Cowboy Bebop Anime, #2235

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop (Japanese: カウボーイビバップ, but most often written in English, even in Japan) is a 26 episode Japanese anime TV series by Shinichiro Watanabe that initially ran starting in 1998.

The show was quite popular in Japan and has also been widely popular in the United States, often credited with significantly broadening the popularity of anime with U.S. viewers. Bandai licensed Cowboy Bebop in the United States. Two Cowboy Bebop manga series were created based on the TV show, which were not made by Watanabe but by Yutaka Nanten; TokyoPop publishes both the first and second series in English. Both were published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten.

Plot

In the year 2071, the crew of the ship, Bebop, travel around the Solar System, trying to catch "bounty-heads." Each of the four (or five) bounty hunters contribute their own unique abilities to catching bounties. The story follows less of their actual travails in bounty hunting, but more of exploring the pasts of each character, slowly unraveling each of their stories as the series progresses.

Characters
Spike Spiegel
A 27-year-old bounty hunter who was born on Mars, Spike was an up-and-coming player in the Red Dragon crime syndicate. Initially teamed with his ex-friend, Vicious, a series of events occurred (that are only alluded to in the series) that caused Spike to leave the syndicate, appearing to die in a blaze of glory. His philosophy is based on the ancient samurai ideal of immediacy, and of considering oneself as dead. Also, the idea of death being an awakening from a dream is an element of bushido illustrated in the Hagakure. Given Spike's previous association with the syndicate, he is well versed in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat skills. He specializes in Jeet Kune Do, the fighting style created by Bruce Lee (another major influence on Cowboy Bebop). Otherwise, Spike is very laid-back and lackadaisical, often a source of consternation for his crewmates. Although fans often claim him to be of Jewish descent (due to his last name and his "fuzzy" hairstyle), director Shinichiro Watanabe stated at Otakon 1999 that he and the staffers initially chose the name Spiegel because they simply liked the sound of it.
Jet Black
Jet, a 36-year-old former cop, acts as Spike's foil during the series. Where Spike acts lazy and uninterested, Jet is hard-working and a jack-of-all-trades. Jet was an investigator in the ISSP (the Inter Solar System Police) for many years until he lost his arm in a sting that went awry. His arm was replaced with a cybernetic limb but his loss of limb coupled with the general corruption of the police force, Jet quit the ISSP in disgust and became a freelance bounty hunter. Jet also considers himself something of a renaissance man, cultivating bonsai trees, cooking, and enjoying jazz/blues music, especially Charlie Parker. As a character, Jet is a quintessential oyaji.
Faye Valentine
Faye is vice personified. Apparently 23 years old, she is corrupt, mercenary and totally self-centered. Being a bounty hunter is conducive to her independent-minded lifestyle. Addicted to gambling and kleptomaniacal, Faye uses her skimpy attire and significant sex appeal to get whatever she wants. However, her vain and merciless exterior hides a frightened girl. Stored in cryogenic sleep for 54 years due to a space travel accident, Faye awoke with total amnesia, in a mysterious world that she didn't understand, surrounded by people who were all-too-willing to take advantage of her naïveté, which hardened her personality. The circumstances of her accident, her previous life, even her real name (The surname "Valentine" was a name given to her by the doctor that thawed her) all remain a mystery, and are only gradually revealed as the series progresses.
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky the Fourth
Ed is a very strange young girl (assumed to be about 13). Born on Earth, Ed could be considered a "free spirit." She is a font of silly exclamations and childish rhymes; she is easily distracted; and she is the show's primary source of physical humor—over the course of the show she rarely walks anywhere, preferring to run, crawl, flip, roll or even just saunter. Not much is known about her origins, only that she spent some of her earlier childhood in an orphanage. (A man named Applederry Siniz Hesap Lutfen eventually claims to be her father and called her Françoise.) Ed's primary use to the Bebop crew is as a hacker; she is a genius behind a computer, maybe the best ever. Ed has a good rapport with Jet, who acts as a surrogate father, and Faye, who acts as something of a big sister (much to Faye's chagrin). Ed also seems to be the only person who can understand Ein the dog.
Ein
Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi brought aboard the Bebop by Spike after a failed attempt to capture a bounty. Ein is what is known as a "data dog": while the televised series never explains what this means, the manga shows Ed accessing data stored in Ein's brain via a virtual reality-type interface where she has a conversation with a human proprietor. It is obvious that Ein is abnormally intelligent, as he is able to answer the telephone, use the Internet, and generally do a number of other things that an average canine shouldn't be able to do. Ein initially takes a shine to Jet, but when Ed joins the crew, he comes around to her as well. Frequently the two trade roles, with Ein expressing very human sentiments via facial expression and Ed regressing to a feral state.
Vicious
Vicious is a man out of Spike's past. The two were partners together in the Red Dragons crime syndicate, but they began to fall out as a result of loving the same woman, Julia. Vicious lives up to his name: he is ruthless, cunning and ambitious, willing to do anything in order to secure his position of power. Vicious' weapon of choice is not a firearm, but a katana that he wields skillfully. The blood feud between Spike and Vicious is an ongoing storyline throughout Cowboy Bebop.
Julia
Julia is a beautiful and mysterious woman out of both Spike and Vicious' past. A love triangle between the three led to the falling out between Spike and Vicious, eventually causing Spike to leave the syndicate. Julia herself only appears in flashback until the final two episodes of the series. Julia acts as a stark contrast to the world around her — her blonde hair and her bright red umbrella and automobile standing out in the otherwise drab environs that she inhabits. She really does love Spike, but doesn't want to spend her life on the run from Vicious and his men.