The Bebop Beat: A Cowboy Bebop Rewatch Podcast

What's up, sweetcakes?? We had such a great time talking about anime music that we had to come back for more! The folks at Strawberry Hill Music generously put us in touch with vocalists Raj Ramayya (Ask DNA) and Scott Matthew (Is It Real?), plus the woman who wrote a whole book on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, Rose Bridges. Join the conversation!

Cheers, to the podcast that charmed the devil! Cowboy Bebop gives us a true film noir tribute this week. Joined by film reviewer Ruben Rosario, we learn the truth behind Jet Black- his habits, his arm, and his iron codes of honor. Also, what's the deal with barcode tattoos??

Faye Valentine finally opens up a bit about her past, and it's a sad love story, indeed. We adore Faye. Anyone who hurts her deserves to get DUNKED ON. For this task, we welcome Trin Garritano, relationship expert from the Friendshipping podcast. Topics include trauma bonding, debt, and SPOILED ENTITLED DUDES LIKE WHITNEY WHO WE TOTALLY HATE. Check out Friendshipping here!: https://friendshipping.transistor.fm/

Checkmate, bounty hunters! Though the Bebop crew keeps capturing his henchmen, criminal mastermind Chessmaster Hex proves very elusive. To help us better understand this brilliant bounty, we've enlisted the help of local Chicago chess champ, Tony Gentry. If you could forget the past and live a Bohemian life free of grudges, would you?

Checkmate, bounty hunters! Though the Bebop crew keeps capturing his henchmen, criminal mastermind Chessmaster Hex proves very elusive. To help us better understand this brilliant bounty, we've enlisted the help of local Chicago chess champ, Tony Gentry. If you could forget the past and live a Bohemian life free of grudges, would you?

Cowboy Bebop spawned two video games: A rails shooter for the PS1 and a brawler/RPG/flight sim/puzzler/??? for the PS2. We play and review both this week, plus share a few of our favorite Bebop tributes and Easter eggs. "See you, space cowboy" is used absolutely EVERYWHERE! Our industry expert is Derrick Fields, the anime-inspired Creative Director of Waking Oni Games.

The second half of Jupiter Jazz is intense, somber, peak Cowboy Bebop. We've been wondering how Netflix will take on this legendary episode. Here to give us the reassurance we DESIRE (get it?) is Mason Alexander Park, the actor who plays Gren in the live action adaptation. They shine a spotlight on gender nonconformity, the queer experience, and a future (not just in science fiction!) that has space for all.

As the crew searches for a wayward Faye Valentine, Spike hears a familiar name- Julia. Jupiter Jazz introduces Gren, perhaps the most famous Cowboy Bebop character outside of the main crew. We tracked down David Thomas (a.k.a. Robert Matthews), the artist who provided Gren's English voice. As we eagerly await Netflix's modern, nonbinary Gren, we talk to a true original about gender, saxophone, and... talking to animals?!

We're taking a break from the anime to discuss the many ways Cowboy Bebop has been published on paper. Artbooks! Light novels! And yes, five volumes of sometimes-canonical, sometimes-good, sometimes-absolutely-awful manga. We review, we roast, and we meet E. K. weaver, comic artist and letterer better known to the fandom as Big Big Truck. E.K. Weaver: http://big-big-truck.com/

Surprise! It's our first-ever bonus ep. As we researched our upcoming episode, The Books of Bebop, we discovered that many fans have never read the Cowboy Bebop manga. So, we do our best to summarize 5 volumes of out-of-print stories. If you have read the manga before, you can skip this one and still be caught up on Friday. If you have never read the manga (and are comfortable with spoilers), join Lauren and Jamie on this weird journey. Wee-wee towels!! Cowboy Bebop vol...