Editing Cowboy Bebop (section)

==Legacy==
In March 2009, the print and web editions of ''[[The Onion]]'''s ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' called ''Cowboy Bebop'' "rightly a huge hit", and listed it as a gateway series to understanding the medium of anime as a whole.<ref name="avclub-2009" /> Suskind said: "It was unlike anything the genre had seen before. It even approached its music differently. The show kicked off with a wormhole of a theme song, and the soundtrack moves so seamlessly through genres, from rock to country to pop to jazz to funk, it's shocking to learn that one set of musicians is behind it all". In an interview, producer Sean Akins also states that the series "created a whole new world". "It's hard for me to quantify the impact that I think it has had. It changed anime. I think people began to think about what shows would be cool. I think it redefined cool within animation, not only in Japan but in the States".<ref name=atlantic/> One of the series' main animators, [[Tensai Okamura]], went on to create his own anime in 2007: ''[[Darker than Black]]''. Okamura used his experience from ''Cowboy Bebop'' to write the screenplay of ''Darker than Black'', leading to narratives composed of two episodes similar to Japanese dramas.<ref name="secondfanbook">{{cite book|script-title=ja:DARKER THAN BLACK-流星の双子- OFFICIAL FANBOOK 三鷹文書分析報告|publisher=Square Enix|year=2010|isbn=9784757529854|language=ja}}</ref>

American film director, screenwriter, and producer [[Rian Johnson]] has cited ''Cowboy Bebop'' as a visual influence on his films, most notably ''[[Brick (film)|Brick]]''.<ref name="visuals">{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Rian|date=April 19, 2006|title=The Visuals of Brick|url=http://www.rcjohnso.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2350&sid=587c10758d5009ad4225fcaa91ef524b#p2350|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103183209/http://www.rcjohnso.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2350&sid=587c10758d5009ad4225fcaa91ef524b#p2350|archive-date=November 3, 2014|access-date=March 9, 2007|website=Rian's Forum|publisher=rcjohnso.com}}</ref> ''[[Ender's Game]]'' writer [[Orson Scott Card]] also praised the series. He states that the series is "better than most sci-fi films out there". He goes on to say that he "found this series brilliant, but what held me was a combination of strong relationship-based storytelling, a moody visual style that never got old and really smart dialogue".<ref name=atlantic/>

After the creation of the series, an interviewer asked Watanabe if he had any plans to create more ''Cowboy Bebop'' material. Watanabe responded by saying that he does not believe that he "should just keep on making ''Cowboy Bebop'' sequels for the sake of it". Watanabe added that ending production and "to quit while we're ahead when people still want more" is more "in keeping with the ''Bebop'' spirit".<ref name="WatanabeInterviewCBMovie">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20030307023145/http://www.cowboybebop.org/english/door/interview/index.html The Director's Voice Shinichiro Watanabe Interview]." ''CowboyBebop.com''.</ref> In a more recent interview from 2006 with ''[[The Daily Texan]]'', Watanabe was asked if there would ever be more ''Cowboy Bebop''. Watanabe's answer was "someday...maybe, someday".<ref>{{cite web|last=McNamara|first=Jonathan|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/cowboy-bebop-director-watanabe-talks-anime-1.971462|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715113817/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/cowboy-bebop-director-watanabe-talks-anime-1.971462|title='Cowboy Bebop' director Watanabe talks anime|newspaper=[[The Daily Texan]]|place=[[Austin, Texas]]|date=2006-02-14|archive-date=2009-07-15|accessdate=2023-03-20}}</ref>

In May 2020, composer Mason Lieberman partnered with Sunrise and Funimation to produce an official ''Cowboy Bebop'' charity track for [[COVID-19]] relief. This track was released on vinyl and featured the return of original series composer Yōko Kanno, original recording band The Seatbelts, and a collection of forty other special musical guests.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 1, 2020|title=A Special Performance of Cowboy Bebop's "The Real Folk Blues" feat. Yoko Kanno, Steve Blum, and More|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwE0wwMmKE|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503140826/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwE0wwMmKE&gl=US&hl=en|archive-date=May 3, 2020|access-date=May 3, 2020|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Yoko Kanno, Voice Actors, Musicians Create Cowboy Bebop Charity Track to Fight COVID-19|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-05-01/yoko-kanno-voice-actors-musicians-create-cowboy-bebop-charity-track-to-fight-covid-19/.158175|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501183615/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-05-01/yoko-kanno-voice-actors-musicians-create-cowboy-bebop-charity-track-to-fight-covid-19/.158175|archive-date=May 1, 2020|access-date=May 3, 2020|website=Anime News Network}}</ref>