So a conversation with a friend reminded me of anime… a guilty pleasure, to be sure. Cowboy Bebop, the Movie was released in 2001, after a few seasons of a series.

Cowboy Bebop isn’t the best, but it is likely the most accessible to western audiences. The English dubs are often a bit rough. (Japanese and Chinese cinema – even anime – is best viewed in the original language with subtitles.) Though I don’t hate this dub of Bebop.

The guilty pleasure of anime is the weapons. The guns in Cowboy Bebop were (almost) always real. See the Internet Movie Firearms Database. The gun Spike is twirling at the end of this scene is an Israeli Military Industries Jericho 941. The gun Jet drops at the end is a Walther P99.

And in case you want more of the theme song.

Cowboys are futuristic bounty hunters. Bebop is the name of their space ship. Jet Black is an ex-cop. Spike Spiegel is a reformed crook. You’ll have to watch the whole thing to learn the rest of the characters.