very gentle mix between good ol’ comics, natural acting and cyberpunk. You can’t tell which is more prevalent, which is making it deliciously confusing. There is physical action, if you’re into it, some natural, some unnatural, but all dynamic and well made. There is tension and conflict, there is a natural progression of all characters, surrounded by ephemeral characters engaging for an episode or two, just to create some contrast.
At times, it’s ridiculously bad, but you can’t tell if this is on purpose, if it’s the comics part hitting in, or just bad acting. At other times, it’s ridiculously good, and then again, you can’t tell if it’s a serendipitous overlapping of screenplay, acting and setting, or just a coincidence.
I also like the fact that the final… Oh, wait, I’m not gonna give any spoilers. Better go and look for yourself. It’s a 10 episodes series, so put aside a weekend or two if you want to enjoy it slowly.
