Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam!: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Original Cowboy Bebop

1998, in Kami-igusa, Tokyo … Young anime creators, full of ideas, gathered in the capital’s ‘Anime Town’. Tired of animated stories told according to established patterns, they wanted to create what they liked – a work with greater freedom. A work that might become a genre itself. Then, in 2024 … Cowboy Bebop has been a mainstay in anime fandom since its debut, consistently ranked among the all time greats and still attracting new devotees. For Western audiences, it was one of the first such imports to gain widespread recognition, but has rarely been subjected to much in the way of critical and analytical scrutiny. Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam! aims to correct that. Making unparalleled use of Japanese interviews, production material and the creators’ influences, Satoru Stevenson presents a deep dive into Cowboy Bebop . Its genesis, development and initial treatment at the hands of network censors. How the Seatbelts became the biggest band in the solar system, and what shaped the spacefaring society of 2071. It’s a detailed and fascinating story, punctuated by the makers’ love of music and motifs that made the series everything it became. The book examines the individual ‘Sessions’ as well as associated material from video games to manga comics, and gives a superb insight into the making of one of the most influential anime series ever. Among the exclusive items contained within the book are: – The only English guide covering not only the TV series and feature film but the TV specials, short films and video games – Explores all stages of Bebop ‘s creation, from the planning and writing of each episode to design, animation and post-production – Delves into the process behind Yoko Kanno’s award-winning soundtrack, and offers the most exhaustive index of the anime’s music to date – Covers the ins and outs of the original home video releases for media collectors – Packed with newly-translated comments and details from the show’s original creators and staff members Shinichiro Watanabe, Keiko Nobumoto, Yoko Kanno, Toshihiro Kawamoto, Dai Sato, Kimitoshi Yamane, Shoji Kawamori, Sadayuki Murai, Yutaka Nakamura etc – Mines the original dialogue, the creators’ stated influences and the context of even the obscurest background details – Draws on multilingual sources from around the world, spanning five decades ‘ Cowboy Bebop finally has a critical appraisal that delves deep into its inspirations and effects.’ – Jonathan Clements An early review from Helen McCarthy, author of Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation , co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia , plus the former editor of Anime UK and Manga Mania magazines. ‘Very few anime get the level of attention to detail and meticulous research on display in Satoru Stevenson’s 636-page odyssey into Cowboy Bebop . One could argue that very few anime deserve it. But after reading this truly ground-breaking book, I found myself thinking what a pity it was that few authors and publishers work to this level. Because this book isn’t just exhaustively comprehensive and magnificently documented: it’s fun – absolute catnip to the inner nerd, absolute heaven to the researcher and doubtless about to be exhaustively mined for its multitude of fascinating titbits and substantial threads by bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and websites. ‘I’ve always enjoyed being educated, but rarely had as much as this from a single book on a single show. If you’re a fan of Cowboy BeBop you’ll want this book, but it also reveals much about the workings of the anime business in the late 20th century, and about the construction of visual science fiction. If it’s not on the next Hugo Award ballot for best SF-related work there’s something very wrong. ‘ — ASIN: 1845832329 | ISBN13: 9781845832322 | ISBN-13: 978-1845832322