Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door 25th Anniversary Stage Greeting! Koichi Yamadera and Director Shinichiro Watanabe Talk About Their Love for the Film

To mark the 25th anniversary of the theatrical film Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door, the 4K remaster has been playing in theaters since Friday, October 30. A commemorative stage greeting was held on Saturday, October 31, Halloween Day, at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku, with director Shinichiro Watanabe and Koichi Yamadera, the voice of protagonist Spike Spiegel, taking the stage. Here is a report on the post-screening stage greeting after the first of the day's two screenings (the 9:55 a.m. show).

Introduced by screenwriter Dai Sato, a member of the Cowboy Bebop team and the day's MC, Director Watanabe and Yamadera took the stage. Yamadera's microphone was decorated with a Halloween-themed Ein, the audience giveaway that will be handed out starting Friday, November 13. Director Watanabe, who had taken part in last week's advance screening event despite feeling unwell, said with a bright expression, "I'm back. I'd like to speak energetically today."

The film depicts an incident on Mars that takes place between episodes 22 and 23 of the TV series. Director Watanabe said, "I thought, if that's allowed, we could tell stories forever. Between episodes 1 and 2, between episodes 2 and 3, between episodes 2.5 and 3.5 (laughs)." Yamadera replied with a smile, "And yet only one film was ever made. I was thinking, come on, but I'm truly delighted that it can now be shown again as a 4K remaster. After all, even after 25 years, the thing I get praised for most is playing Spike!"

Director Watanabe also said that he recently rewatched the film to refresh his memory ahead of an interview. When he said his first impression was "Spike's voice is cool," the audience responded with loud applause in agreement. He praised Yamadera, saying, "I think much of this character's popularity is owed to Koichi Yamadera. People often call you the man of seven-colored voices and ask which one is your real voice, but this is the Koichi Yamadera voice. I really sense something like growth rings in it, as if all the twists and turns of the life he has lived are held in this voice. I think he was probably just the right age for it, too." Yamadera, looking bashful, said, "After all these years working together, this may be the first time Director Nabeshin has praised me this much."

Yamadera also revealed that the day before, he had worked alongside Megumi Hayashibara, the voice of Faye Valentine. He shared how moved he was when Hayashibara, who had rewatched the film, praised him, saying, "Spike is so cool." However, she went on to praise Unsho Ishizuka, the voice of Jet Black, and Aoi Tada, the voice of Ed, and finally ended with "I was good too," praising herself. Director Watanabe cracked, "So it's about you in the end, huh? (laughs)," and the venue filled with laughter.