what's up, sweetcakes?

ah, yes. Cowboy Bebop: the Movie.

only theatre showing it here is the Music Box. the Music Box is a really cool place to see things, mostly because it's one of the few theatres in this area to make you feel like going to see a film is still Something Special And/Or Magical. it's got HUGE personality, unlike the many interchangeable multiplexes dominating the landscape these days (and you can read a bit about it at their page as linked above, if you're so inclined). and that's not even taking into account the sort of films the Music Box chooses to play---it's a good place in general. besides, how can you say no to a theatre that's still got its own (really good) organist? ^^

right. anyway, so. the movie. there might be spoilers, so i'm sticking this away in the "more"; you've been warned.

one thing's been bothering me from the start: why did Goldwyn choose to leave off on the "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" bit? was any official reason ever given? did they feel it was offensive in some way, or just unnecessary? i was a bit confused about that before seeing it, and became even moreso after having seen it, and seeing how well it fit. weird.

i hadn't seen the movie before, and i still haven't seen all of the TV series (please don't kill me, Keito-chan! ;.;). i had, however, understood that seeing the movie wouldn't spoil me*. so off we went, most anxious to see it. even though we knew it was the dubbed version.

(that's another thing i wondered about: back when it was first announced that this movie was being released theatrically here, i seem to recall mention of a dub and a sub receiving theatrical release; anyone know what happened to that? i'd think it weird if there was a choice and this theatre chose the dub, actually...)

and the movie itself felt like a very long episode of the TV series. if you're familiar with the dubbed English-language voices, then you already know what it's going to sound like. (i think they're pretty decent for a dub, although if there'd been a sub available, i'd have wanted to see that instead. but at least it's not the Eva dub. >.<;;;)

of course it's gorgeous, and of course the score is loads of Kanno goodness. the pacing seems a little bit jerky, but not to the point of inexcusability (although the ending did seem a bit rushed, after such an atmospheric buildup). characterwise (and in particular, with movie-specific characters), Electra could have been a little more fully fleshed out, and in particular, her relationship with Vincent. everyone from the series was just as expected, and i still love Ed to bits and pieces.

the movie's good, but not the most brilliant thing i've ever seen. thrilling to see it in a theatre here, though. ^^

what's particularly irksome to me in having read a bunch of reviews around here about it is a bit of a constant: people reviewing things who clearly Don't Get It. not just with anime (although that's certainly the case with a large number), but with other things as well. i'm still not entirely sure how some people were unsure of what was going on in this movie, for a particular instance. i've read at least two reviews wherein someone claimed it was difficult to follow, which is a claim i completely do not understand. oh well. perhaps this is why i'm not paid to review things? XD

* = although i can't be spoiled much on the series anyway; it already got spoiled by a bit of a slip of the tongue by another band member who hadn't realised i hadn't seen it all yet. --;;;