Essay about Shinichirō Watanabe Genre Mixing at Its Best

Cowboy Bebop is a title which many anime fans are familiar with. Arguably, it is one of the best anime series ever made, but nonetheless can be recognized as a great piece of art created by the show’s director; ShinichirÃ…  Watanabe. Truth is, this is not Watanabe’s only spectacle. Although it first aired in 2004 (about five years after Cowboy Bebop last aired), Samurai Champloo can also be recognized as another one of Watanabe’s â€Å"masterpieces†. Even though he uses the same style as a basis to craft both Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, each show brings a completely different experience. What makes them unique from other anime is an element that can be known as â€Å"genre mixing†. How Watanabe mixes genres between Samurai Champloo and Cowboy†¦show more content†¦Slowly the scene becomes more and more intense as we keep getting surprised to what Spike endures to survive right until the moment where both Vicious and Spike face off. T he spaghetti western genre can be seen through how the fights feel, never giving the viewer a chance to even be able to guess what will happen next before and after that first shot or move is made. The show is also a brilliant comedy. Though the show wouldn’t necessarily be placed under comedy for its genre, the clever use of it gives the audiences a form of relief that makes sure the show does not fall into taking itself too seriously. After the shootout is over and Spike wakes up on a couch completely covered in bandages, he listens to Faye hum a smooth tune. He then signals her to come close to be able to whisper to her, â€Å"You sing off key†. After having that ruthless shootout finally conclude, there is wiggle room to add a joke and give the viewer a better feeling of relief. There is also episodes that are meant to be completely comedic (Mushroom Samba), but would never be as funny if we hadn’t had the chance to get to know these characters before. Most of the use of comedy is by placing the characters in ridiculous situations which you haven’t seen them in before. Cowboy Bebop is also influenced by Bruce Lee and the Martial Arts. Spike’s fighting style is the same as Bruce Lee, which is called Jeet Kune Do. One major piece of evidence behind this is when Spike