@Mlawski – You might have a point about Ranma. But in his (?) defence, he (?) has some pretty legitimate complaints. And again, he’s (? okay, stopping now) a teenager, and the show is set in a teen milieu. When I think about how much time he spends complaining, I’m comparing him to the cast of Saved by the Bell. Cowboy Bebop, on the other hand, is set in a hard-boiled crime milieu with Western overtones. So when I think about how much Spike complains, I’m comparing him to, like, Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. This is probably a little unfair on my part.

As to a name for this kind of literature… I don’t know of one. Maybe we get to coin the term. Any thoughts?

-More petulant than Ranma? Whoa. I haven’t watched Ramna in years and years, but that is an impressive statement. I remember that boy (?) being the epitome of whiners.

-Your Krazy Kat analogy is dead on. I wonder, is there a name for this kind of literature? Something that seems completely episodic but builds in a sort of subconscious way? I know nothing about music, but you’re right. This kind of literature seems more like a symphony or, yes, a jazz piece than a standard novel, film, or television show. Introduce the main themes and characters early on, then repeat over and over again with slight variations until you have something really special.

Now that I think about it, in this respect, Bebop kind of resembles Joyce’s Ulysses. (Also, both are clearly a bit overrated.)

More later.