Session 2: Scooby Doo and Bruce Loo Too

bruce... bruce loo...

"Stray Dog Strut." Spike wasn't kidding during the last preview about "totally changing gears." I assumed in my naïveté that these previews represented the most "Japanese" aspect of the show, and all the silliest moments were cherry-picked to target a certain demographic. Turns out it accurately set the mood for what the episode was: a comedic romp. Whether it was too much mood whiplash is something I'm still reeling from, but it certainly wasn't what I expected.  Actually, it was sort of was what I expected before starting the show, having more of the usual anime tropes. Whether these tropes were played straight or lampshaded is hard for me to say, since this is still my first real anime. But I'd like to think that Cowboy Bebop has some measure of self-awareness, and that this episode was an example of not taking itself too seriously. If you consider "Asteroid Blues" to be "style over substance," then "Stray Dog Strut" must be "comedy over substance."

Session 1: Bell Peppers, Small Fries, and a Magic Hot Dog - I Am Starving!

MFW watching "Asteroid Blues"

"Asteroid Blues." Well I'm certainly not feeling too blue after watching that! Many, many times! Doubly so for the intro!! Let me come right out of the gate and say I think I'm going to really love this show. Last post, I lamented the possibility of not being able to connect with this anime for being too "foreign." The title should have been a dead giveaway, "cowboy" and "bebop" being two of the most western things imaginable. Even so, the occasional Japanese peculiarities were hardly jarring. Hell, Deadly Premonition is one of my favorite games, remember? I don't know what I was worried about! The only real hangup I had was with the subtitles and dubbing, so I looked up some info on the subject. I'll talk on that for a bit, but after that, I'm keeping outside influences to a minimum. Reason being, I may have been spoiled on a few things during my innocent search. Not to worry, I'm not a believer in spoilers "spoiling" my enjoyment of something. Still, I'll attempt to keep my noobish perspective pure, and avoid internet influence as much as possible from now on.

What's This All About?

"First Impressions of an Anime Noob." As the name implies, I have never seen Cowboy Bebop before. Here's the extent of my knowledge: the show aired in the late 90s, it involves space travel, and was made by a Japanese studio. It's often regarded as one of the best animes (or is the plural anime? This is even further proof of my ignorance...) so what better way for me to get into the genre? My only other exposure to anime is a smattering of kids shows like Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh, or maybe whatever's on Adult Swim that I'm not really paying attention to in the background.