This is an image from the opening sequence of Cowboy Bebop (1998). For many, the opening is probably the most memorable part of the anime. My own interest in Cowboy Bebop was sparked by its realistic character design. The protagonist, especially Spike, with his mature and stylish design reminiscent of Yusaku Matsuda and Lupin the Third, left a strong impression on me. Also, the performances of the Japanese voice actors, spanning from comedic to serious scenes, were incredibly captivating.
Cowboy Bebop emerged in a time when many narratives gravitated toward realism. Evangelion, the drama Odoru Daisousasen starring Yuji Oda, and Kamen Rider Kuuga starring Joe Odagiri all featured characters who felt grounded, tangible, human. These were stories that sought to transcend the boundaries of fiction by rooting themselves in emotional and psychological realism. In the liminal space between the boom and collapse of Japan’s economic bubble, it feels almost inevitable that such stories, woven from dreams and reality, would take shape. And yet, anime remains anime. However grounded it may be, it ultimately resides within the realm of fantasy.
"But what if the future itself is a kind of dream?"
If that’s the case, then is there truly a difference between a plausible future and an impossible one? Between what might be and what cannot? We humans are always moving, either forward or not at all. With no option but to advance into the unknown, perhaps we turn to anime not to escape reality, but to envision futures that reality itself has not yet caught up to.
If you have not yet seen Cowboy Bebop, I highly recommend watching the original Japanese version. And next week, Xinlisupreme will release a new single.
Until then, see you, space cowboy...

Yo yo.
Hey, man,

Cowboy BeRap.
Second single from the upgraded Anime Hop. Droppin' tomorrow. Maybe the day after. You’ll find it. TicTok. Spotify. YouTube.  Wherever you waste time.
The English lyrics are posted in the comments section on Instagram.

Cover’s hand-drawn. The rap? Recorded by a real person, just for this track. No AI voice clones trying to sound like a voice actor. No voice clips stolen from TV either.
 If you got anime freak friends. The kind who only watch subs. Send it their way.

As I mentioned in my interview with Nick last year, ten years ago, Japanese hip-hop music writer and fans dismissed Vocaloid rap as “fake rap”. But when Vocaloid music became part of Japan’s mainstream culture, they started acting as if they’d supported it all along.
That’s when I decided I wanted to create “fake rap” that would anger those closed-minded music fans. That became the original inspiration behind Anime Hop.

Rap with long lines? Not my thing.

Anime Hop is basically rap vocals inspired by the anime audio dramas I used to listen to as a kid. Since long lines of dialogue don’t fit well with music, I kept the rap lyrics short. I also chose a simple rhythm, because complicated rhythms would limit the voice actors’ freedom to express themselves. And since I believe exaggeration is the essence of anime, I added a recurring phrase “Yo YoYo Hey men!” as a kind of stylized expression of the rapper character.
This is my rap style for Anime Hop. It’s not about following the rules of “real rap.” Just to be free.

At first, Cowboy BeRap was gonna sound like big bandjazz.

Too expected. Too clean.
I ditched it.

Wrote a rap around that meatless green pepper steak scene from Episode 1. What would Spike say if he had a mic instead of a cigarette? I went with a laid-back, monologue style sound.

Just some simple beat-driven music.  
No flashy music.

And please
Don’t say
"You pissed off Japan’s music fans with I Am Not Shinzo Abe and now with Anime Hop you’ve pissed off music fans all over the world. You're not a bounty hunter like Spike. You're the bounty head".

So instead of "See you Space Cowboy...", I’ll leave you with this.

You’ll never catch me, Space Cowboys