well okay, before i overhype it to bits, some background. Cowboy Bepop is a space-western centered around a group of space bounty hunters travelling abourd the Bepop. Our characters are Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, and Jet Black.

it follows the four of them on their monster of the week-esque adventures in space trying to break even, and maybe finally have dinner that night. across its runtime, each character gets dedicated episodes to explore who they are, and what they want in life. while its budget may not have been exceedingly high, it's unendingly pretty, charming, witty, and deeply emotionally moving. every character interacts with the shows themes incredibly well, and the dichotomy between silly and fun episodes and the deeply serious and moving keeps you gripped as you make your way through it's just 26 episodes and singular movie.

of course, it isn't perfect. it has it's fair share of period typical misogyny, and an episode with a lot of unfortunate racist imagery. outside of this, the show honestly doesn't have many other issues, but the issues that do exist are prominent enough it's important i give you a warning before you take the dive. among that, there's lots of imagery surrounding drug use, alcoholism, and suicidal ideation. while i find the show extremely enjoyable in spite of these things, they could be upsetting enough to turn you away from the experience.

warnings out of the way, there's so much to love. so now starts the part where i talk ad nauseum about its characters and why they're so awesome to me.

the parts where i reamble about each character in excess because im crazy.

Spike Speigel. theres a lot to say about this guy. i wouldnt say hes the main character of cowboy bepop- that crown isnt really held by anyone. but Spike IS our point of view character. cowboy bepop isnt his story, but we see it through him most often if that makes any sense. to talk about Spike, we have to talk about a core theme of the show. that being finding your sense of belonging. every character on the bepop interacts with this idea in some way, but Spike is the one character who never finds it. while on the exterior hes this smooth talking coolguy who seems generally unbothered, that is NOT Spike Spiegel. Spike Spiegel is, as my friend put it, suicidal ideation final boss. this guy has made his lifes mission to find his lover somewhere out there in the solar system, reunite with her, and runaway or die trying. this may seem pretty typical, until Spike starts actively putting himself in situations in which he could die, or showing active apathy towards life-threatening situations. Spike cant imagine a life without his one true love, and so his goal is to be with her- or to be dead. no inbetween.

by definition, this spells doom for Spike from episode one. i wont get into the details, but its pretty clear where things go from here. see, Spike is the one character who actively refuses to engage the show in its themes. he wont see the people around him as friends, he wont find things worth living for, he wont call anywhere home. he spends the whole show encouraging other people to pursue a happiness he deems himself unworthy of. in a lot of ways, hes a cautionary tale. youre not supposed to want to be him, youre too busy the whole show hoping he finds something to latch onto just like everyone else on the bepop. and yet, in the eleventh hour Spike Spiegel is stubborn to a fault. he cant live in a world where he cant have Julia, and he doesnt care what happens from there. its like he says, he has one eye living in the past, and one in the present. he just cant see the future.

FAYYEEE VALENTINEEEE SHE MAKES ME SO SAD :[. Faye Valentine is our arrogant gambler of a bounty hunter on the bepop. often leaving to do things on her own, her main issue is her inability to accept attachement to anyone. Faye has spent her whole life (that she can remember) chasing something she cant have- much like Spike. the difference? what Faye has wanted is already gone. see, Cowboy Bepop takes place in the future, a future that Faye Valentine isnt a part of. before the apocalyptic accident that had people flee earth initially, she was put into cryo-sleep, and only woke up 3 years before the events of the show. with no memory of her past and few clues, she wants to know who she is and where she belongs. most of her time on the show is spent doing just that, until episode 18: Speak Like A Child. the crew of the Bepop find a mysterious package for Faye containing a VHS tape. after various shenanigans, and worries it might be from a debt collector, its discovered to be a tape of her younger self from her past. one that Faye cant remember.

hoo boy that episode is. a lot. its so like- weight on your chest as you watch her watch the vhs. she finally gets a glimpse of what shes been looking for, and that continues in the 3rd to last episode, Hard Luck Women. Faye leaves the crew to go find where she used to live. her memory is coming back clearly enough shes certain she can get back until. she finds an empty lot where her old house used to be. laying on the ground she realizes, her home was the bepop. shes spent all this time chasing a home to go back to when shes *had* one. people she likes to be around (even if she wont say it out loud), things she likes to do, she has a life already. why is she chasing one that doesnt exist? its in this way i really appreciate Faye. shes a weirdly hopeful character for someone who goes through as much as she does (of which ive only barely touched on) and shes definitely my favorite from the show.

Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV my nonbinary she/her daughter. Ed is such a food addition to the crew, and also a rather late one. where we have the rest of the crew (yes even the dog) by episode 4, Ed doesnt show up until episode 9 of 26. that said, she makes quite an impression. if your favorite type of character is weird teenage girls who are super smart and love computers, Ed is for you. Ed interacts with the themes of the show in a strange way, and its mostly because of her age. she spends most of the show with the bepop crew because she doesnt have anywhere else to go, but she doesnt seem all that concerned with where she belongs either. Ed is so incredibly go with the flow, in a way that reflects upon her living alone after being separated from her family. her desire to belong is much more passive, a second or third thought where actually anything else takes precedence.

shes interesting in that way. Ed really only begins to wonder what she wants by episode 24. yeah, literally the end of the show. finding her dad leads her to wonder if she wants to go with him, and Faye who is currently Going Through It, encourages her to. saying theres nothing more important than belonging. so, Ed also leaves the bepop, going out to find out what it means to belong. unlike Faye, we dont see Ed again after this point. granted, theres only 2 episodes left, but theres a noticeable missing piece on the Bepop. maybe its better she doesnt know wha happened after she left, but i like to think she eventually comes back.

Jet Black. i'll admit, i think i have less to say on him than the others- and thats mostly because well. Jet is already done with his arc. okay, thats hyperbole, but from episode one Jet knows where he belongs and who he wants to be. he wants to be a bounty hunter on the Bepop. its his ship, and his home. he likes being there, he likes his day to day, he likes the life hes built. Jet's past and how he actively refuses to engage with it is his real draw. time and time again there are threads that try to draw him back to his old life- and he never picks up the call. a former member of space police, Jet left after an incident left him without his left arm. his time there, informing a lot about how he thinks today.

its interesting, Jet intereacts with this idea of belonging in such a different way to the others, by actively choosing to be where hes happiest. hes been through the wringer, and spent so long trying to find himself already BEFORE the events of the show. at this point hes just trying to make his new unpredictable life sustainable. his cold exterior a front for the joy he feels having new crew mates on his ship. Faye, Spike, and Ed all mean so much to him, hell even Ein too. theyre a light in his rather monotonous life that affirm to him that this is where he belongs. sure he can imagine life without them, but hed much rather they be there at the end of the day. hes like some kind of family gu- (im dragged off stage before i can finish)

what? you thought i wasnt going to talk about the hyperintelligent dog? a man trapped inside the body of an animal (not actually hes just smart)? look, Ein isn't crazy deep, hes a dog. he doesnt speak once, but to leave him out is like refusing to call your pet family. its uniquely cruel. Ein doesnt necessarily interact with the themes literally at all, but hes an object of affection for Ed, plays board games with Jet, and sparks enough annoyance out of Faye that she eats HIS food. while half the time hes just a png floating a long with the crew, hes like their little mascot. hes adorable! and often adds an extra touch to any scene in the way youd hope an animal would. hes charming, silly, and when he leaves with Ed in Hard Luck Women its like more salt in the wound. another member of the Bepop not coming back. thats right, i just wrote angst about a dog. mhm mhm its awesome hes awesome

if any of this sounds at all interesting to you, i highly encourage you to watch the show. theres so much more than what ive said here, and it really doesnt do it any justice for me to descibe it at you- no matter how passionate haha! its only 26 episodes and a movie. speaking of which, many people will tell you when you should watch the movie between what episodes yadda yadda. listen, youre gonna wanna save it for last. the movie is that little bit more of cowboy bepop when youre sad there isnt anymore. ill admit, there is a manga (or several?) but ive only ever heard negative things. such is the fate of a written adaptation of something that starts animated i fear. that said, dont let my opinion stop you! maybe theres something to really love there, i just have no interest my self.

so from here out, im gonna leave you with several gorgeous screenshots of this show. sound good? great! thanks for reading my insane ramblings on a show everyones heard of and probably seen. it just means a lot to me :D