Hi! Ellen Carter here, filling in for Leona. She asked me to talk about one of my favorite men of anime, Spike Spiegel. While Spike isn't the shiniest anime character out there, he has style...and that's shiny enough for me. (As is that killer bod he keeps hidden under that blue suit of his...mmmmm....er, *ahem* sorry.)

Hair:
Spike's hair is a big black moppy mushroom cloud. It gives him that cute little-boy touseled look that makes all the girls want to fix it for him. It also has this wonderful tendency to fall into his eyes for dramatic appeal... yummy.

Suit:
On any other man, I would say that this suit screams "My First Dress-Up Job"... blue, permanently-rumpled two-piece suit, yellow shirt with collar unbuttoned, sleeves far too short, red tie permanently askew and hanging loose, he looks a bit like the young guy in the mailroom back at the office. It also makes him look gangly and awkward...adding to that little-boy charm to no end. Of course, it also downplays the fiiiiiine wiry musculature that he shows off in all those exercise scenes onboard the Bebop and makes his opponents underestimate him. (At least, that's what he hopes.) Or, maybe he's just a slob. One thing's for sure... our man Spike has no fear of accessorizing. Sombreros, ponchos, tight-fitting spacewalking suits... variety is the spice of life, and Spike is a very spicy man.

Cigarette:
(Anime Cubed Disclaimer: Don't smoke, kiddies, it is bad for you.)Ah, the classic dramatic touch...cigarette smouldering as our hero smoulders, or angsts, or just contemplates. I'm no advocate of the habit, but the ever-present cancer stick allows for both poignant and comedic touches, so we won't hassle him too much about it. It gives him an air of both James Dean fatalism and a century of tough guy machismo...and, of course, a legacy of Marlboro Men. (And, of course, it makes us girls want to help save him from his self-destructive habit...sigh...)

So that's Spike Spiegel... making all the fashion mistakes work for him. Give him credit, give him room, and give him my number. This space cowboy can lasso me anytime..

*walks in* Hello, Ellen. What are you doing?

*ulp* Er, hi Vince! When did you get here... ^_^;