Background
The Cowboy Bebop series has been released in a Blu-ray format four times throughout the 21st century, with the fourth and most recent release being distributed by Bandai Visual in Japan beginning on December 21, 2012. The limited edition Blu-ray disc box set comes with a variety of paraphernalia, like production materials, audio commentaries, bonus footage, postcards, as well as Cowboy Bebop: Ein no Natsuyasumi—the latter of which would have been the first franchise-related animation in over a decade had it not been a series of still images. Alternatively titled "Ein’s Summer Vacation," the special is paired with the song "Doggy Dog," as performed in English by Seatbelts, responsible for much of the musical score that appears throughout the main anime series. The same track can be found on their album Cowboy Bebop Vitaminless. In 2013, distributor Anime Limited acquired a home video license for the United Kingdom; Part 1 of the Blu-ray collection was released on July 29, 2013. Appearing on the Part 1 disc, this would be the first time Western audiences could obtain a copy of the bonus short for themselves.