A film version of a legendary anime
COWBOY BEBOP was broadcast on TV in 1998 and is still a popular film. It was a scarce work of science fiction whose taste changed from episode to episode.
This film is a derivative of the TV series and tells the story of Spike and his friends who, by chance, find themselves pursuing a terrorist organization with a 300 million yen bounty on their heads. Since the premise is based on a popular TV series, I was nervous before seeing the movie version. Still, my fears were unfounded as it turned out to be a fantastic film.
The Best Cast, Staff, and Artwork to Color the Film
In addition to the original cast, including Koichi Yamadera (who plays Spike), Megumi Hayashibara, and the late Unsho Ishizuka, the movie is also graced by Ben Isobe, Yuji Ueda (Yuji Ueda at that time), and Ai Kobayashi. Incidentally, the ED staff role surprised me because many well-known voice actors participated in the film, even in minor roles.
Although it is a cel-shaded work that we miss nowadays, the overall drawing, the subtle and magnificent slow and steady expressions in the battle scenes, and the use of camera work, especially from the middle to the latter half of the film, are so excellent that you cannot miss every single movement of the characters, fighter planes, vehicles in general, and even the backgrounds. The music by Yoko Kanno is also excellent.
The music by Yoko Kanno also suits the film’s storyline, from everyday scenes to battle scenes, and it is not too much of a distraction. Still, it adds excitement to the scenes where it is needed.
The scene that led to the recovery of the title and the background in the final scene is very nostalgic. I feel delighted to have seen this film in 2023 when I wrote this article.
The production is reminiscent of the TV series, but the scale is that of a movie.
The story begins with Spike’s usual dour demeanor, but Spike is just so relaxed once the case starts. His smirk is, of course, a smirk, but you can also see the expression on his face when he is facing off against Vincent, a powerful adversary.
Of course, I like Spike’s smiling face, but I also like how he smiles fearlessly without giving up until the end, even though he is battered and bruised.
The film also includes scenes featuring Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein, all very appealing. Faye, in particular, is a fascinating character as she pursues the killer independently and gets into a lot of trouble.
Vincent, the target of this film, has a similar background to Spike, Jet, and Faye in some ways, and when I think back to the setting of the TV series, there is a lot to think about when comparing them. In a way, Vincent is the future they might have had.
The other guest, Elektra, also has a different heroine image from Faye, not to mention her fighting skills. Still, her shadowy and robust atmosphere will also have a charm that is typical of Carboy Bebop.
Although the overall atmosphere remains severe, the scenes in which Spike and his friends struggle to solve the problem toward the final battle are comical and ah~ this and that! I couldn’t help but be struck in the knees and say, “I wanted to see this too.
There are service scenes of Faye here and there, flashy battle scenes using fighter planes and vehicles, and Spike’s battle scenes, all of which are packed with everything you could want, and all of which are directed with high-quality drawings, making this a more greedy set than I had expected.
