User Reviews

This episode of Cowboy Bebop is about Jet and a contact from the past. Just like Ganymede Elegy and Black Dog Serenade, but unlike the other two, this one feels a little out of track. Before I write about why let me talk about the script: Jet gets a mysterious mail from Pao and finds himself teaming up with his daughter, who uses Feng Shui to decipher it. The two are also chased by syndicate mobsters searching for him.

Ganymede Elegy, Black Dog Serenade, and Boogie Woogie Feng Shui. Asking what they present to us, the answers will be the same. So to prevent repetition, they all answer from their perspectives to the question of how. Ganymede Elegy offers a blue-toned, emotional story. Black Dog Serenade is too, but more seriously and black-toned. I failed to feel the same tones in this episode. I usually prefer not to compare episodes and review them without the influence of the others, but I needed to give those examples to clarify what I meant. Anyways, we can say that this is a mystery episode but one that executes the mystery poorly. Poorly for two reasons: First, the mystery fails to feel vital. Jet tries to uncover the mystery, not because he is in danger, not for personal benefits, not for morals, but because only he wonders about it.

And the other reason, the mystery isn't vital at all. A question can't be better than its answer. This episode asks a lot of questions. And later answers those questions with one of these three possibilities.

1) It doesn't answer. Like when Meifa asks, "Why didn't he send the mail to me?". He later says, "Jet, I wanted you to bring her here.". But that isn't an answer because the question "why" still stands. You might assume he wanted Jet to protect Meifa, but it is just an assumption, and when I'm watching a mystery episode, I want to know if I was right or wrong.

2) It answers, but it doesn't change anything. I like the stories that change when a mystery is solved. In the middle part of the episode, Jet and Meifa discovers that the mobsters following them are from the cartel. But this information never makes a change in their plans. Jet already knew about Pao and the cartel, so we also can't assume he used it when telling Meifa who her father is. An incredibly pointless mystery.

3) It answers, but it creates plot holes. We know that the mobsters were after Jet and Meifa because Pao sent Jet an email. So they want to use Jet to find Pao. Till this part, there are no problems. But if they wanted to use his help, they needed him alive. And still, at the beginning of the episode, they used guns that pierce through gravestones.

With all the needless scenes and contradictions, it may sound like I had a horrific time watching this episode, but actually, it was entertaining. Just like every other episode, the art style is astonishing. I especially liked the music in this one. Yes, the script feels pointless, and the side characters aren't the deepest ones I have encountered. But still, one can easily see that this episode is far above tv show standards. And with its dialogues, main characters, action scenes, voice acting, and art style, even this one feels like a Cowboy Bebop episode.

This episode got me excited in the first half. A mystery involving a crime syndicate, and a mysterious character in search of her father figure. In the end the quest was just to say goodbye, which could have been done with much less effort. The space fight was cool, and the search for the truth was cool. But it was all wasted in the end with no payoff.