Category: Science Fiction

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

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cb_spike

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

The Speakeasy #051: Upside-down Pineapple, March Movie Madness

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Drink #051: Upside-down Pineapple
March Movie Madness

Unlike all the other East Coast anime fans, we didn’t head to Anime Boston this month. Instead, we talk about all the movies we saw during March. Okay, yeah, fine we couldn’t come up with a real, all encompassing topic, okay? But hey, you get two anime movie reviews (Patema Inverted and Giovanni’s Island both of which played at the NYICFF) and our thoughts on the Veronica Mars movie (have we ever sounded this ridiculously happy in a podcast before?).

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And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Upside-down Pineapple

  • 1/2 oz. Vodka, vanilla
  • 1/4 oz. Grenadine
  • 1 oz. Pineapple Juice

Shake vanilla vodka and pineapple juice with ice and strain into shot glass. Add grenadine. The grenadine will sink to the bottom and will give this shot a very sweet conclusion.

Manga of the Month: Saturn Apartments

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Saturn Apartments (土星マンション) by Hisae Iwaoka

narutaki_icon_4040 Saturn Apartments depicts a future where most of the population has moved to an orbital ring above the Earth’s surface with the wealthiest living at the top, the blue-collar living at the bottom, and the middle being a neutral territory. Predictably, the lower class is used for all the most dangerous work including manning the power plants, checking for damage from space debris, and washing windows. This is the story of a window washers guild, one of the few groups able to move between floors, go outside the ring, and gaze upon the Earth.

Ms. Iwaoka lovingly crafts a world where people are in a bubble of machinery and steel in the lower level where little natural light gets in and takes that detail all the way through to the breathtaking sight of Earth from the atmosphere. The dreams of those who dwell on the bottom floor, their lives and their relationships, are equally depicted with delicacy and a simply beauty.

Bright-eyed Mitsu is the catalyst for the story as he enters the window washers guild at 16, following in the footsteps of his respected-by-all father, Aki, who fell from the orbital ring while on the job. Those swirling around him have their own strife and stories: Mitsu’s partner and mentor the ornery Jin is devoted to his ill wife; Aki’s ex-partner Tamachi now working at the power plant, struggles to forgive himself; young and isolated Makoto can’t accept Tamachi leaving the guild or accept Mitsu as apart of it; Kageyama is a family man facing a decision about his future; and many others’ tales that are told within these seven volumes. Things come a head after an accident in the lower levels threatens everyone and the need for hope sways the balance.

Saturn Apartments reminded me of Twin Spica in that it was a slow and quiet space story that was utterly moving. And, just as Twin Spica was, Saturn Apartments is a testament to the human spirit.

~ kate