One great example is the VR environment Spike enters in Session #6, “Binary Two-Step.” The façade of the city outside Dr. It is a fun way to dump a lot of exposition on the viewer while parodying reality TV, after all.Īdmittedly, the unreality of Cowboy Bebop’s production design doesn’t always work, but in its best moments, it creates a convincing vision of a run-down future that just about excuses the occasional shortfall in the program’s own budget. That said, we fully expect to see Big Shot again in the second season. In fact, it would have been nice to see the program once or twice more as the season progressed, but after it anchored Spike and Faye’s ( Daniella Pineda) argument about which bounty to take in Session #5, “Darkside Tango,” it may have worn out its welcome if either they or Jet sat down for another long update. Sure, Judy’s ( Lucy Currey) costume is a little less revealing and Punch’s (Ira Munn) accent is toned way down to conform to a more modern sensibility, but that strange mixture of game show, sports score update, and news program still works with real, live actors taking the place of animation. Also, we appreciate the appearance of the original end credits song, “The Real Folk Blues,” in a handful of episodes.Īlthough we only get to see Big Shot two or three times, the goofy spirit of its anime counterpart is alive and well in the live-action version.

Indeed, Kanno’s music helps maintain that mood throughout, whether using the original score from the anime or new material. These changes are not necessary, as few things prime the viewer for the Cowboy Bebop experience like the original title theme. Therefore, there really was no way to do this right without including it in every episode.īut the success of that theme means we do have qualms about how it was implemented in some of the episodes – starting before the title sequence in Session #3, “Dog Star Swing,” for example – or the subsequent use of a remix in an attempt to shake things up.

It’s a great piece of music that perfectly encapsulates the mood and feel of the series. Bebop avoids any criticism in this regard by just straight up using the original theme composed by Yoko Kanno and performed by her band, Seatbelts.

In so many updates, reboots, and reinventions, the title theme is often jettisoned in favor of a quick title card or a new theme lacking the power of the original series (sorry, Voltron: Legendary Defender, you know it’s true).

Cowboy bebop series ending song