 |
| Taken from Quackpot.com |
In both the television series and the movie, Cowboy Bebop centers on Spike Spiegel as the main character. Even though people constantly surround him, he always seems to be alone. He always distances himself from people probably so he would not be hurt or betrayed again. Spike has a caring nature that he has to suppress in order to survive in a world that wants him dead. Even in the syndicate, Spike took care of the young recruits in a way that shows he is both a badass and a good person. In the movie, Spike shoots a convenience store robber who had an old woman at gunpoint. Spike said he did not care about the woman, but he shot him before the guy had the chance to kill her. Spike was confident in his ability to shoot with more accuracy and quickness than the robber was. Another scene in the movie that highlights Spike’s conflicting actions and words is his pursuit of Vincent. Jet tells Spike there is no need to go after the bounty on Vincent; there are bigger bounties out there. However, Spike is not concerned about the bounty on Vincent anymore; he is worried about all the people on Mars. He also wants to stop Vincent to help Elektra in her goal to help Vincent remember. Elektra used to be Vincent’s lover and comrade, and it pains her that he has lost all memory of her. She feels like she needs to be the one to defeat Vincent, and in the end she does. She shot the man she loved, and put him back in his right state of mind. Spike was able to save the world with the help of the Bebop crew, a few old men, and Rashid. Without his knowledge, Spike would never have known of the nano-bots. Spike is a lone ranger who relies on the aid of those around him, even when he downplays their help.
I believe that you are right about Spike Spiegel (insert some deep meaningful metaphor about how his last name being German for mirror, the relationship between Germany and Japan’s relationship in the Second World War, and/or Spike’s clothing elements being part Japanese and part German mafia). He wants to be a nice guy but he must be careful in the situation his kindness has put him in. I would like to beg to differ with you on the convenience store part however. I saw more of a “who cares if a single 80-some-year-old dies in the grand scheme of things sort of way”. So you’re going to end someone who is already close to death’s life? So what? You’re going to have to be sorted at purgatory’s gates not me. He is very confident in his abilities but Jet still wants there to be a planning element to everything, who he personally does not do very much besides worry over the well being of his “family” and dream of being a young hero again.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on the fact that Spike is a badass but is totally has a big heart on the inside. I kind of feel like maybe he likes the idea of being alone and always relying on himself, but also longs for the companionship of his crew and cares about the well being of others. I think his background of being in the syndicate makes him that way. After seeing all the corruption he’s learned to look out for himself but he’s also learned about taking the responsibility of helping those in need.
ReplyDeleteI think Elektra was an interesting character as well. At the end when she goes to save Vincent… she went in with the mindset that they would die together both vindicated by death… but instead, Vincent vindicates her by sparing her life. I wonder then how she must feel… to be honest, I’d be pretty pissed about the fact that the person I loved gave me this passionate confession on his dying breath, especially if I thought we were both going to die.
But I guess Vincent gave her a chance to start over by saving her and taking the weight off her shoulders. She really felt responsible for him and now that he is gone, she can try to find something completely real. And I think that is symbolized by the rain at the end. It represents the cleansing she had just received through Vincent’s confession and death.
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts Lovie!
Dear Lovie,
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoyed your commentary on everything about Cowboy Bebop and especially enjoyed how you touched on the actual movie’s relation to the television series. I enjoy also how Spike is the main character in both and the television series storyline doesn’t stray too much from the actual movie. This surprises me because in some of my other favorite anime’s, even the different series’ based around the same characters are completely different from the original episodes. If we want to get specific about it, I’m talking about the Dragonball series and the Gundam series. I really miss those shows because I enjoyed the idea that anime was being brought to the mainstream in America and everyone enjoyed what they were watching so the popularity and ratings were up. I digress, but back to my original point. You wrote a really spot-on commentary about the subject matter. I applaud you and your efforts.
Sincerely,
Neil R. Berthier