While Cowboy Bebop Has its fair share of funny moments, it’s safe to say that the overall whimsical series isn’t known for its comedy. Still, there is one comedic moment that manages to emphasize the themes of the series very well.
The line in question comes from the “Jupiter Jazz” two-parter, after Spike lands on Callisto. He walks the streets, asking around for information on Green. This triggers a gang of thugs to follow him, mistakenly thinking that he is vicious, and thus in possession of a huge quantity of money that is to be used for a drug deal. The mistaken identity infuriates Spike, who then lashes out at the entire group and begins questioning their leader. When the leader says that all foreigners are rich, Spike loudly declares, “Do I really look like I have money?!” After throwing the man.
Spike and the Bebop crew never had any money
Spike’s line shows a growing frustration with their situation
While the scene is quite serious, Spike’s line comes off as flippant enough to get a laugh, wearing his puffy winter jacket. Spike is clearly frustrated at having to deal with the run-of-the-mill street thugs, because he’s actually emotionally invested in finding out if Julia was here, and the fools are wasting his time. But this line comes from an honest place –The Bebop Crews are constantly broken throughout the seriesAnd this is something that Spike is already tired of from the very first episode, with Jett’s “special bell peppers and beef.”
Spikes’ situation is hardly better than these guys, so it is absurd to him that anyone would think that he has enough money to be worth robbing. While the Bebop Crew are complete bounty hunters, to the extent that Spike is even slightly known, the crew still barely make enough to get by, with their money often devoured by the need for expensive repairs, fuel and food. Spike may have a safe, warm place to sleep, but that’s about the only advantage he has over the poorest people here on Callisto.
Poverty plays a major role in Cowboy Bebop
Being broke drives good people to crime
Economic factors are a huge component of Cowboy Bebops world and overall story, even if it’s not in the Spike/Vicious plot. Faye is shown to be haunted by a massive debt that she can never hope to pay off, which explains why she so quickly scavenges any money that comes her way. Ed grew up in an orphanage that can barely afford to feed all the children living there, and while it’s never revealed how Spike got involved with the syndicate, it’s clearly the kind of situation that someone who was well- Out in life would never have ended up in.
The fact that Spike and Jet even have to be bounty hunters in the first place is also a consequence of this theme. Both Spike and Jet have a particular set of skills that are difficult to monetize, forcing them to put themselves in dangerous situations just to have a chance to make it another day. While Ed has a somewhat romanticized idea of ​​being a bounty hunter, that image is quickly ruined when Ed begins to experience the regular hunger that is part of the Bebop Crew’s daily life.
The theme of poverty is not exclusive to Spike and his friends; It’s a running idea throughout the series, and is often the ultimate motivator for many of the better people who show up as bounty heads, such as in “Waltz for Venus,” when Rocco is driven to work with criminals. To get his hands on the gray ash was to cure his sister’s blindness. If Rocco and his sister weren’t so poor, they could have afforded conventional treatment, and Rocco would never have had a reason to get caught up in crime in the first place.
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The same goes for Rhint in “Ganymede Elegy,” who fell into trouble after shooting a loan shark that was after his girlfriend in self-defense. It’s certainly the case for Katerina in the first episode, “Asteroid Blues,” too; Her dreams of a better life on Mars are what motivate her to stay with Asimov and carry out their risky drug trade in the first place.
Other episodes revolve around huge corporations and how they exploited the people around them without regard for the impact on their lives, such as in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” when the company is revealed to have gone ahead with building the gates anyway. , because they are not sure, resulting in the ravaging of Earth that ruined Ed and Fay’s life to begin with.
Poverty is a major theme in much of Watanabe’s work
Shinichiro Watanabe’s other works have similar themes
The idea of ​​characters facing constant poverty is common in the other major works of series creator Shinichiro Watanabe. Mugen, Jin and Fu In Samurai Champloo are almost as broken as these Bebop crew, and are even less equipped to earn money on their travels. Carole and Tuesday Sees its title characters chasing their dreams despite being completely broken at the beginning of the story. The same applies even to the highest comedy Place DandyAs Dandy and his crew perform the dangerous task of hunting down and capturing never-before-seen aliens just to get by, much like Spike’s bounty hunt.
Watanabe never elaborated on why these topics are so important to him, but it’s not too hard to guess why; His image of poverty suggests a familiarity with the problem. The range of his works shows that this is a problem that can apply anywhere at any time, from feudal Japan to Mars.
Spike’s frustration with being so broken causes this one line of dialogue to carry a lot of weight, even if the delivery in the situation is one that provokes a laugh. It is the culmination of their failures to successfully earn money so far in the series, despite all the hard work the crew has put in. Cowboy Bebops (and Watanabe’s) most important themes, making it a perfect example.