![]() Okay, 3–2–1, let’s jam! Cowboy Bebop was originally supposed to be something much differentĬowboy Bebop was the brainchild of director Shinichirō Watanabe, who created the original series in the ’90s on behalf of the Japanese toy and entertainment company Bandai. How well does it compare to the original, and why does it all matter? Read on to find out. That loyal fanbase means there’s a lot riding on Netflix’s new adaptation: pressure to maintain the spirit of the original show while paving the way for more live-action anime adaptations to come. Cowboy Bebop was one of the first anime series to not only prove there was an adult audience for mature anime stories, but also to break through to mainstream adult audiences in the US. But while many stories have followed in Bebop’s wake, few have done it better. Some of these well-loved properties may well have been influenced by the original anime series, both visually and in plotting. On November 19, Netflix debuts a new, live-action reboot of Cowboy Bebop starring John Cho that looks a lot like some cultural touchstones: Firefly, Kill Bill, Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re an anime fan, even if you’ve never watched the show, you definitely know its main character, well-dressed bounty hunter Spike Spiegel its famous opening-theme music and its tagline - “See you, space cowboy.” And, crucially, whether you’re an anime fan or not, you likely know its influence. ![]() In 1998, with Japanese animation enjoying a golden age and sci-fi moving toward a resurgence, Cowboy Bebop wasn’t completely new, either aesthetically or narratively, but it was close enough to capture the hearts of legions of fans and become widely acknowledged as one of the most important anime series ever created. “It is a sort of Space Jazz which is filled with street sense and life.” The card acknowledges past media portrayals of space exploration such as Star Wars and Apollo 13 (along with esoterica and cheeky metaphors) but stresses this story is different: “We show you a completely new visual world,” it promises. “This is not a kind of Space Opera,” the card reads, referring to the by-then-well-trodden genre of epic spaceship flyovers and majestic, exotic fantasy worlds in the far reaches of the galaxy. A title card briefly appears on screen, and we see what looks like a pitch for the very show we’re in the middle of watching. Ultimately, he signed on for the role under the condition that the show wasn’t an exact copy.Halfway through the fifth episode of Cowboy Bebop, the seminal late ’90s anime series about a roguish bounty hunter fighting crime and traveling through space, the show explains itself. However, many fans have pointed out a lack of vibrancy in the IRL shots, which particularly stands out when they’re placed side-by-side with their animated counterparts.Įarlier this year, Cho said that one of his primary concerns about the show is the inevitability of people making comparisons with the anime. ![]() The new clips suggest that the live action series will stick fairly closely to visuals from the Shinichirō Watanabe anime, or at least pay homage. Now, the streaming service has encouraged fans to draw comparisons between the original and the new adaptation once again, sharing similar scenes via social media.Īmong the side-by-side clips are a shot of the titular interplanetary fishing ship, the Bebop, landing on the sea, and an iconic fight scene between Spike Spiegel ( John Cho) and major antagonist Vicious (Alex Hassell). Netflix has shared plenty of material from the new live action Cowboy Bebop reboot ahead of its premiere later this month, from the reworked opening credits, to a neo-noir trailer, to the entire 1998 anime series. ![]()
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