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WhileCowboy Bebophas its fair share of funny moments, it’s safe to say that the overall moody series isn’t known for its comedy. Still, there’s one comedic moment which manages to underline the themes of the series very well.
The line in question comes from the “Jupiter Jazz” two-parter, after Spike lands on Callisto. He’s wandering the streets, asking around for information on Gren. This triggers a band of thugs to follow him, mistakenly thinking that he’s Vicious, and thus in possession of a huge quantity of money that’s to be used for a drug deal. This mistaken identity infuriates Spike, who then beats the tar out of the entire group and begins interrogating their leader. When the leader says all foreigners are rich, Spike loudly declares, “Do I really look like I have money?!” after tossing the man aside.
Spike and the Bebop Crew Never Have Money
Spike’s Line Shows a Growing Frustration With Their Situation
While the scene is rather serious, Spike’s line comes off as flippant enough to get a laugh, wearing his puffy winter jacket. Spike is clearly frustrated at having to deal with these run-of-the-mill street thugs, as he’s actually emotionally invested in finding out if Julia was here, and these fools are wasting his time. But the line is coming from an honest place–theBebopcrew are constantly broke throughout the series, and it’s something thatSpike is already tired of by the very first episode, with Jet’s “Special Bell Peppers and Beef.”
Spike’s situation is hardly better than that of these guys, so it’s absurd to him that anyone would think he had enough money to be worth robbing. While theBebopcrew are accomplished bounty hunters, to the extent that Spike is even somewhat well known, the crew still barely make enough to get by, with their funds often devoured by the need for costly repairs, fuel, and food. Spike may have a safe, warm place to sleep, but that’s about the only advantage he has over the poorest people here on Callisto.
Poverty Plays a Major Role in Cowboy Bebop
Being Broke Drives Good People to Crime
Economic factors are a huge component ofCowboy Bebop’s world and overall story, even if it doesn’t play into the Spike/Vicious plot. Faye is shown to be haunted by a massive debt she can never hope to pay off, explaining why she so quickly squanders any and all money that comes her way. Ed grows up in an orphanage that can barely afford to feed all the kids who live there, and while it’s never revealed how Spike ended up involved with the Syndicate, it’s clearly the kind of situation that someone who was well-off in life would never have ended up in.
The fact that Spike and Jet even have to be bounty hunters in the first place is also a consequence of this theme. Both Spike and Jet have a particular set of skills that’s difficult to monetize, forcing them to put themselves into dangerous situations just to have a chance at making it another day. While Ed has a somewhat romanticized idea of being a bounty hunter, that image is quickly ruined when Ed begins to experience the regular hunger that’s a part of theBebopcrew’s daily life.
The theme of poverty isn’t exclusive to Spike and his friends; it’s a running idea throughout the series, and often times is the ultimate motivator for many of the better people who show up as bounty heads, such as in “Waltz for Venus,” when Rocco is driven to work with criminals in order to get his hands on the Grey Ash needed to cure his sister’s blindness. If Rocco and his sister weren’t so poor, they could’ve afforded conventional treatment, and Rocco never would’ve had a reason to get caught up in crime in the first place.
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The same goes for Rhint in “Ganymede Elegy,” who fell into trouble after shooting a loan shark who was after his girlfriend in self-defense. It’s arguably also the case for Katerina in the first episode, “Asteroid Blues,” as well; her dreams of a better life on Mars are what motivate her to stay with Asimov and perform their risky drug deal in the first place.
Other episodes revolve around giant corporations and how they’ve taken advantage of the people around them without regard for the impact on their lives, such as in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” when the company is revealed to have gone ahead with building the gates anyway, knowing they weren’t safe,resulting in the ravaging of Earththat ruined Ed and Faye’s lives to begin with.
Poverty is a Major Theme in Much of Watanabe’s Work
Shinichiro Watanabe’s Other Works Carry Similar Themes
The idea of characters facing constant poverty is one that’s common throughout series creator Shinichiro Watanabe’s other major works.Mugen, Jin, and Fu inSamurai Champlooare almost as broke as theBebopcrew, and are even less equipped to earn money on their travels.Carole and Tuesdaysees its title characters chasing their dreams despite being absolutely broke at the beginning of the story. The same even applies to the highly comedicSpace Dandy, as Dandy and his crew perform the dangerous work of hunting down and capturing never-before-seen aliens just to get by, much like Spike’s bounty hunting.
Watanabe has never really elaborated on why these themes are so important to him, but it’s not too hard to guess why; his depiction of being impoverished suggests a familiarity with the problem. The range of his works shows that this is a problem that can apply anywhere at any time, from Feudal Japan to Mars.
Spike’s frustration with being so broke causes this one line of dialog to carry a lot of weight to it, even if its delivery in the situation is one that provokes a laugh. It’s the culmination of their failures to successfully earn money so far in the series, in spite of all the hard work that the crew has put in. This line really encapsulates one ofCowboy Bebop’s (and Watanabe’s) most important themes, making it a perfect example.
Cowboy Bebop
Cast
Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 animated series set in 2071, where humanity has colonized the Solar System following a catastrophic event. As crime surges, bounty hunters known as “Cowboys” are employed by the Inter Solar System Police to capture criminals in exchange for rewards.
