Jackskeleton

Same cast indeed.

Eric F

Is that a yes or a no?

Franksta

actually i heard a rumor that David Lucas, the voice for Spike, was not involved in the dubbing of the Movie and they got some Steve guy who sounds exactly like Lucas. personally i think it's all bull though.

kian69

Just hope it's good.

LivingINClip

I live in Kentucky, so there is no chance it will be in a theater near me. I will have to wait for the eventual DVD release. I just hope it is sometime in the naer future. I've been waiting for over a year now.

fnordboy

It is the same guy.... different name

< cough >non SAG job< / cough >


very common with voice actors.

Trigger

I've had it on VCD since before the DVD box set was released... it's a decent movie, but not quite as good as the series. Sucks about the title "Knocking on Heaven's Door". I'm excited for a nice DVD release... I don't have much faith that it'll actually end up in a theater near me.

WiccanPagan

hmm, i haven't seen any definite word either way yes, but is the movie release pre-empting its release on an r1 dvd? if so, excellent. i'm not going to be able to catch it while it is here, most likely and would love to get it.

Shemp

Here's a link to a decent article from Animation World Network on the history of the series and the theatrical movie :

http://mag.awn.com/index.php3?ltype=...rticle_no=1666


The article states that "the initial release, on April 4th, will be in seventeen major cities across the U.S. If the box office is favorable, this may be expanded."

Tuan Jim

What cheeses me off is that originally Chapel Hill, NC (my town) was listed as an opening city -- kinda surprising given how small we are. Now it's only the big cities that are listed on the site. Hopefully we'll still get it (we got Metropolis and SA on their original runs) but probably not this week.

ChemDoc

Now called only, "Cowboy Bebop - The Movie" it will be released in 16 cities and only 17 theatres (NY,NY gets two theatres) this Friday. 6 of the theatres are in CA. Portland OR doesn't get it until 4/18.

Surprisingly enough, one of the theatres that's getting it is in Royal Oak, MI (a small suburb of Detroit). It's only playing there for a week, so I gotta find some time. It's a 90 mile drive for me, but I am a big fan. It's the only theatre in MI that got the initial release of "Spirited Away".

I wonder if this one week limited release means it'll get wider release later? I mean, WTF, did they only make 16 copies of the movie???

And yes, it is the same cast as they orginial US dubs. I have no idea if it is going to be shown subbed instead anywhere.

-doc

FYI, website is www.cowboybebopthemovie.com

harosa

Theatre showings are dubbed, as evident by clips on the official website. The "R" rating is probably more for the whole similarity to events today, chemical terrorists and all, especially it taking place in a place that looks similar to NYC.

trigun

Didn't Princess Mononoke have an R rating?

The Bebop movie does have a couple graphic scenes in it.

slop101

A review:

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
A good four-fifths of the fun of Shinichirô Watanabe's innovative Japanese-animation TV series Cowboy Bebop was derived from its style and attitude, from the over-the-top swaggering of its antiheroes to its flashy animation and genre-leaping, tone-setting music. Much of the rest of the series' allure came from its offbeat sense of humor, which occasionally eclipsed its commitment to plot or continuity. Many of the series' 26 episodes ended without resolution; they didn't always have satisfying stories, but they never let go of their dedication to chic mystique. Which is why the long-awaited cinematic spin-off's plodding allegiance to plot makes the film a bit unsatisfying. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie takes place before the end of the series, when casual bounty-hunting partners Spike Spiegel and Jet Black and their obnoxious hangers-on (bounty-hunting bitch-queen/gambling reprobate Faye Valentine and psychotic child-hacker Ed Wong) permanently parted ways. In the film, they're still working together, to the extent that they ever were; novice viewers can readily pick up the movie's plot threads, so long as they understand that even longtime fans don't necessarily understand the main characters' uncommunicative, uncooperative cooperation. The film opens as the protagonists' spaceship, the Bebop, arrives on Mars. There, Spike and Jet manage a small score by stopping a convenience-store robbery, but Faye misses her latest target when his truck explodes on a freeway off-ramp, releasing an unknown substance that kills hundreds. The Martian government responds by placing a huge bounty on anyone responsible. The Bebop's crewmembers all start following the money, in the process uncovering a complicated plot and a cold-hearted criminal whose actions seem to have more to do with maintaining a monstrous façade than forwarding any tangible agenda. But while he himself fits neatly into Cowboy Bebop's cult of personality, his cluttered backstory doesn't. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie spends far too much of its two-hour length laboriously chasing down plot threads, particularly given that they never cohere. A number of eye-popping setpieces--a pointless but pretty aerial duel, a series of stylish hand-to-hand battles--reconfirm the series' dedication to loose-limbed animation and seductive visual choreography. But Jet seems to be right when he suggests that the Bebop crew is delving into a planet-sized problem that's both too large for them and none of their business. By its end, the film has begun to feel like a standard cop movie with the Bebop characters awkwardly grafted into the key roles. The series' avant-garde flair is still evident in the movie's external touches, from its diverse soundtrack to its characters' flamboyant recklessness. But beneath all the style is a confused stab at substance. The ambition is laudable, but the execution is wanting, and the attempt itself may indicate that Watanabe and company have forgotten what made Cowboy Bebop so much fun. --Tasha Robinson

RichC2

No, it was PG-13.

I've seen the Bebop movie multiple times. What it lacks in plot it makes up for in sheer entertaininment. Fans of the series may be a little disappointed that it's merely another standard episode (not one of the Arc'd Vicious/Julia ones), but overall - most people, including regular film goers, should be able to enjoy the hell out of it, it's a brisk moving movie and fun way to spend 2 hours.

On a side note, while an avid fan of Anime, I do feel most anime movies are sorely lacking in either plot or entertainment value, occasionally both. Bebop, while lacking a little in plot, definitly has the entertainment value.

And just because I'm bored..
Quick opinion of a few other anime flicks:
Escaflowne: B- or C+
Akira: B
Blood: first time - B+, there after: C
Princess Mononoke: B+
Spirited Away: A
Grave of the Fireflies: A-
Perfect Blue: C
Castle of Cagliostro: C
Spriggan: B+ (Yes, I thought it was entertaining)
Tenchi Forever: B-
Memories: I: B-, II: B, III: B
X: C- (I like the art, the movie is..boring to say the least.)
Cowboy Bebop: B+

rkndkn

Wow, this is the first time EVER that they have considered Honolulu a major city for a theatrical release -- we're getting it 4/4.

Bill Chance

It's showing at the Angelika in Dallas - a great place to see a film.

I'm taking my son to see it this weekend - he's excited. Will write a review afterward and post a link here.

Later
Bill Chance
The Daily Epiphany

harosa

Dubs suck, but on a different note, the animators and director of the Bebop show and film have their ANIMATRIX short up now, very stylish and noirish, damn if it doesnt feel like an extension of the Bebop universe. The official website doesnt seem to have it up now but here'sa link to the story at AICN- http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=14883

SiberianLlama

Already got my tickets to the Loews in Times Square. 10:20pm can't come fast enough!

trigun

Not to get into the pointless dubs vs. subs argument, but this show is considered by many to have the best dub cast of any anime show. Even some sub only fans agree that the dub cast is a better fit for this show. I think they're both great and certainly don't mind seeing this movie dubbed.

slop101

If you don't speak the language, don't you miss out on the same sort of things on a sub as you would a dub?

WiccanPagan

dammit yahoo isn't listing times/theaters for this. anyone know a place that is?

DVDGirl

I had no idea it was going to open here on opening day. Well, I think it's too late to get to the Varsity for the 10:00 showing (as it might be sold out), we'll definitely go tomorrow.

Any idea if they're showing a subbed version? When they had "Spirited Away" showing last year, it was subbed, while the other theaters on the island were dubbed.

-DVD Girl

Otto

I've got the subbed version on VCD somewhere, but I will definitely buy the dub on DVD. I would see it in theaters, but the closest one is a 6 hr, 3 state drive away.

The movie is good. I think it would be better dubbed, because I don't speak Japanese and I don't get as much of a feel for the "tone" of the characters when I can't understand what the hell they're saying. I have the DVD box set too, and I think the English dub is better, simply because I get more emotion from it, while the Japanese voices sound flat as a pancake to my non-Japanese ear.

hotaru_san

Guess just from being an anime fan for some time I get a "feel" for what emotion is being protrayed with the original language even if I don't speak it, and I will say that that I perfer the Sub version of this series but I will agree, the Dub is not bad at all and unlike many other anime series, I can enjoy the series dubbed in english simply because of the very talented voice acting.

Now you want to talk about bad dub's.... Love hina is one I would point out first.