I just finished the entire Cowboy Bebop series, and definitely enjoyed it FAR more than Lain, and possibly more than Evangelion (although they're quite different, so its kinda hard to compare). Anyway, after getting through disc 6 (props to Bandai for a pretty good dvd aside from a few minor faults, but well ahead of ADV's Evangelion discs), and I'm left with a question. Spoilers ahead, if you didn't already see that part.
Simply, did Spike die?
Now for the not-so-simple part of my question. Spike claimed that he was already dead from the start of the series, from when he had lost Julia. He's been wandering around on the Bebop, and when he loses Julia again, that's when we have a final battle with Vicious (although, when I finished episode 5...I kinda thought BLOWING HIM UP was kinda final![]()
). He leaves the Bebop after telling Faye that he's going to find out if he's alive. Still not sure if he was talking figuratively there or not.
Anyway, Spike survived quite a few encounters in the past, and I'm left wondering if Spike actually died, even though that's the "obvious" answer.
He survived:
That wound from some fight, when he fell down in front of Julia (don't remember a specific explanation on it)
He survived at least one gunshot wound, a sword stab to the shoulder, and getting THROWN OUT OF THE WINDOW of that Church, onto the (concrete?) steps, many stories below.
He survived Pierrot Le Fou, who almost killed him twice.
He escapes death in most episodes, whether its trying to get out of the mine's using Decker's super explosives, or almost plunging into the Earth with his dead ship, and even a horrible sort of organism (that grew off a lobster?![]()
) that's crawling around the ship, which turns out to be nothing more than a probiotic organism.
He (apparently) even survives the psycho terrorist Vincent Volaju in the movie, probably getting banged up there as well.
So if he's shot by a Red Dragon member, and gets sliced once or twice by Vicious, could that really kill Spike? Was his life's goals now complete with the death of Julia, and then the death of Vicious, that he had nothing else to live for? Or did he simply pass out (again) due to the lost blood? I mean, if they had the medical technology to keep Faye alive for 50 years after that shuttle accident or to replace Jet's arm after his own accident, isn't it natural to assume that Spike made it out of there alive?
Its such a straight-forward ending in some ways, and in others, its confusing the hell out of me. I just wanted to know the opinions of some of you guys here, as well as any info or parts I may have missed (including any official comments on Spike's fate).
The other thing about the ending, which is not really a BAD thing in this case, just a bit different, is how ABRUPT it is for the rest of the cast. Ed and Ein already ran off, never to be seen from again, but Faye had already returned. In one episode, Julia, Vicious, Annie, Shin, and possibly even Spike all die, and we have no clue as to the fate of Faye and Jet. I'm not really complaining or anything, but it did throw me off a bit.![]()
Simply, did Spike die?
Now for the not-so-simple part of my question. Spike claimed that he was already dead from the start of the series, from when he had lost Julia. He's been wandering around on the Bebop, and when he loses Julia again, that's when we have a final battle with Vicious (although, when I finished episode 5...I kinda thought BLOWING HIM UP was kinda final
). He leaves the Bebop after telling Faye that he's going to find out if he's alive. Still not sure if he was talking figuratively there or not. Anyway, Spike survived quite a few encounters in the past, and I'm left wondering if Spike actually died, even though that's the "obvious" answer.
He survived:
That wound from some fight, when he fell down in front of Julia (don't remember a specific explanation on it)
He survived at least one gunshot wound, a sword stab to the shoulder, and getting THROWN OUT OF THE WINDOW of that Church, onto the (concrete?) steps, many stories below.
He survived Pierrot Le Fou, who almost killed him twice.
He escapes death in most episodes, whether its trying to get out of the mine's using Decker's super explosives, or almost plunging into the Earth with his dead ship, and even a horrible sort of organism (that grew off a lobster?
) that's crawling around the ship, which turns out to be nothing more than a probiotic organism. He (apparently) even survives the psycho terrorist Vincent Volaju in the movie, probably getting banged up there as well.
So if he's shot by a Red Dragon member, and gets sliced once or twice by Vicious, could that really kill Spike? Was his life's goals now complete with the death of Julia, and then the death of Vicious, that he had nothing else to live for? Or did he simply pass out (again) due to the lost blood? I mean, if they had the medical technology to keep Faye alive for 50 years after that shuttle accident or to replace Jet's arm after his own accident, isn't it natural to assume that Spike made it out of there alive?
Its such a straight-forward ending in some ways, and in others, its confusing the hell out of me. I just wanted to know the opinions of some of you guys here, as well as any info or parts I may have missed (including any official comments on Spike's fate).
The other thing about the ending, which is not really a BAD thing in this case, just a bit different, is how ABRUPT it is for the rest of the cast. Ed and Ein already ran off, never to be seen from again, but Faye had already returned. In one episode, Julia, Vicious, Annie, Shin, and possibly even Spike all die, and we have no clue as to the fate of Faye and Jet. I'm not really complaining or anything, but it did throw me off a bit.
