#asteroid city headers

[iconsfinder]

[mondlevan]

asteroid city headers

“♡” or reblog if you save/use — follow me.

twt: @szamofada

[jinxbishop]

Scarlett in Asteroid City!💙

[treefish]

LOVE your header. Gives late 50s/early 60s retro vibes

aw hey thanks so much! watching wes anderson’s “asteroid city” trailer the other day kicked me into gear, now i need ALL the retro vibes. ✨

[weclassybouquetfun]

It's as if we just exited film awards season and now we are in Emmy For Your Consideration (FYC) season and there is already talk about possible 2024 Oscar nominees with the excellent Ben Affleck directed AIR (an interesting and engaging look at how the Michael Jordan collaboration changed the landscape for Nike and athlete campaigns forever) being bandied about. Cannes Film Festival is in May, but before that we can see some of the more pedestrian films that will be adorning theater marquees in coming months thanks CinemaCon - the annual showcase for theater owners.

Hopefully no one will be getting served with legal papers this year!

CinemaCon's schedule

April 24 is International Day where there will be panels discussing the global disruption due to the pandemic, global box office and movie marketing.

Honored during International Day will be producer Barbara and her brother Andres "Andy" Muschietti (THE FLASH) as International Filmmakers of the Year and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER will be honored with the Comscore International Box Office Achievement Award.

Sony Pictures is the studio to kick off the event. While they have not named a spotlight film, it's likely films that will be touted are: SPIDERMAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE and SPIDERMAN: BEYOND THE SPIDERVERSE

(trailer for the former will drop Tuesday) ,the sex comedy NO HARD FEELINGS starring Jennifer Lawrence, the live-action HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON, Neil Bomkamp's GRAN TURISMO live-action adaptation that stars Orlando Bloom so you know it will be pants, EQUALIZER 3, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, the untitled GHOSTBUSTERS sequel, Dakota Johnson's MADAME WEB

The rest of the sked

Tuesday: Will be Warner Bros. who are celebrating their 100th anniversary.

Films likely to be showcased include no-brainers like BARBIE, MEG 2: THE TRENCH, THE NUN 2, BLUE BEETLE,

Whose trailer drops tomorrow

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Timothee Chalamet double-header with DUNE PART TWO

and the musical WONKA, THE COLOR PURPLE, the sequel to GODZILLA vs. KONG, Bong-Joon Ho's MICKEY 17 starring the very talented, but face like a parking meter Robert Pattinson.

They will have a special screening and it will likely be THE FLASH.

Wednesday will be The Walt Disney Company. Thanks to their acquisitions Disney doesn't just mean their Disney branding but 20th Century and Searchlight.

Films likely to be showcased: A HAUNTING IN VENICE, Gareth Edwards TRUE LOVE, Taika Waititi's NEXT GOAL WINS, Jonathan Majors MAGAZINE DREAMS, PETER PAN & WENDY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, THE LITTLE MERMAID, ELEMENTAL, INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (which will premiere at Cannes), THEATER CAMP, THE HAUNTED MANSION, THE MARVELS

and SNOW WHITE.

The evening Universal and Focus Features will highlight their upcoming slate.

Films likely to be showcased: OPPENHEIMER, FAST X, STRAYS, POLITE SOCIETY, Alexander Payne's THE HOLDOVERS, BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER, the animated RUBY GELMAN: TEENAGE KRAKEN, the adaptation of the 80s series THE FALL GUY cleverly titled THE FALL GUY starring Ryan Gosling, KUNG FU PANDA 4, the untitled PLEASE DON'T DESTROY film featuring the comedy trio of SNL writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy (the latter two being sons of SNL writers Tim Herlihey and Steve Higgins). Essentially they are the new Lonely Island, but not funny and no rapping skills.

and Wes Anderson's stacked ASTEROID CITY

Paramount will close out the night with a reception celebration TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS.

Thursday Paramount is back at the gate highlighting their upcoming slate. Likely to be showcase: The Tom Cruise juggernaut MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 8: DEAD RECKONING Part One(with a very likely teaser for Part 2), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM, A QUIET PLACE DAY ONE (which comes out in 2024 but will be released before 2024's CinemaCon)

Director John Kasinski and his cast: Djimon Hounsou, Alex Wolff, Lupita Nyong'o Joseph Quinn.

*I remember when A QUIET PLACE came out and everyone praised that an original concept was having a success - that finally, no established IP was heading up the box office. Now there's sequels and prequels to this bish.

Lionsgate will have a special presentation of their slate.

The seminal literary masterpiece turned schalmatzy film, ARE YOU THERE, GOD, IT'S ME MARGARET , THE BLACKENING (with one of the best taglines I've seen).

*The skit it is based on

THE EXPENDABLES 4, WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY (yes, there is a WONDER universe now), SAW X, THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES and the DIRTY DANCING sequel.

including a screening of the raunchy comedy, JOYRIDE starring whose cast is being honoured as Best Comedy Ensemble at the event.

[jochemjong-blog]

On the shoulders of giants

(the following story was not written by me. It is from the game “Stellaris” but it reminded me of the whole space ork thing so I thought I would share it. I have changed a few minor elements, mainly removing the gamey parts from it and added a few headers to make it work a bit better. None of the actual story elements have been changed)

Ours is a history of oddities and inconsistencies. We have found ancient city ruins older than some archaeological excavations of primitive villages. We have unearthed saws, axes and even rifles which far pre-date stone-tipped spears and bows.

A peculiar history did not, however, prevent us from stepping readily into a futuristic era of spaceflight. We have now managed to truly escape the gravity of our home planet, aiming for other planets and bodies in our solar system, and beyond.

However, we had scarcely left the atmosphere before the oddities emerged anew; strange signals of alien origin coming from within our own solar system…

 Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of anomalous signals on Luna.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

A string of strange anomalous readings is emanating from the surface of Luna, our very own moon. We have decided to launch a surface excursion to find out more.

 Log 1: The first, small step

A base of operations has been set up on the surface of the moon, and several teams are now en route to the various anomaly sites that our scanners picked up.

The significance of this mystery is simply unparalleled, and the scientific community is absolutely buzzing with theories and anticipation over what we might uncover.

 Log 2: Tracking the signal

Most excursion teams have reached their destinations and reported back.

Artifacts buried in the ground have been uncovered. Lead Scientist Veldanura describes them as “highly accurate, galactic laser pointers” – ancient machines that are emitting a strong, tight ultraviolet beam out into space for purposes unknown.

It is a bittersweet discovery; the profound, exhilarating importance of alien artifacts countered by their seemingly arbitrary purpose.

 Log 3: It’s a dud

Despite our best efforts, the excavation and analysis of the alien indicators on the surface of Luna have failed to deliver any relevant result.

The archaeological teams have calculated and followed the paths of the alien signal beams, but nothing is being pointed at other than empty space.

Lead Scientist Veldanura has requested more time; convinced that something has been missed.

 Log 4: Wind back and Proceed

Breakthrough!

Study of the surface has revealed that Luna was hit eons ago by a small asteroid. The impact of this asteroid was not enough to obliterate the moon, but did nudge it a fraction out of its original orbit. By analyzing the impact the scientists have managed to calculate the moon’s initial position and rotation, and used that data to ‘rewind’ the alien indicators to their original position.

And there it was: the alien indicator beams suddenly converging on another planet in our system: Triton, the largest natural satellite of Neptune.

  Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of target of Luna’s alien indicators.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

The previously discovered alien indicators are pointing at Triton, and we should go down on the surface and investigate further.

 Log 1: Let’s see what we got

Our archaeological teams have started their work down on Triton. Seismographic readings quickly isolated a hollow area underground on the rough location indicated by the alien indicates previously discovered.

The underground expanse is vast, and despite its mysterious nature one thing is beyond doubt of any of our experts: it’s not natural. Someone built it with a specific purpose in mind.

 Log 2: Proving grounds

The excavation crew finally reached what turned out to be a massive underground structure. Vast, angular halls and tunnels were explored. A complete lack of adornment made it difficult to establish the purpose of the structure.

When Lead Scientist Veldanura entered what appeared to be the main chamber, a deep sound suddenly reverberated. Initially just thundering noise, the sound slowly contorted until an incorporeal voice spoke a single sentence in our language:

“Are you ready?”

The booming voice was followed by deep rumble as one of the giant walls slowly slid away to reveal a dark corridor. Our archaeologists eagerly went inside.

 Log 3: Trials

The dark corridor led to an empty, round chamber. Stepping inside, the disembodied voice spoke yet again, stating that “only the deserving may continue”.

Short corridors connected the round camber to three other, small rooms -each containing some kind of physics-oriented problem.

Lead Scientist Veldanura believes that these are scientific riddles that – once solved – may provoke some reaction in the structure, but it is all speculation.

 Log 4: Full of Wonders

All three science puzzles have been completed in the mysterious chambers deep underground the surface of Triton.

Just as Lead Scientist Veldanura suspected, the structure responded to the correct solutions for the alien trials. As the last riddle was solved, a cloudy holographic projection exploded to life in the main chamber. It was an incredibly high-resolution depiction of our solar system, with one position indicated by a bright point of light: Venus.

Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of Venus following the discoveries made on Triton.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

Following the discoveries on Triton, our scanners have picked up something deep beneath the surface of Venus.

 Log 1: Sealed bunker

After a long, arduous period of digging deep into the crust of Venus the excavation team reached another underground structure.

Despite readings indicating that this structure is hollow, no entry point can be found. It appears hermetically sealed, and the protective walls are made of an unknown material with extreme structural integrity. Conventional digging equipment has so far ben unable to even scratch it.

It will require some serious effort to get through, but the project is already underway.

 Log 2: Bunker debunked

After months of hard work, using a powerful beam which combines intense fusion heat with high-frequency vibration, the excavation team has finally managed to crack the underground structure.

As soon as the vault was cracked, the disembodied voice-recording spoke again. It declared that our determination had been proven, that another trial had been completed, and that we were to be rewarded accordingly.

And so, we were. The bunker contained all sorts of valuables, hitherto unknown technologies which can be investigated further, and a new set of coordinates.

Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of Io following the discoveries made on Venus.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

Following the discoveries on Venus, our scanners have picked up something deep beneath the surface of Io.

 Log 1: Very complex

Extensive seismographic readings have been compiled into a highly accurate visual model of the underground structure on Io.

It appears to be a vast network of angular corridors, each several kilometers long. The entire structure is mostly corridors, with the exception of one open space at the bottom of the building.

More than that cannot be interpreted until we reach and investigate the site properly.

 Log 2: Endless memorial

The excavation team finally breached the underground complex, and entered the empty corridors.

The long tunnels were completely empty. On closer inspection the walls appeared to be covered in small, strange inscriptions. Translation of the alien language was a highly confusing process, until it was discovered that the writing consisted of nothing but alien names, numbering in the millions.

Archaeologists are now pressing onwards to the bottom chamber, but their effort is hindered by caved in corridors which need to be cleared.

 Log 3: Admitting defeat

Our archaeological team has reached the bottom chamber of the memorial structure. There they found an ancient, and partially intact, recorded message; translation suggests this is some kind of personal debriefing:

“We failed. The Relentless cut through our entire navy without even slowing down. All is lost now. We will die here, in these walls of tribute to fallen brethren.

We fear for the lives of our wards, The Relentless will find them, and then they…”

There is no sign of a struggle. No bodies. Only empty halls and the silence of the ones who perished.

 Log 4: Addendum

Lead Scientist Veldanura wanted to comb through every nook and cranny of the memorial site. It paid off: a small device was discovered in one of the corridors. A small fragment of information could be salvaged from it:

“…ould work! With their mental faculties shut off – their very intellect removed – they would pose no threat.

It must be enough. It’s the only thing left that we can do.”

The device also included some new coordinates. Veldanura would like to investigate these as soon as possible.

Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of Europa following the discoveries made on Io.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

Scanner readings from orbit indicate that there is a structure down on the planet. Unlike the previous ones, this one is not buried underground.

 Log 1: Last bastion

There was no need for shovels or drilling lasers this time around. Lead Scientist Veldanura and the archaeology team simply walked into the alien ruin.

The site is very old - more than a thousand years, but fairly well kept. It appears to be some kind of staging area, built for a specific purpose. There are several laboratories and large storage hangers.

The team has also found a digital archive server. It’s offline, but appears fairly intact. Hopefully it will fill in the blanks regarding our lost Benefactors.

 Log 2: Desperate measures.

The science team managed to get the digital archives up and running. They exclusively contained arbitrary logs, which required some liberal interpretation.

The phrase ‘Mind-Wipe Initiative’ occurs frequently throughout these logs, and it appears to have been the specific focus of research at this location. Apparently the Benefactors developed the technology by which they could manipulate the effectiveness of mental faculties, but how or for what purpose remains unknown.

 Log 3: Crescendo!

The archaeological team has found another ancient digital archive. This too consisted mostly of logs, but there was one journal entry of particular interest:

“The ship has taken off. We know they’ll succeed, but there was no sense of hope or high spirits as they left. We know that the mission and the work we’ve done here are wrong… Despicable.

But the alternative… The alternative is worse.”

This is also one of the last entries found at the ancient facility. Not much of a closure, but at least plenty of technological discoveries were made.

Log 4: Aftermath

While clearing out the storage areas, one of the workers found a small device of unknown origin. It was brought to Lead Scientist Veldanura and turned out to be a recording device. It was badly damaged, but a small snippet of dialog was saved:

“…houldn’t be forgotten – someone has to come clean and speak up for them. History may endure, but my conscience cannot”

Further investigation led to the discovery of an encrypted set of coordinates.

Extra Terrestrial Research Department: Report on investigation of Mercury following the discoveries made on Europa.

Lead scientist: Veldanura.

The coordinates point to a seemingly arbitrary spot on the surface of Mercury. Closer scans indicate nothing out of the ordinary.

 Log 1: Hidden cave

The team we sent down to the surface of Mercury encountered far more obstacles than anticipated.

The coordinates we discovered on Europa pointed to an especially craggy part of Mercury, where the landscape was filled with vertical stone surfaces and deep fissures.

The team pressed on, and eventually reached the indicated location: a natural cave formation. A base of operations has been set up and further investigation will begin shortly.

 Log 2: Cold, hard cache

The archaeological team that began investigating the natural cave a few months ago has reported back. They found a tremendous, abandoned stockpile of valuable resources. There were no doors, no locks and no traps – just a cave full of industrial valuables.

Lead Scientist Veldanura requests permission to investigate further still. Plentiful as it may be, the obviousness of the treasure has evoked a theory that this cache is merely a ruse – that another type of treasure is yet to be found.

 Log 3: Dirty past

The resource cache was indeed just a distraction. The real treasure lay behind a hidden door: a final message, recorded by one of the Benefactor aliens.

Eons ago they were at war with a merciless alien race known as “The Relentless”. Entire civilizations had already perished in the Relentless’ wake, and the Benefactors were next. The desperate Benefactors sought their last resort, before all would be lost. They succeeded with a device that ravaged the Relentless’ neurological physique, instantaneously primitivizing an entire race.

Robbed of their bloodthirsty intellect, The Relentless became docile and harmless. The Benefactors rounded them up and exiled them to a planet we know as Earth.

The Relentless are our ancestors.

 Log 4: Next step

Finally, the inconsistencies in our history have been explained, using these lost chapters from our true heritage. We had once believed that the advancement of our civilization came of our own accord – solitary and independent. Now we know that all this time, we had been standing on the shoulders of giants.

We cannot change the past. We reconcile and we move on – accepting our past not as a dark burden, but as a stepping stone on our path forward into the future.

It is our time to become giants.

[ssnakey-b]

Cowboy Bebop Retrospective: Asteroid Blues

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Hello, everybody! Welcome to the first post of the Cowboy Bebop retrospective! And since I am doing this in chronological order, let’s start with the very first episode: Asteroid Blues.

Synopsis:

The episode, and thus the entire show, opens with a black-and-white flashback sequence. Aside from the distant ringing of bells and the minimalistic tune of a music box, it is silent.

During a cold open (the only one in the series, if memory serves, and if it’s not, it certainly is a rarity), we see the main character walk solemnly in a surprisingly old-looking district considering the show is set in future space colonies, followed by footage of him involved in a massive firefight, during which he is apparently injured as blood can been flowing on his face, the scene being intercut with footage of a rose in a rain puddle, the very same one that can be seen in the header, said image slowly gaining colours. Once the scene ends, we suddenly cut to this:

With the intro over and done with, we then turn to the Bebop itself and are properly introduced to the first two of our main characters: Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, the man with the most on-the-nose name in the universe. Spike is training his sweet martial arts moves, and stops when Jet calls him for either lunch or dinner (it’s hard to tell when they’re in space).

Jet briefs Spike on an interesting bounty , El Mariachi from Despera- I mean Asimov Solensan, a drug pusher, bank robber, murderer and all-around stand-up citizen hiding out in Tijuana, on the run from both the police and the mob. Which is the name of an asteroid, not the Mexican city. Get it, though? Asimov? Because this is a sci-fi show?

Meanwhile, Spike complains that his chinjao rosu has no meat in it. He starts listening again after Jet reminds him that the impressive list of bills they have as a result of Spike’s impulsiveness is the very reason they can’t afford meat in the first place.

However, even after that, Spike isn’t interested in going after Solensan, arguing that TIjuana sucks. But once Jet brings up that you can find some of the best meat around, Spike is suddenly down with his plan.

And so they’re off to Tijuana, where we are introduced to another vital staple of the show:

Yay, it’s the three old men! The guys who always seem to cross the Bebop crew somehow yet never actually have anything to do with the plot! Also, to this day, I still have it in my headcanon that the one in the baseball cap is an elderly Ash Ketchum, and nobody can convince me otherwise.

They do what they do best, which is argue, until Asimov walks in, accompanied by his lovely and pregnant wife, Katerina.

They order drinks, but it quickly becomes obvious that it’s not what they’re actually there for and before long, Asimov discreetly draws a vial of some strange purple liquid with a thin red strip inside it from under his coat and shows it to the bartender. By the way, I love how it shines despite the fact that it makes no sense considering the way the scene is lit. Let’s not forget, this may be one of the more realistic examples of the medium, but Cowboy Bebop very much still is an anime.

The two of them go to the back, where it is revealed that the drug is called Bloody Eye and is apparently very sought after and very expensive (at least “real” Bloody Eye, implying that there are cheaper fake alternatives). Meanwhile, gangsters pull over and get ready to attack. Meanwhile, the bartender insists that Asimov demonstrate use the Bloody Eye on himself to prove it’s the real deal. Through a POV shot, we are shown that the drug heightens reflexes while making it feel like time is slowing down and also giving your sight a dramatic red tint.

The gangsters attack, shooting the place up and murdering an innocent pinball machine (RIP). Asimov and Katerina, however, easily manage to fight them off, the Bloody Eye even allowing Asimov to literally dodge bullets.

And providing us with beautiful visuals.

While this is going on, Spike is consulting an old Native American shaman sitting by a bunch of discarded electronics, as you do, who tells him where to find “the red-eyed coyote” and tells Spike that he will meet a woman who will try to kill him. He also sees death after that, with Spike dropping hints about his own backstory when he says he already died once, and it already was because of a woman.

This guy is called Laughing Bull, by the way. Evidently because of his jovial disposition.

Jet finds the bar, or rather what’s left it after the shoot-out. Two more gangsters arrive, giving him the opportunity to knock one out and get the other to tell him what he knows about Asimov.

While stopping to refuel his fish, the Swordfish, Spike unknowingly meets Asimov in a dingy bathroom, then Katerina outside. She’s carrying a big bag of groceries and Spike pulls the old “bump into them to steal their shit” trick, grabbing some of her food while pretending to help her pick it up, establishing that Spike has pickpocketing skills.

When she figures it out, Katerina isn’t amused at first but actually ends up being a bit impressed once he reveals just how much stuff he managed to steal without her noticing.

You know it’s a well written show when it can honestly make stealing food from a pregnant woman look whimsical.

He gives it back and apologizes, explaining he was starving. They start having a nice chat, where we get more character development. Spike explains he’s been flying the Swordfish around for 10 years and hails from Mars. Katerina seems to have a very idealized of that planet. She dreams of leaving Tijuana to move there, as she believes that living there is a guarantee for an idyllic life. Spike replies that it’s true... if you’ve got money.

Katerina says she and her husband should be able to live there happily, then. One of those silences that speaks louder than words settles, as Spike figures it out (assuming he wasn’t just putting on a show up until now) and asks her if she and Asimov truly intend to move there and spend their life on the run.

Asimov catches him off-guard and starts choking him. He probably would have killed Spike too if it weren’t for Katerina telling him to stop.

Jet finds Spike and tells him he’s giving up. It’s too hot, everyone who goes after Asimov ends up dead. Spike, however, shows that he managed to snatch one of their Bloody Eye vials and fully intends to keep going after them.

And he does! Finding them in a restaurant, he confronts Asimov. An amazingly directed and animated fight scene ensues.

It is broken up when more mobsters show up, both in the air with aircrafts and on the ground with cars. Katerina and Asimov make their escape, but in the middle of all the excitement, a stray bullet grazes Katerina’s belly, which doubtless sends the audience in a cold sweat... until Bloody Eye starts spilling out, revealing she wasn’t pregnant at all and her fake stomach was actually a cache (points for cleverness, wonder if any drug pusher tried that in real life).

Asimov yells at her, screaming that they’re done for if they lose the drugs. At that moment, Katerina seems to come to a horrific realization.

The mobsters don’t stop coming, but Jet saves the day, ramming their cars with his craft, the Hammerhead, whose tip looks like it belongs more on an excavator than on a spacecraft.

Asimov and Katerina escape and Spike is hot on their tail, taking out several mob ships in the process. Spike is getting ever closer to them as they desperately try to run away. They all escape the city and reach space, only for them to be face by a police barrage, literally hundreds of ship ready for them. Stuck between the cops, bounty hunters and the mob and with her husband’ mind and body being swallowed up by dope, Katerina no longer has it in her to keep fighting.

“There will be no honeymoon on Mars. This is the end of the road” she says. Giving her man the mercy of a quick death, she looks a shocked Spike straight in the eyes as she awaits the hail of bullets from the cops.

We cut back to the Bebop. Bookending the episode is Jet cooking. He can’t find Spike in his usual spot though. He finds him in a windowed room, staring longingly into the eternity of space after he finishes training. Spike asks what’s for dinner, and Jet replies “a special chinjao rosu”.

Thoughts:

Ho boy, what a way to start the show. Now, if I’m being honest, this is a fairly run-of-the-mill episode for Cowboy Bebop, but that says more about the quality of the show than it does about that of the episode, because it was great. And while it’s in my opinion not among the best the show has given us, I think it was an excellent first episode.

It represents the show perfectly, everything you need to know about it in terms of tone, style, aesthetics, characters and storytelling is here, which is no doubt why it did such a great job of capturing people’s attention. After you’re done seeing the episode, you know this isn’t your average anime. And indeed, I heard the message loud and clear, especially since my idea of anime at the time, and really TV in general, was stuff like Pokémon and Card Captor Sakura, so needless to say, this blew my mind, especially considering I only check it out to see what this show that took The Simpsons’ slot on the channel was. My 11-year-self* was like “are you even allowed to make stuff this good on TV? Let alone in cartoons?”.

And yeah, I think this is the show that really made me realize that cartoons could be made for an adult audience (as well as 11-year-olds with a taste for things not for his age) and be mature, thought-provoking and immensely emotional. I’m really not sure the show would have been so successful if it didn’t make this good of a first impression.

And make no mistake, it being an “average” episode by Cowboy Bebop’s standards doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its memorable moments, as the image of Katerina floating into space while drugs spill out of her has been stuck in my mind from the very first time I saw it, and it’s still one of the things my mind goes straight to whenever I think of the show.

So yeah, it establishes the first two of the main characters, and while this is by now means the only, let alone the first show to gather its cast over time, I think this is especially nicely done here as the fact that there’s only two of them so far really gives time to develop them well in spite of the episode only lasting about 20 minutes (not counting the ending credit and teaser for the next episode).

Jet being introduced by cooking immediately speaks volume about him, showing that in spite of his massive size and fairly scary appearance, he’s by far the nicest and most restrained one of the group, preferring to stay behind and supervise everything, and enjoying quiet activities, but it also shows he can occasionally be the muscle of the group as well in the couple action scenes he gets.

I’ve seen him described as “fatherly”, and I think that fits him well. An older, stern, physically imposing yet disciplined and calm man, who takes care of the home life and is generally the voice of reason, but does have a sense of humour and can get tough when necessary, mostly to protect the people he cares about.

Spike’s major characteristics are laid out as well. From his physical prowess to his generally laid-back attitude, his sarcastic sense of humour and his nihilism (in a good way, as in he doesn’t think life has any inherent meaning or purpose, but that only means you’re free to give it whatever meaning and purpose you value).

As I alluded to earlier, this first episode also does a great job of giving people a good idea of what to expect in terms of visuals. Thinking about it, this is definitely one of the episodes that falls the furthest on the “western” side of the show (I mean, it’s set in a place called Tijuana, for crying out loud!), but sci-fi elements still pop-up, such as the gates, and I think it was a good idea to introduce them in the first episode in order to make people comfortable with it, as these are definitely one of the harder sci-fi elements in the show, and I’m not sure people would have just gone with it so easily if they’d gotten used to the more realistic aspects of it first.

There’s an especially great moment near the end of the episode that I think illustrates the show’s mixture of western and sci-fi perfectly, as the characters are flying off into space, we see the background quickly shift from the old-fashioned run down city to the vast emptiness of space, with the gates and spacecrafts, in like a second, it really goes to show how these two styles clash yet also merge.

We also get small touches you may not have noticed at first (but your brain did), like having parts of the city being visible almost at an 90 degree angle in the background, the unnatural visual reminding you that in spite of the realism, this IS a sci-fi show.

Another aspect of the show this episode establishes right away is the cultural diversity.

Yes, Cowboy Bebop is very famous for portraying a multitude of cultures and ethnicities, something you didn’t see much in Japanese works of the time (and you still really don’t). The world of Cowboy Bebop frequently features Black people, Middle-Eastern people, Asian people, Native American people (as seen in this very episode), etc... and various people of mixed ancestry. And just look at the above screenshot, where you can see Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, English, Korean and I think I see some Russian and perhaps Thai.

This is something that carries on throughout the show as signs are often translated in many languages, and the announcements at the gates can also be heard in multiple languages. It makes sense when you think about it. People left the Earth to colonise the Solar System, and the earliest settlers would probably be people from all over the world being mixed together. They probably wouldn’t just give up on their cultures, but they’d end up being far closer together than they used to.

By the way, that diversity isn’t just for show and the writers have clearly done their homework as Laughing Bull can be heard calling Wakan Tanka to protect Spike, Wakan Tanka apparently being a spirit (and not just any but “the great spirit”) according to Lakota Sioux beliefs.

Another aspect it shows very well is the atmosphere and tone. It is very dark and heavy in places, but it’s also got some lighter moments. It also displays the show’s affection for tarantinoing. You know, when characters are having dialogue that has nothing to do with the plot and they’re just bullshitting around to add to the general feeling of a scene and the work as a whole?

Now of course, it doesn’t take it to Tarantino’s extremes, and it’s usually in the middle of a scene that is related to the plot, like with Spike complaining that he finds Jet’s lack of beef disturbing while Jet himself is trying to talk business, but it’s nice that it’s there. It’s something love (probably a big part of the reason why I like Tarantino movies so much). I think it adds a lot of character to a work. It makes the world feel much more alive as it shows that the people inhabiting it do have lives outside of the story we’re following.

I’ll take an average story in a world I feel attached to over a carefully crafted one that doesn’t make me care about the world it’s set in. And here, we have a great story set in a world I love, it’s the total package!

Oh yeah, and this is also the first appearance of the Bloody Eye, a very interesting bit of lore, as the drug ends up showing up again and becoming a major plot point later on. I also like the implication that there’s fake Bloody Eye, which is a surprisingly realistic detail for a fantasy drug, as in real life, cheap alternatives to expensive drugs are a thing, and they usually are cut down with all sorts of shit that makes it even worse for your health than the real stuff. Again, there’s a contrast between the very fantastical look of the drug versus the realistic implications of its existence.

Next, I have to mention the visuals because man! I remembered the animation being good, but I never realized it was THIS good. I guess maybe becoming an artist myself has made me gain even more respect and appreciation for this sort of work, but the animation on Cowboy Bebop is still impressive to this day.

The characters and vehicles are pretty much always on model (and indeed, I don’t remember ever seeing a scene that looked off in this show) in spite of being very detailed.

In that regard, some of the shots that I found the most impressive are actually ones of very little importance, like Jet tossing his bell pepper in the pan. Just think for a second of how much of a pain in the ass it must have been to draw several frames of these goddamn peppers, keeping track of which one goes where and making sure their shape and size stays consistent.

Another very impressive one is one Jet arrives to save the day, and we are then treated to a shot of the Hammerhead with Jet inside it slowly tilting downwards. Again, being able to keep all these details consistent, and drawing all these frames at a slightly different angle each time to give the impression of the camera panning, is nothing short of stunning if you have any idea how difficult and time-consuming animation can be.

I heard a big part of the motivation behind Cowboy Bebop was to showcase the studio’s animation abilities, which is why it often has weird trippy scenes and bizarre characters and locations, well mission fucking accomplished, guys!

I also want you to look at the screenshot above because another aspect of this show’s look I always loved is the expressions and body language, being, again, very realistic, but still ever so slightly exaggerated to give it more life. I especially remember this being one of the few shows that often had the characters’ entire jaw move when they talk, not just their mouth. This ended up being a big influence on me as this is how I strive to draw my characters myself. Animated enough to feel intense, but still realistic enough to be relatable.

And as much as I liked anime at the time, I always got annoyed whenever it went super deformed, and I still do, as I usually felt it was trying way too hard to be wacky and ended up ruining its own attempted effect, so it was very refreshing to me to see an anime that kept it believable, but still remembered it was a cartoon, and to take advantage of that fact when they do need to show more dramatic expressions like Asimov’s psycho grin up there.

It’s not just characters either, as we often see parts of the vehicles shake and rattle, and even some details I wouldn’t have thought of but which add a lot, such as a car springing up and down slightly as characters sit in it or exit it. Very very nice attention to detail.

And last but not least, concerning the visuals, yet another thing I love about the show’s aesthetics, and something that helps it feel very grounded, is how almost everything is a bit used up. You have all sorts of little details like scratches on mechanics, cracks on walls, graffiti, posters, dirt, etc... all things that further help make the world feel lived-in, rather than just decoration for a story. They’re like so many scars letting you know that a lot happened there and those who lived to tell the tale have seen some shit.

Now, I also have to bring up the writing. I actually don’t have much to say in the regard. It’s just plain good, and pretty much everything I’ve talked about so far is kind of part of the writing process already, and once again, this first episode does a very good job of letting us know what to expect. Sad moments, happy ones and everything in between.

One thing I will say that never really registered in my mind but that I noticed when re-watching this is that sometimes, we don’t quite know how the characters got where they did and knew where to go, they just kind of show up where they need to be.

But that’s not a bad thing! Because we really don’t need to see how they knew where to go. We can surmise they found some info, followed some trail, or even just made an educated guess on their target’s most likely destination, but to see scene after scene of them tracking their bounty would be pointless, so just having them be there makes the most sense and keep the story flowing (again, keep in mind they only have 20 to 25 minutes per episode).

That’s another thing to keep in mind for any writers out there (including myself): we don’t need to know the exact details of how or why something happened. As long as it doesn’t create plot holes, if we can have a good idea of how they did it, if it makes sense for them to be able to do it, if it doesn’t add anything to either the story, the characters, the lore or the atmosphere, you can skip to what’s important.

And last but certainly not least, there’s the music. I mean... how can you talk about Cowboy Bebop and not talk about the sublime soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts?

Yet again, this episode sets the mood by showcasing some of the common theme tunes of the show and letting you know that you’re own for lots of western-inspired music and lots of blues, jazz and bebop (who would have thought?).

It all complements the visuals perfectly, and it’s probably not an accident that the show opens with no dialogue or sound effect, but with music, going from the melancholic sounds of a music box to the extremely energetic “Tank!” in the intro, yet another thing highlighting the contrasts of that show.

However, having said that, one thing I noticed through this episode is that, as deeply as it is tied to the show, it doesn’t play all the often. Most of the scenes have no background music. That’s another thing that keeps the show feeling down-to-earth and realistic, and much like with the expressions, it makes the times when it does get stronger all the more powerful.

Trivia / matters of interest:

Couple interesting things I noticed regarding the French dub (which, as I alluded to in my announcement, is excellent, it’s worth noting for anime). I remember that in the English one, Jet describes the food he’s preparing as “bell pepper and beef”, which, you know, is one way to call it, but as I mentioned, the French dub does go the whole hog and gives it its Chinese name, Chinjao rosu, which I feel fits in well with the whole “cultural mixture” thing the show’s got going. Plus, I fele like Jet explicitly mentioning beef makes it sound like he’s just being a dick to Spike.

However, while the French dub is good, it’s not perfect, so we have some weirdness, as Laughing Bull refers to Asimov as “the red-eyed coyote”, which of course alludes to his drug habit, whereas Spike later calls him “the red coyote”, omitting the eye part. Granted, I realize it’s a nitpick and you could easily explain that away as Spike not remembering fully, but I just like “red-eyed” better.

As I mentioned before, Tijuana is a real place and interestingly, this one has a place called Zona Norte, which also exists in the real Tijuana and is a red light district. Guess the settlers who founded this town must have been Tijuana natives.

And that’s it for this first episode. I hope you liked it, thank you very much if you stuck to the end. I realize this was a long read but since this is the first episode and gives me an opportunity to mention recurring elements from the show, I really wanted to cover everything. Future instalments should be shorter. I’m also hard at work on the next part of the FF8 translarison. That’s gonna be a big’un too, so I’m not sure when it’ll be posted, but the screenshots are all done, promise.

You know, this episode was pretty much the perfect average of everything Cowboy Bebop, and yet it was still one of the heavier episodes of the show. We need some levity to clear the air a bit, so thankfully, next time, it’s all about a cute puppy, in Stray Dog Strut!

* I first saw it in the summer of 2000 when it was shown on a channel called Canal +. It was not actually the first time it was aired over here but I do believe this is when it got really popular, as the channel that first broadcast it was a smaller satellite channel, with satellite television not being very big yet at the time.

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Dan Johnson’s Resurrected Silverado C10

I’m sure we can all agree it kinda sucks when your daily driver truck gets rear ended on the highway at 60 mph. Yeah, that’s a no-brainer folks. But when it somehow gives you the inspiration to reach higher and build the custom hot-rodded pickup you always dreamed of having, well, that could be a blessing in disguise. Just ask Dan Johnson and he’ll tell you a good yarn on how his mashed truck became his new prized ride.

You see Dan decided not to let a little bad luck ruin his four-wheel fun. True, his faithful and pretty badass 2004 Chevy Silverado SS, all-wheel drive truck was pummeled in a high-speed collision, and then put out to pasture by the insurance folks. But with that devastating blow, something magical happened. He had a revelation that the carcass of this fine truck could be turned into something better than it ever was; better … stronger … faster!

Dan was inspired to take this heap of steel and make it into a brand-spankin’-new SS-branded steed. He knew that though it was a mess aesthetically, it still had enough of its bones to be rebooted into one killer hot-rodded pickup. So without hesitation, the totaled truck was bought back from the insurance company and wheeled back to Dan’s garage for metamorphosis; or better yet, repurposement into the “super truck” that Dan always yearned for.

Now our hero (Dan) has had a long history with playing with four-wheeled adult toys. Like many of us, his love of all things car-nal started as a young teen in the late ’70s, building models and dreaming of the day he could finally plant his butt behind the wheel of a sweet ride. Over the years, many muscle cars came and went from his garage, as he was always looking for something better.

And as he got older, Dan realized he didn’t want to keep them the way they were from the factory. He needed to modify them. He customized several cars over the years, including a 1964 Chevy wagon, a 1955 Bowtie family truckster, and even a 1951 shoebox. But being in construction, it was only right that all roads lead back to a pickup truck. And that’s what he was gonna build. No ordinary ride, to say the least … a hybrid of modern tech with old-school looks and charm. Game on!

Build It Up

Dan had a dream of an old-school ride that had the feel and dependability of a modern truck. He threw around the idea of mating his 2004 chassis to a vintage truck. When he sourced a cool 1966 Chevy pickup that needed work, he knew he had his ride. Now he just had to get them to fit together properly and fabricate them to work in harmony.

Dan started out with his 2004 chassis and got to work. He first had a C-notch cut into the rear framerails and a four-link suspension fabricated for the ride. This way it would fit the wheelbase of his donor 1966 Chevy pickup. Matching up wheelbases is one of the key elements of getting the two vastly different rides to fit together. Once this was done, Dan was on his way and he was not looking back.

Next Dan narrowed the rearend to fit the large negative offset rims out back. He had custom 20-inch wheels made to give the rear a deep-dish look. To top off the vintage look, a set of poverty caps were added to the modern-sized wheels for a stock look with a little attitude. He did this as well to fit around the large stock rotors and brake calipers that came with the original, modern chassis.

There are several body mods done here on the 1966 to make it all look cohesive. First off, the inner wheelwells were tubbed to fit the big meats in both the front and back. Next, the bumper bolts were shaved, and then the pieces were flipped and fitted and sent off to Space Coast Chrome in Florida for their show chrome shine. Blinker bezels were done as well to keep all the finishes consistent. Custom hood hinges were installed and the emblems, moldings, and door handles were shaved.

The windshield cowl vents were removed and filled, and a 1963 C10 double-hump dash was installed. The 1963 steel sail panels were also added to the mix and grafted to the B-pillars to maintain a stock look. To keep the doors operating properly, a set of Altman Bear Claw Latches were installed. These pieces will deliver us a rattle-free ride. Out back, the tailgate was welded shut to give it a smooth, finished look. Last but not least, the body was channeled 4 inches over the frame to give it that killer stance hot rodder truckers just dream about.

Bodywork was done at Richmond Auto Body not far from Dan’s home in Amityville, New York. For countless nights and weekends, Dan and his buddies slaved over the truck to get it just right. Once the body was cleaned up, the Chevy was sprayed in mile-deep black paint. The interior was next, and it was kept simple. Lipstick red vinyl was used, along with white double stitching to accent the black finish. Door panels were painted to match, and Dan used a fabric-like carpet that was stock on 1955 Chevys for the floor. He added some hot rod add-ons, like cool vintage-style gauges to finish off the cool vintage vibe.

No hot rod truck is complete without a killer powerplant between the rails. Dan decided to keep the original 6.0L LQ9 truck motor and modify it. It now has a FAST intake and injector rails and MSD coil packs. There is a custom-fabricated air intake system, March Performance pulley system, and an Edelbrock water pump. A set of stainless steel headers now grace the potent powerplant, and they lead into a full custom stainless steel exhaust system with electronically controlled dumpers. The engine has been massaged to the tune of almost 500 horses.

The transmission is an updated 4L60E with a 23-inch Lokar shifter. The original 12-inch rotors on the corners are more sufficient to stop this ride, especially since the build has sliced about 800 pounds off the original truck. To keep it cool, even during the hot New York summers, a custom shrouded Griffin radiator was installed up front. And as far as suspension mods go, a RideTech air-ride system keeps this truck riding low and in control, and hopefully avoiding those monster-sized New York City potholes. To control the height and ride, Shock Waves, a phone app, does the trick.

The wheel/tire combination at the corners of this brazen ride is nothing short of stellar. The rims are 20-inch aluminum pieces, center painted body color, and polished on the edge. They were custom made by Delmo’s Speed out of Burbank, California. They are shod with 265/45-20 meats with a 1-inch whitewall applied by Diamond Back tire. The combination just looks right on this smooth Chevy ride.

Sum it Up

This slick truck sports all the creature comforts you can want, such as air conditioning, power windows with trick roll-down cranks, blacked-out screen radio, navigation, and a back-up camera, while still keeping its mid-’60s good looks. A full, period-style gauge cluster adds to the look, and a GPS speedo clocks in your speed. And since it’s a REAL truck, it has a trailer hitch, hidden away behind the license plate when not in use.

Dan would like to thank his buddy Anthony Bordonaro, for his work on this wild ride. He did the fabrication and mechanical work on this beautiful Bowtie, and brought Dan’s vision to life, blending modern technology with iconic Chevrolet styling.

Dan Johnson 1966 Chevy C10

DRIVETRAIN Engine: Chevy LQ9 Displacement: 364 ci Block: Cast-iron six-bolt cross bolted main caps Bore: 4.00 inches Stroke: 3.622 inches Heads: Stock LQ9 aluminum Pistons: Cast-aluminum flattop Connecting Rods: Powdered metal steel Cam: Hydraulic Roller 196/207 duration at 0.050, 0.467/0.479 lift on a 116 Lobe center Valvetrain: 2.00 intake, 1.55 exhaust valves, investment cast, roller trunion rocker arms, 1.7:1 ratio Compression: 10.1 Crankshaft: Nodular Iron Intake: Fast LSX 92 mm with LS3 90mm throttle body Engine Management: Painless fuel-injection wiring harness Headers: Custom fabricated by Anthony Bordonaro Radiator: Custom Griffin radiator with shroud and dual fans Air Intake: Custom 3-inch cold-air intake by Anthony Bordonaro Exhaust: Custom stainless steel 2 1/2 inch with electric cutouts by Anthony Bordonaro

CHASSIS Transmission: 4L60E Rear: Narrowed 2004 Chevy Silverado SS Gears: 4.10 front and back Axles: Strange engineering Chassis: 2004 Chevy Silverado SS All-Wheel Drive Front and Rear Brakes: Stock Silverado SS 12-inch rotors Front Suspension: Silverado SS with custom RideTech ShockWaves Rear Suspension: Custom triangulated four-link with RideTech airbags Sway bars: Silverado SS Steering: Silverado SS Wheels: 20×8 custom by Delmo’s Tires: Diamondback

INTERIOR Steering Wheel: 1955 Chevy Seat: 1966 Chevy pickup Gauges: New Vintage USA Air Conditioning: Vintage Air Shifter: Lokar Extra Interior: 1962 Chevy dashboard Upholstery by: V.J. Upholstery (Huntington, NY) Sound: Radio by Parrot Asteroid Smart Harness: American Auto Wire harness

BODY Paint: 2016 Mercedes Black by Richmond Auto Body (Amityville, NY) Glass: New Relic power windows Lights: All LED

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