Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Original Cowboy Bebop
£24.99
Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Original Cowboy Bebop
£24.99
Written by Satoru Stevenson
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.
636pp. 6×9 format paperback book.
ISBN 978-1-84583-232-2 (p/b)
Published 1 October 2024
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ALSO AVAILABLE AS A TELOS E-BOOK EDITION FROM SELECTED ONLINE RETAILERS
1998, in Kami-igusa, Tokyo … Young anime creators, full of ideas, gathered in the capital’s ‘Anime Town’. Tired of animated stories told according to established patterns, they wanted to create what they liked – a work with greater freedom. A work that might become a genre itself. Then, in 2024 …
Cowboy Bebop has been a mainstay in anime fandom since its debut, consistently ranked among the all time greats and still attracting new devotees. For Western audiences, it was one of the first such imports to gain widespread recognition, but has rarely been subjected to much in the way of critical and analytical scrutiny. Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam! aims to correct that.
Making unparalleled use of Japanese interviews, production material and the creators’ influences, Satoru Stevenson presents a deep dive into Cowboy Bebop. Its genesis, development and initial treatment at the hands of network censors. How the Seatbelts became the biggest band in the solar system, and what shaped the spacefaring society of 2071. It’s a detailed and fascinating story, punctuated by the makers’ love of music and motifs that made the series everything it became.
The book examines the individual ‘Sessions’ as well as associated material from video games to manga comics, and gives a superb insight into the making of one of the most influential anime series ever.
Among the exclusive items contained within the book are:
– The only English guide covering not only the TV series and feature film but the TV specials, short films and video games
– Explores all stages of Bebop‘s creation, from the planning and writing of each episode to design, animation and post-production
– Delves into the process behind Yoko Kanno’s award-winning soundtrack, and offers the most exhaustive index of the anime’s music to date
– Covers the ins and outs of the original home video releases for media collectors
– Packed with newly-translated comments and details from the show’s original creators and staff members
– Mines the original dialogue, the creators’ stated influences and the context of even the obscurest background details
– Draws on multilingual sources from around the world, spanning five decades
‘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.’ Lauren Orsini https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/seasonal/2024/fall/three-two-one-let-jam-the-unofficial-and-unauthorised-guide-to-the-original-cowboy-bebop/.216213
‘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.’ Rebecca Silverman https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/seasonal/2024/fall/three-two-one-let-jam-the-unofficial-and-unauthorised-guide-to-the-original-cowboy-bebop/.216213
‘Stevenson has written an intricately researched and highly readable guide, the one companion book that every Bebop otaku must own. Three, Two One: Let’s Jam never fails to impress by simply getting the history right and avoiding falling into the trap of connecting threads in ways that simply aren’t true, and which fans like myself have done over the years. This is a serious and well-written work, a guide that’s entertaining for both aficionados of Cowboy Bebop and serious students of anime. In other words, go get this bounty, space cowboy. It’s worth every penny.’ TWWK https://beneaththetangles.com/2024/09/30/review-three-two-one-lets-jam/
‘Stevenson’s love for the fiction, combined with his respect for the people who crafted it, make 3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam! uniquely insightful. Most interpretation stems from the artists’ own words, but the author’s insights are just as valuable. Frankly, this book does the impossible: it will make you love Cowboy Bebop more than you already do.’ Kara Dennison, otakuusamagazine.com (https://otakuusamagazine.com/cowboy-bebop-3-2-1-lets-jam-book-review/)
‘Cowboy Bebop finally has a critical appraisal that delves deep into its inspirations and effects.’ – Jonathan Clements
‘Very few anime get the level of attention to detail and meticulous research on display in Satoru Stevenson’s 636-page odyssey into Cowboy Bebop. One could argue that very few anime deserve it. But after reading this truly ground-breaking book, I found myself thinking what a pity it was that few authors and publishers work to this level. Because this book isn’t just exhaustively comprehensive and magnificently documented: it’s fun – absolute catnip to the inner nerd, absolute heaven to the researcher and doubtless about to be exhaustively mined for its multitude of fascinating titbits and substantial threads by bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and websites.
‘This 600-page-plus book has all the information a hardcore BeBop fan will expect, more than most would hope for, and some things they probably won’t see coming. Don’t believe me? Where else are the liner notes for Coffy cited along with the New York Times on Tokyo’s attempts to reshape itself and the Katsuyama City Department of Planning and Finance? And the multiple layers that make up BeBop are all documented in the multilingual, multimedia bilbiography. The music index alone spans 27 pages. There’s even a brief explanation as to why Stevenson chose the particular English language translation most often used, as well as why alternatives were sometimes preferred.
‘I’ve always enjoyed being educated, but rarely had as much as this from a single book on a single show. If you’re a fan of Cowboy BeBop you’ll want this book, but it also reveals much about the workings of the anime business in the late 20th century, and about the construction of visual science fiction. If it’s not on the next Hugo Award ballot for best SF-related work there’s something very wrong.
‘Cover’s really cool, too.’ Helen McCarthy, author of Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, plus the former editor of Anime UK and Manga Mania magazines.
636pp. 6×9 format paperback book.
ISBN 978-1-84583-232-2 (p/b)
Published 1 October 2024
PAGE EXAMPLES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A net diver From Earth. Paperback writer. The kind not to let go of what he bites into. Lying flat. A unit comprised of three people. Not a writer. This is his first and probably last book.
Additional information
Weight
0.01 kg
Dimensions
0.01 × 0.01 × 0.01 cm
4 reviews for Three, Two, One: Let’s Jam! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Original Cowboy Bebop
Kara Dennison –
‘Stevenson’s love for the fiction, combined with his respect for the people who crafted it, make 3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam! uniquely insightful. Most interpretation stems from the artists’ own words, but the author’s insights are just as valuable. Frankly, this book does the impossible: it will make you love Cowboy Bebop more than you already do.’ Kara Dennison, otakuusamagazine.com (https://otakuusamagazine.com/cowboy-bebop-3-2-1-lets-jam-book-review/)
Helen McCarthy –
‘Very few anime get the level of attention to detail and meticulous research on display in Satoru Stevenson’s 636-page odyssey into Cowboy Bebop. One could argue that very few anime deserve it. But after reading this truly ground-breaking book, I found myself thinking what a pity it was that few authors and publishers work to this level. Because this book isn’t just exhaustively comprehensive and magnificently documented: it’s fun – absolute catnip to the inner nerd, absolute heaven to the researcher and doubtless about to be exhaustively mined for its multitude of fascinating titbits and substantial threads by bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and websites.
‘This 600-page-plus book has all the information a hardcore BeBop fan will expect, more than most would hope for, and some things they probably won’t see coming. Don’t believe me? Where else are the liner notes for Coffy cited along with the New York Times on Tokyo’s attempts to reshape itself and the Katsuyama City Department of Planning and Finance? And the multiple layers that make up BeBop are all documented in the multilingual, multimedia bilbiography. The music index alone spans 27 pages. There’s even a brief explanation as to why Stevenson chose the particular English language translation most often used, as well as why alternatives were sometimes preferred.
‘I’ve always enjoyed being educated, but rarely had as much as this from a single book on a single show. If you’re a fan of Cowboy BeBop you’ll want this book, but it also reveals much about the workings of the anime business in the late 20th century, and about the construction of visual science fiction. If it’s not on the next Hugo Award ballot for best SF-related work there’s something very wrong.
‘Cover’s really cool, too.’ Helen McCarthy, author of Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, plus the former editor of Anime UK and Manga Mania magazines.
TWWK –
‘Stevenson has written an intricately researched and highly readable guide, the one companion book that every Bebop otaku must own. Three, Two One: Let’s Jam never fails to impress by simply getting the history right and avoiding falling into the trap of connecting threads in ways that simply aren’t true, and which fans like myself have done over the years. This is a serious and well-written work, a guide that’s entertaining for both aficionados of Cowboy Bebop and serious students of anime. In other words, go get this bounty, space cowboy. It’s worth every penny.’ TWWK
‘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.’ Lauren Orsini https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/seasonal/2024/fall/three-two-one-let-jam-the-unofficial-and-unauthorised-guide-to-the-original-cowboy-bebop/.216213
Kara Dennison –
‘Stevenson’s love for the fiction, combined with his respect for the people who crafted it, make 3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam! uniquely insightful. Most interpretation stems from the artists’ own words, but the author’s insights are just as valuable. Frankly, this book does the impossible: it will make you love Cowboy Bebop more than you already do.’ Kara Dennison, otakuusamagazine.com (https://otakuusamagazine.com/cowboy-bebop-3-2-1-lets-jam-book-review/)
Helen McCarthy –
‘Very few anime get the level of attention to detail and meticulous research on display in Satoru Stevenson’s 636-page odyssey into Cowboy Bebop. One could argue that very few anime deserve it. But after reading this truly ground-breaking book, I found myself thinking what a pity it was that few authors and publishers work to this level. Because this book isn’t just exhaustively comprehensive and magnificently documented: it’s fun – absolute catnip to the inner nerd, absolute heaven to the researcher and doubtless about to be exhaustively mined for its multitude of fascinating titbits and substantial threads by bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and websites.
‘This 600-page-plus book has all the information a hardcore BeBop fan will expect, more than most would hope for, and some things they probably won’t see coming. Don’t believe me? Where else are the liner notes for Coffy cited along with the New York Times on Tokyo’s attempts to reshape itself and the Katsuyama City Department of Planning and Finance? And the multiple layers that make up BeBop are all documented in the multilingual, multimedia bilbiography. The music index alone spans 27 pages. There’s even a brief explanation as to why Stevenson chose the particular English language translation most often used, as well as why alternatives were sometimes preferred.
‘I’ve always enjoyed being educated, but rarely had as much as this from a single book on a single show. If you’re a fan of Cowboy BeBop you’ll want this book, but it also reveals much about the workings of the anime business in the late 20th century, and about the construction of visual science fiction. If it’s not on the next Hugo Award ballot for best SF-related work there’s something very wrong.
‘Cover’s really cool, too.’ Helen McCarthy, author of Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, plus the former editor of Anime UK and Manga Mania magazines.
TWWK –
‘Stevenson has written an intricately researched and highly readable guide, the one companion book that every Bebop otaku must own. Three, Two One: Let’s Jam never fails to impress by simply getting the history right and avoiding falling into the trap of connecting threads in ways that simply aren’t true, and which fans like myself have done over the years. This is a serious and well-written work, a guide that’s entertaining for both aficionados of Cowboy Bebop and serious students of anime. In other words, go get this bounty, space cowboy. It’s worth every penny.’ TWWK
https://beneaththetangles.com/2024/09/30/review-three-two-one-lets-jam/
Lauren Orsini / Rebecca Silverman –
‘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.’ Lauren Orsini https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/seasonal/2024/fall/three-two-one-let-jam-the-unofficial-and-unauthorised-guide-to-the-original-cowboy-bebop/.216213
‘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.’ Rebecca Silverman https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/seasonal/2024/fall/three-two-one-let-jam-the-unofficial-and-unauthorised-guide-to-the-original-cowboy-bebop/.216213