Cowboy Bebop Rewatch Podcast Session #00: The Past in One Eye and The Present in the Other

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One of the questions that anime fandom constantly asks itself is, “What are the gateway anime?” People always want to know what series to show their friends, family, and significant others when the people in their lives either don’t know what anime is or already have a negative opinion of the medium. One show appears on so many lists is Cowboy Bebop.

As Cowboy Bebop has become this evergreen ambassador of anime, we decided to go back and re-watch the show now that is has gotten a beautiful Blu-ray box set. Every week we will share our memories and then re-evaluate these stories with 16 years of experience and distance. Which episodes are just as we remember, which have major flaws, and which have aged like a fine wine. At the same time, we will also look back on the music, cultural references, and holistic connections contained within each episode. Plus, we will judge if there in an appropriate amount of Ein.

Does Cowboy Bebop hold up as a classic or was its reputation all a dream? Let’s rewatch Cowboy Bebop together and find out!

Session #00

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA 2wei Herz! #003: Mimi’s Misdirection Overflow

hisui_icon_4040 In a way this is the Misdirection Overflow episode for Mimi Katsura. If you have never seen Kuroko’s Basketball I will explain what that means. The titular Kuroko’s basketball power is called Misdirection. (This is a show where people have techniques that might as well be magical basketball powers.) Misdirection works on the fact that Kuroko is so unremarkable that people even look over him when he is on the basketball court. This lets him pass and shoot unopposed most of the time which makes his the ultimate facilitator to the stars to the team. Sound like anyone else? One of his more esoteric powers is that he can stand out on the court in a way that gives everyone else the Misdirection power.

In many ways Mimi is using the Misdirection Overflow power here. She is a character who is normally so in the background that everyone overlooks her. So when she shines it sticks out like a sore thumb and districts everyone else from some things happening in the background.

When she eventually becomes a Heroic Spirit and is summoned in the 9th Holy Grail war she will make a most excellent Assassin for whoever summons her.

Also now that I think about it Mimi is actually more like Stealth Momo from Saki.

This is also an unexpectedly Boys Love oriented episode. For a show that has such a strong yuri core to it the examination of the BL side of the force is strong. I mean Ogiue Maniax got three posts out of this little side story arc in the manga for his Fujoshi Files. There is some high level boy’s love talk going on here. The dive deep into the rotten backstreets of Otome Road. It makes me wonder if the hard-core fujoshi character has become its own fetish with men. It does seem like at times the high level fujoshi in shows is there to appeal to the guys as much as any women who might identity with her.
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Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA 2wei Herz! #002: The Strongest (and Sexiest) Popsicle Stand Worker

hisui_icon_4040 OK! We can do this! I think I can really catch up. I’m a little worried I am cursing myself by typing these words but we shall see how that works out. If something goes utterly wrong I have a plan where I just make this paragraph a quote as proof that when I started writing this I had nothing but high hopes.

The beach episode is the beach episode. It is practically written into the DNA of a show like this. The show could no more resists the calls of the ocean (or Waku Waku Splash) than a moth can resist the flame. The sooner this passes the sooner they can get back to card collecting and delving into Miyu’s past. 

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