Cowboy Bebop
So I just watched the entire Cowboy Bebop series (again, for like the eighty-gazillionth time) in a marathon sitting of a little more than twelve hours (minus one break and a few seconds while I was getting food). And holy Hell, once again I'm reminded why that's my favorite series, the best series, of all time. You can't possibly understand unless you watch it. It goes beyond the plot of the series, which on it's own is spectacular, but more into the aspects of life that it brings into focus. I whole-heartedly believe that there is no person on this planet that would not enjoy this anime (even though surely they would not all understand it), even the ones that think anime is childish - and I can guaran-damn-tee you Cowboy Bebop is anything but childish. I remember once when I was watching it at home, my dad came in and started watching it with me because he had nothing else to do (and I got to the TV first hehe). I think the particular episode was Ganymede Elegy, if you know the series well. My dad is not...well, the person for anime. He's never outright said it [he's the quiet type], but I can tell he always kinda wished I was the more jock-type - the kind of son I guess every dad wishes for, and that, like most older people (or adults, if you want to use that term), he considered anime to be kid's shows. When the episode was over, I offered to go watch in my room so he could have his (the bigger) TV and he said, "No, that's fine, I'm watching this too."
Needless to say, I did a double-take.
But it goes to show: [Good] anime is not just childish cartoons. People that give it a chance are likely to understand this too, if only they would. Shows like Cowboy Bebop are rare, but totally worth it. If you haven't seen it yet, and you enjoy anime, I fully recommend you buy, download, borrow, rent, WHATEVER, the series and watch it as soon as you can. Marathons are even better because then everything sinks in immediately. If you're not an anime-lover, or if you think it's all just cartoons, I still recommend you take some time out of your next off day to watch an episode or two (try my favorite episode, #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels, or #17: Mushroom Samba, if you would rather laugh your ass off), just so you can at least say you tried something new, if nothing else. :-D You won't be sorry!!
Here's one last little attempt to sway your mind. It's the verbal prologue (at least that's what I call it) from the box-set cover:
"Once upon a time in New York City in 1941... at a club named Minston's Play House in Harlem, young jazz men with new sense are gathering. They are sick and tired of conventional, fixed-style jazz. They are eager to play jazz more freely as they wish. At this club, open to all comers, night after night, they played jazz sessions, competing with each other. At last, they created a new genre itself. Then...in 2071, in space: The bounty hunters who are gathering in the spaceship 'Bebop' will play freely without fear of risky things. They must create new dreams and films, by breaking traditional styles. And this new style of art will probably be called Cowboy Bebop."
Two things:
A) I have a Chinese version of the import so the translation is a bit different on the box. I changed a few words here and there for clarification on your part, but that's almost exactly what it says.
B) 'Bebop', if you haven't taken a music class lately, is the term for the genre of music/type of jazz that seems to disregard all 'rules' of music for the time period. It surfaced, you guessed it, at a night club in 1941. Just thought that would help a little.
Needless to say, I did a double-take.
But it goes to show: [Good] anime is not just childish cartoons. People that give it a chance are likely to understand this too, if only they would. Shows like Cowboy Bebop are rare, but totally worth it. If you haven't seen it yet, and you enjoy anime, I fully recommend you buy, download, borrow, rent, WHATEVER, the series and watch it as soon as you can. Marathons are even better because then everything sinks in immediately. If you're not an anime-lover, or if you think it's all just cartoons, I still recommend you take some time out of your next off day to watch an episode or two (try my favorite episode, #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels, or #17: Mushroom Samba, if you would rather laugh your ass off), just so you can at least say you tried something new, if nothing else. :-D You won't be sorry!!
Here's one last little attempt to sway your mind. It's the verbal prologue (at least that's what I call it) from the box-set cover:
"Once upon a time in New York City in 1941... at a club named Minston's Play House in Harlem, young jazz men with new sense are gathering. They are sick and tired of conventional, fixed-style jazz. They are eager to play jazz more freely as they wish. At this club, open to all comers, night after night, they played jazz sessions, competing with each other. At last, they created a new genre itself. Then...in 2071, in space: The bounty hunters who are gathering in the spaceship 'Bebop' will play freely without fear of risky things. They must create new dreams and films, by breaking traditional styles. And this new style of art will probably be called Cowboy Bebop."
Two things:
A) I have a Chinese version of the import so the translation is a bit different on the box. I changed a few words here and there for clarification on your part, but that's almost exactly what it says.
B) 'Bebop', if you haven't taken a music class lately, is the term for the genre of music/type of jazz that seems to disregard all 'rules' of music for the time period. It surfaced, you guessed it, at a night club in 1941. Just thought that would help a little.