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A world withoutCowboy Bebopis simply too bleak, and fans of the classic anime series would agree. Shinichiro Watanabe brought together certain elements of different genres like cyberpunk and sci-fi to create an experience that blends anime with Hollywood. Whether it’s emotional resonance you’re looking for, characters who leave a lasting impression, or great music to groove to,Cowboy Bebopchecks all the boxes.
It’s the perfect display of Watanabe’s genius as an auteur. Revisiting the charm of the series and then finding out that it wouldn’t have existed, not in the same form at least, is a jarring discovery. During his initial days in the industry, the director faced some struggles that limited his potential. These experiences led toCowboy Bebopbecoming an ensemble of so many cool elements, as Watanabe shared during an interview.
Shinichiro Watanabe’s Initial Struggles in the Industry ShapedCowboy Bebop
BeforeCowboy Bebop,Shinichiro Watanabehad been a part of the anime industry for years. During his early years, he contributed to many anime at Studio SunriseincludingGundam 0083. While most of his endeavors at Sunrise included episode direction, he was the director at the helm forMacross Plusalongside chief director Shoji Kawamori.
“That frustration turned into a huge amount of energy inside of me”: Shinichiro Watanabe Created Cowboy Bebop Out of Sheer Rage After His First Anime Made Him Unhappy
Watanabe always had many story ideas even before he started working as a director. Despite the treasury of ideas, he didn’t have much of a say in the creative aspects of all these shows irrespective of the nature of his position in the hierarchy of the production team. This was the case untilCowboy Bebophappened. Speaking in an interviewwith Anime News Network, the director shared that he used all those ideas duringCowboy Bebop.
As an assistant, I wasn’t able to put in as much creative input as I wanted. So, I built up a backlog of ideas for stories I wanted to make. Those ideas all got put into Cowboy Bebop.
All the pent-up creativity seemingly found an outlet withCowboy Bebopand a spectacular one. What’s more interesting is that the anime has too much to offer, from upbeat action sequences to emotionally gripping character arcs. While the episodes have a fleeting slice-of-life-esque feeling, the overarching storyline embodies a nostalgic poignance.
All these strikingly different elements work extremely well together and strangely so. As selfish as it sounds, the constraints Watanabe felt initially worked wonders. Even after all these years,Cowboy Bebopremains an intriguing topic of discussion in interviews, but the attention is gradually drifting toward the director’s upcoming anime ‘Lazarus’.
LazarusWill Bring Watanabe’s Magic to Our Screens Once Again
Ever since its announcement in 2023,Lazarus’s potential release in 2025 has become a much-awaited event for Watanabe fans. In the same interview, the director also spoke about his experience working with Chad Stahelski. Aside from Stahelski, the production team behindLazarusis studded with experts.
Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe Had No Hope of Getting John Wick Creator On Board for His Latest Anime
Renowned musicians Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo are in charge of the musical score. And, Studio MAPPA and Sola Entertainment are the studios-in-charge for the animation production. Just going through these reasons makesLazaruseven more anticipated than it already was, and the waiting time more excruciating than it was before.
Cowboy Bebopis available to stream on Netflix.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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cowboy bebopShinichiro Watanabe
