Great shows you may have missed...

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. Big O sounds like a good one. I don’t know if you’re too young to remember the animated show “Gigantor”. I’m pretty sure it was created in Japan. It was about a boy who builds a giant robot. He uses a remote control to fly it around. Often, the boy would sit on the robot’s shoulder and fly around like he was on an airplane. Anyway, your description of Big O sort of reminds me of Gigantor. By the way, I remember Speed Racer. I think he had a little brother named Spridal. One of my favorites as a kid.

It’s interesting that the three dudes have names. So far I haven’t heard any references to their names. In the past, I’ve seen actors playing a role to which they never mention the name. But when I check the credits, there’s a name for the character.

I’d like to see the video you were talking about, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". If you need any info in order for me to see it, let me know.

I just ordered Disc 4. Looking forward to seeing Faye’s flashback, Ed and Ein's adventure, and finding out about Jet’s arm. Should be very interesting indeed.

Peace

[Cheza]

Adult Swim showed "Gigantor" late at night for a while. Right now they're showing "Astroboy" in that timeslot. They're making a live action movie of Speed Racer. I just hope they don't bungle it.

I think that at some point the old men may call one another by name, but I may be wrong. One may mention the name of another one, but the other two go unidentified in the scene....or then again it could just be another of the inside references the creators built into the show.

I'll see if I can find the video and add it to my photobucket or somit so I can give you a link, but I'm heading out of state tomorrow (will be back late) and then out of state (to a different state) most likely on Saturday. Time to do some shopping during the No Sales Tax aka Back to School shopping weekends in the neighboring states.

Disc four will provide you with a lot of info I know you'll enjoy it. Peace.

[Cheza]

Chicagojoe - you're in luck. I just tracked down that fan vid set to "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything"...it's now found on YouTube. Click on the link below and enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQdXV9Dg8w

WARNING: There are spoilers in some of the other Bebop videos it pulls up in the side box...so if you want to know the end at the end...avoid them.

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. Happy shopping! Travel safely.
Peace

[chicagojoe]

Cheza.
I hope your trip went well. Thanks for the YouTube link. That clip was great. It looks like they get some chickens on the ship in one of the upcoming episodes. Cool.
Peace

[Cheza]

I may be wrong, but I think the chickens are from the session where they got Ein. I'm not sure. They could be from the session where the guy is throwing eggs...that would make sense. He's kin to one of the Bebop crew...you'll just have to wait to see which one

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. I finished watching disc 4 not too long ago. It was great.

#15 My Funny Valentine: I found out quite a bit about Faye’s past. They answered the question about where her debt came from. I was surprised to find out that she had amnesia and had been frozen for sixty (or so) years. Excellent episode.

#16 Black Dog Serenade: I finally know how Jet lost his arm.
I liked it when Edward said to Jet, “Bring back Edward a souvenir”. Good sound effects. I liked the part where one of the bad guys is cut and his blood is wafting in the air due to zero gravity. Very cool.

#17 Mushroom Samba: This one was a blast. Faye was being greedy and ate the spoiled food and got sick as a result. It was funny when Ein ate one of the bad mushrooms and starts bouncing around and even funnier when the crew got high on the stuff and Ed’s just standing around watching them. I liked it when Jet said, “The world really is a great place….. Did I just say something?” ;D

Another good part was when Spike and Jet are looking at a malfunctioning machine on the ship and Spike says, “What’s the plan?” Ed approaches and says, “Ed will help” and tares some pipes off of the machine. ;D

It was hilarious when Ed was on land, looking for food. They played this Hip Hop music witch set the perfect tone for all of the subsequent scenes.

I liked this part:
Bad Guy: My brother ate one of your mushrooms and then he laughed until he twisted his intestines to death.
Mushroom Dealer: Not a bad way to die.
Ed busts out laughing.
“Shut up!!!!” He points his gun at Ed and Mushroom Dealer.
“Edward is hungry.”
“Eat this fool!” ;D

Another part I liked was when the mushroom dealer asks Ed, “Are you a total airhead?” And Ed busts out laughing. ;D

I saw the three old dudes in the diner or ice cream parlor. Funny.

#18 Speak Like a Child: Great, bittersweet episode. :'(I found out even more about Faye. Old identity was much more innocent. It was funny that they didn’t have the slightest idea as to what the video tape was for. Spike is pulling the tape out of the cassette.

Probably the best disc so far.

I hope you were able to resolve your car and computer problems. Also praying that the upcoming school year goes well.
Peace

[Cheza]

chicagojoe said:

Cheza. I finished watching disc 4 not too long ago. It was great.
#17 Mushroom Samba: This one was a blast. Faye was being greedy and ate the spoiled food and got sick as a result. It was funny when Ein ate one of the bad mushrooms and starts bouncing around and even funnier when the crew got high on the stuff and Ed’s just standing around watching them. I liked it when Jet said, “The world really is a great place….. Did I just say something?” ;D

Another good part was when Spike and Jet are looking at a malfunctioning machine on the ship and Spike says, “What’s the plan?” Ed approaches and says, “Ed will help” and tares some pipes off of the machine. ;D

It was hilarious when Ed was on land, looking for food. They played this Hip Hop music witch set the perfect tone for all of the subsequent scenes.

I liked this part:
Bad Guy: My brother ate one of your mushrooms and then he laughed until he twisted his intestines to death.
Mushroom Dealer: Not a bad way to die.
Ed busts out laughing.
“Shut up!!!!” He points his gun at Ed and Mushroom Dealer.
“Edward is hungry.”
“Eat this fool!” ;D

Yeah! The one you term "Bad Guy" identifies himself as "The Youngest Shaft brother" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I love Ed's reaction when the vehicle runs over the coffin the Shaft brother is dragging behind him "Gone! Gone! Bits and Pieces, ALL GONE!" or somit like that anyway. Domino (the mushroom dealer) runs off and drops the mushroom and Ein eats it...yips...and bounces around much to a wide-eyed Ed's surprise. Mushroom Samba is a classic for sure.

As for Faye, you learned a lot about her this disc. Did you catch the sly nod to Beverly Hills 90210? Gotta love that little 80's techno geek too and the way he freaks out when Spike kicks his machine. Typical Spike I don't think you've met "Cowboy Andy" yet...maybe next disc. He's a "real" cowboy...i.e. he has a horse and everything. I saw a hilarious parody video once with him, but I can't seem to find it now. It was every bit as funny as the "Pirates" one. There are a ton of those on the net, which you can find through Google videos...but I'd wait to watch any of them until you've watched the entire series through at least once. Some of those AMV (Anime Music Video) makers like to give away FAR too much info about the shows.

By the way, since we're on a Bebop train of thought...I discovered MySpace sites for Yoko Kanno, Steve Conte, and Emily Bindinger the other night. Yoko, of course, composes all the Bebop music (as well as Wolf's Rain, Macross Plus, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, etc.), Steve does the vocals on some of the Bebop songs as well as the opening song to Wolf's Rain (I didn't realize he was a member of the New York Dolls - DUH), and Emily was the vocalist you heard on "Adieu"...links below:

Yoko: profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=1000414763

Steve: profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=2824557

Emily: profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=138254203

Peace and thanks for your prayers. I appreciate it!

P.S. Emily's bio says she has performed with someone I know Marty likes - the genius Leonard Cohen. That's very cool!

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. That’s right! The bad guy refers to himself as “The Youngest Shaft Brother”. That’s funny! ;D I missed the reference to Beverly Hills 90210. I’ll have to go back and look for it. Yeah, the techno geek was funny. I just remembered a good exchange when the techno geek suddenly appears on one of Jet’s monitors. It went something like this:

Techno geek: You destroyed my machine. You owe me X amount of dollars.
Jet: But your machine ate our video tape.
Techno geek: It’s normal for Bata machines to eat up tapes. ;D

Yeah. I laughed when Spike was kicking the machines. There were so many good parts that it’s hard to remember all of them. I could hardly wait to find out more about Faye’s past. Very interesting so far. Cowboy Andy sounds like a cool character. I’m looking forward to seeing him.

After seeing the fourth disc, I’m beginning to realize why this series is so highly acclaimed.

Thanks for the links for Yoko Kanno, Steve Conte, and Emily Bindinger. They were all very good. I especially liked “Le Temps des Cerises” performed by Emily Bindinger. Beautiful song.
Peace

[Cheza]

The 90210 reference is in the scene where they take the tape to techno geek. Pay attention to what he is watching on the monitor when they come up There are so many great lines in Bebop. Some of my favorites are in the final episodes...so we'll have to wait to discuss them later...

I love when the geek tries to make them pay...and when they go to the museum when Ed tracks down the only other Betamax and they bring back a VHS instead and don't understand why it doesn't work...Ed talking to her computer, which I think is called "Tomato", calling for Beta and then telling Spike & Jet in her own indominable way that they screwed up...PRICELESS. I have to say that I love when Faye sees the video though...it's an amazing moment when she realizes just what she is looking at...as do Spike & Jet.

Bebop is quite simply awesome as a whole. The quality is just amazing and the storytelling is excellent. So many fall flat due to poor storytelling, but all of the shows I've seen involving Watanabe (the director) and Kanno (the composer) are excellent. I love that there are so many little things hidden throughout the series that you don't notice the first time through - or you notice and think they are odd - but at the end they fall into place...and each one...like Spike's eye scene...makes perfect sense.

[Cheza]

Disc Five - Let's see...after this you'll be ready for the movie Chicagojoe:

Session 19: "Wild Horses" - You'll meet the man who built Spike's Swordfish. Spike takes it in for some work...and the man is working on an "antique", which is a bit eerie to see now because it is something that actually existed, but exists no more...

Session 20: "Pierrot Le Fou"...this one is another freaky-deaky episode...in the same manner as "Sympathy for the Devil"...watch it with the lights on...it's wild.

Session 21: "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui" - Jet takes centerstage after receiving a strange e-mail (he thinks) from an old friend...when he gets to the meeting place he finds the friend's daughter instead...and he takes her aboard Bebop to help her...you can probably imagine how Spike & Faye react.

Session 22: "Cowboy Funk" - The Teddy Bomber is blowing up things, but no one really knows why. As Spike tries to catch the bomber, he encounters Andy, an heir to a wealthy fortune who has decided he needs to play bounty hunter - as a true cowboy...horse and all. He also tries to woo Miss Valentine.

Some have said they think that the writers felt a break from the drama was needed after the last few sessions before they hit the final ones...which are pretty deep and dark...some think they ran out of ideas...I don't think that's the case. I love all the sessions and I think you will really enjoy these too...so, the assignment is the fifth disc, then rent the movie "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" is its given title, but I think the title card on the English version may say "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" instead.

Then you'll be ready for...the end of Bebop. *However, then you'll probably be going back and looking for things you missed...Speaking of which, did you catch whose ship it appeared flew past Faye in "Funny Valentine" - in the scene where she was on the road trying to get away from the hospital before Whitney caught up with her???

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. Yeah. The entire episode with the video tape was awesome. Even the title “Speak Like a Child” gives me chills. Those few words say so much. As you said, the part when Faye sees the video is an amazing moment. My father’s been watching the whole series with me and at the end of that session, it was hard for both of us to speak.

Thanks for reminding me about the movie. I was about to go searching through the thread to refresh my memory as to when I was to watch it.

I took a look back at that part of “Funny Valentine”. I thought for sure that the ship belonged to Vicious. But after checking episode#1, I see that Vicious’ ship was different. Unless you give me the answer, my obsessive compulsive behavior may force me to go through all of the discs.

I’m sure I’m going to enjoy disc #5, regardless of what others think. “Cowboy Funk” sounds like a real good one. That must be the one with "Cowboy Andy" that you were telling me about.

You’re right. I’ll definitely be watching the discs again to catch all the little details I missed first time around.

Peace

[Cheza]

The ship that flies past Faye, whether it is or not, is VERY similar to Jet's Hammerhead. Another Bebop fanatic caught that and I missed it. One wonders what would have happened if he had found her all those years ago, which would have probably been before he teamed up with Spike. Faye was definitely a lot more innocent when she first woke up...just as she was when she was the girl in that video. The video will prompt her to go in search of where she came from in a future session.

Yep, "Cowboy Funk" is the one with "Cowboy Andy". I'm still trying to find that AMV...but it eludes me. Here's a screenshot of Spike & Andy...Spike doesn't like Andy...gee, I wonder why? You'll just have to wait to see, but looking at this might give you an idea...

[chicagojoe]

Cheza. I’m looking forward to the episode with Faye trying to find out about her past. She’s a fascinating character. We’ve already touched upon this earlier, but I think the tragic thing about Faye in “Speak like a Child” was the fact that she was initially so innocent and optimistic about life. Subsequently, a series of unfortunate things happened. For example being preserved for sixty years and then being stuck with the bill is a good one for starters. It’s clear that there were awful experiences over following years to taint her view of the world. It all shows in her demeanor. And, like you said, one wonders what things would have been like had she met Spike a few years earlier. So it was Jet’s Hammerhead. Interesting. He should have picked her up.

Good pic of Cowboy Andy. I think Spike is going to feel threatened by him.

Peace

[Cheza]

Let's just say it goes back to the old principle of someone not liking another person who is a lot like him...Spike doesn't see that though

[artzylady]

My family and I are hooked on the CBS series, Jericho, that was canceled and then brought back my the fans of the series, which some of you may have heard about... the Jericho Nut Campaign. it's been a wild ride since the middle of last May, and its been great to have been involved in this fight that CBS has stated is the biggest and most successful campaign for a TV series since Star Trek. CBS has agreed to 7 new episodes for the second season. We have been told that in order to have a third season, new viewers have to tune in during the new episodes that will air sometime after the 2007 starts, as they will show it wherever they can find a spot for it or at the latest by midseason. It's also airing in reruns during the summer on Friday 9 pm except for a few weeks when CBS is showing preseason football games (as they are this coming Friday night). Check it out then or online at jerichorises.com. We love new fans! You can also preorder the season 1 DVD at amazon.com as well, which will be released in October.

[jillywilly65]

CJoe and Cheza I tried so hard to watch this the other night and I thought I was going to have an anyurism. I just couldn't get into it. I guess its an acquired taste?! ....lol
My youngest bro is an animator. He has been doing FX for years. He started off doing stop motion and puppeteering now he is doing all the computer generated stuff. It sucks to see the old styles going away to me. i'd rather watch The 7 voyages of Sinbad or Jason and the Argonauts anyday.

later taters
Jill

[jillywilly65]

Artzylady
I so wanted to watch Jericho but that was on as the same time as something else i wanted to watch and I had to make a choice over the two. It was hard last season to pick what shows to watch. I didn't want to spend the whole day glued to the tv. I am still waiting for LOST and Ugly Betty to come back on. And that is almost unbearable.
:-)
Jilly

[Cheza]

Hey Artzylady Welcome to the thread. A distant cousin of mine is also hooked on Jericho...unfortunately I was the one to break the news of its initial cancellation to her and she was heartbroken - so I'm sure that she is over the moon that it is coming back.

[Cheza]

jillywilly65 said:

CJoe and Cheza I tried so hard to watch this the other night and I thought I was going to have an anyurism. I just couldn't get into it. I guess its an acquired taste?!

What? Bebop? Which disc were you trying to watch?

Adult Swim still hasn't put it back on...*grrrr*.

If it was the first four sessions that might be part of the problem. Those are exposition of the story for the most part - until you hit the last session on disc one - Session Five: Ballad of Fallen Angels...at that point the overarching storyline of Spike's mysterious past kicks in with the introduction of the villain, Vicious.

*BTW, the name for my villain in the story in the vault was inspired by Vicious...Drake = Dragon (in some instances and that's the one I'm pursuing in that one)...so his nickname is literally the meaning of his first name...Vicious is a member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate and his weapon of choice is a sword - hence Drake's last name. I'll try to get back to that soon, but this week has been CRAZY!*

Let me know which ones you were watching...I find it interesting it gave you trouble The old stop-motion stuff IS fun

Peace.