Session XX: Mish-Mash Blues
Session XX, also known as Mish-Mash Blues, is the 13th and final session that was aired when Cowboy Bebop was being cancelled during its original TV run in Japan.
The reason that it has never received much debate amongst fans is three-fold: visually, it’s just a literal mish-mash of scenes from all 26 sessions and produces nothing new, plot-wise, that may be worthy of speculation and debate. The montage of scenes also runs like a jazz bebop session wherein the characters offer random and unconnected musings on life. Finally, this session was never televised in the US, resulting in severe under-exposure within the fandom compared to other sessions.
The lack of attention on Session XX is a shame because when I finally caught it on Youtube recently, I was amazed at not only the never-heard-elsewhere Kanno music but also at how revealing this seemingly random session actually is about the key themes, the characters in Cowboy Bebop, and the production team's intent. In fact, Session XX elucidates quite a few things that were never fully addressed in the main 26 sessions. So here’s the video and the transcript for Session XX: Mish-Mash Blues for those who want a closer look.
Special thanks to reader Alpha Catch for creating this HD version of the session and sharing it on this new site here.
The reason that it has never received much debate amongst fans is three-fold: visually, it’s just a literal mish-mash of scenes from all 26 sessions and produces nothing new, plot-wise, that may be worthy of speculation and debate. The montage of scenes also runs like a jazz bebop session wherein the characters offer random and unconnected musings on life. Finally, this session was never televised in the US, resulting in severe under-exposure within the fandom compared to other sessions.
The lack of attention on Session XX is a shame because when I finally caught it on Youtube recently, I was amazed at not only the never-heard-elsewhere Kanno music but also at how revealing this seemingly random session actually is about the key themes, the characters in Cowboy Bebop, and the production team's intent. In fact, Session XX elucidates quite a few things that were never fully addressed in the main 26 sessions. So here’s the video and the transcript for Session XX: Mish-Mash Blues for those who want a closer look.
Special thanks to reader Alpha Catch for creating this HD version of the session and sharing it on this new site here.
Credit for the original English translation goes to Tsunami Fansubs; I merely transcribed it and edited it a bit.
SESSION XX: MISH-MASH BLUES
#1 “Food for thought”
SPIKE:
Nothing lasts forever. All things must come to an end. That is the so-called way of Nature. It's rather sudden, but this is the last episode, so I would like to take this opportunity to remember all the things that have happened and think about them.
Food is very important. After all, you are what you eat. Suppose there was a human clone of me, and he had never eaten anything other than hamburgers. That guy and I would genetically be the same but we would be completely different people.
"Hamburger Spike" might be more short-tempered than me, or might be the kind of guy that goes to church on Sundays; he might be a violent bounty head, or a man that irons his white shirts before wearing them. At any rate, the "Hamburger Spike" would be a different person from me.
In other words, when choosing your food you have to think about it carefully. I'll have the boiled lobster miso.
#2 “Fools gold”
JET:
There's a lot to “bonsai”. It's not as easy as just cutting; each bonsai has its own personality, and you have to let those live. A foolish person will try to cut anything and everything off just the same. They just cut and cut and cut the parts that stick out. Yet those parts that stick out are its personality and its true originality. People who can't even figure that out don't have the right to hold a pair of scissors to the bonsai. I feel sorry for the bonsai.
#3 “Que Sera Sera”
FAYE:
I hate men with no thought, but I hate men who force their thoughts on others even more. I hate men with pyorrhea too. You can’t even kiss a man if his breath is bad. I love dangerous men, but I had to think about the ones that are too dangerous. I hate weak men; I love men who know their own weakness. I love optimistic men; I can't imagine trying to predict what happens in advance and then living pessimistically… Life, no matter how it falls, will probably turn out exactly as it was going to turn out.
#4 “Heartless World”
ED:
Space is very fast. Ed is traveling to find the truth of space. When I walk barefooted, it feels electric. The network sea is so spacious that there are lots of fish. When I put something on my head I get excited. When I think there is a truth and look for it, I can’t find it. When I don't think there is a truth, I can't find either. I can't get a hold of what I want, but I did get a hold of what I need.
#5 “Key of life”
SPIKE:
Humans live by their heart’s beat; the beat is a systematic repetition. In other words, rhythm. Ideed, whatever you're doing rhythm is the most important. When walking, when eating, when fighting, when making love, when talking… rhythm is essential.
#6 “Doggy dog world”
ED:
Hey, Ein. Hey, hey, Ein. Why are you so furry? I know! Because you're sensitive to the cold! Hey Ein, why aren't you laughing? Ah, that is because you're nihilistic. Hey Ein, why are you so happy? Ah, it's because Ed is happy, isn't it?
#7 “Walk this way”
JET:
"The greatest respect that writers can give their readers is to not write anything that they expect." That's what Goethe said. He also said this, "whether it's a manmade or natural piece of work, we have to pay special attention to its original intent." That guy says some good things. Who would've thought that I would quit being a cop and become a bounty hunter? All my friends are surprised, saying, "You totally defied my expectations."
That's fine. I want to do something that nobody else would think of. Seeing things you’ve never seen, hearing stories you never heard; my comrades enjoy it quite a bit.
#8 “A natural woman”
FAYE:
I hate simplicity. I hate over cleanliness. Being at least a little dirty makes your room and the world easier to live in. They say that "white skin hides seven blemishes" but I hate hiding; stains, freckles... what's wrong with that? If everyone has the exact same face, you can’t tell who you were. I don't know myself as it is. That's why I can't erase the clues. They're all guideposts to myself, you see.
#9 “Instant karma!”
SPIKE:
Laughing Bull said to me, "Swimming bird, do you know what your soul is made from?" I said, "No. Probably some cotton dust that's rolling around somewhere." Bull said, "That answer is wrong, yet correct. Your body is connected to the universe, yet it is not; your soul includes the entire universe, yet it does not. That is for me and for everyone. If you hate someone, you hate yourself; if you love someone, you love yourself."I said, "I don't feel anything towards anyone." Bull said, "That is the greatest misfortune on this earth."
#10 “Sugar mountain”
SPIKE:
They say that if you give a baby sweet things only, it will only want that and won't eat the nutritious foods that are vital. Things like sugar candy are the poison, after all. Now, it's not like I'm only talking about food. The world is full of sugar candy. If you only watch stuff like that, your brain will rot and become like yoghurt.
#11 “Chain of fools”
JET:
You know, there's a lot to cooking. It's not as easy as just randomly adding flavor. A foolish person will put in too much flavor making a dish and you won’t even be able to tell whether it's beef or chicken. Those kind of people... shouldn't hold a wok. The original flavor of the ingredients... For example, if it's beef then you have to let the originality of the beef live; otherwise the beef will be sad.
#12 “Do it yourself”
FAYE:
Those who don't work have no right to eat. I don't count. Woman are great just by staying alive. "Don't rely on others and do things yourself." I don't know who told me that, but for some time I've been believing in it. It's not that big of a deal though. I wouldn't want to be relied upon and not be able to come through. And even if I did, I would wonder, "was it really for their sake?" etcetera.
In the end, you have to grab your own luck.
JET:
Women will quickly betray you, but men live by giri (duty).
FAYE:
Duty, huh?
JET:
That's what I'd like to believe.
#13 “If 6 was 9”
SPIKE:
It’s very important to doubt everything that you take on. Information is only information, after all. If you think that what they say on TV is the truth, you're gravely mistaken. Open your own eyes, clear out your ears, and look and listen to the world. And think using your own brain. After you've doubted everything, there is a possibility of something real to believe in. That's right, to believe in something, doubt everything.
JET:
It's not a question of that being hard to do-- it's impossible! It's like trying to play baseball without holding a bat. Hey, Spike!
SPIKE:
That's the kind of thing I like.
#14 “Amazing Grace”
JET:
The good part about bounty hunting is that there are no rules. There is no written list of guidelines in existence for capturing a bounty. But if you do what you want they'll start complaining, or get mad and say that it against the rules. They're supposed to live by following this world’s “rules”. But who made these “rules”? It's not like we were born to obey somebody. Whether threatened or bribed, our souls can't be sold.
SPIKE:
Unfortunately, the freelancing soul is an ancient concept.
JET:
What? But what about the heart?
SPIKE:
It's too expensive for money to buy.
#15 “My favorite things”
ED:
Ed has not had any sufferings yet. Perhaps I might have but I don't remember at all. If you ask why, it's because I only do things that look fun. And even with boring things, I find something a little fun in them and get excited. But if it's too boring, I go to sleep. And when I'm asleep, it's fun rolling around dreaming. The end~
#16 “Unfinished sympathy”
SPIKE:
Bruce Lee was said to have said this, "empty your mind and throw away any form or shape. Be like water." If you put water in a cup the water takes the form of the cup; if you put water in a teapot, the water takes the form of a teapot. Water can flow or it can crash violently. That is why, my friend, be like water."As expected, my heart's mentor speaks in a unique way.
He also said this, "what I am teaching is not self-defense or how to defeat opponents or anything like that. But rather, I am teaching you how to express yourself through your movements, whether that is anger, determination, or whatever. In other words, this is a method of expression using the human body with combat."
You can tell that Bruce Lee wasn't just a movie star or just a martial artist, can’t you?
#17 “Public pressure”
JET:
If there is a God in this world, I'd like to ask for one wish-- divine retribution to all those who take freedom away.
#18 “Whole lotta love”
FAYE:
I sometimes think I miss out on a lot with this personality. I sometimes think that, being the way I am, all the good men will run away. Well, this is who I am, so it can't be helped. If I act like someone else saying, "even though I look like this I'm really a homemaker!" or whatever... even if it did get anywhere, in the end, hardship—no—only regrets will come. It's got to be someone that will like me for myself. Well, I think it'll be tough being with me but there is probably a man unlucky enough in the universe though.
#19 “Wild style”
JET:
Over a century ago, there was a sax player called Charlie Parker. He was probably the first man to play without using sheet music. In other words, he was tired up of playing the same thing and started adlibbing and playing in his own style. The music that he started eventually came to be called Bebop. That's right. That's the origin of this ship's name.
#20 “Daydream believer”
SPIKE:
We all sleep while we wake up and and we all wake up while we sleep. Is the past reality? Are memories the truth? Dreams… where are our dreams, really? The dreams we dream while asleep, the dreams we dream while awake... they're both the same. The people who say they don't dream only don't remember. The people with no dreams have only yet to notice them; they're cowards. They want to see them, but they are merely forcing themselves not to.
#21 “Hang onto your self”
SPIKE:
This is just an illusion. Controlled by an unseen hand, the truth is still covered by a thick veil. But it quietly, like the moons of Titan, secretly exist, eventually revealing itself after the sandstorm clears.
#22 “Looking back in anger”
SPIKE:
Stop getting angry over such frivilous things. This isn't a joke, nor is it fiction. Or... have I been seeing a bad dream?
#23 “Tangled up in blue”
JET:
A blues man somewhere was said to have said this after being asked the definition of blues, "Blues is... singing about some kind of trouble that can’t be helped."
#24 “It's all over now, baby blue”
CAPTION:
This is not the end. You'll see the real Cowboy Bebop someday!
**End of transcript**
SESSION XX: MISH-MASH BLUES
#1 “Food for thought”
SPIKE:
Nothing lasts forever. All things must come to an end. That is the so-called way of Nature. It's rather sudden, but this is the last episode, so I would like to take this opportunity to remember all the things that have happened and think about them.
Food is very important. After all, you are what you eat. Suppose there was a human clone of me, and he had never eaten anything other than hamburgers. That guy and I would genetically be the same but we would be completely different people.
"Hamburger Spike" might be more short-tempered than me, or might be the kind of guy that goes to church on Sundays; he might be a violent bounty head, or a man that irons his white shirts before wearing them. At any rate, the "Hamburger Spike" would be a different person from me.
In other words, when choosing your food you have to think about it carefully. I'll have the boiled lobster miso.
#2 “Fools gold”
JET:
There's a lot to “bonsai”. It's not as easy as just cutting; each bonsai has its own personality, and you have to let those live. A foolish person will try to cut anything and everything off just the same. They just cut and cut and cut the parts that stick out. Yet those parts that stick out are its personality and its true originality. People who can't even figure that out don't have the right to hold a pair of scissors to the bonsai. I feel sorry for the bonsai.
#3 “Que Sera Sera”
FAYE:
I hate men with no thought, but I hate men who force their thoughts on others even more. I hate men with pyorrhea too. You can’t even kiss a man if his breath is bad. I love dangerous men, but I had to think about the ones that are too dangerous. I hate weak men; I love men who know their own weakness. I love optimistic men; I can't imagine trying to predict what happens in advance and then living pessimistically… Life, no matter how it falls, will probably turn out exactly as it was going to turn out.
#4 “Heartless World”
ED:
Space is very fast. Ed is traveling to find the truth of space. When I walk barefooted, it feels electric. The network sea is so spacious that there are lots of fish. When I put something on my head I get excited. When I think there is a truth and look for it, I can’t find it. When I don't think there is a truth, I can't find either. I can't get a hold of what I want, but I did get a hold of what I need.
#5 “Key of life”
SPIKE:
Humans live by their heart’s beat; the beat is a systematic repetition. In other words, rhythm. Ideed, whatever you're doing rhythm is the most important. When walking, when eating, when fighting, when making love, when talking… rhythm is essential.
#6 “Doggy dog world”
ED:
Hey, Ein. Hey, hey, Ein. Why are you so furry? I know! Because you're sensitive to the cold! Hey Ein, why aren't you laughing? Ah, that is because you're nihilistic. Hey Ein, why are you so happy? Ah, it's because Ed is happy, isn't it?
#7 “Walk this way”
JET:
"The greatest respect that writers can give their readers is to not write anything that they expect." That's what Goethe said. He also said this, "whether it's a manmade or natural piece of work, we have to pay special attention to its original intent." That guy says some good things. Who would've thought that I would quit being a cop and become a bounty hunter? All my friends are surprised, saying, "You totally defied my expectations."
That's fine. I want to do something that nobody else would think of. Seeing things you’ve never seen, hearing stories you never heard; my comrades enjoy it quite a bit.
#8 “A natural woman”
FAYE:
I hate simplicity. I hate over cleanliness. Being at least a little dirty makes your room and the world easier to live in. They say that "white skin hides seven blemishes" but I hate hiding; stains, freckles... what's wrong with that? If everyone has the exact same face, you can’t tell who you were. I don't know myself as it is. That's why I can't erase the clues. They're all guideposts to myself, you see.
#9 “Instant karma!”
SPIKE:
Laughing Bull said to me, "Swimming bird, do you know what your soul is made from?" I said, "No. Probably some cotton dust that's rolling around somewhere." Bull said, "That answer is wrong, yet correct. Your body is connected to the universe, yet it is not; your soul includes the entire universe, yet it does not. That is for me and for everyone. If you hate someone, you hate yourself; if you love someone, you love yourself."I said, "I don't feel anything towards anyone." Bull said, "That is the greatest misfortune on this earth."
#10 “Sugar mountain”
SPIKE:
They say that if you give a baby sweet things only, it will only want that and won't eat the nutritious foods that are vital. Things like sugar candy are the poison, after all. Now, it's not like I'm only talking about food. The world is full of sugar candy. If you only watch stuff like that, your brain will rot and become like yoghurt.
#11 “Chain of fools”
JET:
You know, there's a lot to cooking. It's not as easy as just randomly adding flavor. A foolish person will put in too much flavor making a dish and you won’t even be able to tell whether it's beef or chicken. Those kind of people... shouldn't hold a wok. The original flavor of the ingredients... For example, if it's beef then you have to let the originality of the beef live; otherwise the beef will be sad.
#12 “Do it yourself”
FAYE:
Those who don't work have no right to eat. I don't count. Woman are great just by staying alive. "Don't rely on others and do things yourself." I don't know who told me that, but for some time I've been believing in it. It's not that big of a deal though. I wouldn't want to be relied upon and not be able to come through. And even if I did, I would wonder, "was it really for their sake?" etcetera.
In the end, you have to grab your own luck.
JET:
Women will quickly betray you, but men live by giri (duty).
FAYE:
Duty, huh?
JET:
That's what I'd like to believe.
#13 “If 6 was 9”
SPIKE:
It’s very important to doubt everything that you take on. Information is only information, after all. If you think that what they say on TV is the truth, you're gravely mistaken. Open your own eyes, clear out your ears, and look and listen to the world. And think using your own brain. After you've doubted everything, there is a possibility of something real to believe in. That's right, to believe in something, doubt everything.
JET:
It's not a question of that being hard to do-- it's impossible! It's like trying to play baseball without holding a bat. Hey, Spike!
SPIKE:
That's the kind of thing I like.
#14 “Amazing Grace”
JET:
The good part about bounty hunting is that there are no rules. There is no written list of guidelines in existence for capturing a bounty. But if you do what you want they'll start complaining, or get mad and say that it against the rules. They're supposed to live by following this world’s “rules”. But who made these “rules”? It's not like we were born to obey somebody. Whether threatened or bribed, our souls can't be sold.
SPIKE:
Unfortunately, the freelancing soul is an ancient concept.
JET:
What? But what about the heart?
SPIKE:
It's too expensive for money to buy.
#15 “My favorite things”
ED:
Ed has not had any sufferings yet. Perhaps I might have but I don't remember at all. If you ask why, it's because I only do things that look fun. And even with boring things, I find something a little fun in them and get excited. But if it's too boring, I go to sleep. And when I'm asleep, it's fun rolling around dreaming. The end~
#16 “Unfinished sympathy”
SPIKE:
Bruce Lee was said to have said this, "empty your mind and throw away any form or shape. Be like water." If you put water in a cup the water takes the form of the cup; if you put water in a teapot, the water takes the form of a teapot. Water can flow or it can crash violently. That is why, my friend, be like water."As expected, my heart's mentor speaks in a unique way.
He also said this, "what I am teaching is not self-defense or how to defeat opponents or anything like that. But rather, I am teaching you how to express yourself through your movements, whether that is anger, determination, or whatever. In other words, this is a method of expression using the human body with combat."
You can tell that Bruce Lee wasn't just a movie star or just a martial artist, can’t you?
#17 “Public pressure”
JET:
If there is a God in this world, I'd like to ask for one wish-- divine retribution to all those who take freedom away.
#18 “Whole lotta love”
FAYE:
I sometimes think I miss out on a lot with this personality. I sometimes think that, being the way I am, all the good men will run away. Well, this is who I am, so it can't be helped. If I act like someone else saying, "even though I look like this I'm really a homemaker!" or whatever... even if it did get anywhere, in the end, hardship—no—only regrets will come. It's got to be someone that will like me for myself. Well, I think it'll be tough being with me but there is probably a man unlucky enough in the universe though.
#19 “Wild style”
JET:
Over a century ago, there was a sax player called Charlie Parker. He was probably the first man to play without using sheet music. In other words, he was tired up of playing the same thing and started adlibbing and playing in his own style. The music that he started eventually came to be called Bebop. That's right. That's the origin of this ship's name.
#20 “Daydream believer”
SPIKE:
We all sleep while we wake up and and we all wake up while we sleep. Is the past reality? Are memories the truth? Dreams… where are our dreams, really? The dreams we dream while asleep, the dreams we dream while awake... they're both the same. The people who say they don't dream only don't remember. The people with no dreams have only yet to notice them; they're cowards. They want to see them, but they are merely forcing themselves not to.
#21 “Hang onto your self”
SPIKE:
This is just an illusion. Controlled by an unseen hand, the truth is still covered by a thick veil. But it quietly, like the moons of Titan, secretly exist, eventually revealing itself after the sandstorm clears.
#22 “Looking back in anger”
SPIKE:
Stop getting angry over such frivilous things. This isn't a joke, nor is it fiction. Or... have I been seeing a bad dream?
#23 “Tangled up in blue”
JET:
A blues man somewhere was said to have said this after being asked the definition of blues, "Blues is... singing about some kind of trouble that can’t be helped."
#24 “It's all over now, baby blue”
CAPTION:
This is not the end. You'll see the real Cowboy Bebop someday!
**End of transcript**
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