Kara Dennison
September 25, 2021 
The upcoming Netflix remake of Cowboy Bebop has been one of the most contentious events in the world of anime since… well, since the last time someone made a live-action anime remake. We’ve been burned before, but signs point to a cast and crew that care about the subject matter. So far we’ve gotten photos showing that even background players look exactly right. And with Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno both on board, we’ve got all our fingers crossed.
In case you’ve somehow missed the new video, check it out here:
And see what you can spot. Here’s a little bit of what we noticed:
BIG SHOT
The cast of Cowboy Bebop is always looking for a bounty to bring in a few extra woolongs. In the anime, they often find these via the in-universe TV show BIG SHOT. Hosted by “Punch” and “Judy,” the cheesy round-up of the latest freelance gigs is a small, but highly memorable, part of the anime.
Toward the end of the opening, a stack of TV monitors rounds up moments from the show. Among them? Well, it’s only BIG SHOT, isn’t it? Punch has a slightly flashier costume, but that’s a bonus.
Mad Pierrot… and Others
The midsection of the new Cowboy Bebop opening is a cavalcade of familiar faces, places, and moments from the series. Starting with Tongpu (a.k.a. Mad Pierrot), one of the show’s most terrifying foes, the opening runs us through what to expect from this new series.
You’ll also spot Asimov and Katerina from “Asteroid Blues,” one of the explosive teddy bears from “Cowboy Funk,” and Maria Murdock and her sons from “Gateway Shuffle.” And, naturally, the ever-important Vicious and Julia — filling out Spike’s tragic love triangle. But there’s one person we still don’t see…
A Conspicuous Absence
For everything that Cowboy Bebop seems to remember, there’s still one notable omission… where is Ed? Well — and this is just a theory — we’ve seen her. Or, rather, we’ve seen where she ought to be.
Like the opening for the anime, the opening for the Netflix series is an action-packed, spy-film-inspired cavalcade of shapes and colors. But you may have noticed moments that seems a little out of whack: shots that linger twice as long as they should, or throwaway shots that feature no real action. Or, as above, a massive block of empty space that could easily be balanced for a cast of three. There’s space for Ed, and it’s almost like we’re being called on to notice it. Could she be coming to the already-announced season 2? Or will she be a mid-season surprise? Either way, it seems we’re meant to notice that fourth empty chair.
The new Cowboy Bebop, starring John Cho as Spike Spiegel, comes to Netflix on November 19.
