General / Off-Topic Live-Action Cowboy Bebop on Netflix

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
Thank you for the typo correction, mod!

Prior to the arrival of The Expanse on SYFY/Amazon, the anime Cowboy Bebop was my favorite science fiction show since STTNG. Despite having "cowboy" in the name and often being described as a "space western" (and still is on Netflix), I loved the show because it was actually more film noir in space than western (think more The Asphalt Jungle and less Firefly). What is more, CB had the type of sci-fi setting I love most: not chrome-covered as in, say, Star Trek or Star Wars, but dirty and in decline - indeed, in Cowboy Bebop, mankind has been regressing after the stargate network exploded, devasting earth. Add in a lot of moody existentialism (again, a classic noir trope) and an absolutely fantastic OST by Yoko Kanno, and Cowboy Bebop truly is something special, anime or not.

When Netflix announced they were making a live-action adaption, I was dubious at best. But after watching this trailer, I have to say my hopes are starting to climb. It's just a sizzle reel designed to get you excited, but these days the shows on Netflix are often so bad that even their sizzle reels bore me to tears. But not this. This looks...quite good, frankly. And faithful to the show.

I, uh, won't be available November 19 for any calls. 😄

 
Last edited:

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
Robin of Spiritwood said:
Looks damn amazing.
Bring on the space hijinks, jazz noir music and JKD!
Click to expand...
Doesn't it? Much better than I dared hope! I understand they are going to break the series up into two seasons S1:Eps 1-10, and S2: Eps 11-26 (assuming it is good enough for two seasons, but seeing how Netflix's awful Witcher series earned two seasons, I would be stunned if this didn't. 😄 ).
 

Arioch

Arioch
My top 3 anime series are Cowboy Bebop, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, and Ghost in the Shell; the Yamato live-action was a pretty decent adaptation (of the original 70’s series, which 2199 also remade), the GitS movie looked the part but the scriptwriters seemed to have got it confused with Robocop for some reason, and, well, this… 😱

This trailer looks like the original and even seems like they’re using the same plots, so I’m now entering pleasedon’tsuckpleasedon’tsuck mode instead of avoiding it completely 😁

Also, shucks howdy, are Big Shot and Radical Edward going to be in it?
 

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
Arioch said:
My top 3 anime series are Cowboy Bebop, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, and Ghost in the Shell; the Yamato live-action was a pretty decent adaptation (of the original 70’s series, which 2199 also remade), the GitS movie looked the part but the scriptwriters seemed to have got it confused with Robocop for some reason, and, well, this… 😱
Click to expand...
I agree with your list! of good anime. In fact, I must be going through a mid-age crisis because I have found myself revisiting some classic anime from my youth, such as Robotech and Gundam. 😁 As a kid, Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato)was my favorite show of all time. I would really like to revisit it, too. I also want to see the movie but it looks like it isn't available via VoD any longer in my region. 👎 As for the GitS movie - again, I agree. The shame of it is that it actually started on a good foot but lost its way by the midpoint. I think the blame likes squarely with the choice to cast Scarlett Johansson. Her salary cost big bucks and, darn it, they were going to get their money's worth by making the movie into a forced origins story of the Major to maximize screentime for Johannson. A tragic misstep!

Arioch said:
This trailer looks like the original and even seems like they’re using the same plots, so I’m now entering pleasedon’tsuckpleasedon’tsuck mode instead of avoiding it completely 😁

Also, shucks howdy, are Big Shot and Radical Edward going to be in it?
Click to expand...
I haven't heard anything about Big Shot - I sure hope so (I love the final episode of Big Shot where we get to see what the two actors were really like), but Ed is cast but not revealed yet from what I understand. There is a rumor that her character arc might not start until S2.

Netflix is starting to pump some promo material out there. Here is another vid, a retro "Lost Session" teaser that is well-done!

 

Robin of Spiritwood

Robin of Spiritwood
Rewatched the Bebop movie this Halloween. ( It's a Halloween movie, like Die Hard is a Christmas one. )

So this is all so well timed...

Spike is using the movie's broom-fu in the trailer.
 

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
Robin of Spiritwood said:
Rewatched the Bebop movie this Halloween. ( It's a Halloween movie, like Die Hard is a Christmas one. )

So this is all so well timed...

Spike is using the movie's broom-fu in the trailer.
Click to expand...

That's right! I forgot that the movie is Halloween-themed! I don't know why, but I always forget about that flick.

Just a heads up to anyone out there who might not have seen the anime but is curious. Netflix, unsurprisingly, has all the episodes streaming now. You can also see them on many other VoD services, such as Tubi, Adult Swim, and Hulu. Trust me: you don't have to like anime to enjoy this series (and to be fair, it's not a 'series' as much as a single movie in 26-parts). It is top-notch (sci-fi) storytelling regardless of the medium.

 
Last edited:

Arioch

Arioch
RooksBailey said:
I agree with your list! of good anime. In fact, I must be going through a mid-age crisis because I have found myself revisiting some classic anime from my youth, such as Robotech and Gundam. 😁 As a kid, Star Blazers (aka Space Battleship Yamato)was my favorite show of all time. I would really like to revisit it, too. I also want to see the movie but it looks like it isn't available via VoD any longer in my region. 👎 As for the GitS movie - again, I agree. The shame of it is that it actually started on a good foot but lost its way by the midpoint. I think the blame likes squarely with the choice to cast Scarlett Johansson. Her salary cost big bucks and, darn it, they were going to get their money's worth by making the movie into a forced origins story of the Major to maximize screentime for Johannson. A tragic misstep!


I haven't heard anything about Big Shot - I sure hope so (I love the final episode of Big Shot where we get to see what the two actors were really like), but Ed is cast but not revealed yet from what I understand. There is a rumor that her character arc might not start until S2.

Netflix is starting to pump some promo material out there. Here is another vid, a retro "Lost Session" teaser that is well-done!

Click to expand...
I had a hankering for some classic space anime a few years back, and watching original Yamato (after only seeing some Star Blazers back in my youth) was a cool experience - well worth tracking down if you can. The modern remake series (2199 & 2202) are also excellent in my opinion, and are obviously made with a lot of love for the originals. On a side note: I also bought the Daft Punk musical film Interstella 5555 at the same time - animation by Leiji Matsumoto, who did original Yamato among many other things.

That trailer is cool 😁 I hope that sort of creativity carries over into the series!
 

Arioch

Arioch
Excellent! 😁

I’m very surprised there’s still smoking (though probs just in the intro sequence) - I thought that was verboten on screen these days.

Lots of stuff glimpsed there from the anime. Pleasedontsuckpleasedontsuckpleasedontsuck 😅
 

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
Arioch said:
Excellent! 😁

I’m very surprised there’s still smoking (though probs just in the intro sequence) - I thought that was verboten on screen these days.

Lots of stuff glimpsed there from the anime. Pleasedontsuckpleasedontsuckpleasedontsuck 😅
Click to expand...
I was thinking that about the smoking scene as well. I was surprised it wasn't changed. I take that as a good sign that they aren't going to "reimagine Bebop for a modern audience" or some other rubbish approach. Fingers crossed

Might as well post a vid while I am here. 😄


"Blade Lounger" Yeah, that's pretty much it! 😁
 
Last edited:

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
I am two episodes in and so far I am enjoying it. It is what fans hoped for: a live-action adaptation that is respectful of the original while adding/mixing/trimming content to give it a new spin. The cast is particularly excellent. I'll have more thoughts the further I get into it but I really like it so far. I suspect it will create a lot of new fans of the CB setting.
 

RooksBailey

RooksBailey
I'm up to episode 8. I guess the best way to put my reaction is like this:

As a stand-alone science fiction series, it is good. Great cast, entertaining stories, okay sci-fi aesthetic. If you like Firefly, you will like this show.

As a "Cowboy Bebop" treatment, you will be disappointed. I guess this is to be expected but I am really bummed by how there is no space action in this series.
Every episode is grounded on a "mars" that looks suspiciously like Nevada or southern California. Netflix really cheaped-out in this regard. I also don't care for how they scrambled some of the characters, particularly Vicious. He went from being a hyperintelligent syndicate warrior in the anime to a bumbling wannabe warlord who can't think for himself but needs Julia to plan all his actions. To make matters worse, the actor they picked for him doesn't fit the mold at all. I also don't care for Faye being a lesbian now. Netflix checking demographic boxes, I suppose.

Long short: if you have never seen the anime, you will probably love the show. I would, maybe not to the level I love The Expanse, but I certainly would be hooked by the show. But as a fan of the anime, it doesn't come near the original. Not enough space, not enough (any?) existentialist musings, no ship-to-ship dogfights, and no rain! I think it is telling that I have already returned to the anime to get everything I am missing from the live-action show.

I would give the show a "B" score on its own merits. If I grade it for capturing the magic of the anime, "C".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom