While the anime medium far and away uses the small screen to deliver its story, the story-telling method has had countless examples of its stories hitting the silver screen. Popular franchises like One Piece, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia, and many others will create brand new stories to either expand on their universes or create non-canon events that otherwise would never have been touched upon. Twenty-five years ago, one of the greatest anime franchises of all time released a movie of its own, marking the first and only time that Spike Spiegel and his fellow bounty hunters hit theaters.
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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, or Cowboy Bebop: Heaven’s Door, released in Japanese theaters on September 1st, 2001. With every episode of the television series almost acting like a “mini-movie” thanks to the story structure of the anime, creator Shinichiro Watanabe decided to move forward with a feature-length film in this universe. While there is plenty to celebrate the film’s release, the production studio Sunrise is planning a grand celebration of its own. Alongside releasing a new poster for the film, Sunrise is planning to release a remastered 4K edition of the film into theaters on October 30th. Considering the film’s ties to Halloween, this feels like perfect timing.
There Will Never Be a Cowboy Bebop Sequel
For decades, Cowboy Bebop has been often refered to as the “cream of the crop” in the anime world, and for good reason. Alongside its stylish anime and killer soundtrack, the one season storyline ends in a definitive way where no animator has dared to attempt to revisit this anime world, at least in relation to animation. Ironically enough, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie did hit theaters a few years following the final episode’s release date in 1999, though it was meant to be seen as taking place during the events of the original anime rather than a sequel. Maintaining the elements that helped Cowboy Bebop become such a legendary hit, the movie sees Spike and his bounty hunting friends taking on a new villain, Vincent Volaju. While the movie only made $3 million USD for its original theatrical run, it is still thought of quite highly by critics and fans alike.
Ironically enough, Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop appeared to be building toward the events of the movie in its canceled second season. The post-credits scene for the doomed adaptation introduced “Radical Ed” while also hinting at Vincent playing a role in season two. Due to low ratings and a critical backlash, the live-action adaptation was ultimately canceled, as many viewers felt the series was unable to capture what made the source material work so well. To this day, no new stories have been confirmed for Spike, though this anniversary is sure to have fans revisiting the legendary film.
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