My Favorite Anime: Logic’s journey from Cowboy Bebop to Lupin the Third

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, better known as Logic, is a man as nerdy as he is talented. The rapper-songwriter and occasional streamer has never been shy about his love for anime, name dropping references to such classics as Akira, Samurai Champloo, and Trigun throughout his albums and songs, and even partnering with Crunchyroll to release a line of Cowboy Bebop-inspired streetwear.

Polygon recently had a chance to connect with Logic, so we had to ask: What was your first favorite anime, and what’s your favorite anime now?

My Favorite Anime is Polygon’s column dedicated to collecting the stories of the biggest celebrity anime fans in the world, charting a path from their earliest introductions to Japanese animation, to the series and films they love today. Here’s what Logic had to say.

If you’re even remotely familiar with anime at all, you’ve no doubt heard of (or already seen) Cowboy Bebop. The 1998 classic is commonly hailed as one of the best animated series of all time and was a crucial milestone in introducing an entire generation of international audiences to Japanese animation around the turn of the century.

Produced by animation studio Sunrise (Mobile Suit Gundam, The Vision of Escaflowne) and created by a production team lead by legendary director Shinichirō Watanabe, the sci-fi action series follows the adventures of a dysfunctional crew of bounty hunters in the year 2071. Known for its gripping action sequences, orchestral jazz soundtrack, and music-inspired motifs, Cowboy Bebop is an eclectic, neo-noir space western that tackles a slew of intersecting themes, from existential regret and loneliness to environmentalism and the dark side of capitalism.

Like the series itself, lead character Spike Spiegel is a combination of several points of inspiration. Conceptualized by Watanabe alongside screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto before the production of Cowboy Bebop and designed by animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto, Spike’s appearance and personality were directly inspired by Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda, Lupin the Third’s Daisuke Jigen, and martial artist and movie star Bruce Lee.

Logic’s favorite installment, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which takes place between the events of episode 22 and 23 of the anime, follows the crew of the Bebop as they work together to capture a mysterious terrorist planning to exterminate the human population of Mars with a biological weapon. Produced by Bones, a Japanese animation studio founded by three former members of Cowboy Bebop’s production — one of whom was Kawamoto — Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is commonly cited by fans as an terrific companion piece to the original anime. Unfortunately, as of this writing, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is not available to stream, but the Cowboy Bebop TV series is.

Steve Blum, the voice actor for Spike Spiegel in both the series and the film, told Polygon in 2021 that his experience performing an emotionally vulnerable scene between Spike and a woman named Electra in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was one of his favorite moments while working on the series. Logic’s love to Cowboy Bebop goes deeper than just mere fandom though, as it inspired him to approach Steve Blum to voice a character for his 2015 concept album The Incredible True Story.

Based on the manga series by Kazuhiko Katō (aka Monkey Punch), Lupin the Third, or Lupin III, is a media franchise spanning several animated shows, spinoffs, and films all centered around its namesake protagonist. The grandson of the infamous gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, Lupin the Third is the world’s greatest thief, globetrotting and evading the police alongside his best friend and partner Daisuke Jigen, an expert marksman with deadly accuracy. With the help of Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a master swordsman, and Fujiko Mine, a rival thief and occasional love interest of Lupin, the band of thieves embark on a slew of heists and misadventures around the world, all the while staying one step ahead of Lupin’s nemesis — Interpol Inspector Zenigata.

Lupin the Third: The First, the first CG animated feature film in the franchise, follows Lupin and his regular crew of companions as they get swept up in an adventure to thwart a group of treasure hunting Nazis from uncovering an ancient lost weapon known as the “Eclipse.” Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who would go on to direct the Oscar-winning kaiju thriller Godzilla Minus One, Lupin the Third: The First was well-received by fans and critics alike for its animation and action sequences.

Similar to how there are different versions of James Bond, there are different versions of Lupin the Third depicted throughout the franchise’s many anime series and feature films. Each of these versions can be roughly identified by whatever color jacket he happens to be wearing at the time.

The green jacket, which first appeared in the 1971 anime series Lupin the 3rd Part 1, often (though not always) appears in stories where Lupin is depicted as serious or chivalrous, such as in Hayao Miyazaki’s Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. The red jacket, which briefly appeared in the pilot episode of Part 1 and all throughout the 1977 anime Lupin the 3rd Part 2, is Lupin’s most popular outfit and is commonly associated with lighthearted and goofy portrayals of the character. The pink jacket, which was introduced in 1984’s Lupin the 3rd Part 3, is also associated with depictions of Lupin as a goofy trickster thief. The dark blue and light blue jackets, which were introduced in 2015’s Lupin the 3rd Part 4 and 2018’s Lupin the 3rd Part 5, are associated with darker and edgier depictions of Lupin.

“I think it’s an anime that has stood the test of time and keeps on being remade, but remade with love,” Logic told Polygon. When asked what his favorite version of Lupin the Third was, Logic singled out the green jacket era of Lupin, as seen in Lupin the 3rd Part 1 and Lupin the 3rd Part 6. “The green jacket era was a vibe, because I think that’s where I discovered it on Adult Swim as a kid.”

Cowboy Bebop is available to stream on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu. Lupin the Third: The First is available to rent on Amazon and Apple.