i don’t like space, and i don’t like cowboys, so why the fuck would i like space cowboys? that was my mindset going into this. as i binged through it, i didn’t think it was bad, but i didn’t think it was as amazing as everyone was saying it was either. i just saw it as a good time waster. i’d started it already, so i thought i might as well finish it.

i've since come to know that it's the type of show that creeps up on you. and it sticks with you. only by episode 23 did i realize that i had already gotten attached to all the characters. and by the time that it ended, random scenes from different episodes were still stuck playing in my head. that's some genius work if i've ever seen one. and now i understand what everyone’s been saying :)

i am no longer here. but i'm here today, and i'll always be cheering for you right here.

faye's message to her future self, though i think it also applies to everyone in the show. what they had was a bond so special,

Spoiler, click to view

but it was just that. bonds don't always have to last. and the people you bond with, you can't always keep. pretty sad, but i thought that the show ended perfectly. whether or not spike lived, whether or not jet and faye stayed together, and whether or not ed and ein ever crossed paths with the others again are all questions that bother me to this day, but the beauty of cowboy bebop is that it shows that it's alright even if i don't get the answers to these. the open ending is the only ending that makes sense.

they were what each other needed at their loneliest, at their most confused, and at their most lost. and they're also cowboys who aren't supposed to care about others, who are supposed to move onto mission after mission.

Spoiler, click to view

and so it only made sense that they would leave when the voids in them have been filled. or at least when they have found someone or something that can finally fill it. though i'd be lying if i said it didn't break my heart to see jet shout that dinner was ready, only for him to come out to an empty living room.

evidently, the character building and development are what stand out the most in this show, but the action sequences, the visuals; everything was great as well. there's just something about old animation and character designs that hit so nostalgically. its simplicity gives more room for viewers to focus more on substance. the philosophies. what's actually happening.

as for storybuilding, i don't think it was anything groundbreaking. i do think as it progressed episode after episode, the standalone stories got more interesting. i especially like the one about the religious cult. i thought it was very black mirror-y. the overarching story of spike though – arguably the main character – wasn't anything that i haven't seen before. it was just alright.

but overall, there's definitely tons of reasons as to why this show is still in so many people's top ten lists almost 22 years after it ended. i almost didn't give this a chance, but i'm glad i did, and i think everyone needs to do so too!

~~also i don’t understand how jet is so underrated????~~