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Cowboy Bebop Movie comes to the States

birdman666 writes "According to the movie site the movie of the popular anime Cowboy Bebop has finally been set to release in the states in a handful of cities including LA, NY, SF, Seattle and others on April 4. It features all the same voice actors as the Cartoon Network series and is big news for all those Bebop fans out there. As a note the Japanese title of the film was 'Cowboy Bebop: Knockin On Heaven's Door', but has been changed simply to 'Cowboy Bebop: The Movie' for the states." We had a note about the American premiere last summer, but now it's finally open for general admission.

15 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Heh by Entropy248 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought that said CowboyNeil movie and I got all excited... I love p0rn so much!

  2. Title Changes by svvampy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why do the yanks always seem to want to change the titles of foreign movies?

    Mad Max is soooo much better than road weanie and what was the deal with the "Sorceror's Stone"?

    Although I had heard it said that the Americans don't understand/acknowledge philosophy so that is why the change was necessary

    1. Re:Title Changes by GrimSean · · Score: 5, Informative
      Why do the yanks always seem to want to change the titles of foreign movies?

      Mad Max is soooo much better than road weanie and what was the deal with the "Sorceror's Stone"?

      I believe that they went with Cowboy Bebop: The Movie rather than Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door so as to avoid any legal issues with Bob Dylan due to his famous song Knockin' on Heaven's Door.

      As to the Sorceror's Stone, that was done because the American publisher felt that it sounded more "Magic-like" than Philosopher's Stone.

      --
      I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own. - Christopher Walken
    2. Re:Title Changes by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Why do the yanks always seem to want to change the titles of foreign movies? "

      Uh, we didn't have a say in it. Why don't you talk to the Japanese Movie Studio that's prepping it for release?

      I mean seriously, did you think we took a vote on it or something? Maybe an American Idol style voting system? It's somebody's perception of us 'yanks', not our preference.

  3. Observation by Copperhead · · Score: 5, Funny
    I went to the premire in New York last summer, and I was looking forward to having a good time with all the other cool American Anime fans.

    Who invited all the geeks?

    --
    Your reality is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever. - Baron Munchausen
  4. ouch by lingqi · · Score: 4, Informative

    that title is just... AWFUL.

    btw if you translate the japanese title directly i think it's "heaven's door" - I thought the "knocking no heaven's door" would be a good english interpretation (yes I watched the japanese one)... probably have to do with copyrighted song titles? though AFAIK you can't copyright song titles at all.

    ack. that is just whack.

    btw, no nudity as far as I remembered (though there was points where Faye was pretty close), so I don't think much will be cut. Violence was not extreme either as well, IIRC;

    btw, anybody (who saw it in japanese) knows who sang the opening song? it was in english, but I can't figure it out.

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

    1. Re:ouch by Microlith · · Score: 5, Informative

      There will be nothing cut. You mistake them for Miramax and Disney, whom seem content to edit stuff to death until they think it's marketable.

      The crew behind the US release of this movie is the same as the one behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (well, it's changed a bit) and they left that whole.

      Also the song:

      "Ask DNA"
      Words by: Tim Jensen
      Sung by: Raju Ramayya
      Music by: Yoko Kanno
      Performed by: Raju Ramayya and Seatbelts

  5. Re:An honest question by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Entertainment?

    The same thing you see in every other media.

    Anime is just a medium, like TV or commercials or infomercials or live action movies or print or comic.

    Each medium has their own history and culture, so it would stand to reason that anime too has its own subculture. It is this subculture that most fans are attracted to, the expectations built up from watching previous anime is carried over when watching new anime.

    Same as any other genre: American music, Marvel comics, Car commercials.

    And of course, anime itself can be divided into smaller genres, just like American Music, Marvel Comics, or Car commercials.

  6. Re:An honest question by Uller-RM · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Oh, it's not all anime. A great deal of it sucks ass (ex: DBZ, Hamtaro, Pokemon, etc.) -- and if you think that's true in the US, you should see all the loads of total crap that's released in Japan and never makes it here because the sheer stench of it tips off the customs officials.

    What makes good anime? Consistent, three-dimensional -- as in deep, not as in their look -- characters with back stories and patterns that viewers can relate and get attached to. A consistent art style. (Seizure robots do not apply.) Compelling writing, with humor where appropriate -- whether that's slapstick humor or the more darker variety. Believable lines, and convincing voice actors. In other words, the exact same things that make good film.

    Cowboy Bebop is considered one of the heights of anime, for all of the above. Other good examples of anime (IMO) would be Trigun, Rah'Xephon, Shinseiki (Neon Genesis) Evangelion, and the recent Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. If you're the type that likes relationship dramas, Love Hina is pretty well known and liked. There's shows that run the line between relationships and action, like Martian Successor Nadesico. There's also the full-length movie variety of anime, of which the most famous are Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

    *shrug* There's good and bad anime, just like there's good and bad films and good and bad TV -- favorites will vary with a person's taste, but there are consistent things you can critique on.

  7. Computer Aided Translation by xfs · · Score: 5, Funny



    "We had a note about the American premiere last summer, but now it's finally open for general admission"

    Using the Taco->English translation on babelfish, it comes out as:

    "HAHA BASTARDS, CANT TELL ME ITS A REPOST NOW"


  8. The Movie by absurdhero · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think they changed it to "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" to make sure that us American's can be sure that it is, in fact, a movie. Who knows, it could be terrorist propaganda or some mix between country music and old school bebop. How should we know?

    1. Re:The Movie by Rhinobird · · Score: 4, Funny

      In that case, I wish they would have renamed the movie "Fern Gully" to "Fern Gully: Environmentalist clap trap", but that's just me.

      --
      If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
  9. Re:Timeline?? by Microlith · · Score: 4, Informative

    Between episodes 23 and 24.

    Read through more posts, the answer has already been mentioned a few times.

  10. Re:Title Changes Hey youngster @ Weiner.com by puto · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well having spent a good part of my live in my homeland the(US) and a good part on the road in other countries I can answer you in this way.

    Mad Max was called Mad MAx here. I even saw in the US as Mad Max. The second movie was called Mad Max 2, the Road Warrior. And Road Warrior sounds a Helluva lot better than Mad Max 2.

    And Gibson was born in New York, pop shipped the whole family back to Aussie Land cause that was where mom was from and to avoid his sons possible conscription into the service into Vietnam.

    And we do acknowledge philossopy. But alchemy? Hmmm.

    Movie name changes are made all over the world. They do it so that wherever they are showing the flick can get a general idea of what the original title is about. Somethings cannot be transalates.

    Knocking on Heavens door is one of the most famous songs in the US, and in English, so I would venture they did it to avoid confusion. And it is actually quite a beautiful tune.

    So you know what? Cool your jets, wherever your are from. People are people. Including this yank with one grampaw from Madrid and the other Cajun French(which is better than regular Frog any ol' day") we is all just people.

    Puto

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  11. Re:An honest question by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So, what are the qualities that anime fans think raise it up as a great thing?

    Japan in general seems to have a greater tolerance for creativity and continuity in sci-fi than most of the English speaking public. It's nice being able to watch a series I like with no fears that it'll be canceled for a zaney reality show because too many of the viewers missed having the big red reset button pushed after each episode. I also like animated sci-fi in general more than live action, if the latter is going to resort to nose putty aliens. For some reason an animated alien dosn't jar my suspension of disbelief as much as a cheap forehead alien of the night.

    That said, I also should say that I don't like the idea of generalising to such a high degree. I own quite a few anime series, but I don't consider myself an "anime fan" any more than I consider myself a "American TV fan". Both catagories are so broad as to make any statement like that pretty much meaningless. I'm a fan of science fiction stories which have interesting characters and a progressive storyline, and I really don't much care what video medium or country delivers them to me.

    --
    Everything will be taken away from you.