"I built up a backlog of ideas": Cowboy Bebop Wouldn’t Have Existed if Shinichiro Watanabe Had Not Faced a Real Struggle (2025)

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SUMMARY

• Cowboy Bebop is a classic anime series that is highly regarded by fans for how it blends a multitude of genres extremely well.
• During an interview, Shinichiro Watanabe shared how the glorious fusion of various elements in Cowboy Bebop was a result of something he struggled with.
• Watanabe also shared his experiences while working on Lazarus, his upcoming anime scheduled for a 2025 release.

A world without Cowboy Bebop is simply too bleak, and fans of the classic anime series would agree. Shinichiro Watanabe brought together certain elements of different genres like cyberpunk and sci-fi to create an experience that blends anime with Hollywood. Whether it’s emotional resonance you’re looking for, characters who leave a lasting impression, or great music to groove to, Cowboy Bebop checks all the boxes.

It’s the perfect display of Watanabe’s genius as an auteur. Revisiting the charm of the series and then finding out that it wouldn’t have existed, not in the same form at least, is a jarring discovery. During his initial days in the industry, the director faced some struggles that limited his potential. These experiences led to Cowboy Bebop becoming an ensemble of so many cool elements, as Watanabe shared during an interview.

Shinichiro Watanabe’s Initial Struggles in the Industry Shaped Cowboy Bebop

Before Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe had been a part of the anime industry for years. During his early years, he contributed to many anime at Studio Sunrise including Gundam 0083. While most of his endeavors at Sunrise included episode direction, he was the director at the helm for Macross Plus alongside chief director Shoji Kawamori.

Watanabe always had many story ideas even before he started working as a director. Despite the treasury of ideas, he didn’t have much of a say in the creative aspects of all these shows irrespective of the nature of his position in the hierarchy of the production team. This was the case until Cowboy Bebop happened. Speaking in an interview with Anime News Network, the director shared that he used all those ideas during Cowboy Bebop.

All the pent-up creativity seemingly found an outlet with Cowboy Bebop and a spectacular one. What’s more interesting is that the anime has too much to offer, from upbeat action sequences to emotionally gripping character arcs. While the episodes have a fleeting slice-of-life-esque feeling, the overarching storyline embodies a nostalgic poignance.

All these strikingly different elements work extremely well together and strangely so. As selfish as it sounds, the constraints Watanabe felt initially worked wonders. Even after all these years, Cowboy Bebop remains an intriguing topic of discussion in interviews, but the attention is gradually drifting toward the director’s upcoming anime ‘Lazarus’.

Lazarus Will Bring Watanabe’s Magic to Our Screens Once Again

Ever since its announcement in 2023, Lazarus’s potential release in 2025 has become a much-awaited event for Watanabe fans. In the same interview, the director also spoke about his experience working with Chad Stahelski. Aside from Stahelski, the production team behind Lazarus is studded with experts.

Renowned musicians Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo are in charge of the musical score. And, Studio MAPPA and Sola Entertainment are the studios-in-charge for the animation production. Just going through these reasons makes Lazarus even more anticipated than it already was, and the waiting time more excruciating than it was before.

Cowboy Bebop is available to stream on Netflix.