Welcome to Tea ‘n History, with your hostess Felicia Angel.
Two shows have been influential to me since I first saw them are also, it appears, two that show off a great deal of support from their fans. The first I saw while it was still on the air, before cancellation and the sheer amount of fan outrage and support got it a movie. The other I’d been introduced to by a friend, and was is considered one of the animes that any fan will point to as how to make a dubbed version RIGHT.
So why compare them? Well, they’re the best, and while Firefly and Outlaw Star might have a bit more in common, Firefly and Bebop are just as fun to play with and also maintain that great sense of humor, wonderful and complex characters, and storylines that’ll make you weep.
Cowboy Bebop, created by Shinichiro Watanabe, is a story about a group of bounty hunters in the near future. There, bounty hunters are known as “cowboys” and often have to live paycheck to paycheck. The Earth is now barely inhabitable, as a problem with the Gate, a way of travel, near the Moon exploded and took the moon with it, resulting in meteor impacts throughout and with many of those still on Earth living underground or roving. Planets up to the moons of Jupiter are colonized and terraformed, and many have their own problems or politics, but all give money for the people they put out with a bounty on their heads. That doesn’t help the crew, though, as they are often strapped for cash and down to eating little if anything.
Firefly, created by Joss Whedon, is a story about a group of thieves in the far future. There, a recent war to bring all of the area under control of the Alliance has recently ended, leaving everyone technically under their control but not quite. The further in you go, the more “civilized” things become, with outer planets resembling Old Western towns or areas. The amount of work, both legal and not, does not help our crew, and they are often left without money, having to look for parts, or just hope their job actually PAYS them for once.
So yes, two shows that deal with sci-fi western motifs and have very different ways of dealing with them. But let’s get to business.
Both series have types of motifs that make them very different and change things, as far as comparisons go. One of those, for Bebop, is that much of the show focuses on music, as each “session” is named after a song and music often plays a role in helping to show off the animation or theme. Much if not all of the music was done by the Seatbelts, and some songs still bring tears to fans eyes for the ending or the emotion it brings up.
For Firefly, the more historical western idea and the very science-fiction points means much of the emotion and feel is in watching the characters for the little points they give. Many of the characters and even much of the show goes with the “show, don’t tell” idea and so you’re left watching many of them do things that, no matter what, feel in-character and which make you flinch as you pick up more of their history.
Another major difference is how Firefly and Bebop introduce their characters, though they have some wonderful ones. Bebop has two main characters – the enigmatic and always-hungry Spike Speigal, and the former cop-turned-bounty-hunter Jet Black. As they go through their travels, they pick up the rest of the crew – Ein the super-intelligent Corgi, Faye Valentine the female bounty hunter with debt so big even a casino job can’t cover it, and Radical Edward a computer-genius and all-around nut. Meeting the characters doesn’t give you everything about them either – it often takes one or more episodes to start scratching the surface about who the characters are and why they’re on the Bebop. Of the group, Jet and Faye have the most revealed about them, with Ed and Ein being a close second, though most of it is just how close they are.
Spike, meanwhile, you have ideas of where he comes from and what he did, but the timeline for it is very skewed and some don’t have many reasons behind it. We know he has a false eye, but not why. We know he worked for a triad-like group on Mars, but not why or what he did beyond murder. He has a friend who is now his enemy, and he attempted to escape the life with his girl, Julia. The name Julia now resonates both for Vicious and Spike, though in different ways, and the woman herself is only seen in flashbacks so little is know about her as well.
Firefly’s characters are many and varied, but also have interesting aspects. The main ones, in my opinion, are Capt. Mal Renolds and River Tam, though we meet Mal first. Mal is a man who is unlucky, the owner of Serenity and a Browncoat (a rebel) who’s soul purpose is to have enough money to get from point A to B, and is a bit cynical but does what needs to be done. His first mate, Zoe, is also a Browncoat and determined, quiet, and sometimes torn between her continued loyalty to Mal and her love for her husband, Serenity’s pilot named Wash…who gave us “mine is an evil laugh” while playing with toy dinosaurs and can outrun and outfly just about anyone. The one who knows Serenity best is her mechanic, Kalyee, who, as Mal informs us, is so cheerful there’s no power in the ‘verse that can change that. With them as well is a man named Shepard Book, a Shepard (preacher) who may or may not be who he says he is. Also with them is Jayne, who’s main focus is on getting money and loving guns while also wearing a hat knitted by his mom that…well…go google it. Rounding up the crew before the siblings Tam is Inara, a Companion who is only partly connected to the crew but does try to be a part of them all the same.
The siblings Tam are elder brother Simon and younger sister River. Simon is a talented doctor, young and considered one of the best of his class if not on their home planet. River is his often-overlooked (by their parents) but much-loved sister that is talented in anything she decides to do, mostly though in dancing. She is also the very enigmatic one, as while she is certifiably crazy, the reasons for that are complex and frightening enough that it took fourteen episodes and a movie to figure it out. She’s wanted by the Alliance and was possibly tortured by them as well, with only her brother caring enough to save her, and now without a career or hope because of his love for her.
As I said before, both shows are loved by their fans and often are used in the “this is how you do things” arguments. Cowboy Bebop is known for this energetic opening, smooth songs that cover every genre and near-crazy antics as the crew attempts to get money and just deal with their lives and own problems. Past ghosts and the “actual plot” points of the series often make their appearances in two-part episodes or in ones that end very differently then what you’d expect, and each is given time to show their past as well as figure out what they’ll do in the future. The dub is perhaps the best done, and the characters are well-known and loved.
Firefly’s opening is appropriate for the series, the music used a combination and the people just as crazy as the crew of the other ship. They to deal with ghosts from the past and “actual plot”, most of it focusing around River and her importance to people in the Alliance, and like Bebop, it only takes a mention to cause a great deal of crying. While Bebop had a full run, Firefly did not, and even their movies are set in different periods – Bebop’s just before the ending of the series, and Firefly’s to hopefully tie up a few things left behind.
Firefly and Cowboy Bebop are perhaps some of the best shows anyone can watch in the genre – both have creators known for their wonderful shows, openings that match the themes in the shows, and a cast of characters with someone from everyone to love. There are, of course, differences, but much of the basics remain, and many of the fans will be happy with them for years to come.
Tea 'n History 