Firefly & Cowboy Bebop by ianw

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Firefly & Cowboy Bebop

POSTED BY: IANW
UPDATED: Sunday, April 9, 2006 12:18
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VIEWED: 5010
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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:10 AM

i'm assuming that the readers do not know what cowboy bebop is. It's a cartoon/aname from japan that takes place in the future. Earth had an accident with a worm hole gate that destroyed half the planet and it's now recovering while the other planets were teraformed.

Like firefly, the solarsystem cannot be governed by a police force exclusively, so the main characters are bounty hunters on the ship bebop (hence the name)

anyway, it was created in 1997 and it has english translations- because of it's similarity, i bet a lof of FF fans would love this aname series as well!

It has a lot of similarities to firefly in respects that japaneese/english cultures will mix in space.

take a look see and tell me what you think!

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:33 AM

KUANGZHEDE

I can't beleive I forgot abou this show. The theme song "Tank" is know at war with the "Hero of Canton" in my head.

Cowboy Bebop is an excellent show.

Kuang Zhe De

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Friday, April 7, 2006 8:34 AM

REYNOLDSSTYLE

i know it and love it...

another anime show that is great and is like firefly is "trigun". i actual think it is closer to firefly in the fact that it is a true sci-fi/wetern...cowboy bebop (despite the name) is more of a film noir.

i love them both and if you like one you will prolly like the other.

just throwing it out there.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 9:09 AM

ROLANDREYNOLDS

Solid anime. One of the best out there. Rockin' music, funny, engaging. Just throwing my voice into the mix.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 9:12 AM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by ianw:
i bet a lof of FF fans would love this aname series

i'm right there with you...excellent anime - cool movie, too....the opening title sequence is beautiful...
i like listening to it in japanese - don't mind reading the subtitles...and i'm picking up a little of the language as well....

count me in

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Friday, April 7, 2006 9:52 AM

AENGUS

Cowboy Bebop is indeed very good. Another one that I have come to enjoy, and I would like to see from the beginning in order, is Full Metal Alchemist. Very emotional series, good characters, and I think FF/S fans would like it as well as Cowboy Bebop.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 9:56 AM

DAYVE

i've seen a little of FMA...need to check out more of that one....i've been an anime fan for a while and i'm always looking for new stuff...thanks for the reminder

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:20 AM

LANCER

belive it or not, Firefly is acctually very similar to the Anime "Outlaw Star"

Well, here I am

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:22 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Actually, there were some distruntlements back when the show was on the air about the simularities between Cowboy Bebop and Firefly. There were even some out and out accusations of plaigerism.

It's cool that it's being brought up again, though.

I saw one episode of it and I agree to the simularities, for sure. But JW had this idea going in Titan A.E. as well. There's a scene in that movie that is practically an animated blue-print for the landing on Perspehone in the BDM.

I draw...therefore I am. http://www.mnartists.org/Nora_Leverson
Live in Minnesota? Join the Group! Yahoo Group, that is...
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/MN-Firefly

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:38 AM

IANW

ya know, I was going to strike on the two series' similarities, but there's a also enough differences to not make them similar.

For example: main characters in CB are bounty hunters- completely legal.

main characters in firefly, crew of an unregistered cargo ship -breaking registration laws minimally

setting in CB is earth's solar system

setting in Firefly, distant solar system

you get my drift.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 11:41 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

I do, but I also understand the comparison.

There have been a lot of times when something about some show reminds me of Firefly.

Sometimes all it has to be is music. My sister even commented once on a show we were watching - not Firefly, not even Sci-fi, in fact, I don't recall now what it was, except the opening strains of soundtrack on the scene made her say,

"That sounds very Firefly."

She's a browncoat and don't know it.

I would say Cowboy Bebop is very similar in theme if not details.

I draw...therefore I am. http://www.mnartists.org/Nora_Leverson
Live in Minnesota? Join the Group! Yahoo Group, that is...
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/MN-Firefly

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Friday, April 7, 2006 12:04 PM

THEMANTHEYCALLEDJAMES

the thing thats interesting about Bebop is that it is set 400 years before Firefly but its technology is about 100 years more advanced

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Friday, April 7, 2006 12:08 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Cowboy Bebop is an awesome show! The character of Spike is one of the coolest characters ever created. The stories were brilliant and the one with the clown character that underwent massive government experimentation was sublime genius!!!

The music was always a strong feature and the theme music for me is the single greatest theme tune ever written.

It was a show made out of love no doubt.

There are some similarities but the characters of Cowboy Bebop and Firefly are very different.

Both great shows and yes those of us who love Firefly will find a comforting show in Cowboy Bebop

Give it a try.

The
Somnambulist

www.cirqus.com

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Friday, April 7, 2006 12:19 PM

SHINYSEVEN2

I haven't seen the whole Cowboy Bebop series, just the movie (the guy at Kim's Video says the series is much better) BUT the character of Eddie reminded me a LOT of River.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 3:47 PM

DEEPGIRL187

Quote:
Originally posted by shinyseven2:
I haven't seen the whole Cowboy Bebop series, just the movie (the guy at Kim's Video says the series is much better) BUT the character of Eddie reminded me a LOT of River.

You are so right. I never thought of the similarity between the two characters. Though I think Edward is a tad less angsty.

Since we're talking about the extreme similarities between the shows, does anyone know if Joss acknowledges Cowboy Bebop as an influence on Firefly? It would be interesting to find out.

At last.
We can retire and give up
this life of crime.

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Friday, April 7, 2006 4:12 PM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
Titan A.E. as well. There's a scene in that movie that is practically an animated blue-print for the landing on Perspehone in the BDM.]

i had totally forgotten about Titan AE....(guess i never put that together with Joss), but this is so true....i always got a kick out of seeing Firefly land...it really looks like a goofy albatross and Titan was just like that....ok so, something else to look at again.... thanks Channain, good eye

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:18 PM

KIZYR

When I first was watching Firefly back in 2003 (pirated, yarr... this be 'fore the DVD's yet after Fox sank her), my roommate commented that it was very Cowboy Bebop-esque. Though, in a positive way.

There are a lot of great ways to cross over Science Fiction and Western. You got that longing for independence and the Frontier, transplanted to a future setting that can be based off of how things are now. Cowboy Bebop did that well, and Firefly did that superbly. But, both did do that in very different ways.

I think folks who are all about accusations of plagiarism are cheating themselves. It's sad; trying to figure out who ripped off whom won't just waste your time, but will waste your enjoyment of what could be a great series. ...then there are the Japan-purists who think anything from Japan is holy, and anything from the West which remotely resembles it is profane; I'm not going there, 'cause I hope I don't have to.

But yes, I think Firefly fans who haven't yet seen any of Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, or Outlaw Star might find they enjoy all of those. KF

(spoiler about Cowboy Bebop)

Select to view spoiler:

Ok, I never actually saw much of CB, truth be told (or Trigun, or Outlaw Star). But a year or so ago, at an anime convention, I was chatting with a group of friends at the back of the cosplay theater. One of them gets an idea for a sketch:

"Ok, we get all the props together, everyone dresses up like a CB character, we have a great musical opening, then when we get on stage, we drop the props and just say: 'Spike dies at the end'. Curtain"

At that moment, girl in front of us turns around, wide-eyed. Saying something to the effect of: "You guys suck! I didn't see it all yet! ...I even named my dog after Spike... ... ... You guys suck!" KF

~KF

Lord, I'm walking your way. Let me in, for my feet are sore, my clothes are ragged.
Look in my eyes, Lord, and my sins will play out on them as on a screen. Read them all.
Forgive what you can and send me on my path. I will walk on until you bid me rest.
~Haven Prayer

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 8:30 AM

CHRISMOORHEAD

Actually, when I first saw commercials for FireFly, I was very much under the impression that someone was making a live action Cowboy Bebop spin/rip off. It's unfortunate that both programs share such a short lived glory, I'd like to see more of both.

Have you ever:
Used your teeth as wire strippers?
Given yourself stitches?
Made improvised munitions with no base supplies?
Pissed in a canteen?
Gone a month without bathing?

If so, you MIGHT just be a !HOOAH MOTHERF*CKER!

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 10:02 AM

GEEKMAFIA

For those of you who don't know about it, there is a nice site that collects all the anime episodes on youtube into their constituent series. it's pretty gorram useful if the show's don't air where you live .
http://www.keiichianimeforever.com/anime/onlineanime/series.html/en/co
wboybebop

"Every day's a negotiation and sometimes it's done with guns." - Joss Whedon
Liu koushui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi.

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 3:10 PM

JUBELLATE

Well Cowboy Bebop was meant to be a two season cartoon from the beginning, just like Trigun and many other Japanese animes. Its just one long story. I always liked Bebop more than I liked Trigun, but they both were quality. "Ballad for Angels" (correct me if this is the wrong name for the episode) always struck me as one of the best episodes. I used to watch it over and over just for the song in it. Something about it just puts me in such a calm mood.

I digress. Firefly never presented the moral ambiguity I saw in Bebop, but the basic subjects look similar on paper.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 3:35 PM

THENEXTMRSREYNOLDS

i always liked cowboy bebop better than some other anime (gundam, trigun, etc) i also like the idea that spike and mal are very much alike. they are both good guys in a world where they have to be bad. Spike has a better sense of fun maybe...

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Saturday, April 8, 2006 4:45 PM

CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG

I've heard a lot of people say Firefly is similar to Outlaw Star but apart from the whole 'girl in a box' thing, I don't see it.

Outlaw Star: Magic + Technology world where Gene Starwind, a mechanic and his child sidekick (who I think is Jim Hawkins?) rescue a young girl who can pilot the greatest starship ever built. They use it to find the Galactic Leyline. There's also a woman who's part cat and an assassin sent to kill Gene. It's very action based with huge spaceship sword fights.

How is this anything like Firefly? I really don't see it.

-------------------------------------------------

Read my fanfic!
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=8267

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Sunday, April 9, 2006 10:51 AM

WILDBILL

I'll agree that "Ballad of Fallen Angels" is the best of the serious episodes. Although I do prefer the lighter Faye or Edward heavy episodes - "Bohemian Rhapsody" being my favorite and I've been known to repeatedly watch the preview for "Heavy Metal Queen" (better in Japanese).

Influence for Firefly? About the same as the influence of Kurosawa films, Star Blazers, Zatoichi, etc. on Star Wars.

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Sunday, April 9, 2006 11:41 AM

AGATSU

Remember LONE STARR and SABRE RIDERS?

And for those of you who liked COWBOY BEEBOP, check out the 2-season SAMURAI CHAMPLOO mini-series from the same creator. It's a feudal Japan samurai setting (with Hip Hop, of course), and it rocketh highly mighty. Nothing to do with Firefly, though.

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Sunday, April 9, 2006 12:18 PM

DEEPGIRL187

Quote:
Originally posted by chronicthehedgehog:
I've heard a lot of people say Firefly is similar to Outlaw Star but apart from the whole 'girl in a box' thing, I don't see it.

Outlaw Star: Magic + Technology world where Gene Starwind, a mechanic and his child sidekick (who I think is Jim Hawkins?) rescue a young girl who can pilot the greatest starship ever built. They use it to find the Galactic Leyline. There's also a woman who's part cat and an assassin sent to kill Gene. It's very action based with huge spaceship sword fights.

How is this anything like Firefly? I really don't see it.

-------------------------------------------------

Read my fanfic!
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=8267

It is somewhat like Firefly in the sense of the interactions between the crew. Gene is somewhat like Mal (albeit even more selfish and childish) and Melfina is kind of a River-type character (i.e., not knowing what their purpose is, having evil baddies after her). The crew also has that quality of constant broke-itis, much like the crew of Serenity.

At last.
We can retire and give up
this life of crime.

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