Hello everyone, and welcome to my look at the two-part series finale of "Cowboy Bebop." After some delay, I will be addressing both final episodes in one post, so let's open up the first part of "The Real Folk Blues!"
After the intro, we open on Mars; where a mysterious woman is told the "elders" are coming for her; narrowly escaping the gunfire of some hitmen outside her hotel room! Their leader, Vicious enters the room; and there is a reason why I included him among my favorite anime villains.
As Vicious taken in by more assassins to an underground chamber, we get an exterior shot of a tavern called the "Loser Bar." I've been alluding to this before, so I'm going to let you know things are about to get heavy.
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| "Is there life on Mars?" |
Inside the bar, Jet is musing with Spike about the events that led them there; specifically how he doesn't work well with women or children. This is especially impactful knowing the importance Ed and Faye had on the story, as well as what's about to happen.
Just then, more of Vicious' hitmen gun down the bartender; forcing Spike and Jet to shoot their way out! Even in this anime's final episodes, you are in for a show tonight; son!
I'm still amazed by how well-constructed this gunfight is: the way the bar is used as a setting, how Spike uses a martini shaker as a distraction and Jet uses a pinball machine as cover: it's easily one of the best fights of not just the series, but my entire lifetime of viewing anime finales. Spike meets up with one of his men in the inside; Jin, who warns him about Vicious' double-cross and his past colleague Julia!
Spike and Jet escape to a nearby hospital so Jet's wounds can be treated; but Spike realizes he can't truly escape his past with the syndicate. He has to finish what he started, no matter the cost.
We then get a flashback to Spike and Julia in the past; when he first tried to leave the syndicate after one last job. This is intercut with Julia in the present time; and Vicious catching wind of the plan to betray him!
Elsewhere, we see Faye; still coming to terms with the truth about her past at the airport, and she recognizes Alfredo from "Big Shot" meeting his mother at the terminal! I would very much like to see my extended family out of state when all this is over, someday. He also mentions that his co-star is marrying her agent, and the meeting awakens something in Faye.
On that note, Spike contacts her via the comms in the shuttle; saying he needs her help as Jet is still recovering from his injuries! Faye is hesitant, but Julia comes racing in to convince her otherwise! She shoots out the tires of the car chasing Julia, doing the same to a second car as she dives into Julia's backseat! Hm: probably made by Firestone.
Lighting up a smoke together after the attack from the hitmen, Faye and Julie converse by the sea about the situation at hand. Taking Faye back to where she came, the two slowly realize they have more in common than they let on. Now comes the bombshell: Julia asks Faye if she sees Spike again, to tell him Julia will be waiting for him.
Back on the Bebop, Spike tries to determine his next move while speaking with Jet. As Jet relates a story over not dwelling on the past; I concede that while the CG shot of Mars' surface has aged, I will give it some leeway as in 1998; it was one of the first uses of CGI in anime and was done as a deliberate stylistic choice by the animators.
Back on the Bebop, Spike tries to determine his next move while speaking with Jet. As Jet relates a story over not dwelling on the past; I concede that while the CG shot of Mars' surface has aged, I will give it some leeway as in 1998; it was one of the first uses of CGI in anime and was done as a deliberate stylistic choice by the animators.
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| "You can't just shoot a hole into the surface of Mars." |
Faye returns to the Bebop, and demands to see Spike to deliver Julia's message. As Spike prepares to face his past, Jet is informed the syndicate is tying up the loose ends of Vicious' coup. The Bebop starts to go down, and Spike leaps into his light craft to go meet Julia; knowing full well what's about to happen.
Faye takes the other light craft, the Bebop continues its descent over the planet's surface; and Vicious escapes his bonds to take control over the "Red Dragons" syndicate! We close the first part on Spike meeting Julia at the cemetery with just a single rose in his hand.
The second part opens where the first leaves off, as Spike and Julia recall the time they saw each other last. Julia was ordered to assassinate Spike before, but she refused; leading us to the events at hand now. Julia then proposes she and Spike escape together, as we cut to Vicious taking the matter into his own hands!
Back with Spike and Julia, they head back to where they last met. Spike goes inside the scope the place out; and make sure the syndicate hasn't gotten there first. Unfortunately, the two find that one of their colleagues; named Annie has been shot! She's able to tip them off to Vicious before she dies from her wounds, and ominous black cars begin to pull up. Though Julia still hopes they can run away together, Spike takes out a box of weapons and ammunition; knowing full well what's about to happen.
Back on the Bebop, Jet and Faye remark on the state of the ship; and Spike's fate as Jet asks Faye about Julia. The syndicate bombs Julia's car, and she's forced to escape with Spike! The ensuing gunfight is another spectacular scene, and I certainly hope the live-action adaptation will be able to make the material work; but more on that later.
The fight takes them both onto the roof, but even though Spike fights bravely; Julia is shot by the hitmen from the syndicate! Once again, I will give some leeway to the CG doves for the time; and it does fit the effect they're going for in this scene.
Jet then goes to see a native tracker named Ta, but rather than help him find Spike; Ta only further weighs Spike's fate on him; telling the parable of the falling star. Ta also tells Jet he shouldn't fear death at the same time; and his words are always a mindset I've identified with.
Vicious sees the blood on the ground, realizing that Spike will soon come to him! This is just such a compelling villain that I rarely, if ever pass up a chance to revisit this story.
Spike returns to the Bebop, which surprises Jet! As he has some of Jet's noodles, Spike relates a story about a stray cat; and even with him about to face Vicious: I really love how Spike not only jokingly remarks he hates that story, but also how confident he is in the face of his destiny. Spike tries to leave, but Faye confronts him! Spike then reveals that he lost an eye when he was younger; and had it replaced with a bionic eye, also serving as a reminder about his past. Instead of shooting Spike, Faye ultimately decides to let Spike go; firing off a sort of "sixgun salute" as the outro music in the title; "The Real Folk Blues" plays as Spike flies off.
Now, comes the final confrontation: as Vicious takes his seat, Spike enters the syndicate's HQ; kicking a grenade into the lobby and fighting his way past the other guards to face his old enemy! I'm not joking when I say this sequence is a masterstroke of animation; with Spike taking out the escalators and elevators behind him as he ties up his own loose ends with the syndicate.
Spike gets hit in the arm, but he's able to meet up with his contact Jin for help! He's able to lead Spike to Vicious on the top floor before he's killed! The roof is quite literally blown off as Spike confronts Vicious one last time.
The final fight begins in the bombed-out top floor; with the two trading blows with bullets and blades in a masterful one-on-one duel. The two declare, "Let's finish it now!"
With one last attack from them both, Vicious is downed; and Spike staggers down the stairs, ending his journey and the duel with one final word: "Bang."
That scene always gives me chills no matter how many times I see it. Collapsing on the stairs as the remainder of the syndicate closes in, the series ends with Spike being at peace in his final moments; and the camera following a rising shot to the stars as a vocalizing chorus plays. The stinger at the end says "You're gonna carry that weight," much like the Beatles sang; I have a long time.
"The Real Folk Blues" is not just one of the best finales to anime series I've seen in my life, I can honestly it's among the best TV series finales of all time. There are only a select few that can leave that impact on their series; and the medium as a whole ("Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" for MASH, "All Good Things" for Star Trek: The Next Generation being two key examples); and these two episodes, along with the entire series still continue to hold considerable influence for years to come.
As for this live-action reversion finally coming to Netflix, what would I want out of it? Simple: for it to be good. I am glad that not only are they opting to avoid the mistakes made in casting before; but the original creators will have direct input to make sure the story translates well to the new medium. Though the service is no stranger to buying the international rights to series or producing their own versions; given the impact this anime has had and how many of their original productions have garnered considerable acclaim and success, I will be very eager to see the result. If all else fails, I can't imagine it being worse than their take on Death Note.
The first half of this year certainly hasn't been what I expected; but I shall still be around in some way. Bang.
Faye takes the other light craft, the Bebop continues its descent over the planet's surface; and Vicious escapes his bonds to take control over the "Red Dragons" syndicate! We close the first part on Spike meeting Julia at the cemetery with just a single rose in his hand.
The second part opens where the first leaves off, as Spike and Julia recall the time they saw each other last. Julia was ordered to assassinate Spike before, but she refused; leading us to the events at hand now. Julia then proposes she and Spike escape together, as we cut to Vicious taking the matter into his own hands!
Back with Spike and Julia, they head back to where they last met. Spike goes inside the scope the place out; and make sure the syndicate hasn't gotten there first. Unfortunately, the two find that one of their colleagues; named Annie has been shot! She's able to tip them off to Vicious before she dies from her wounds, and ominous black cars begin to pull up. Though Julia still hopes they can run away together, Spike takes out a box of weapons and ammunition; knowing full well what's about to happen.
Back on the Bebop, Jet and Faye remark on the state of the ship; and Spike's fate as Jet asks Faye about Julia. The syndicate bombs Julia's car, and she's forced to escape with Spike! The ensuing gunfight is another spectacular scene, and I certainly hope the live-action adaptation will be able to make the material work; but more on that later.
The fight takes them both onto the roof, but even though Spike fights bravely; Julia is shot by the hitmen from the syndicate! Once again, I will give some leeway to the CG doves for the time; and it does fit the effect they're going for in this scene.
Jet then goes to see a native tracker named Ta, but rather than help him find Spike; Ta only further weighs Spike's fate on him; telling the parable of the falling star. Ta also tells Jet he shouldn't fear death at the same time; and his words are always a mindset I've identified with.
Vicious sees the blood on the ground, realizing that Spike will soon come to him! This is just such a compelling villain that I rarely, if ever pass up a chance to revisit this story.
Spike returns to the Bebop, which surprises Jet! As he has some of Jet's noodles, Spike relates a story about a stray cat; and even with him about to face Vicious: I really love how Spike not only jokingly remarks he hates that story, but also how confident he is in the face of his destiny. Spike tries to leave, but Faye confronts him! Spike then reveals that he lost an eye when he was younger; and had it replaced with a bionic eye, also serving as a reminder about his past. Instead of shooting Spike, Faye ultimately decides to let Spike go; firing off a sort of "sixgun salute" as the outro music in the title; "The Real Folk Blues" plays as Spike flies off.
Now, comes the final confrontation: as Vicious takes his seat, Spike enters the syndicate's HQ; kicking a grenade into the lobby and fighting his way past the other guards to face his old enemy! I'm not joking when I say this sequence is a masterstroke of animation; with Spike taking out the escalators and elevators behind him as he ties up his own loose ends with the syndicate.
Spike gets hit in the arm, but he's able to meet up with his contact Jin for help! He's able to lead Spike to Vicious on the top floor before he's killed! The roof is quite literally blown off as Spike confronts Vicious one last time.
The final fight begins in the bombed-out top floor; with the two trading blows with bullets and blades in a masterful one-on-one duel. The two declare, "Let's finish it now!"
With one last attack from them both, Vicious is downed; and Spike staggers down the stairs, ending his journey and the duel with one final word: "Bang."
That scene always gives me chills no matter how many times I see it. Collapsing on the stairs as the remainder of the syndicate closes in, the series ends with Spike being at peace in his final moments; and the camera following a rising shot to the stars as a vocalizing chorus plays. The stinger at the end says "You're gonna carry that weight," much like the Beatles sang; I have a long time.
"The Real Folk Blues" is not just one of the best finales to anime series I've seen in my life, I can honestly it's among the best TV series finales of all time. There are only a select few that can leave that impact on their series; and the medium as a whole ("Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" for MASH, "All Good Things" for Star Trek: The Next Generation being two key examples); and these two episodes, along with the entire series still continue to hold considerable influence for years to come.
As for this live-action reversion finally coming to Netflix, what would I want out of it? Simple: for it to be good. I am glad that not only are they opting to avoid the mistakes made in casting before; but the original creators will have direct input to make sure the story translates well to the new medium. Though the service is no stranger to buying the international rights to series or producing their own versions; given the impact this anime has had and how many of their original productions have garnered considerable acclaim and success, I will be very eager to see the result. If all else fails, I can't imagine it being worse than their take on Death Note.
The first half of this year certainly hasn't been what I expected; but I shall still be around in some way. Bang.
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