Cue trumpets and drums. “I think it's time we blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. Okay three, two, one, let's jam!” Set in the year 2071, Cowboy Bebop was one of the most notable animes of its time. The story consisted of following a rag-tag bounty-hunting crew aboard a spaceship (the bebop) roaming the depths of space awaiting their next bounty, while also running into a few predicaments of their past.
Although it incorporated a variety of genres that were unique for an anime released in the early 2000s, the show was a hit not just in the Japanese markets but also caught wind in the United States. The science fiction meets noir anime garnered not just international fame but also received unanimous praise for its characters, story, voice acting, soundtrack, and landing numerous awards in the field of animation and science fiction.
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Inception
Created and animated by Bandai Namco Filmworks (formerly and still famously known as Sunrise) and led by none other than production director, Shinichirō Watanabe and his team. The series was eventually dubbed into English and became the first anime title to be broadcasted on Adult Swim in 2001. The anime surfed the international markets to stardom and introduced anime to a new wave of western viewers in the early 2000s. To this date Cowbop Bebop is known as one of the legendary gateway anime for all aspiring otakus or geeks alike.
What resonated the most with international viewers was the subtle influence of pop culture such as Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and pulp fiction combined with aesthetics of space travel and futuristic worlds that gave Bebop a unique twist to the series. Not to mention the jazzy space themed aurora that the series pulled off was completely unheard of at the time giving it the distinctiveness it deserves.
Uniqueness
Bebop was a show unlike most anime of the time. The majority of mainstream anime were shadow after shadow of fantasies such as Dragon Ball Z, all focused primarily on teen viewers and younger. The contrast that Bebop brought to the table was adult-focused characters who dealt with problems such as loneliness, syndicated societies, deception and troubled love affairs.
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Music also played a critical part in the acclamation of the series. Musician Yoko Kanno's fusion of jazz and rock gave the series life. In fact, most of the episode names were named after and were strongly referenced to hit songs with a nod of the head to their artists, such as – Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) and Honky Tonky Women (The Rolling Stones). The instant recognition and relatability from international viewers comes without a doubt that a Cowboy Bebop has taken over the hearts of viewers worldwide and has remained a cult classic in every aspect of anime culture.
Translation
In the world of anime, there always has been disputes with regard to using language replacements for anime, otherwise known as dubbed versions of the shows. Watching anime dubbed and without the original audio was considered taboo in anime culture.
However, this was not the case with Cowboy Bebop. Although it was initially released in Japanese, the production studio in charge of dubbing the show in English put together a brilliant cast to voice the characters of Cowboy Bebop and elevated the standards of localizing anime content for Western audiences. Thus bringing the first-class standard we see today in translations and voice-overs for anime worldwide.
There is always the risk of the original show losing it authenticity because of the English dub, but the English dub for Cowboy Bebop created its own identity while remaining devoted to its Japanese origin. In order to create the English version, voice director of Cowboy Bebop, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn casted - Steve Blum to voice Spike Spiegel, Wendee Lee as Faye Valentine, Beau Billingslea as Jet Black and Melissa Fahn as Ed. These individuals gave life to the English localization of the show while maintaining the original story line and characters. Although not an easy task, the cast did their best to ensure the translations and voice-overs stayed true to the original Japanese version of the show.
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As fate would have it, Steve Blum's voice-over for Spike Spiegel was a masterpiece. He gave the character a personality of his own with a hint of sarcasm and edginess that was perfect for Spike's reputation as a relentless bounty hunter. It would have been extremely tough for just anyone to be artful and do justice to Spike's English version making Blum the perfect voice actor for this role.
The heavy use of anglicization had been used to ensure that the dialogue seemed more natural to native English speakers. This was the extra step that the dedicated team of writers, voice actors and production staff took to ensure that Cowboy Bebop was an international success.
Dubbing is tough work which consists of a lot of time and effort put in by the entire crew. But as Cowboy Bebop proves it, even a dubbed version can prove to be as successful as the original when executed properly. Cowboy Bebop has captured the hearts of viewers worldwide and is considered as the highest standard in terms of dubbed shows in the anime world. The key to ensuring that a gem such as Cowboy Bebop makes the international market is a mix of ensuring that the dubbed version is appealing and relatable to the international audiences, thus making Cowboy Bebop a success in Japan as well as the international markets.
Until next time – “See you space cowboy”