Mark Watches ‘Cowboy Bebop’: The Movie

In the Cowboy Bebop movie, HOLY CRAP, THIS IS GORGEOUS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch (and finish) Cowboy Bebop.

What you see here is, largely, a liveblog of sorts, though I feel weird using the word because you’re not supposed to pause a liveblog, and I did that a billion times. Or I spaced out and didn’t write anything because I was so into the movie that I couldn’t type at the same time. Either way, I HAD A LOT TO SAY.

• This film opens with a thematic bridge to the show. There once was a man who lived in dreams, and we know that’s Spike. So I’m guessing that this movie is just a one-off story stuck within the show’s canon.
• Spike’s misdirect where he kicks that guy in the face is brilliant. It’s also a great way to introduce his character and the way he brazenly approaches bounties. Just like his charity comment when the fourth guy comes out of the bathroom, Spike likes to think of himself as a someone who has transcended what we consider human morality. Well, he likes to think that, but I think we’ve seen throughout the course of the show that he’s rather moral when he wants to be.
• The opening credits sequence is fantastic!!! Great music, stunning animation, and a great use of an urban cityscape. Is this New York??? How is that possible? Oh, it’s probably just modeled after the city.
• My god, the digital billboards in space thing is AMAZING.
• EDWARD EDWARD EDWARD I HEARD YOU IN THE BACKGROUND.
• Hahaha, the shogi scene is yet another example of how this universe provides commentary on characterization.
• EIN!!! EIN!!!
• HAHAHAHA, OH MY GOD, EIN HELPED JET. BLESS. BLESS.
• Ugh, okay, just seeing these characters is so fun for me. Hello, Faye!!!
• WHO IS THIS GUY?
• WHAT THE HELL, DID HE JUST BLOW UP A HIGHWAY?
• 72 dead, 425 injured??? What the hell? And it was a chemical blast. Lord. LORD.
• Holy shit, so it’s looking like that guy stole the truck specifically to blow it up.
• Hahaha, oh god. the Bebop crew are pretty much on the ramen diet. It’s like my sophomore year of college all over again.
• Faye was in her ship, though; she can’t be sick, right?
• 300 MILLION WOOLONGS???? I don’t think there’s been a bounty that big in the history of the whole show!
• Whoa, so I’m surprised that this biological attack is still such a huge concern. A new virus? This is only going to get worse, isn’t it? And that sneezing scene is NOT HELPING.
• Ha, Edward hacked the card company. She rules.
• “You can draw on the screen! JUST LIKE A PROFILER.” How can you hate Edward?
• HEY, FAYE’S DRAWING REALLY ISN’T THAT BAD. I mean, it’s like leagues better than what I could do. AND IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE GUY!
• HAHAHA OH MY GOD, IS THAT THE THREE OLD GENTLEMEN??? YESSSSSSSSS.
• Holy crap, my heart nearly exploded when that guy brought up the grenade to Spike. But it was a lighter!!! That is so cool!!! I am not being facetious, it was really impressive!!!
• Did you see that moment where Spike said he was looking for beans like in that trucking accident? That dude got quiet SO QUICKLY.
• WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? THE WHOLE VASE SEQUENCE IS SO SURREAL AND CREEPY.
• Well, shit, so they’re working together.
• Okay. Okay. Who is this guy? What the hell is he holding? 30,000 within each of the tiny spheres? THIS IS GETTING REAL UPSETTING, Y’ALL.
• A soul in purgatory??? What is this dude talking about???
• I DIDN’T REALIZE I MISSED BIG SHOT, BUT I DID.
• Mars Army? Special Forces??? So the terrorist is ex-military?
• Wait, they’re all dead??? The whole force? I DON’T GET IT.
• Edward just jumped into the vase. What? what
• EDWARD, DON’T EAT THAT MARBLE, WHAT THE FUCK.
• WHAT THE HELL DID THIS GUY JUST DO TO THE ARCADE????
• LYMPHOCYTES? What the hell???? It doesn’t respond to heat– WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED????
• Y’all, I am scared about the implications of this.
• Well, this is confirmation that Vincent is the terrorist, and the government has a part in it, as does that big pharmaceutical company.
• Hey, it’s that woman who was wearing the veil when Spike was buying that vase! Okay, so this should be fun. Wait, she has the same tattoo as Vincent???
• It really is a treat to watch Spike be ridiculous, you know? His fight/escape sequence with that one woman is great.
• Okay, what the hell is going on??? “Happy Halloween?” Oh lord, this is going to be horrifying. The whole “marrow” reference is clearly connected to the lymphocyte that Edward and Jet found. They’re full of NANOMACHINES.
• “Another episode of wasting time with Jet.” HAHAHA, IN YOUR FACE, JET.
• It’s totally fascinating to me that Edward is the only person who truly understands the fact that Ein is a genius. She’s also clearly enjoying her trick or treeting. God, she’s the best.
• Vincent sees this all as a game, which is a motif we’ve seen multiple times throughout the movie.
• AND THEN VINCENT SHOOTS ONE OF THOSE MARBLES WHILE HE AND LEE ARE IN THE SAME ROOM WHAT THE FUCK????
• NO, DON’T GO INSIDE, FAYE.
• OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THIS MOVIE TURNING INTO?????
• oh my god WHY IS VINCENT LICKING HIS OWN BLOOD.
• I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR ANY OF THIS.
• OH MY GOD, SHE JUST KNOCKED ALL THE MARBLES ON THE FLOOR.
• I AM NOT OKAY RIGHT NOW.
• It is seriously incredible how quickly this film turns into a nightmare of suspense. Like, Faye is now in Vincent’s possession, Spike is chasing after Vincent ON A TRAM, and shit is so real right now. 
• I may have just drank an entire cup of coffee, but I am so nervous right now.
• JESUS, ELEKTRA IS ALREADY SHOT????
• WHAT IS VINCENT DOING TO SPIKE??? OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THIS MOVIE???
• “I’ll be seeing you in another world.” WHAT.
• OH SHIT, ELEKTRA ISN’T DEAD.
• no!!!! NO WHAT THE FUCK, YOU SHOT SPIKE THROUGH THE CHEST. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE????
• My god, he poisoned the train. They’re all dead, aren’t they? This was honestly one of the most terrifying things the Cowboy Bebop world has ever given me. I’m in awe.
• Oh my god, Spike’s alive. He ends up in bandages a lot.
• “I had… a dream.” Oh, all this emotional continuity is too much for me.
• Okay, I find the whole conversation with Spike and Jet at the side of the river to be beautifully touching. Jet seriously cares a lot about Spike.
• Elektra was taken off duty???
• Oh, I love the visual of a secret meeting taking place in a dark room with just a bunch of spotlights. It’s such a noir thing to do.
• Awwww, Edward was so happy to see Spike!
• Ed’s hacking program broke????
• Oh god, Vincent is fucking awful. He fed Faye his blood. Yeah, it helps her resist the nanomachines, but you are so gross.
• A counter nanomachine???
• I don’t particularly find Vincent sympathetic, but I appreciate that this film has given him a backstory, one that highlights how awful it is that he and his fellow soldiers had to suffer to test this technology. The animation during this sequence is gorgeous.
• Oh my god, the pharmaceutical company just wants to “destroy the evidence” so that they have no responsibility for what it caused. That includes the people infected. Jesus.
• I’m totally into the pacing of this film. The story built up to that chaotic climax aboard the tram, and now it’s settled down into a more introspective examination of where these people fit into the world.
• “She… faded off somewhere.” Oh, Spike. Oh, Spike.
• WHY. OH MY GOD, VINCENT WANTS TO INFECT THE WHOLE WORLD WITH THE NANOMACHINES. !!!!!!!!
• Well, that kid is dead now.
• JACK O’LANTERNS. OH GOD. OH GOD.
• “Did you say anything?” Oh boy. I can’t wait to see what Jet comes out with.
• This. Is. AMAZING. LOOK AT THE PILOTS. THIS IS SO PERFECT.
• Everything about this is so quintessentially Bebop, and that’s why I have had such a good time watching this. THE PLANES ARE ANTIQUES AND HALF OF THEM FALL APART IN MIDAIR. H E L P 
• I HAVEN’T TYPED IN LIKE FIVE MINUTES BECAUSE OF HOW AMAZING THIS WHOLE END SEQUENCE IS. The fight on the tower amidst the fireworks going off? Stunning.
• I didn’t type again for five minutes because this is some incredible visual storytelling. But that’s what I ultimately loved about Cowboy Bebop. The show routinely chose to use images and action to tell us stories instead of dialogue or spelling things out.
• WAIT. WHY IS SPIKE SEEING THE BUTTERFLIES???
• “Is this world just a dream? Are the butterflies real, and Titan a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from?” OH, THIS IS SO WONDERFUL.
• OH MY GOD, ELEKTRA KILLED VINCENT!!!!
• He remembered. Shit.

It’s amazing to me that the movie feels like an extremely long version of an episode of the show, and I mean that as a compliment. It fits in with the general themes and motifs of Cowboy Bebop, respects the characterization we got in the show, and also gives us an idea of just how wonderful it would have been if the show had always been this polished. Wow, that was fantastic.

And with that, I’ve finished Cowboy Bebop! We start The West Wing tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who commented and watched along with me!

Mark Links Stuff

– I am now on tour!!! I have 26 events spread out across the eastern HALF of the U.S. and Canada. They are all free and all-ages. Come see me speak about the Mark Does Stuff Universe and read terrible fanfiction live!
- Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is now published and available for purchase! It’s available in ebook AND physical book format, and you can also get a discount for buying the ENTIRE SET of digital books: $25 for 7 BOOKS!!!
- Commissions are still open while I am on tour! There may be a day or two delay to get them done, but I am accepting them graciously to help fund my tour!