[7.7/10] This is the first episode of Cowboy Bebop I’ve really vibed with. I love the subversion here, where it looks like one gangster is trying to protect a child from his old gangster rival, when in fact, it was one gangster trying to protect his old gangster buddy from a “child” who is not what he seems. The way it flips your expectations on their head, even with hints that the “kid” is an “old soul” with more going on than you’d expect, is very cool.
But Wen’s story is also striking and sad in and of itself. He’s the bad guy here, killing our heroes’ quarry and throwing an injured man at Spike (in addition to shooting at him). But he was also a child who survived a decimation of everyone and everything he’d ever known and found himself forever changed by it. Seeing everyone you love die, being unable to die yourself, would change the currency of life for you. True to the title, it makes Wen strangely sympathetic as an antagonist.
The final confrontation with him is especially cool in terms of the score and visuals. While Cowboy Bebop tends toward the bombastic, the explosion, exchange of gunfire in the light and shadows, and eventually propulsion of a bullet that can fell even the unkillable, ageless Wen, grabs the eye and captivate.
But so does the imagery of a child turning to a decrepit old man in an instant. Wen’s final form is grotesque, years of living catching up with him in a terrible rush. But that drives the wrongness of what he’s done and what he’s had to live with until now home. His sense of finally being at peace gives an ostensible bad guy, with a harsh but unique backstory, the sort of pure pathos that gives stories like this one depth. It’s the easy high watermark for the series so far.
I can't say I love the other characters yet. I still find Jet interesting, given his long past in this business and acquaintance with other bounty hunters like Fatty. I’m at least intrigued by Jet’s backstory, with flashes of images at the beginning of this one that suggest he may have been engineered or experimented on in ways that intersect with Wen’s own undying nature. But Faye is just the worst -- a character who’s written to be a stereotype of women and who steals food from a dog. Feh.
Still, overall, this is the most I’ve ever been excited by and invested in Cowboy Bebop, which is encouraging. More like this, please!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-02-16T01:45:35Z
[7.7/10] This is the first episode of Cowboy Bebop I’ve really vibed with. I love the subversion here, where it looks like one gangster is trying to protect a child from his old gangster rival, when in fact, it was one gangster trying to protect his old gangster buddy from a “child” who is not what he seems. The way it flips your expectations on their head, even with hints that the “kid” is an “old soul” with more going on than you’d expect, is very cool.
But Wen’s story is also striking and sad in and of itself. He’s the bad guy here, killing our heroes’ quarry and throwing an injured man at Spike (in addition to shooting at him). But he was also a child who survived a decimation of everyone and everything he’d ever known and found himself forever changed by it. Seeing everyone you love die, being unable to die yourself, would change the currency of life for you. True to the title, it makes Wen strangely sympathetic as an antagonist.
The final confrontation with him is especially cool in terms of the score and visuals. While Cowboy Bebop tends toward the bombastic, the explosion, exchange of gunfire in the light and shadows, and eventually propulsion of a bullet that can fell even the unkillable, ageless Wen, grabs the eye and captivate.
But so does the imagery of a child turning to a decrepit old man in an instant. Wen’s final form is grotesque, years of living catching up with him in a terrible rush. But that drives the wrongness of what he’s done and what he’s had to live with until now home. His sense of finally being at peace gives an ostensible bad guy, with a harsh but unique backstory, the sort of pure pathos that gives stories like this one depth. It’s the easy high watermark for the series so far.
I can't say I love the other characters yet. I still find Jet interesting, given his long past in this business and acquaintance with other bounty hunters like Fatty. I’m at least intrigued by Jet’s backstory, with flashes of images at the beginning of this one that suggest he may have been engineered or experimented on in ways that intersect with Wen’s own undying nature. But Faye is just the worst -- a character who’s written to be a stereotype of women and who steals food from a dog. Feh.
Still, overall, this is the most I’ve ever been excited by and invested in Cowboy Bebop, which is encouraging. More like this, please!