The Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide

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

What's It About? 

With unparalleled access to original Japanese interviews and commentary, and deep love of the show, Satoru Stevenson presents a detailed analysis of Cowboy Bebop. How it came about, how it developed, and how it was initially treated by the networks. It's a detailed and fascinating story, punctuated by the makers' love of music and motifs which made the series what it became.

Three, Two, One: Let's Jam! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Original Cowboy Bebop is written by Satoru Stevenson. Published by Telos Publishing (October 1, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

On the 639th and final page of 3...2...1 Let's Jam, author Satoru Stevenson includes a brief autobiography, writing “This is his first and probably last book.” In other words, this Cowboy Bebop magnum opus is a passion project more than anything else. Meticulously researched and carefully sourced like a PhD thesis project, this is a definitive encyclopedia of everything there is to know about Shinichiro Watanabe's sci-fi masterpiece. With clear methodology, multiple appendices and a 50-page bibliography, this book feels like an academic textbook with none of the stodginess. Stevenson's enthusiasm for his topic shines through on every page, making this a must-read for Cowboy Bebop fans.

Don't let the intimidating length keep you from picking up this book. Rather than reading it cover to cover, I would recommend picking it up as a companion piece to a Cowboy Bebop rewatch. The meat of the book consists of chapters dedicated to each episode in the show, including little-known facts, relevant show notes, and quotes from the creators. Dive into it before, after, or even during an episode, and you'll discover new details you never noticed before. For someone like me who only watched Cowboy Bebop on the surface level, I was surprised to learn, for example, that the title and overall visuals of episode 11, “Toys in the Attic” is based on the title and cover art of an Aerosmith album. Music has always been an integral component of Cowboy Bebop, from its iconic opening theme to even its title, and fittingly the entire book uses music metaphors to break down its chapters with recurring sections named “liner notes” (introductory text), “solos” (key information), and “bonus tracks” (extra trivia). I also want to note that among many other writers, Stevenson acknowledges Egan Loo, a senior editor here at ANN, though this connection did not factor into my review.

Though it's “unofficial and unauthorized,” it's certainly not unaccountable or unacademic—each claim it makes is sourced through footnotes and I do not doubt that Stevenson has done his best to share Cowboy Bebop's entire history, bumps in the road and all. Beyond Cowboy Bebop fans, I would also consider this book to be a brilliant example for any fan researcher who aspires to write up a similar treatise on their favorite anime series. And I hope they do, because I would love to read more anime compendiums like this.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

It sometimes feels impossible to truly explain the significance of Cowboy Bebop, but by God, does this book try. It would be fair to say that it succeeds, too – the exhaustively researched, incredibly complete text here assembled is both a love letter to the series and a serious academic exploration of it. With chapters for each episode, the film, music, characters, and more, this is a must-have if you're a fan looking to revisit the series. In fact, I'd say that the best way to read this book would be alongside a rewatch, reading chapters after episodes and using them to guide an interpretation of the series' subtexts and obvious elements to find a greater appreciation for the story as a whole.

Given that this is over six hundred pages long, that also is the least intimidating way to read it. I used the word “exhaustive” advisedly; the sheer breadth of the research and analysis that has gone into this work is both impressive and astounding. Satoru Stevenson goes out of his way to include opposing and contradictory viewpoints to allow readers to draw their own conclusions, more guided and informed by the dual texts of the original series and Stevenson's analysis than concrete statements on what the series is “really” about. Influences are dissected, tiny Easter eggs are revealed, and on the whole, readers are given the space to make informed interpretations about the series rather than told, “This is how it is.” A lot of nonfiction gets billed as academia for everyone, but this is probably one of the closest I've seen to actually deserve that title.

I wouldn't suggest reading this before watching the series. Stevenson's analysis works best if you're already familiar with the basic content of Cowboy Bebop, although you don't need to have formed complete theories about it. This is a work that attempts to enhance the experience of watching the series rather than to exist in a vacuum where Cowboy Bebop is simply an academic point of reference. If you're a fan, absolutely pick this up. And if you're not a fan yet, but someone who's just watched it and thought it was pretty good, reading this will help to show why Cowboy Bebop is still such a cornerstone of science fiction storytelling all these years after it first aired.