You Should Be Watching: Cowboy Bebop

Anime is tough to translate to live action and it’s even harder when that anime is one of the most beloved classics of all time. One that a large portion of the anime watching base of today got them into the medium in the first place. Netflix took a shot anyway and this week they released Cowboy Bebop and the takes have run the gamut. Like many, my first exposure to the classic came at the turn of the millennium watching Toonami, Cartoon Network’s late night block on Saturday. Gundam was always my favorite (another adaptation Netflix will be trying) but Cowboy Bebop was up there as the top tier for what anime could provide. It’s style, storytelling and score were all among the best in the industry. So you know good luck with that Netflix! 

Much like the takes I mentioned above, my own experience with the series was largely positive but some moments worked better than others. The show is clearly taking the adaptation of trying very hard to stick to the source taking similar episodes straight from the series and even the score and famous opening are true to the source. Sometimes this is a credit to the show and works perfectly and sometimes it comes off as pandering to the fan base. Specifically some of the camera shots, they can be odd at times and the framing seems like something from a music video not a series or even the anime. And that’s where some things are missed, in the challenge to translate to live action some things just can’t make it so the creators are forced to fill in the DNA code. When you’ve been fed a copy of the anime then something new gets thrown in it can knock you out of the experience. 

Part of me really wishes I could watch the series with fresh eyes removed from the anime cause I really think I would like it even more. I liked it anyway but it’s hard to not keep making comparisons especially when episodes are lifted directly from the anime. As the series went on this got a little better and I got more invested in this telling but I think someone who has never seen the anime and likes stylistic sci fi westerns are who are going to love this the most. One thing the show absolutely nails is the sets and the world. The set design is superb and really sells the various space stations and back water planets the show frequents. It looks like the budget was high on the show and that investment from Netflix buys some points with me. The ships and space stations look great as well and seeing the Bebop make a water landing on a third world planet was really fantastic. The score is also pitch perfect. Both the themes and music that were taken directly from the anime and the new elements used. It all fits the theme and enhances the unique style of the show and the source material. 

Then there is the cast who may have had the hardest task of all. John Cho took playing Spike very seriously and I think toes the line between bringing his own take of the character and what fans expect really well. Spike is such a unique character with his mix of cool factor, loveable oaf and damaged ex-gangster it is no easy task trying to blend all those aspects. Jet may be the closest to his anime counterpart Mustafa Shakir nails Jet both in the literal voice but also the big brother/rock of the group. Faye Valentine is played by Daniella Pineda and I think she may be my least favorite of the trio. And before you ask it’s not because her wardrobe isn’t quite like the Faye in the anime but she just seems to lack the tortured soul aspect that I remember making Faye so interesting. This Faye is almost more of a plucky young punk and she does get there a little bit towards the end. I felt this of the three missed the mark most for me. 

The action is good, the show has style and is fun to watch but it will certainly be divisive. Again the people who will like this show the most are those who will not bring the baggage of holding it up to its legendary source. Bounty Hunter cowboys, in space, flying around to smooth jazz. What’s not to like! 

See you Space Cowboy…