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18 augustus 2021

From Cowboy Bebop: Space Lion

 

 

Lately I’ve been watching Cowboy Bebop, the cult anime series from the late nineties. It’s a science fiction story about two interstellar bounty hunters on their space ship, which is called Cowboy Bebop. I must confess I don’t always understand what’s happening in the different episodes, and why.

In the episodes 12 and 13 one of the bounty hunters, Spike, goes after some guys he knows from a former life, apparently when he was part of a rebel movement. It ends with the death of another old friend, a trans woman, in the arms of Spike. During that beautiful scene and its aftermath, a gorgeous piece of music is heard, a mix of Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner and Hisaishi Jo’s music for Kitano Takeshi’s movies. Moody jazz, indigenous percussion and the melancholic chanting of a high pitched choir.

Until now I wasn’t particularly interested in Cowboy Bebop’s jazzy musical score, done by the Seatbelts, but this is fucking heartbreaking music. Turns out it’s a co-operation of the Seatbelts with Kanno Yoko, a genius composer who did the music for many movies, among others Ghost in the Shell (the original anime movie, not the American remake).

Anyway, I thought I’d share. (PB)

Music
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