/me hugs korosora
I see that you’ve a new site now.

Camario:

I need to rewatch the series, too. But I’m going to do it when I’m in a more peaceful mood, lol. See, it’s a very harrowing series, especially near the end. I appreciate the comment.

On the other hand, I saw the movie several years later and the memory of it remains quite a bit fresher in my mind, so those parts of your post, while severely hindered by my limited ability to recall the actual series, do give me some food for thought. Or at least the potential seeds for it, anyway.

In addition, a “lost episode” is something worth looking forward to, preferably during said re-watch. Thanks for digging that up.

First, thank you. I have been a fan of Cowboy Bebop ever since I discovered its movie, and I appreciate the praise.

The PS2-rendered visuals was initially a turn-off for me, indeed, as it didn’t have the quality of the series itself. However, as I got more and more into the story, I also recognized that the ‘episode’ itself was also a labor of love: the writers were careful and meticulous enough to preserve the personalities of the characters that defined Bebop; the original voice cast was also retained to add to the mood and feel of the ‘episode.’

‘I’ll see the rest of the dream of heaven,’ really reminded me of Spike’s personality which led to the ending of the series (which everyone already knows, I assume). Spike had always been laid-back as a character, and he treated life simply as another dream. But I also had always understood that Spike, despite being laid-back, also had nothing left to lose when Julia died. There are some people who endure despite having everything taken from them: Spike endured simply because I think he recognized that deep in his heart, Julia still lived. When he saw her die in her arms, still full of love for him, the only thing that kept him into the real world had now gone: as he had lived life as a dream, I think he did not have any difficulty thinking about passing on, because that would just be another dream.

I love how the story ties with the rest of the Bebop canon, and I think despite the incongruence and the lack of visual quality, it was a decent episode.

Those are very good examples, and this subtleness that pervades even Cowboy Bebop episodes that have no direct influence to the plot make it a very astounding series. I didn’t recognize the fact that Priscilla died young, but that was probably also because I started watching it at one in the morning.

I guess the ultimate tragedy (which makes the series all the more unforgettable) in Cowboy Bebop is the fact that if people only gave themselves another chance, the story would have had ended much differently. Had the primary characters gone beyond their solitary shields of selfishness Spike would have been able to move on; Jet would have been able to forcefully prevent Spike from leaving; Faye would have been able to help Spike cope if not as lovers, then perhaps as friends, and this is turn would fulfill her desires of being able to trust another. It is the tragedy of solipsism, and it culminates in people having lost something truly important because they had no will to act.

Once again, thank you for your comments. I’m desperately trying to invite other people to watch this ‘lost episode,’ because I also saw its value in the Bebop canon. Here’s hoping!

In the months it took to put this together, I didn’t get my own sense of its thematic connection to the series until I subbed Spike’s very last line, “I’ll see the rest of the dream in heaven.” Before then, I thought of Spike’s deletion of “Pearls” as something in line with his decision at the end of “Heavy Metal Queen” to only take his contribution to the “VT” pot back instead of the whole thing. Something like respect for the dead. “Pearls” was intended as a private gift and the two people it was created for are both long dead, so Spike saw no reason for it to exist anymore. But when I got to that last line, it finally hit me how it works simultaneously as an expression of Spike’s world view and as foreshadowing for Spike’s eventual fate.

A major theme of the story is how it’s impossible to ever truly know the intentions of others, even if we think we know the person well. Though he’s known it for a while, Kent still expresses disbelief that his nice grandpa was once a famous pirate. Jet doesn’t understand how a fellow cop he once respected could turn so ruthless. It never occurs to Steve that Priscilla didn’t want “Pearls” released to the public. Spike’s final action comes from his understanding that “Pearls” will never mean as much to him or anyone else as it did to Priscilla and Captain H (who, it must be noted, also could have sold the song but didn’t).

It’s interesting that you read the deletion of “Pearls” as Spike seeing a reflection of his relationship with Julia. However, there is a crucial difference. Priscilla died young (a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail that only appears on Priscilla’s tombstone) and Captain H outlived her by a few decades, getting into another relationship that led to grandchildren. Captain H was able to move on with his life, something Spike seemed unable or unwilling to do after Julia’s death.

There are a lot of interesting subtleties to Song, and I’m thinking of writing a piece for my own site addressing them. Thanks for watching and for your comments.

Maybe it’s because of the 3D rendition of the characters. Bebop is also special for me, and the ending will most probably remain to be one of the most haunting endings in all anime for all time. It’s a sad ending, but I think Spike wouldn’t have it any other way.

@IKnight

BTW, have you watched the episode? I assume you’ve seen Cowboy Bebop already, and I’d like your critique of the episode, as I haven’t found anyone else who has seen it. Thanks.

infinity… mugen.. Mugen!