I've always love Jet and Spike's friendship. Despite them talking shit to each other, they really understood each other. Jet didn't beg him to stay or try to convince otherwise. He understood perfectly well that there was no turning back for Spike
Wtf, are you listening to what Jet says to Spike in the beginning of this clip? He literally asked him to forget his past and stay. He does understand him but doesn't want to lose him. After the talk, he says to Faye.. I'm going there to find out if I'm really alive. Jet says to Spike that he hates people living in the past and people searching for proof that their alive. Yet another indication that he's asking him to stay and not throw his life away.
@@khmer5o3 But once Spike confessed his truth to Jet, that there was a woman he loved who was a part of him. Jet understood him and supported him. That's how much he respected Spike.
@@crichton397 By truth I meant that Spike loves Julia very deeply, but he never shared his true feelings about her with Jet. So Jet didn't understand why Spike couldn't just walk away from his past. Once Spike finally tells Jet that there is a woman who is his other half, Jet becomes supportive of Spike and understands why Spike wants to find her so badly.
To me and I feel alone in this, people love Spike, people empathize with Faye, people bond with Ed .... but dang gonit Cowboy Beebop is Jet's Story. The only time Jet cared about others more than himself, these are his memories, he misses this family and would do anything to be with all of them one last time
It's HIS ship! Completely agreed, Jet was my favorite during the whole 26 episodes. Recently finished it for the very first time earlier this past week, and now, it's going to stay with me forever.....glad I lived this long to finally watch this incredible series.
That's a great way of seeing it! I always actually thought it was Faye's because she truly has the biggest arc imo, but yeah that's funny how it doesn't even seem like Spike's story most of the time.
Honestly it's a bit sad what happened to Jet. At the end of the day everyone left the poor guy. But I also like to think that because of how much he had lost prior to spike, ed and ein, that he will be better off compared to Faye as he's used to it. Perhaps now he'll settle down and maybe with that feng shui girl from that one episode as they seemed to have a nice bond whatever that bond was.
+christian himovathere Its especially powerful when you think of Jet's line "Men only think about the past right before they're dead. As if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive."
Its like a numb child that cuts themselves just to see if they can feel pain again..i never agreed with spike on the terms of why he went..but i can tell that some people cant feel the pain no matter how deep they cut.. And in the end he got his answer. It cost him the opportunity to. stitch up the wound" so to speak and move on..but thats the tragic tale that is cowboy bebop
The show had a lot of subtle moments, like how right after, he tells Faye the truth of why he is going. Spike told Jet how he felt but told Faye why and I love that difference.
The story is called "The Cat That Lived a Million Times" by Yōko Sano, Judith Carol Huffman, James L. Huffman. It's a Buddhist book for kids about rebirth.
@@alcottrell2527 Indeed it does. It's wild to me that I posted that comment 2ish years ago, seems like only yesterday I was introduced to Bebop. Have a good day internet stranger! :)
I think I started watching Bebop when I was in middle school. I’m almost 31 now and this shit make me tear up. Knowing Ed and Ein left, knowing Spike lost the love of his life and is going to die. Watching Fay get what getting her memory’s back and losing the only people she had left. And Jet losing his girl and best friend, shit fucking digs deep.
I watched this show several times over my life. Each time it was fun to watch, and each time it hit like a truck. Each time the pain is slightly different, each time it fells different, because my own baggage grows bigger and changes. I will watch it again, I will regret it again, and then I will watch it again later.
3:51 Julia's the best red herring in story writing. We're supposed to believe that Spike goes back so he can get the girl, find love, and live. But when she dies, or heck even when they reunite, you realize that none if it really mattered. Life was the same before and after Julia passed through Spike's life. The man hiking Kilimanjaro is Spike. The Tallest Base on Earth is Julia. His heart was the hiker's leg, and the hike is the Bebop. The entire reason Julia went to meet Spike too was because she herself was looking for reasons to live. As she dies, she says "it was all a dream."
Of course it really mattered. Julia is his woman. Even in death. That's why they show Spike and Julia joined as one even after she had died. The song that plays at that moment is literally about how Spike will be in love with her even after he is dead. It's why Spike goes from seeing Julia with his eye that sees his past to seeing her with his eye that sees his present at the end. Cowboy Bebop Anime Guidebook: “Vicious finally begins his coup, positioning himself to assume leadership of the Red Dragon Syndicate. Gunshots ring like the sound of a choir of angels, a premonition of damnation. Knowing that the red dragon civil war has begun, *Julia breaks her long silence and tries to contact Spike, who drops everything to find her, the only woman who can complete this hollow man.* -Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide, Book 6, Page 28 “After a long time apart, Spike and Julia reunite. But their happiness is short lived at best. That which Spike has longed for slips through his fingers as easily as it came into his embrace. This is one man’s fate, converging unto death as if it were a predestined circumstance of his young life. Having lost his future, Spike is left only with his past. He confronts Vicious in a battle that should have taken place long ago. What does the right eye, left in the wounded body, see at the very end?” -Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide, Book 6, Page 44
spike and julia couldn't be together unless vicious was dead....it was a love triangle... how did spike and vicious go from having eachother's back to enemies? julia... vicious was gonna hunt them, so it was him, or them, period... y do u think vicious wanted her ot kill spike? it shows them in bed together...
Spike: Years ago, back when I was much younger, I was afraid of nothing. I had not the slightest fear of death. I was ready to die anytime. But then I met a special woman. She made me want to go on living. For the first time, I was afraid of death. A feeling I’d never had before. Elektra: Where is she now? Spike: She went away.
This is a late response but I completely agree with this. If they don't make their own failures and learn then you'll only be dragging them from the inevitable
Late response as well, but is it selfish. One of Bebop's best features is you can watch it over and over- finding new revelations. I used to think Spike just went out Gun's Blazing looking for vegnance. Other times looking for death. Other times I wonder, the White Cat was the Bebop. Maybe Jet understood that.... For Spike was Never truly free in the syndicate. Doubtful the years he spent with the White cat was his limited tim with Julia between episodes 24 and 25. He was probably most free during his time on the Bebop. Just as Jet can't stay away from the ISSP. Spike can't stay away from the Syndicate. But the Syndicate doesn't play by the same rules the ISSP does. In Jupiter Jazz this may be different. But they even state after the Coup all members will be hunted down, whether it be by viscious or the Red Dragons it would only be a matter of time. Spike realizes this. Let's not overlook the fact it's apparent that as long as Spike stays on the Bebop, he is a threat to Jet and Faye. Such is apparent, with Annie and Julia. I don't commit to a reason, but I like to think at times he left inpsite of Faye and Jet, not despite. Jet would be wise enough to know how this stuff works from the ISSP. Maybe he felt responsible for Viscious' rise to power anyway. With that being said can we be so sure it was all selfish reasoning? This show is stated- and obviously about Spike facing his Karma. Ever notice how all the bounties are a fractal of Spike himself? People who got caught up on the wrong side of things? I like to see Spike's decision as a matter of embrace. A matter of accepting this in inevitable at this point. The only choice he has is to try and clear the last of this Karma, as well as ensure Jet and Faye would not be met with the same end Annie and Julia were.
@@thechaosvibration1181 Julia's death is what set him off. It's visually presented that way. She dies in his arms and the camera zooms in on his eye which is shaking with madness and grief. Then he returns to the Bebop and tells Jet the tiger-striped cat story. Spike uses allegory to explain his situation to Jet. He is the tiger-striped cat and Julia is the white female cat. His love is gone now and he is not coming back. He walks away from Jet and Faye without looking back or thinking about them ever again. But he immediately thinks about when he first saw Julia and fell in love with her. The song "See You Space Cowboy" an alternate version of "The Real Folk Blues" starts playing. He thinks about making love to Julia. The song is about how he will love Julia even when he is dead. He storms the syndicate and fights Vicious. He says to Vicious, "Julia is dead. Let's finish this." When he kills Vicious and is mortally wounded, he looks up to the sky just as he did when Julia died. Except this time his eye is calm. Then he thinks about Julia again and what she said to him. He is seeing Julia in his eye that sees the present. Then "Bang" and he drops. Was he also protecting Jet and Faye with his actions? Sure. But was Julia an ever present factor in his heart and mind throughout the sequence? Yes (and Faye and Jet were not).
Honestly, I think Jet understands Spike on a very personal level. He lost the woman he loved (albeit to different circumstances), and he was able to let it go. Nevertheless, he knows the pain Spike is in. He doesn't try to change his mind, because he knows that he can't.
@@thechaosvibration1181 I completely agree! I've always thought it was a series of build ups and reasons that lead to the climax of Spike and Vicious facing off once and for all. I definitely agree about the Karma thing too, basically his past caught up to him, even though he tried to runaway from it and forget it. He had to eventually face it. The person above me mentioned "Julia set him off" which I think is true too. Julia dying was kind of a "wake up call." Now she's dead, he can't keep running or it'll only get worse. Everything from his past has it's effect in the present.
About 6 years ago the woman who I was madly in love with broke up with me. Since that day I've never truly felt as alive as I felt back in those times. Fast forward to the present and pretty much nothing compares to those times. Since then I've felt mostly kind of dead to be honest. I'm not suicidal at all but I'm perfectly okay dying because in a way my heart already feels dead. When I found Cowboy Bebop and saw how Spike talked about Julia it's been the only time in my life I have been able to come to this realization when Spike said what he said. Honest to god if I ever had a chance to confront my past like Spike did with the Syndicate I probably would take it up in a heart beat even if it cost me everything. Why? Because I'm not going there to die.. I'm going there to see if I still am alive. Maybe then I could genuinely start a new.
Been there as well my friend, very similar situation and I always related to the Spike/Julia element like you explained. It’s been 10 years for me. Keep pushing & hang in there, it gets better. 3 years ago I met someone else, I’m getting married next year and we have a beautiful daughter who I love more than anything. I’m so glad I stuck it out & didn’t do anything stupid in the darkest period before that. It’s worth sticking around for, you never know what might happen. I never thought I would be happy again but here I am.
@@sceneryaesthetic6302 I have to ask and please answer as honestly as you can. The love that you have for your fiance.. does it compare to the love you had over 10 years ago towards your ex?
Francisco Cayeros my ex was my first love, nothing will ever be like that again. However, I don’t think it was as genuine as I remember. It took me a long time to realize I was blinded by nostalgia and that relationship had a lot of toxic aspects. I was 14-20 at the time so still a kid. I’m an adult now and have a more mature relationship with my fiancé, and the bond of having a child together can’t be underrated. I think what’s important is you can not compare or you will always be disappointed, you have to be open to a new dynamic. And really that’s what you need.
@@sceneryaesthetic6302 you know. In a dark way I am starting to think the first time a broken heart starts to feel love/healing is one of the most beautiful feelings a human can ever experience. Did you ever reconnect with your ex? Even if it was simply for closure?
Something about this really speaks to me. I'm at a point in my life where I don't really no where to turn. Sometimes it's alright to let go of whatever doubts or confusion you carry and remember that deep down, whatever happens, happens. Thanks for reminding me that.
I remember coming down real late to watch Cowboy Bebop as a kid on a VCR (IIRC) after my parents went to sleep. Good times. I didn't really understand this series as much as a kid, but I did enjoy it. Now that I'm grown and in Uni, I realize my younger self had excellent taste.
Spike lived different lives himself. Some died, but he always had more. He dies once, he comes back in a way. Only when he finds love, he isn’t able to come back. As his story said.
BrianDMS that one episode with that mad hatter looking guy. The one with the powers of floating and inability to be hurt by bullets and such. He died after seeing a cat which scared the crap out of the mad hatter guy(ps I called him that cause it reminded me of the mad hatter) because the mad hatter was experimented on and he always see this one cat so he was pretty traumatized about the whole event and seeing a cat reminds him of him being experiemrnt. He could’ve killed Spike if it wasn’t for that cat
You know, whichever way you look at it, it would have been a sad ending. If Spike lived, he would have had Jet and Faye sure, but he would've been a shell of a man without Julia. And if he died, Jet and Faye would've parted ways afterwards. Spike was the glue that kept the crew together. And on a side note, it never dawned on me how much Session 1 foreshadowed Sessions 25 and 26. Both Spike and Asimov suffer the same fate: they want out of the criminal life with their lovers, but no matter how hard they try or how close they get, it always comes back and costs them. That reaction that Spike has on seeing Asimov get shot by his wife Katrina; I can't help but think that Spike saw Julia in that brief moment before the police finished them off.
Its like a numb child that cuts themselves just to see if they can feel pain again..not just pain but to feel anything at all..i never agreed with spike on the terms of why he went..but i can tell that some people cant feel the pain no matter how deep they cut.. And in the end he got his answer. It cost him the opportunity to "stitch up the wound" so to speak and move on..but thats the tragic tale that is cowboy bebop
I never thought of it as Spike doing it as a "death wish." I always felt he finally realized he had no other choice but to face his past, but he knew it was likely he wouldn't come out alive.
Spike: Years ago, back when I was much younger, I was afraid of nothing. I had not the slightest fear of death. I was ready to die anytime. *But then I met a special woman. She made me want to go on living.* For the first time, I was afraid of death. A feeling I’d never had before. Before, he at least had the hope of one day finding her. After she died, there was no reason for him to stick around.
"There was a woman, first time I found someone that was truly alive, at least that's what I thought. She was the part of me I'd lost somewhere along the way, the part that was missing that I'd been longing for..” when spike told this, I never thought that she was julia, she was faye. i know, because felt it. felt it so much..
You are delusional. Spike is literally telling Jet why he can't let go of his past. Because of Julia, not Faye a woman he walked away from without a second thought.
Bruh, Spike was talking about Julia. Same with the story of the Tiger Striped Cat, he was talking about himself (the tiger striped cat) and Julia (the white cat).
I get what you mean! I actually don't think he was talking about Faye, but I think her showing up right then was interesting. He says right after "At least that's what I thought." Meaning to me, it may not have been everything he thought it was. Faye though is a woman that is genuinely seeking life, where Julia seems in the same boat as Spike (headed towards death). So I always thought that moment was to show that really it was Faye who was a woman alive, but not in Spikes eyes.
@@rebeccakings754 The subtitles are a more accurate translation of the scene. Look them up. Spike doesn't say "at least that's what I thought", he says it's what he believed and then he says that Julia was a piece of him that he had lost along the way and that she *IS* his other half. He makes a point of changing to present tense. Either way, it doesn't matter. In Spike's mind, Julia is as much a part of him as he is himself.
*Jet:* Turn back. You told me when we first met… that you were a man who had already died once. Just forget the past, okay? *Spike:* There was a woman. For the first time in my life, I saw a woman that was truly alive. That’s what I believed. She was a piece of me I had lost. She is my other half that I had longed for.
The reason why this anime is so good is partly because of it's great English dub. In fact, out of all my elitism towards anime this is the single expectation as it goes above and beyond any standards I or anyone else could possibly have for an dubbed anime.
I get Fey is taking out her anger when she shoots, since it is the only way she knows how to act, but that is Jet's ship!!! Like have some respect, one hole in that thing and you all are dead!!!
I think Jet, of all people, of all situations, would cut Faye a break in this instance....with interest. He knows what's going on not only with Spike, but also Faye, and I would imagine the link between them. It'd make for a good distraction after...well...
this is great..... the tiger stripped cat story is the one thing i can relate my life to. glad to see someone posted it up and actually added the greatest moments of the last episodes (aside from the over used "bang" scene) all together. thx for posting the video.
I like what you did with editing this sequence together. Actually, I'm not sure that I do. That's not a sleight against the creator; just how it hits home for me. I knew someone once, and for a time it was magical. She loved the music of Cowboy Bebop despite never seeing the series. I lost her to cancer (paraganglioma and its complications). I've sorta been going through the motions this past year. The scenes here definitely speak to me, anyway. There's so little closure. Obviously, there's no "bad guy" to go and face off against. There's nothing I should've done, could've done, or would've done. I just hope I made her smile when I had the chance.
@@cmiller1515 I just saw this upon revisiting this video a year later. I'm sorry for being so late in my response. I'm trying to move forward, just one foot in front of the other, hopefully a bit better than Spike did...just one foot between each of Faye's gunshots. Just one foot forward at a time.
Damn, I'm sorry. I feel this. I lost the first girl I ever loved to cancer. She was 15, I was 14. We had been friends for as long as I had memory. We were best friends even though we only saw each other on the weekends when she would come down and visit with her family. I didn't even realize I loved her till it was too late. The last time I saw her. It was after her surgery and we all thought she woild be fine. We were at her grandmothers house talking about how once she got her drivers license we would be able to see each other more and go crusing and all that. When i finally had to leave we were on the front porch and I wanted to kiss her but both of our families were there standing around watching us. I got all paranoid and self conscious and hugged her and said goodbye. Biggest regret of my life. What hurts the most is I don't know if she ever kissed a boy. If she ever got to even expirence that. I never got the chance to tell her how much she actually meant to me. I dont think ive actually told this to anyone. But to whoever may read this, if you love someone, tell them. Every time you see them. Every chance you get because you never know.
@@foxtoxic9722 I'm kinda still processing this. Even with what I went through, I'm still processing what you opened up about. If I could, I'd hug you tight, and call you my brother because of our experiences. I hope that makes sense. I'm so sorry, man.
I happen tointerpret the story in such a way that Spike lives. Although the star fading at the end kind of hints that Spike actually died... My reasoning is that he was always haunted by his past, saying he is "dead" and would never face his past. In the end all the consequences of trying to avoid his past come anyway: Julia dies, there's a war in the syndicate and he has to face Vicious, something he was reluctant to do since it would mean the death of one of them. So because he avoids his past his problems pile up and he has to fight them all the same. In the end he is "dead" because all those old things that he was afraid of are gone, because they have been resolved. He will become a new man if he recovers, free to do anything he wants.
My interpretation is that the fading star is Vicious' soul. Spike's star faded long ago, he says himself that he's already seen death. Throughout the series Spike is just a vengeful spirit, trying to find out if he's alive. He realizes that he isn't, he's in purgatory. Julia may have died before his eyes, but he knew she was living on borrowed time like himself. He understands that he has to take his forsaken brother (Vicious) to the afterlife to achieve peace and cross over.
@@JoeOG That's so good! I never thought of the story that way! I see the whole theme of death as that thing which you are reluctant to face but you must face it if you want to go on. But your interpretation is a whole new side to the whole story. At least that is how I see it.
@@psevdhome thanks dude! I love the open-ended nature of Cowboy Bebop's ending. There are no right answers. Just fan theories. Watanabe himself has admitted that he doesn't know if Spike survived or not.
@@JoeOG We follow Spike's soul's journey from when he drops to when we reach the star. Vicious died much earlier than Spike (when it was still night). The tiger-striped cat story is literally about how Spike is not coming back. And a woman leading Spike to his death was foretold since episode one.
@@JoeOG A fading star belongs to a soul that made it's way to the spirit that awaits us all. No way is it Vicious's star. Vicious was a pitiful soul who did not believe in anything and was likened to the devil. His star fell.
Endgame Summary In Session 1, Laughing Bull foretells of Spike's death being brought on by a woman. Laughing Bull: Swimming bird will meet a woman. The bird will be hunted by this woman. And then death. Spike: One more time. Laughing Bull: What's that? Spike: I was killed once before by a woman. Spike is speaking of Julia. Losing her love was so painful as to be considered a form of death. He was left in a detached dream-like purgatory from that day on. In Session 26, Julia is shot in front of Spike. White doves fly by in slow motion. Horror, shock, and agony are expressed in Spike's left eye. He screams her name, drops his weapon, and runs to her. He takes her in his arms. Hears her last words, which are inaudible to the audience. Spike looks down at his lost love and then up to the sky. The camera is now focused on Spike's right eye, which is shaking in a disturbing manner. The camera zooms into Spike's pupil and everything fades to black. The next scene is of Laughing Bull predicting Spike's imminent death. Holding Julia's coat, Vicious speaks of Spike. Vicious: A beast that has lost his place. He has nowhere to return to now. He will come. Vicious is both right and wrong. Spike will come, but he does have somewhere to return to one last time. Two rose petals are shown blowing away in the wind. Spike returns to the Bebop and tells Jet a story. An allegory about his life which he uses to explain why he will never return. Spike: There once was a tiger striped cat. This cat died a million deaths, revived and lived a million lives, and he was owned by various people who he didn't really care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die. Then one day the cat became a stray cat, which meant he was free. He met a white female cat, and the two of them spent their days together happily. Well, years passed, and the white cat grew weak and died of old age. The tiger striped cat cried a million times, and then he died too. Except this time, he didn't come back to life. Jet is keenly aware that Spike's death looms in the horizon. He is wary of the tale's implications. When Spike gets up to leave, Jet asks him one last question. Jet: Is it for the girl? Spike: [beat] She's dead. There's nothing I can do for her now. This is true. Julia is dead. There is nothing Spike can do for her. This does not lessen the impact she has on the events that are about to unfold. Jet understands this. Upon hearing of Julia's death, he has a resigned if devastated reaction. He knows exactly what this means for Spike. Faye confronts Spike while holding him at gunpoint. She knows that he is marching towards his death. Faye: Where are you going? Why, are you going? You told me once, to forget the past, ‘cause it doesn’t matter, but you’re the one still tied to the past, Spike! Spike does not deny this. Instead, he explains the truth about his eyes. The camera spans from his left eye to his right eye. Spike: Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is a fake because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I've been seeing the past in one eye and the present in the other. So, I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture. Faye: Don’t tell me things like that; you’ve never told me anything about yourself, so don’t tell me now! Spike: I felt like I was watching a dream I could never wake up from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over. This is not the first time Spike has expressed this sentiment. One of his most revelatory quotes was said in the teaser for Ballad of Fallen Angels. Spike: The music box is broken, or is it? It starts to play, and a haunting tune fills the air. I wake suddenly from my dream. There is no music box! And yet there it is. A tiny one nestled in my hand. And I awaken from my dream again. As if I were peeling an onion. It’s a dream no matter how far I go. I can never reach reality. Trapped in an endless nightmare. Spike is so affected by the loss of the woman he loves that even an item she once possessed haunts him. It is her death that has finally woken him from his detached dream-like state. Faye shares with Spike that her memory has returned. She explains that there was nowhere for her to go back to. She pleads with him to stay. Spike ignores her please and instead leaves her with these parting words. Spike: I’m not going there to die; I’m going to find out if I’m really alive. I have to do it, Faye. Faye is not comforted by this statement. The audience should not be comforted either. Spike's words eerily echo what Jet said to him in session 25. Jet: Men only think about the past right before their death, as if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive. Faye cries and shoots off her gun. An act reminiscent of the 21-gun salute that is used in the military to honor the fallen. Spike walks away from Faye without looking back. He is never shown thinking about anyone from the Bebop again. The song "See You Space Cowboy" plays as Spike leaves the Bebop. "Everything is already over", You say with closed ears The words only flow Towards a tomorrow without peace "There's nothing that won't change" Even if my life ends This love will not disappear It's something that will live forever Even if dreams are hidden in darkness I got a rainbow Rainbow in your hands... The camera focuses on Spike's left eye. The eye that sees Spike's past. The lyrics begin as Spike is recalling romantic memories of Julia. He thinks of the first time he saw Julia and was captivated by her beauty. He thinks of a time when he made love to Julia and she cradled him in her arms. Given that Spike confided to Jet just the previous session that Julia was a part of him, the image shows a moment in Spike's life when he felt whole. Spike: She was a piece of me I had lost. She is my other half that I had longed for. The song continues to play as Spike attacks the syndicate. It is a ballad of undying love alluding to lovers being reunited in the afterlife. When Spike faces off against his hated rival, Vicious makes a proclamation. Vicious: So, you're finally awake. I told you before, Spike. I'm the only one who can kill you and set you free. Spike does not deny this. But makes a proclamation of his own. Spike: Those words apply to you as well, Vicious. During their fight, there comes a moment where the two disarm each other by swapping weapons. Vicious getting Spike's gun and Spike getting Vicious's katana. It is at this moment that Spike makes a statement of great significance to both men. Spike: Julia passed away. Let's end it all. Vicious: If that's your wish. The rivals return their weapons. Spike shoots Vicious but gets sliced across the abdomen. Vicious's death comes quickly, while Spike lingers as was foreshadowed. Vicious: Don't forget, a snake's venom poisons slowly after the bite. Spike watches Vicious's body fall to the ground, spends but a few seconds looking at him, then looks up to the night's sky. The camera is focused on Spike's right eye. Now calm. Spike sees Julia. This is the first time in the entire series that Spike is shown seeing Julia with his right eye. In session 13, during an auditory flashback, Spike and Julia discuss his eyes. Spike: My left eye sees the past. Julia: What about your right eye? We do not hear his response. In the penultimate scene of the series, we are specifically shown what Spike sees with his eye that sees his present. He sees her. In Spike's vision, Julia is cast in a white light. She says her last words to Spike, this time they are audible to the audience. Spike is shown reflected back in Julia's eye. He glumly concurs with her. Spike is then completely engulfed by a blinding white light. The scene fades to white. This light is reminiscent of the divine light that is cast upon a soul that is ready to ascend to heaven. Julia: It's all a dream. Spike: Yeah. Just a bad dream. From white we transition to the final scene of the series. It is now day. A white light is now cast over the entire syndicate. Spike smiles, points a finger gun at the remaining syndicate goons and says "bang". This is a callback to Wen from session 6. As Wen was dying he asked Spike if he understood the relief that came with one's own death. In response, Spike threw Wen's harmonica up in the air, pretended to shoot it while saying "bang", but then said "as if". When Spike says "bang" this time he is acknowledging that he now understands that relief. Spike falls to the ground. He is never shown moving again. White doves are shown flying over Spike's body. White doves also flew by Julia when she died. The camera follows an ascension into the heavens, while the song "Blue" plays. The song's lyrics allude to a soul ascending to heaven. Free Wanna be free Gonna be free And move among the stars You know, they really aren't so far Feels so free Gotta know free Please Don't wake me from the dream It's really everything it seems I'm so free No black and white in the blue Everything is clearer now Life is just a dream, you know That's never-ending I'm ascending At the end of the credits a star goes out but never falls. In session 13, Laughing Bull informs the audience to what a falling star truly is. Child: A star just fell from the sky. Laughing Bull: That is not an ordinary star, my son. That star is the tear of a warrior. A lost soul who has finished his battles somewhere on this planet. Child: What warrior is it? Laughing Bull: A pitiful soul who could not find his way to the lofty realm. Where the great spirit awaits us all. Given that the star we are shown does not fall, it is reasonable to infer that the soul the star belonged to did make its way to the great spirit that awaits us all. That soul has broken away from the cycle of death and rebirth and is never coming back. As was foreshadowed to happen to Spike in the fable of the tiger striped cat, who followed his love into death and never returned.
Кино
I've always love Jet and Spike's friendship. Despite them talking shit to each other, they really understood each other. Jet didn't beg him to stay or try to convince otherwise. He understood perfectly well that there was no turning back for Spike
Wtf, are you listening to what Jet says to Spike in the beginning of this clip? He literally asked him to forget his past and stay. He does understand him but doesn't want to lose him. After the talk, he says to Faye.. I'm going there to find out if I'm really alive. Jet says to Spike that he hates people living in the past and people searching for proof that their alive. Yet another indication that he's asking him to stay and not throw his life away.
@@khmer5o3 But once Spike confessed his truth to Jet, that there was a woman he loved who was a part of him. Jet understood him and supported him. That's how much he respected Spike.
@@somebunny2619 Why people say "his/her" truth?
@@crichton397 By truth I meant that Spike loves Julia very deeply, but he never shared his true feelings about her with Jet. So Jet didn't understand why Spike couldn't just walk away from his past. Once Spike finally tells Jet that there is a woman who is his other half, Jet becomes supportive of Spike and understands why Spike wants to find her so badly.
"You're gonna that weight" what does that line mean?
Man When Fayes voice shifts from confident and in control to helpless and sad that part gets me every time. These 3 VAs nailed this scene.
Literally, there is so much pain in her voice 😭
To me and I feel alone in this, people love Spike, people empathize with Faye, people bond with Ed .... but dang gonit Cowboy Beebop is Jet's Story.
The only time Jet cared about others more than himself, these are his memories, he misses this family and would do anything to be with all of them one last time
Black, Jet Black.
It's HIS ship! Completely agreed, Jet was my favorite during the whole 26 episodes. Recently finished it for the very first time earlier this past week, and now, it's going to stay with me forever.....glad I lived this long to finally watch this incredible series.
Jet is a foil for Spike. Like Sancho Panza and Don Quixote.
That's a great way of seeing it! I always actually thought it was Faye's because she truly has the biggest arc imo, but yeah that's funny how it doesn't even seem like Spike's story most of the time.
Honestly it's a bit sad what happened to Jet. At the end of the day everyone left the poor guy. But I also like to think that because of how much he had lost prior to spike, ed and ein, that he will be better off compared to Faye as he's used to it. Perhaps now he'll settle down and maybe with that feng shui girl from that one episode as they seemed to have a nice bond whatever that bond was.
"I'm not going there to die, I'm going there to find out if I'm still alive" chills
+christian himovathere Its especially powerful when you think of Jet's line "Men only think about the past right before they're dead. As if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive."
+Steve Spiezia yes
christian himovathere ft
Its like a numb child that cuts themselves just to see if they can feel pain again..i never agreed with spike on the terms of why he went..but i can tell that some people cant feel the pain no matter how deep they cut.. And in the end he got his answer. It cost him the opportunity to. stitch up the wound" so to speak and move on..but thats the tragic tale that is cowboy bebop
@@stevespiezia8973 Yeah. Spike was more or less rearranging Jet's words from before. In the end, they all knew he would not return.
Men only think about the past right before their death, as if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive. -Jet Black
Nice editing. But you took out the heart-felt final laugh shared by Spike and Jet. The closest thing either had to a friend.
Closest thing? What do you mean? They were definitely friends. If anything they were like family
@@TotalTech_ exactly his point. The closest thing either of them had to a true friendship.
The show had a lot of subtle moments, like how right after, he tells Faye the truth of why he is going. Spike told Jet how he felt but told Faye why and I love that difference.
@@vincentnicholson2711 that’s a really good catch
The story is called "The Cat That Lived a Million Times" by Yōko Sano, Judith Carol Huffman, James L. Huffman. It's a Buddhist book for kids about rebirth.
Lots of Buddhist principles in Bebop. I love it so damn much. Also, 7 year old comment, hello!
@@MelMelMel Breaking the cycle of life and death. He was never coming back.
Glad to know. Also 8 years ago, damn, quite a bit of time.
@@wedoliveinasocietydowenot 8 becomes 10. Time flows like a steady stream.
@@alcottrell2527 Indeed it does. It's wild to me that I posted that comment 2ish years ago, seems like only yesterday I was introduced to Bebop. Have a good day internet stranger! :)
Throughout the entire series it never mattered what scene it was every time "waltz for zizi" comes on my eyes get a little watery, don't judge me
SoularAspectTLD Saaaame lol
same
Goodbye Julia breaks my heart Everytime
I agree this scene and when jet meets his girls last time in autumn elegy were one of my favourite scenes
It's a perfect little waltz. Like a campfire in the cold.
I think I started watching Bebop when I was in middle school. I’m almost 31 now and this shit make me tear up. Knowing Ed and Ein left, knowing Spike lost the love of his life and is going to die. Watching Fay get what getting her memory’s back and losing the only people she had left. And Jet losing his girl and best friend, shit fucking digs deep.
This show had so much pain& joy but this show gave us glimpse at our own lives a true masterpiece
"your going to carry that weight" - Cowboy bebop, End of Episode 26.
Spike kept everyone together. He was the glue. When he left everyone went their seperate ways
@@IXxhpnotiqxXI HELLO 3 HR AGO COMMENTER
I watched this show several times over my life. Each time it was fun to watch, and each time it hit like a truck. Each time the pain is slightly different, each time it fells different, because my own baggage grows bigger and changes. I will watch it again, I will regret it again, and then I will watch it again later.
3:51
Julia's the best red herring in story writing. We're supposed to believe that Spike goes back so he can get the girl, find love, and live. But when she dies, or heck even when they reunite, you realize that none if it really mattered. Life was the same before and after Julia passed through Spike's life.
The man hiking Kilimanjaro is Spike. The Tallest Base on Earth is Julia. His heart was the hiker's leg, and the hike is the Bebop.
The entire reason Julia went to meet Spike too was because she herself was looking for reasons to live. As she dies, she says "it was all a dream."
Of course it really mattered. Julia is his woman. Even in death. That's why they show Spike and Julia joined as one even after she had died. The song that plays at that moment is literally about how Spike will be in love with her even after he is dead. It's why Spike goes from seeing Julia with his eye that sees his past to seeing her with his eye that sees his present at the end.
Cowboy Bebop Anime Guidebook:
“Vicious finally begins his coup, positioning himself to assume leadership of the Red Dragon Syndicate. Gunshots ring like the sound of a choir of angels, a premonition of damnation. Knowing that the red dragon civil war has begun, *Julia breaks her long silence and tries to contact Spike, who drops everything to find her, the only woman who can complete this hollow man.*
-Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide, Book 6, Page 28
“After a long time apart, Spike and Julia reunite. But their happiness is short lived at best. That which Spike has longed for slips through his fingers as easily as it came into his embrace. This is one man’s fate, converging unto death as if it were a predestined circumstance of his young life. Having lost his future, Spike is left only with his past. He confronts Vicious in a battle that should have taken place long ago. What does the right eye, left in the wounded body, see at the very end?”
-Cowboy Bebop Anime Guide, Book 6, Page 44
@@somebunny2619nice little introspective. Yeah, I agree.
It’s also just a Hemingway reference
@@somebunny2619good comment, but why you gotta have a wholesome Spike Julia PFP? That is just tear-uppy material right there!
spike and julia couldn't be together unless vicious was dead....it was a love triangle... how did spike and vicious go from having eachother's back to enemies? julia... vicious was gonna hunt them, so it was him, or them, period... y do u think vicious wanted her ot kill spike? it shows them in bed together...
Spike: Years ago, back when I was much younger, I was afraid of nothing. I had not the slightest fear of death. I was ready to die anytime. But then I met a special woman. She made me want to go on living. For the first time, I was afraid of death. A feeling I’d never had before.
Elektra: Where is she now?
Spike: She went away.
This is the true meaning of friendship and respect, when u let your best friend go, even when u know he's acting wrong and selfishly...
This is a late response but I completely agree with this. If they don't make their own failures and learn then you'll only be dragging them from the inevitable
Late response as well, but is it selfish.
One of Bebop's best features is you can watch it over and over- finding new revelations.
I used to think Spike just went out Gun's Blazing looking for vegnance. Other times looking for death.
Other times I wonder, the White Cat was the Bebop. Maybe Jet understood that....
For Spike was Never truly free in the syndicate. Doubtful the years he spent with the White cat was his limited tim with Julia between episodes 24 and 25. He was probably most free during his time on the Bebop.
Just as Jet can't stay away from the ISSP. Spike can't stay away from the Syndicate. But the Syndicate doesn't play by the same rules the ISSP does. In Jupiter Jazz this may be different. But they even state after the Coup all members will be hunted down, whether it be by viscious or the Red Dragons it would only be a matter of time. Spike realizes this.
Let's not overlook the fact it's apparent that as long as Spike stays on the Bebop, he is a threat to Jet and Faye. Such is apparent, with Annie and Julia.
I don't commit to a reason, but I like to think at times he left inpsite of Faye and Jet, not despite. Jet would be wise enough to know how this stuff works from the ISSP.
Maybe he felt responsible for Viscious' rise to power anyway.
With that being said can we be so sure it was all selfish reasoning?
This show is stated- and obviously about Spike facing his Karma. Ever notice how all the bounties are a fractal of Spike himself? People who got caught up on the wrong side of things?
I like to see Spike's decision as a matter of embrace. A matter of accepting this in inevitable at this point. The only choice he has is to try and clear the last of this Karma, as well as ensure Jet and Faye would not be met with the same end Annie and Julia were.
@@thechaosvibration1181 Julia's death is what set him off. It's visually presented that way. She dies in his arms and the camera zooms in on his eye which is shaking with madness and grief. Then he returns to the Bebop and tells Jet the tiger-striped cat story. Spike uses allegory to explain his situation to Jet. He is the tiger-striped cat and Julia is the white female cat. His love is gone now and he is not coming back. He walks away from Jet and Faye without looking back or thinking about them ever again. But he immediately thinks about when he first saw Julia and fell in love with her. The song "See You Space Cowboy" an alternate version of "The Real Folk Blues" starts playing. He thinks about making love to Julia. The song is about how he will love Julia even when he is dead. He storms the syndicate and fights Vicious. He says to Vicious, "Julia is dead. Let's finish this." When he kills Vicious and is mortally wounded, he looks up to the sky just as he did when Julia died. Except this time his eye is calm. Then he thinks about Julia again and what she said to him. He is seeing Julia in his eye that sees the present. Then "Bang" and he drops. Was he also protecting Jet and Faye with his actions? Sure. But was Julia an ever present factor in his heart and mind throughout the sequence? Yes (and Faye and Jet were not).
Honestly, I think Jet understands Spike on a very personal level. He lost the woman he loved (albeit to different circumstances), and he was able to let it go. Nevertheless, he knows the pain Spike is in. He doesn't try to change his mind, because he knows that he can't.
@@thechaosvibration1181 I completely agree! I've always thought it was a series of build ups and reasons that lead to the climax of Spike and Vicious facing off once and for all. I definitely agree about the Karma thing too, basically his past caught up to him, even though he tried to runaway from it and forget it. He had to eventually face it. The person above me mentioned "Julia set him off" which I think is true too. Julia dying was kind of a "wake up call." Now she's dead, he can't keep running or it'll only get worse. Everything from his past has it's effect in the present.
she was, the part of me I lost somewhere along the way, that part that was missing, that I been longing for........
...at least that's what I thought.
That part always gets me.
Sometimes I wonder if he was referring to julia..or death
I always felt that no one ever appreciated Jet's story as much as Spike's. Thanks for the change of heart.
I feel like they go hand in hand with each other.
this scene is a fucking masterpiece, i cant say anything but that!
She is dead, there is nothing i can do for now...
@@sebacuevas5118 Then Spike thinks about her constantly until the very end and the song that plays is about how he will love her forever.
"Turn back"
The shortest and most heartfelt advice given from one friend to another
God damn this hurts.
yeah...
Spikes final meal was his first meal at the start of the show.
"It's all a.......dream."
"Yeah........just a dream."
Seriously. Even Shinichiro Watanabe (the creator!) has gone on record to say he preferred the dub. Cowboy Bebop is an exammple of Doing It Right.
Can't find evidence for that claim, thus i call BS.
@@_M_4 I remembered it being bantered around in old anime circles, but it’s entirely possible it’s apocryphal and I’m wrong. 🤷🏻♀️
You’ve had that RUclips account for so fucking long that’s crazy
@@Legendofzedia 7 years of youtube is superb
ChaoticSerenity bruh i didnt expect that you replied to him
The story spike was talking was "The Cat That Lived a Million Times", which was written by Yoko Sano, japanese famous juvenile literature writer.
I love how in the story the striped cat had many female cats after him, but he only had eyes for his white cat. Reminds me of someone.
About 6 years ago the woman who I was madly in love with broke up with me. Since that day I've never truly felt as alive as I felt back in those times. Fast forward to the present and pretty much nothing compares to those times. Since then I've felt mostly kind of dead to be honest. I'm not suicidal at all but I'm perfectly okay dying because in a way my heart already feels dead.
When I found Cowboy Bebop and saw how Spike talked about Julia it's been the only time in my life I have been able to come to this realization when Spike said what he said. Honest to god if I ever had a chance to confront my past like Spike did with the Syndicate I probably would take it up in a heart beat even if it cost me everything. Why? Because I'm not going there to die.. I'm going there to see if I still am alive. Maybe then I could genuinely start a new.
Been there as well my friend, very similar situation and I always related to the Spike/Julia element like you explained. It’s been 10 years for me. Keep pushing & hang in there, it gets better. 3 years ago I met someone else, I’m getting married next year and we have a beautiful daughter who I love more than anything. I’m so glad I stuck it out & didn’t do anything stupid in the darkest period before that. It’s worth sticking around for, you never know what might happen. I never thought I would be happy again but here I am.
@@sceneryaesthetic6302 I have to ask and please answer as honestly as you can.
The love that you have for your fiance.. does it compare to the love you had over 10 years ago towards your ex?
Francisco Cayeros my ex was my first love, nothing will ever be like that again. However, I don’t think it was as genuine as I remember. It took me a long time to realize I was blinded by nostalgia and that relationship had a lot of toxic aspects. I was 14-20 at the time so still a kid. I’m an adult now and have a more mature relationship with my fiancé, and the bond of having a child together can’t be underrated. I think what’s important is you can not compare or you will always be disappointed, you have to be open to a new dynamic. And really that’s what you need.
@@sceneryaesthetic6302 you know. In a dark way I am starting to think the first time a broken heart starts to feel love/healing is one of the most beautiful feelings a human can ever experience.
Did you ever reconnect with your ex? Even if it was simply for closure?
Sorry to hear about that. Stay strong, things can get better
Something about this really speaks to me. I'm at a point in my life where I don't really no where to turn. Sometimes it's alright to let go of whatever doubts or confusion you carry and remember that deep down, whatever happens, happens. Thanks for reminding me that.
Stay strong, things can get better
You’ll be fine. Keep moving forward
I remember coming down real late to watch Cowboy Bebop as a kid on a VCR (IIRC) after my parents went to sleep. Good times.
I didn't really understand this series as much as a kid, but I did enjoy it. Now that I'm grown and in Uni, I realize my younger self had excellent taste.
hey that's a Hemingway tale
whats that
Uzi Vertical It’s an author, and the context they’re speaking alludes to one of his stories
It's Snow of Kilimanjaro, right? Interestingly, it's also referred to in Banana Fish.
We Are All Just Going Through Life, Trying To Face Our Past Or Forget It.
Spike lived different lives himself. Some died, but he always had more. He dies once, he comes back in a way. Only when he finds love, he isn’t able to come back. As his story said.
just seven minutes but im crying..
See Ya Later, Space Cowboy.
You're gonna carry that weight
I am gonna carry that weight
We are gonna carry that weight
A cat saved his life
whose life? he fucking died :/
BrianDMS that one episode with that mad hatter looking guy. The one with the powers of floating and inability to be hurt by bullets and such. He died after seeing a cat which scared the crap out of the mad hatter guy(ps I called him that cause it reminded me of the mad hatter) because the mad hatter was experimented on and he always see this one cat so he was pretty traumatized about the whole event and seeing a cat reminds him of him being experiemrnt. He could’ve killed Spike if it wasn’t for that cat
No, the white cat kept him from rebirth, and saved him from a million more deaths. The white cat is Julia.
It’s been 11 years and only 19 people disliked it that’s how good this show is
It's now 14 and it has 40 dislikes
Spike kept everyone together. He was the glue. When he left everyone went their seperate ways
Jet Black - "Have you heard this story?"
Spike - " Ever heard this story?"
Jet gave up his past.
Spike gave up his future.
@@Scott-vn1ov He didn't want one without Julia.
Such beautiful and deep scenes with Spike and his past... He could never forget Julia, because his heart was there.
You know, whichever way you look at it, it would have been a sad ending. If Spike lived, he would have had Jet and Faye sure, but he would've been a shell of a man without Julia. And if he died, Jet and Faye would've parted ways afterwards. Spike was the glue that kept the crew together. And on a side note, it never dawned on me how much Session 1 foreshadowed Sessions 25 and 26. Both Spike and Asimov suffer the same fate: they want out of the criminal life with their lovers, but no matter how hard they try or how close they get, it always comes back and costs them. That reaction that Spike has on seeing Asimov get shot by his wife Katrina; I can't help but think that Spike saw Julia in that brief moment before the police finished them off.
Its like a numb child that cuts themselves just to see if they can feel pain again..not just pain but to feel anything at all..i never agreed with spike on the terms of why he went..but i can tell that some people cant feel the pain no matter how deep they cut.. And in the end he got his answer. It cost him the opportunity to "stitch up the wound" so to speak and move on..but thats the tragic tale that is cowboy bebop
I never thought of it as Spike doing it as a "death wish." I always felt he finally realized he had no other choice but to face his past, but he knew it was likely he wouldn't come out alive.
This scene kinda reminds me of Hamlet's "to be or not to be" speech" where he wonders what people dream after death
It's so amazing to think that in the second that Julia died, spike died as well. Because she was life to him.
Spike: Years ago, back when I was much younger, I was afraid of nothing. I had not the slightest fear of death. I was ready to die anytime. *But then I met a special woman. She made me want to go on living.* For the first time, I was afraid of death. A feeling I’d never had before.
Before, he at least had the hope of one day finding her. After she died, there was no reason for him to stick around.
I've cried a lot with this anime, one of the best of all time.
Jet: Forget the past.
Spike: she is my soul mate.
So tragic 😭
Spyke is talking about cats through out Bebop. Do a compilation of every time they talk about cats, leading up to this.
homage to Bruce Lee
@@RedEyePergo What...?
Wow ive never noticed that! He was even saved by one, when he fought the mad pierrot!
I remember putting spikes who eye line in a twitch chat and the streamer said that was some deep shit man.
One of the few animes that I prefer to watch in English.. I LOVE IT
Its all a dream.
Yeah... just a dream.
x.x
7 years and only 3 dislikes.
Ayy Lmao 9 now nd I... I don't get Y
13 now
@@rayjohnson2768 11 almost 12
It wouldn't have to end like this if they had therapists in the 2070s
Therapists only tell you the same useless bullshit over and over again.
Therapy doesn’t solve anything
"I hate stories like that" :(
3:52 gets me every time… You KNOW that hit Spike deep. One way or another, it was for the girl. And I think that’s why he technically doesn’t answer.
Idk what I love more this or the green bird song scene but damn waltz gets me every time
Joanne Campbell same
so long space cowboy, you're gonna carry that weight
I can’t stop coming back to this masterpiece.
People that adore you accuse you of being guarded or private, then get upset when you tell them those things you knew would harm them to know.
1:10 hits me hard.
Ten years of Tigger
unseenufo lol
Lmfao
"There was a woman, first time I found someone that was truly alive, at least that's what I thought. She was the part of me I'd lost somewhere along the way, the part that was missing that I'd been longing for..”
when spike told this, I never thought that she was julia, she was faye. i know, because felt it. felt it so much..
You are delusional. Spike is literally telling Jet why he can't let go of his past. Because of Julia, not Faye a woman he walked away from without a second thought.
Bruh, Spike was talking about Julia. Same with the story of the Tiger Striped Cat, he was talking about himself (the tiger striped cat) and Julia (the white cat).
I get what you mean! I actually don't think he was talking about Faye, but I think her showing up right then was interesting.
He says right after "At least that's what I thought." Meaning to me, it may not have been everything he thought it was.
Faye though is a woman that is genuinely seeking life, where Julia seems in the same boat as Spike (headed towards death). So I always thought that moment was to show that really it was Faye who was a woman alive, but not in Spikes eyes.
@@rebeccakings754 The subtitles are a more accurate translation of the scene. Look them up. Spike doesn't say "at least that's what I thought", he says it's what he believed and then he says that Julia was a piece of him that he had lost along the way and that she *IS* his other half. He makes a point of changing to present tense. Either way, it doesn't matter. In Spike's mind, Julia is as much a part of him as he is himself.
*Jet:* Turn back. You told me when we first met… that you were a man who had already died once. Just forget the past, okay?
*Spike:* There was a woman. For the first time in my life, I saw a woman that was truly alive. That’s what I believed. She was a piece of me I had lost. She is my other half that I had longed for.
You edited this in a good way. No tacky music video, just essential parts.
Man. This got me crying in the club right now 😥
Spike is truly a special charachter . Yet to see any one come close to this kind of protagonist. It's like he knew his lines would be epic punchlines
The reason why this anime is so good is partly because of it's great English dub. In fact, out of all my elitism towards anime this is the single expectation as it goes above and beyond any standards I or anyone else could possibly have for an dubbed anime.
Ghost stories...?
Black Lagoon is an amazing dubbed anime too, it feels way more genuine than if it were in Japanese
Death note too :)
I get Fey is taking out her anger when she shoots, since it is the only way she knows how to act, but that is Jet's ship!!! Like have some respect, one hole in that thing and you all are dead!!!
chandler jones out of that whole thing that's the only thing you have to say??
chandler jones he's right, though
chandler jones lmao
LOL 🤣
I think Jet, of all people, of all situations, would cut Faye a break in this instance....with interest. He knows what's going on not only with Spike, but also Faye, and I would imagine the link between them. It'd make for a good distraction after...well...
This is a really good compilation.
beautiful
this is great..... the tiger stripped cat story is the one thing i can relate my life to. glad to see someone posted it up and actually added the greatest moments of the last episodes (aside from the over used "bang" scene) all together.
thx for posting the video.
Only one dislike for every year
That shows how much ppl love bebop
Just a masterpiece
You condensed this pretty well. Like a visual summary
And the cat goes
Bang.....
Nice piece of work. Thank you also for uploading this vid. I've been wanting to catch the glimpse of Spike's story of the Tiger-Striped Cat.
Emotional Rollercaster and I wasn't ready for that... But god damn I loved it
sad for fay fay poor fay fay
so soulful
I almost got genuine goosebumps.
love this. great edit thank you
Life is just a dream, you know.
Jet had the best stories
I love this video so much
Favorite scene
I like what you did with editing this sequence together. Actually, I'm not sure that I do. That's not a sleight against the creator; just how it hits home for me.
I knew someone once, and for a time it was magical. She loved the music of Cowboy Bebop despite never seeing the series. I lost her to cancer (paraganglioma and its complications). I've sorta been going through the motions this past year. The scenes here definitely speak to me, anyway.
There's so little closure. Obviously, there's no "bad guy" to go and face off against. There's nothing I should've done, could've done, or would've done. I just hope I made her smile when I had the chance.
i don't really have a response, but thank you for sharing this.
@@cmiller1515 I just saw this upon revisiting this video a year later. I'm sorry for being so late in my response. I'm trying to move forward, just one foot in front of the other, hopefully a bit better than Spike did...just one foot between each of Faye's gunshots. Just one foot forward at a time.
@@RockinRob2258 Keep moving forward brother ✊
Damn, I'm sorry. I feel this. I lost the first girl I ever loved to cancer. She was 15, I was 14. We had been friends for as long as I had memory. We were best friends even though we only saw each other on the weekends when she would come down and visit with her family. I didn't even realize I loved her till it was too late. The last time I saw her. It was after her surgery and we all thought she woild be fine. We were at her grandmothers house talking about how once she got her drivers license we would be able to see each other more and go crusing and all that. When i finally had to leave we were on the front porch and I wanted to kiss her but both of our families were there standing around watching us. I got all paranoid and self conscious and hugged her and said goodbye. Biggest regret of my life. What hurts the most is I don't know if she ever kissed a boy. If she ever got to even expirence that. I never got the chance to tell her how much she actually meant to me. I dont think ive actually told this to anyone. But to whoever may read this, if you love someone, tell them. Every time you see them. Every chance you get because you never know.
@@foxtoxic9722 I'm kinda still processing this. Even with what I went through, I'm still processing what you opened up about. If I could, I'd hug you tight, and call you my brother because of our experiences.
I hope that makes sense.
I'm so sorry, man.
hits different on December 31st 11:59 P.M
this is fantastic editing
Amazing video
I've seen it over 20 times
A tigger's a wonderful thing
that Spike is some guy...
"I'll be with you until the end."
Great video I've seen it several times
One of my last true friends...
l love it
wow that was really good!
Bouncin' is what tiggers do best!
Waltz for zizi gets me every time
Poetry in motion
I happen tointerpret the story in such a way that Spike lives. Although the star fading at the end kind of hints that Spike actually died...
My reasoning is that he was always haunted by his past, saying he is "dead" and would never face his past. In the end all the consequences of trying to avoid his past come anyway: Julia dies, there's a war in the syndicate and he has to face Vicious, something he was reluctant to do since it would mean the death of one of them. So because he avoids his past his problems pile up and he has to fight them all the same. In the end he is "dead" because all those old things that he was afraid of are gone, because they have been resolved. He will become a new man if he recovers, free to do anything he wants.
My interpretation is that the fading star is Vicious' soul. Spike's star faded long ago, he says himself that he's already seen death. Throughout the series Spike is just a vengeful spirit, trying to find out if he's alive. He realizes that he isn't, he's in purgatory. Julia may have died before his eyes, but he knew she was living on borrowed time like himself. He understands that he has to take his forsaken brother (Vicious) to the afterlife to achieve peace and cross over.
@@JoeOG That's so good! I never thought of the story that way! I see the whole theme of death as that thing which you are reluctant to face but you must face it if you want to go on.
But your interpretation is a whole new side to the whole story. At least that is how I see it.
@@psevdhome thanks dude! I love the open-ended nature of Cowboy Bebop's ending. There are no right answers. Just fan theories. Watanabe himself has admitted that he doesn't know if Spike survived or not.
@@JoeOG We follow Spike's soul's journey from when he drops to when we reach the star. Vicious died much earlier than Spike (when it was still night). The tiger-striped cat story is literally about how Spike is not coming back. And a woman leading Spike to his death was foretold since episode one.
@@JoeOG A fading star belongs to a soul that made it's way to the spirit that awaits us all. No way is it Vicious's star. Vicious was a pitiful soul who did not believe in anything and was likened to the devil. His star fell.
I was all a... dream.
NeoTokyo Tempo you were all a dream?
Gets me every time 😥😥😥
i really love Jet´s story! thx
-See you space cowboy
Golden.
It's all a dream.
I get shit for being stone faced during crises but I'm cryin' on the inside. See you, space cowgirl, somewhere, someday.
Stay strong
Unbelievably good anime
Endgame Summary
In Session 1, Laughing Bull foretells of Spike's death being brought on by a woman.
Laughing Bull: Swimming bird will meet a woman. The bird will be hunted by this woman. And then death.
Spike: One more time.
Laughing Bull: What's that?
Spike: I was killed once before by a woman.
Spike is speaking of Julia. Losing her love was so painful as to be considered a form of death. He was left in a detached dream-like purgatory from that day on.
In Session 26, Julia is shot in front of Spike. White doves fly by in slow motion. Horror, shock, and agony are expressed in Spike's left eye. He screams her name, drops his weapon, and runs to her. He takes her in his arms. Hears her last words, which are inaudible to the audience.
Spike looks down at his lost love and then up to the sky. The camera is now focused on Spike's right eye, which is shaking in a disturbing manner. The camera zooms into Spike's pupil and everything fades to black.
The next scene is of Laughing Bull predicting Spike's imminent death.
Holding Julia's coat, Vicious speaks of Spike.
Vicious: A beast that has lost his place. He has nowhere to return to now. He will come.
Vicious is both right and wrong. Spike will come, but he does have somewhere to return to one last time.
Two rose petals are shown blowing away in the wind.
Spike returns to the Bebop and tells Jet a story. An allegory about his life which he uses to explain why he will never return.
Spike: There once was a tiger striped cat. This cat died a million deaths, revived and lived a million lives, and he was owned by various people who he didn't really care for. The cat wasn't afraid to die. Then one day the cat became a stray cat, which meant he was free. He met a white female cat, and the two of them spent their days together happily. Well, years passed, and the white cat grew weak and died of old age. The tiger striped cat cried a million times, and then he died too. Except this time, he didn't come back to life.
Jet is keenly aware that Spike's death looms in the horizon. He is wary of the tale's implications.
When Spike gets up to leave, Jet asks him one last question.
Jet: Is it for the girl?
Spike: [beat] She's dead. There's nothing I can do for her now.
This is true. Julia is dead. There is nothing Spike can do for her. This does not lessen the impact she has on the events that are about to unfold. Jet understands this. Upon hearing of Julia's death, he has a resigned if devastated reaction. He knows exactly what this means for Spike.
Faye confronts Spike while holding him at gunpoint. She knows that he is marching towards his death.
Faye: Where are you going? Why, are you going? You told me once, to forget the past, ‘cause it doesn’t matter, but you’re the one still tied to the past, Spike!
Spike does not deny this. Instead, he explains the truth about his eyes. The camera spans from his left eye to his right eye.
Spike: Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is a fake because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I've been seeing the past in one eye and the present in the other. So, I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture.
Faye: Don’t tell me things like that; you’ve never told me anything about yourself, so don’t tell me now!
Spike: I felt like I was watching a dream I could never wake up from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over.
This is not the first time Spike has expressed this sentiment. One of his most revelatory quotes was said in the teaser for Ballad of Fallen Angels.
Spike: The music box is broken, or is it? It starts to play, and a haunting tune fills the air. I wake suddenly from my dream. There is no music box! And yet there it is. A tiny one nestled in my hand. And I awaken from my dream again. As if I were peeling an onion. It’s a dream no matter how far I go. I can never reach reality. Trapped in an endless nightmare.
Spike is so affected by the loss of the woman he loves that even an item she once possessed haunts him. It is her death that has finally woken him from his detached dream-like state.
Faye shares with Spike that her memory has returned. She explains that there was nowhere for her to go back to. She pleads with him to stay.
Spike ignores her please and instead leaves her with these parting words.
Spike: I’m not going there to die; I’m going to find out if I’m really alive. I have to do it, Faye.
Faye is not comforted by this statement. The audience should not be comforted either. Spike's words eerily echo what Jet said to him in session 25.
Jet: Men only think about the past right before their death, as if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive.
Faye cries and shoots off her gun. An act reminiscent of the 21-gun salute that is used in the military to honor the fallen.
Spike walks away from Faye without looking back. He is never shown thinking about anyone from the Bebop again.
The song "See You Space Cowboy" plays as Spike leaves the Bebop.
"Everything is already over",
You say with closed ears
The words only flow
Towards a tomorrow without peace
"There's nothing that won't change"
Even if my life ends
This love will not disappear
It's something that will live forever
Even if dreams are hidden in darkness
I got a rainbow
Rainbow in your hands...
The camera focuses on Spike's left eye. The eye that sees Spike's past. The lyrics begin as Spike is recalling romantic memories of Julia. He thinks of the first time he saw Julia and was captivated by her beauty. He thinks of a time when he made love to Julia and she cradled him in her arms.
Given that Spike confided to Jet just the previous session that Julia was a part of him, the image shows a moment in Spike's life when he felt whole.
Spike: She was a piece of me I had lost. She is my other half that I had longed for.
The song continues to play as Spike attacks the syndicate. It is a ballad of undying love alluding to lovers being reunited in the afterlife.
When Spike faces off against his hated rival, Vicious makes a proclamation.
Vicious: So, you're finally awake. I told you before, Spike. I'm the only one who can kill you and set you free.
Spike does not deny this. But makes a proclamation of his own.
Spike: Those words apply to you as well, Vicious.
During their fight, there comes a moment where the two disarm each other by swapping weapons. Vicious getting Spike's gun and Spike getting Vicious's katana. It is at this moment that Spike makes a statement of great significance to both men.
Spike: Julia passed away. Let's end it all.
Vicious: If that's your wish.
The rivals return their weapons. Spike shoots Vicious but gets sliced across the abdomen.
Vicious's death comes quickly, while Spike lingers as was foreshadowed.
Vicious: Don't forget, a snake's venom poisons slowly after the bite.
Spike watches Vicious's body fall to the ground, spends but a few seconds looking at him, then looks up to the night's sky. The camera is focused on Spike's right eye. Now calm.
Spike sees Julia. This is the first time in the entire series that Spike is shown seeing Julia with his right eye.
In session 13, during an auditory flashback, Spike and Julia discuss his eyes.
Spike: My left eye sees the past.
Julia: What about your right eye?
We do not hear his response.
In the penultimate scene of the series, we are specifically shown what Spike sees with his eye that sees his present. He sees her.
In Spike's vision, Julia is cast in a white light. She says her last words to Spike, this time they are audible to the audience. Spike is shown reflected back in Julia's eye. He glumly concurs with her. Spike is then completely engulfed by a blinding white light. The scene fades to white. This light is reminiscent of the divine light that is cast upon a soul that is ready to ascend to heaven.
Julia: It's all a dream.
Spike: Yeah. Just a bad dream.
From white we transition to the final scene of the series. It is now day. A white light is now cast over the entire syndicate.
Spike smiles, points a finger gun at the remaining syndicate goons and says "bang".
This is a callback to Wen from session 6. As Wen was dying he asked Spike if he understood the relief that came with one's own death. In response, Spike threw Wen's harmonica up in the air, pretended to shoot it while saying "bang", but then said "as if". When Spike says "bang" this time he is acknowledging that he now understands that relief.
Spike falls to the ground. He is never shown moving again. White doves are shown flying over Spike's body. White doves also flew by Julia when she died.
The camera follows an ascension into the heavens, while the song "Blue" plays. The song's lyrics allude to a soul ascending to heaven.
Free
Wanna be free
Gonna be free
And move among the stars
You know, they really aren't so far
Feels so free
Gotta know free
Please
Don't wake me from the dream
It's really everything it seems
I'm so free
No black and white in the blue
Everything is clearer now
Life is just a dream, you know
That's never-ending
I'm ascending
At the end of the credits a star goes out but never falls.
In session 13, Laughing Bull informs the audience to what a falling star truly is.
Child: A star just fell from the sky.
Laughing Bull: That is not an ordinary star, my son. That star is the tear of a warrior. A lost soul who has finished his battles somewhere on this planet.
Child: What warrior is it?
Laughing Bull: A pitiful soul who could not find his way to the lofty realm. Where the great spirit awaits us all.
Given that the star we are shown does not fall, it is reasonable to infer that the soul the star belonged to did make its way to the great spirit that awaits us all.
That soul has broken away from the cycle of death and rebirth and is never coming back. As was foreshadowed to happen to Spike in the fable of the tiger striped cat, who followed his love into death and never returned.