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Carole & Tuesdayis the most recent anime by Shinichiro Watanabe ofCowboy Bebopfame. The series stars the eponymous Carole Stanley and Tuesday Simmons as they team up to form a band on Mars, and their journey to stardom ends up changing not just themselves, but everyone on Mars, as a whole.
Despite how prestigiousCowboy Bebopand Shinichiro Watanabe’s other projects usually are,Carole & Tuesdayis surprisingly underratedby fans and critics alike. Much of that likely stems from how Netflix gave it a batch release schedule, meaning it couldn’t generate any hype, and it’s flown under the radar ever since. As someone who never ignored it, though, I can proudly say thatCarole & Tuesday’s writing, direction, and overall production make it Shinichiro Watanabe’s true masterpiece that’s at least on par withCowboy Bebop, and I would love to explain why.
Carole & Tuesday Is A Music Story Unlike Any Other
Why Carole & Tuesday’s Music Is So Good
The first reason why I loveCarole & Tuesdayso much is because of its music.Shinichiro Watanabe’s passion for musicalways leads to his anime having incredible soundtracks, and not only doesCarole & Tuesdayhave a great instrumental track courtesy of Mocky, but it even features a great variety of vocal tracks from artists like Celeina Ann, Jessica Karpov, and even Thundercat and Denzel Curry.Carole & Tuesday’s soundtrack might have the best composition of any of Shinichiro Watanabe’s anime, and it’s one I can never get enough of, no matter how much I try.
What truly makesCarole & Tuesday’s music so great, however, is the stellar direction behind it all. Every musical sequence not only has great animation behind it, but the story and emotional beats are always structured to make them as impactful as possible. I cry every time I watch Carole and Tuesday perform “Loneliest Girl”, and the build-up to “Mother” i.e. the 7 Minute Miracle made for a phenomenal climax, and I can firmly say thatCarole & Tuesday’s soundtrack is the one where Shinichiro Watanabe does his best job of making his music inform the story he’s trying to tell.
I’ve Never Loved A Cast As Much As I’ve Loved Carole & Tuesday’s
Why Carole & Tuesday’s Characters Are So Great
What I ended up loving just as much asCarole & Tuesday’s music, of course, was its incredible cast of characters. As far as the supporting cast goes, every character consistently does a great job of bringing something worthwhile to the story, whether they’re comedic characters like Gus or Ertegun, serious characters like Angela or Tao, and especially dramatic one-off characters like Flora and Desmond.Every character inCarole & Tuesdayhas something great to add to the story, no matter how small their role may be, and it all comes together for a brilliant ensemble.
Naturally, the best characters inCarole & Tuesdayare its eponymous leads, Carole and Tuesday. Carole and Tuesday’s earnestness and innocence in a world we’re constantly reminded is growing more cynical by the day always makes them fun to watch, and the fact that it was them who brought all the past characters together for the final concert is a perfect testament to that.Carole & Tuesdayis as great as it is because its leads do a perfect job of reminding the cast and the audience that there’s still some good in the world, and that’s always great to see.
Carole & Tuesday’s Writing Is Everything Great About Shinichiro Watanabe
Carole & Tuesday Is The Pinnacle Of Shinichiro Watanabe’s Writing
Tying everything together inCarole & Tuesdayis its stellar narrative. As is often the case with Shinichiro Watanabe, much of the writing is centered around the found family the main characters stumble into and the various ways they impact each other and other characters, and sure enough, it always works thanks to a combination of comedy, drama, and genuine heart at every turn.Carole & Tuesdayis an anime that never fails at selling the heart and drama of its story and how overall fun it can be, and I can’t believe how much fun I had with that.
More than that, of course, is the anime’s use of social commentary. For starters, one of the major plot threads inCarole & Tuesdayis the issue of AI overtaking the entertainment industry, and while there’s clear criticism of AI, the show never outright condemns it and instead makes the point that it can be good, but it shouldn’t be the only way to listen to music.Carole & Tuesday’s surprisingly nuanced take on AI is just as relevant now as it was in 2019, and I found it great to look back on with how much bigger the issue has become.
Carole & Tuesday’s social commentary is at its strongest, of course, when it deals with racism. The series makes very clear criticisms of the Trump administration’s controversial anti-immigration policies, and it works as well as it does both because of Shinichiro Watanabe’s cutting honesty and for how it’s used to build into the final concert where everyone makes a triumphant call to stand together and spread love instead of hate.Carole & Tuesday’s social commentary and overall writing capture Shinichiro Watanabe’s style in its purest form, and with how relevant those issues continue to be, it’s all the more incredible to watch.
Is Carole & Tuesday Actually Better Than Cowboy Bebop?
Where Does Carole & Tuesday Truly Stack Up Against Cowboy Bebop?
I’ve gone at length about why I loveCarole & Tuesdayso much, but as for it being better thanCowboy Bebop, that’s more complicated. As much as I loveCarole & Tuesday, its visuals and animation aren’t as consistently good as otherShinichiro Watanabe anime, and the pacing takes a notable hit in the second half when it keeps introducing new plot points that often end anticlimactically. Meanwhile,Cowboy Bebopis still a masterpiece visually and narratively after almost 30 years, and overall,as much as I loveCarole & Tuesday, I can’t deny thatCowboy Bebopis objectively the better show.
Cowboy Bebopmight be the better show, butCarole & Tuesdayhas touched me in ways I never knew possible through its fun cast and overall earnestness, whether it’s with its commentary or with how few reservations it has about being a story about the joys of music and the general importance of love.I loveCarole & Tuesdaybecause of how touching a story it is from start to finish, warts and all, and withShinichiro Watanabe’sLazaruson the horizon, I implore everyone to giveCarole & Tuesdaya chance so they might experience everything I loved about it, and more.
