Netflix’s live-action take on Cowboy BebopThere are many expectations when you go into a new job.
Much of those come from the existing fans, of course — those who loved the original anime with its jazz- and corgi-infused mix of noir and sci-fi and are hoping the new series does it justice. There are also those who come to the show with no expectations and are simply looking for great space adventures. On top of this, Netflix’s BebopThis is the latest attempt to make classic anime live-action movies or shows. For the most part, these have been an unqualified disaster, whether it’s the Americanized Death Note movie or M. Night Shyamalan’s forgettable take on The Last Airbender.
Cowboy BebopHowever, there have been glimpses of hope during the build-up to the debut of. There’s the painfully stylish opening credits sequence, a promising cast featuring the likes of Daniella Pineda, John Cho, and John Cho’s hair, and the all-important news that Yoko Kanno would return to compose the main theme.
We consulted long-time experts to determine if the series will please any of these audiences. BebopAsh Parrish, a fan, and Andrew Webster, a newcomer to the show, will binge watch all 10 episodes and then report back. Let’s go, space cowboys.
Andrew: I have to admit, the show didn’t grab me at first, which was surprising. It has many things I love, including great music, retrofuturistic elements, westerns, and even a hint at samurai movies, as well as characters that are mysterious and defined by mystery. The Netflix series is centered on a trio of bounty hunters — called cowboys, in this universe — who form an uneasy alliance. There’s Spike (Cho), the prototypical badass with a dark and mysterious past. Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), is his self-regarding partner and former cop who is trying to be a good father. Soon enough, they’re joined by Faye Valentine (Pineda), an amnesiac looking to find out who she really is.
It’s a great setup, but something about it felt… off, at least early on. Some of it was the aesthetics — Jet’s strange beard that’s obviously a wig or Spike’s odd-fitting suit. The CG looked cheap and the action felt stiff. In the beginning episodes, everyone behaved flatly like a caricature. It seemed as though the show expected me already to understand these characters.
Things changed as I spent more time with them. The highlight of Cowboy BebopMy favorite part of Jet, Faye and Spike’s found-family dynamic has been their shared love for each other. The way Jet can’t help but be a dad, taking everyone out for bowling and forcing them to have fun, or how Spike You can tryHe does the right thing, but gets caught up in his old life. I went from not caring for these characters to crying when Faye got even the smallest hint of her past. It took some time and looking past some of the show’s rough edges, but I got there.
What was it like for Ash to see this anime?
Ash: I felt what you felt first. Cowboy BebopIt was such an empowering experience for me as a teenager that I watched the anime even after my bedtime. I can definitively state that I wouldn’t become the person I am now without this show. Its aesthetic, from its noir-style storytelling and jazzy soundtrack, was the foundation of most of my taste, style and ambitions. Instead of trembling with horror when the show was announced (which is normal when anime gets action-packed), I was cautiously optimistic. If the show failed, at least I’d get new Yoko Kanno music. If the show succeeded, I’d finally have an anime adaptation worth a damn, I’d get new Yoko Kanno music. I couldn’t lose.
After the first episode, my cautious optimism was shattered. I already didn’t like that the opening credits was a shot-for-shot reproduction of the anime’s credits, and the first episodes looked amateurish — like Netflix was putting on a Cowboy BebopCommunity theater performance, rather than a multimillion-dollar production. It wasn’t any of the actors’ fault; I just felt they were doing their best with less than stellar dialogue.
John Cho and his hair can do no wrong. He perfectly embodies the kinda nonchalant, wiseass Spike Spiegel is. You’d be forgiven if you heard Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black and thought you were listening to Beau Billingslea from the anime dub. Pineda’s Faye was the breakout character, though. She’s not the Faye Valentine I knew but a better one, updated for modern audience sensibilities. She’s funnier than her anime counterpart, and her sexiness is transformed to make her feel more competent and less like an object to ogle.
Faye’s transformation is the first evidence of Cowboy BebopIt should be faithfully reconstructed from the original spirit of the show, and not just a recreation of the letter. Many characters received updates that translated better to a live-action 2021 show than a copy/paste from a 1996 anime. This is especially true Cowboy Bebop the anime wasn’t particularly nice to queer characters, framing them as jokes to ridicule or tricksters to be repulsed by. Gren, one of the two episodes of Jupiter Jazz, was a man who was intersex after being subject to prison experiments. There’s a particularly nasty exchange when Faye catches him naked in the shower and asks, “What are you?” in a disgusted and alarmed tone. Mason Alexander Park, non-binary actor, portrays live-action Gren., They are still available for you to use. Same Gender queerness but He is not affected by the same queerphobia as the other cast members and is an integral part of the cast, while also being the most well-dressed.
The characters kept me interested even when the story was not working out for me. So we’ve talked about the cast a lot, but what did you think of the world of Cowboy Bebop?
Image: Geoffrey Short/ Netflix
Image: Kirsty Griff / Netflix
Image: Geoffrey Short/ Netflix
Andrew: I don’t understand how they made this universe work. There’s so much going on, all pulled from so many very obvious inspirations, and yet it feels cohesive. We’ve seen shows like FireflyThis was difficult to achieve. For example, the sci-fi and Western elements of the show worked well together, while adding aspects of Chinese culture seemed forced. Everything feels seamless here. When the main villain, Vicious (played by a wonderfully menacing and maniacal Alex Hassell) wields a katana, it doesn’t feel out of place, even if he’s a blonde with an English accent.
This is due to the meticulousness of the worldbuilding. The universe feels like a living, breathing place with history. You can see it in New Tijuana’s slumbering streets, or in the old Macintosh computers that still work and the pager-like phones that everyone has. (Between Cowboy Bebop Loki, it’s been a good year for retro hardware.) The Bebop looks like a beaten-up space truck from the outside, but a dorm room inside. You can see different cultures everywhere. Jet enjoys relaxing with a bonsai tree, listening to Coltrane, and is always searching for new dumpling recipe ideas. I loved some of the more unusual worldbuilding elements, such as the infomercial-style show cowboys watch to keep up to date with new bounties.
It is only let down by the inconsistent CG work. The costumes, props, sets are all excellent. Cowboy Bebop are almost uniformly good (I even warmed to Spike’s suit), but the various effects mostly looked cheap and out of place. This is especially true for any scene set in outer space. It quickly transforms from a gritty western to a sci-fi movie made for TV.
Still, though, there’s something undeniably stylish about it, even when the show’s reach sometimes extends beyond its grasp.
Now, about that music…
Ash:Did someone mention Cowboy Bebop music?! When this project was first announced, I remember stating loudly in all caps that this endeavor would unequivocally fail without Yoko Kanno’s music. If she declined to participate or the show’s producers neglected to consider her involvement, then the project should cease, full-stop, because BebopIt is not BebopIt is incomplete without its music. Kanno produced the soundtrack and her jazz band The Seatbelts performed it. Bebop’s sixth man. The music is integral to Bebop’s defining moments; Spike walking up to the church in “The Ballad of Fallen Angels” just does not have the same impact without the blaring organ of “Rain” accompanying him.
I was thrilled to hear my favorite songs from the world rearranged and repurposed for a new show. I broke into the biggest grin when Spike appeared for the first time and “Spokey Dokey” was playing on his headphones. I was concerned that the new headphones would cause me to be unable to hear my favorite songs. BebopIt would be a shot for shot recreation of the anime. I’m so glad it’s not that at all, but there’s a moment that I won’t spoil when the show is a shot-for-shot recreation down to the music, and it works so perfectly that I stood up and hollered. That moment was priceless. Cowboy BebopIt understood its assignment.
I wish the show dug out some of its less well-known tracks like “Want It All Back” — which would have made a great chase sequence song — instead of relying on old standards. I’m also mightily annoyed that I didn’t hear “What Planet Is This” once during the whole show. Missed an opportunity. There’s one new song that shows up in the penultimate episode that oozes Kanno. It was moody and synthy, and I instantly recognized Kanno as her best. It will be a crime of the highest order if Netflix doesn’t release the soundtrack. Or, you could sponsor The Seatbelts North American tour with Netflix. A girl can dream.
Andrew: Despite the sometimes stilted action, goofy wigs and uneven CG, I have finally decided to watch anime. It only took 23 year.
Cowboy Bebop Netflix will begin streaming on November 19th.
Source: The Verge
