Been rewatching Cowboy Bebop every few years since 2001, and I swear it hits different now that I'm old enough to actually get Spike's whole deal

Last week I put on episode 1 for the first time in like 3 years. I was 15 when I first saw it on Adult Swim in my buddy's basement. Back then I just thought the space fights were cool and Faye was annoying. Now I'm 36 and I spent the whole opening episode just staring at Spike's dumb face realizing the guy is basically sleepwalking through life because he already lost everything that mattered. Took me 20 years to understand a cartoon. Has anyone else rewatched an old favorite and suddenly understood a character you used to think was boring?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekp707d ago

The thing that hit me hardest on my last rewatch was the episode "Speak Like a Child" where they find that old Betamax tape. When I was younger I just thought it was a weird filler episode about VHS tapes. But now I realize it's basically about Jet and Spike both being so stuck in the past that they can't even figure out how to play a tape from 50 years ago. That final reveal with the little girl just wanting to see her older self? Brutal. These characters are all chasing ghosts and that episode spells it out without saying a word. It's like the whole show is about people who peaked before the story even started.

jason_fisher47d ago

Honestly, it was a Betamax tape, not VHS, but your point still stands.