Movies that spawn from anime series tend to be a mixed bag in terms of quality, since the fact that they mostly function as episodes with bigger duration has frequently proven an issue. This however, is not the case with “Cowboy Bepop the Movie” with director Shinichiro Watanabe following the recipe of the original, iconic series, which aimed at each episode functioning as a short movie. The result, in a story that is placed between episodes 22 and 23 of “Cowboy Bepop”, is exceptional, with the movie being of at least equal quality with the series.
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (Sony Pictures) Screens Jan. 21st (sub), Jan. 22nd (sub), Jan 23rd (encore of choice), courtesy of AX Cinema Nights and Iconic Events Releasing
The movie starts nicely with Spike and Jet apprehending a bunch of robbers with their usual coolness and style. Faye Valentine on the other hand, is on the heels of a hacker, in a chase though, that results in a huge explosion in Mars, which soon is revealed as a terrorist attack involving a biochemical weapon, which also affects her. A bit later, and with the help of both news and Edward, the crew realize that the perpetrator is Vincent, a sad individual without a past, and that his actions also have something to do with Cherious Medical, a multinational company who seems to be involved in various shady business. Since the Martian government offers a 300 million Woolong bounty for the culprit’s capture, the crew soon goes in chasing him, but the man is proven more than a handful for both Faye and Spike. In the meantime, Electra, a woman who is in charge of security at Cherious and has some ties with Victor, also becomes part of the story.
One of the most appealing aspects of the series is its dramatic premises, with the protagonists being the embodiment of anti-heroes, who win a lot of battles but also frequently lose (the war). Shinichiro Watanabe retains this element here, even magnifying it, with particularly the two main protagonists suffering shattering losses, in a way that actually increases empathy towards them. Furthermore, that the villain is an equally tragic figure adds even more to the characterization, while Electra cements this aspect in the best fashion, in one of the movie’s biggest traits.
Through all the participants, Watanabe also makes a number of comments regarding the ways multinational companies function, in a story that echoes quite timely considering the situation with Covid. Furthermore, the concept of the terrorist and the ambiguity of the term adds even more depth to the narrative, thus cementing an overall great story.
The quality of the context definitely extends to the production values. Toshihiro Kawamoto’s character design is as impressive as always in the series, with the new characters looking particularly good. The gothic dark style Victor boasts is quite appealing to watch, while Electra follows the recipe of the hard/sexy woman in rather entertaining fashion, essentially providing a “rival” to Faye, who does look sexier than ever, with the movie even teasing some nudity. Some notions of fanservice in terms of sensualism do exist, but for the most part are well-embedded in the narrative and appear quite organic.
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The backgrounds are equally impressive, with the combination of realism and cyberpunk working excellently here, while, in combination with the animation by Bones, Mars is looking as a living entity itself, as the movement on the background is essentially constant. Furthermore, the explosions are impressive by themselves while the attention to detail in both drawing and animation becomes evident on the expressions the characters take during their battles, with the one-on-ones especially being among the most memorable scenes of the movie, also due to the aforementioned dramatic element.
Lastly, Yoko Kanno’s music follows the excellent approach of the original, including a mix of western, opera, jazz, rock and some Arabic elements, which are presented when the story moves into the Moroccan district.
“Cowboy Bepop the Movie” is a worthy expansion of one of the best anime series of all time and a movie that has truly stood the test of time, actually being more timely now than ever.
