Cowboy Bebop: The Movie 4K remaster arrives in Japan
Bandai Namco Filmworks restored the film entirely by hand, and director Shinichiro Watanabe approved the cleanup with one instruction: erase everything.
A 4K remaster of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie has been released in Japan, according to cbr.com. Director Shinichiro Watanabe, screenwriter Dai Sato and composer Yoko Kanno attended an advance screening at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku to mark the launch.
The restoration was carried out by Bandai Namco Filmworks and its post-production team, who spent months manually erasing imperfections from each shot. The work was done entirely by hand, with no AI used at any stage.
Watanabe said he told the restoration team to erase everything when he approved the detail cleanup. Bandai Namco Filmworks also created a new poster for the 25th anniversary remaster.
An analog-era film, rebuilt by hand
In 2001, Watanabe released the first and only feature-length film for Cowboy Bebop, produced during the analog era of theatrical animation using layered cels. The series, Watanabe's first solo-directed anime original, initially released in 1998.
An international release date for the 4K version has not yet been announced. The Cowboy Bebop anime series is available on Crunchyroll.
Quick answers
When does the Cowboy Bebop: The Movie 4K remaster come out outside Japan?
An international release date for the 4K version has not yet been announced.
Was AI used on the Cowboy Bebop: The Movie 4K remaster?
No. Bandai Namco Filmworks and its post-production team did the restoration entirely manually, erasing imperfections from each shot by hand over months.
Where can I watch the Cowboy Bebop anime series?
The classic Cowboy Bebop anime series is available on Crunchyroll.