It isn’t hip to talk about Cowboy Bebop. I’m not joking.
It’s not like I don’t understand why you’d want to. Those bounty hunters are tough to beat. Take the words they say, for example. They’re both stylish and unconventional and, sometimes, they even surprise you. But when you try to read a little deeper, it’s like being thrown in a tub full of ice water. But not just when it comes to the characters or their dialogue. The way the style changes every episode. The amazing visuals that mix animation with photorealism. The strange themes that make you wonder if everything was planned ahead of time or just random. It’s a work with many facets, like a naive and unknowable person.
When you love a work like this, trying to express those feelings with words can fall short. But the only way to talk about something is to talk about it. Even if you spend 15 minutes going back and agreeing about banal things like “Spike is cool,” you’re really showing each other that you understand one another.
But there are also times where you absolutely shouldn’t make judgments. Because we can’t ever truly grasp people or the world, all we can do is try to make “discernments” while swimming in a sea of chaos. This could be said about almost any other work, too. And the richness of the world, which can also be viewed as a work’s “potential,” can be unlocked by doing so.
Therefore, you should talk more about Cowboy Bebop. It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. But you can’t say “I’m thinking about it” or “What good will that do?”! And that’s because when we talk about it, something is born.
In keeping with that spirit, this book is a little bit special. The majority of this book is three young guns saying basically whatever we want. I guess you could call the misrepresentations and distortions we’re espousing “criticism.” There are sections in this book called “explanations,” but that isn’t quite the right word. Something like “impressions” might be the closest description, but ultimately, we think of them as things that were born during this process. But because we know that isn’t enough for readers, we would like to present to you interviews with the main voice cast and the director, Shinichiro Watanabe.
However, there’s one last thing I have to say: Don’t believe a single word written in this book, including what any of the interviewees say.
Like Spike Spiegel said: “It’s important to doubt everything.” Judge things for yourself and try to put your own Cowboy Bebop into words. That’s why this book was written. There would be no greater pleasure for us youngsters than if reading this book helps you talk about Cowboy Bebop even a little more excitedly than before.
Born June 17th, 1971 in the city of Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture. Ishii is a Japanese freelance writer who specializes in writing about hobbies, manga, anime (especially Gundam), American comics, films, and various other subcultures. He's known for writing reviews, columns, essays, books, and more.
Born 1969. Ichigaya has written numerous books on various science fiction anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato. He's also written extensively about military technology.
A Japanese freelancer writer who focuses on essays about topics related to otaku culture. Games, film, and hobbies are his favorites.
I'll be honest.
Most of my text translation experience is me reading the Japanese-language versions of whatever's in Jump these days. Or the instruction sheets that come with Gunpla. That said, I've been studying Japanese for a long time now and I know my way around well enough. More importantly, I know how to look for something when I don't know it off of the top of my head or think I'm missing something. I can see your confidence in this translation flagging. That's all right. I totally get it.
This isn't a perfect translation. That's a simple statement of fact. And I don't mean it in a "no translation is a perfect translation because something is always lost" kind of way, I mean it in a "some of this might require context or experience I don't yet have to fully comprehend it" kind of way. Although I also mean it in the first way too. My point is, I did my best and am confident that I have accurately captured the tone and content of what was written in this book.
The other challenge was how to present this translation. Because there's no way this book will ever receive an official translation, I wanted the information and opinions contained within it to be as accessible as possible to fans everywhere. That's why I decided to present this translation as a website. It would also be a nice tribute to the fansites I spent so much time reading when I was first falling in love with anime. This site is my small contribution to the august tradition of 90's anime fansites, which I genuinely believe were an integral part in the growth of the internet.
Regardless, I guess I shouldn't sell myself short. I translated a whole book. A book that discussed a lot of complex ideas. And for that, I am proud of this translation and know that you will find its contents insightful, entertaining, and thoughtful. And honestly, that's more than could be said about most books, especially ones about an anime.
Reading this book caused me to fall in love with "Cowboy Bebop" all over again. When I first saw it as a teen, I was hooked. The music, the animation, the style. All of it defied the stereotypes of what Americans at the time thought anime was. There was a maturity and a stylishness that popular series of the time, mostly stuff from Jump, lacked. Not to mention all of the movie references, perfect bait for the anime-curious film nerds of the day. It's truly an anime that appeals to people who don't watch anime. And yet, despite my love for the series, I didn't truly grasp its depth. Perhaps I hadn't lived enough yet to fully appreciate the trials and tribulations of the no-good adults who inhabit the world of "Bebop."
Whether you know the series by heart or you've just discovered it, I guarantee that reading through this translation will be an enlightening experience.
And so, on that note, I want to thank you for your time and attention. I know you'll enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed translating it. Probably more.
See You Space Cowboy