Forum - View topicWhy Wasn't Space Dandy the Next Cowboy Bebop?
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Cyclone1993
 Posts: 947 |
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This is something that frustrates me because I definitely prefer Space a sandy to Cowboy Bebop. I’ve never been able to figure out the appeal of the show that isn’t rooted in nostalgia or the time when it was created.
I can agree that Dandy is stupid, but I guess that reflects more of my own tastes because I found him to be one of the strongest parts of the show. The anthology format could have been an issue. I’m not a huge fan of anthology shows myself or comedies, but when Space Dandy had a good episode it had a REALLY good episode, but the same is true for when an episode was bad or strange. That said the experience of watching Space Dandy in my dorm room with my best friends with me will always be a highlight of my memories. |
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Waffitti
 Posts: 55 |
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Cowboy Bebop aired in Brazil, sub-only, on Locomotion, which was cable-only. It had far, far lesser impact here than your Saint Seiyas or Dragon Balls. I can't speak for Europe, but the general image Cowboy Bebop has is specifically of a US success, more than anything else. I wouldn't be able to tell how it would've performed elsewhere (in Latin America's case it probably reached everybody who was interested, piracy & fansubs still going strong & all), but the choices made for distributing Space Dandy clearly banked on Cowboy Bebop's nostalgia factor, which is strong only in the US. I generally get miffed with US-centric views on wide issues, but Space Dandy was conceived beginning to end as a product for US audiences. Also, ever since their partnership with CR, 2 of those 3 anime you mention are legally available in Brazil. Besides, its likely TV broadcasters here are not as interested in acquiring anime as it was possible before. |
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Usagi-kun
 Posts: 877 Location: Nashville, TN |
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You made it further than I did. I remember watching three episodes and finding it not funny, and it was an even more alienating experience reading the views on ANN for it being hilarious, 'comedy' gold. Episodes where the crew dies and the universe resets in the following episode is not a unique concept, and I felt slightly offended that this series was exemplify made 'for western anime fans'. That whole issue came across as very shallow, and there was absolutely no comparison I could draw with other Watanabe works. Needless to say, I dropped it, but continued reading reviews while scratching my head at the show's appeal. I'm glad Jacob actually took the time to address Dandy's personality being so off-putting. 'As a western fan, am I supposed to identify with this guy?' I might be a little harsher than I intend, and the show was not intentionally bad, just kind of strange in its circumstances. I'll also agree that I might have found more positive details to add if I had stuck with it for more episodes, but my watch list was, and still is, filled with more interesting shows. I am not planning a rewatch at this point. Edit: When I say 'Western' fans, I am not trying to paint everyone with the same brush, and many apologies for those outside the US and Canada and their accessibility situation(s). |
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Gonbawa
Posts: 53 |
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Before Space Dandy we had Cobra and Dirty Pair. The thing is... those ones are COOL anti-heroes. Not profound or smart but cool. Dandy is not. Him as a main caracter it's like having Jar-jar as the MC of a star wars tv serie. Not so yummy, right ?
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Generally, when an anime show notices that Americans are watching ("Western" = "Americans", since the Japanese don't know about Canadians) and sets out to cater, they either try to poke nationalistic fun at them, bend over backwards in depicting How Japanese Think Americans Live (like the depictions of NYC or Miami in anime shows), cater just to What Americans Understand (from the look of Cool Japan's initiative, most Japanese think US's J-cultural IQ pretty much begins and ends at food and ancient traditions), or all three. We've GOT Hooters restaurants, thanks, and we don't like them either; we don't need a wacky parody of them just to say "Look, it's Western!" Sort of like the way every time China thinks they have to co-produce movies or shows for the West, they have to explain the Monkey King to us poor white-devils one more time. Or, like the British thinking an "American accent" is to curse, overpronounce your R's, and talk about NASA a lot. 
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Takkun4343
 Posts: 1529 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
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Someone oughta smack you for even daring to compare Dandy to Jar-Jar. |
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LightningCount
 Posts: 232 |
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Great article. I think the main thing I'd like to add is that it wasn't so much that it needed to be the next Cowboy Bebop, but as an old-fashioned sci-fi space romp with comedic elements, I think it probably would have needed to be the next Space Adventure Cobra or Outlaw Star to have a chance at carving out a spot in the marketplace worthy of the special investments made in it. It actually had a story that loosely connected the anthology format with the whole time/space distortion plot, and it had its share of effective episodes, but it was just too uneven and too eager to undercut itself by breaking the fourth wall. I think that was kind of the point, sure, but with a few tweaks, it still could have been unique, had a broader appeal, and been a more engaging and memorable show, in my opinion. As it is, it's still rather charming and visually interesting, but it also feels like a missed opportunity. I think cultural misunderstandings of the West played a good part in confusing its mass appeal potential in some overseas segments, but that would be a whole different article.
Anyway, by airing it next to the Adult Swim shows, they thought it would blur its anime origins, since the show does have a comedic sense that often overlaps with Adult Swim programming. It does have a visual style to it that kind of can be skewed either way. Beyond that, Funimation stated on ANNcast in the recent past that getting something to TV still provides a very special awareness and sales bump, even in this time of streaming. So the dual strategy of TV plus streaming, and having a dub out of the gate no less, was theoretically marketing gold. I can't blame them too much for that. In terms of media consumption, Cowboy Bebop was coming out on DVD in the US by, I believe, April 2000. I remember it advertised in Wizard magazine and elsewhere, but it seemed to really take off after the Adult Swim airing. The thing about Cowboy Bebop that newer fans or those that dismissed it need to understand is it's not famous or hyped among anime fans because it's the best story ever with tons of innovation. I myself didn't fully "get it" when I first saw it. But the reason it is genuinely a classic is because of the pure, naturalistic "humanity" it displays with grown characters (as well as younger characters), the way many of its standalone episodes build said world and characters in an organic way, the distinct directorial style of action and everyday life, the textured visual and aural aesthetic, and its effective conclusion. It's not a perfect series (there is no such thing, really), but it is very much worth a lot of the praise it gets, especially when you look at what has come before or since in the genre. In terms of the mainstream outside of anime fans, it's the straightforward surface with familiar motifs and stylish sci-fi action that won it its acclaim. That ability to hit on two fronts is what made it so popular. Space Dandy is conceptually a completely different animal, and so tying it to Cowboy Bebop in marketing was a double-edged sword. |
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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Considering it was an anthology work created by many different directors, animators and writers, there was never much of a chance that Space Dandy would end up resembling Cowboy Bebop even if they had made Dandy himself a little closer to Spike in his attitude or behavior.
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Winger
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Of course Cowboy Bebop is not mainstream in Brazil and Latin America as Saint Seiya or Dragon Ball, but it has a fanbase, and the movie was even released in the theaters. It's still discussed and recommended in anime forums and stuff in Brazil. Is not mainstream, I agree, but is very remembered by the most cult anime fans. But I agree to what you said about Space Dandy, and the nostalgia factor about Cowboy Bebop in US, since the series was really a mainstream product in that country. And about Crunchyroll and the anime market around here, you can just compare what FUNimation do to their series in Latin America and Brazil, and what Viz Media did with One Punch Man for example, to see the differences on their handlings. |
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insert name here
Posts: 84 |
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Are we all just going to pretend that Kids on the Slope never happened? Space Dandy was never the "return of Watanabe." Between Samurai Champloo and Space Dandy, he made an animated short and a really good 12 episode TV series. I mean, he didn't write it, and it was a stylistic departure from his first two shows, but Kids on the Slope has his fingerprints all over it if you look closely. Why is this being overlooked?
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azhanei
Posts: 79 |
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As are comedic tastes in any country. But in spite of the oversimplification, that "nerds like smart and mean or sweet and dumb but not mean and dumb" was one tent pole of the essay explaining a main reason why it didn't do well in the US. But it is interesting that so much was pinned on doing well in North America. Hollywood makes that regional risk all the time, but for a title that's in a still niche market... I thoroughly enjoyed Space Dandy season 1. I have yet to finish season 2. I'm not sure something that's so based on self-contained stories to each episode needed a season 2. Some entertainment is best served in small doses. I do wonder if some of the struggle, outside people erroneously expecting a Bebop/Champloo triplet, was also generational. There were subtexts to the pop culture humor that made me laugh because those subtexts were part of my childhood in the 70's and 80's. Kind of like Metalocalypse is hysterical because it touches on so much social commentary, but if you're a metalhead, the subtexts add a whole other level of gut-busting laughs. Except with Dandy the subtexts were leaned on too much? There wasn't a strong enough main line of universal experience to act as connective tissue. I don't know. I'm brainstorming here. Point is, it worked for someone like me, at least for a while, who's over 40. But anime's prime market is still 13-34. |
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SHD
Posts: 1752 |
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Kids on the Slope was an adaptation of a manga, and frankly, the only real value Watanabe brought to that show was the (mostly) steady handling of the extreme streamlining of the story - in lesser hands the show could have been a lot more messy. But otherwise it was all the manga, right down to the music selection (I had to grit my teeth every time people praised Watanabe's impeccable taste in jazz, when every piece of music used was from the manga). As it turned out later, apparently Watanabe had to do this show in order to get the funding for the show he really wanted to do, Zankyou no Terror - this explains why I wasn't feeling a whole lot of enthusiasm for the project from pretty much anyone, except the seiyuu. It was a decent show, a good routine work from the director, with some nice animation moments. But it wasn't outstanding in any way. |
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animefan1238
 Posts: 299 Location: Ma |
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Space Dandy for me was never meant to be the "next" Cowboy Bebop. Yes the same director of Bebop was behind it but it was more of a collaboration with different directors. Each one brought their own style to each story. I personally didn't expect it to match Bebop and knew it would be a zany space story. I loved the show and characters. It's a shame most fans either didn't care or didn't like it.
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Usagi-kun
Posts: 877 Location: Nashville, TN |
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Yes, and guns. Don't forget guns. It is still the Wild West over here, as in See You Space Cowboy... 
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Ouran High School Dropout
 Posts: 440 Location: Somewhere in Massachusetts, USA |
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"Why Wasn't Space Dandy the Next Cowboy Bebop?"
Well...who said it had to be? I happen to like Space Dandy. It's not a masterpiece by any means; just reading the valid criticisms in these posts makes that quite clear. Yes, Dandy can be a jerk. Yes, the show's episodic approach in the early going is a hit-or-miss affair (though it does come together in the second cour). But for all of that, I followed -- and purchased! -- the series to the end, and would readily watch it again with friends or family. In my book, that's a success. |
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