Cowboy Bebop Review: An Adaptation Between Fidelity And Freedom For The Netflix Live Action

Director: Alex Garcia Lopez, Michael Katleman

Cast: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda

Streaming Platform: Netflix (watch from here)

Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and half star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

After a long wait November 19th, the live action series of Cowboy Bebop will arrive on Netflix. Based on the famous anime of the same name by Shinichiro Watanabe the series is yet another adaptation of Japanese works with real actors. It will not be easy to please the fans of the original and we will see if the adventures of our space cowboys will like it or not… Find out our opinion on the series in our review!

The 10 episodes of Cowboy Bebop have a duration that varies from 40 to 55 minutes and none of them have boring moments or specifically designed to reach a fixed duration. The action, more than the dialogue, plays an important part of the live-action: between shootings and flying kicks, punches and fights there is fun.

Cowboy Bebop Review: The Story

We are in a distant indefinite future where we move between different multicultural planets. During a robbery at the Watanabe casino, we meet the protagonists, the cowboys, or bounty hunters. They are Spike Spiegel (John Cho), a man with a mysterious past, and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), a divorced former cop who owns the spaceship they travel with in space, the Bebop. The two are a close-knit couple always looking for big sizes to be able to earn as much as possible, so Jet can buy gifts for his daughter as well as not having to worry about the expenses for the ship, while Spike does not give up his beloved noodles.

Along the way they will meet another cowboy (or cowgirl?), The exuberant Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda). However, she hides from everyone that she has lost the memory of her past upon awakening from her cryogenic sleep, wanting to discover her identity at any cost. But like any self-respecting story we have an enemy, and it is represented by the mafia-like organization Red Dragon. It seems that one of its members, Vicious (Alex Hassell), has an unfinished business with Spike. And the cowboy’s mysterious past connects with him and Vicious’ wife Julia (Elena Santine).

The Review and Analysis

This is the premise of Cowboy Bebop the adventures and misadventures of this trio of hunters struggling with their past that haunts them. It happens above all with Spike, our charming protagonist, who hides him at all costs, even from Jet, his collaborator and friend with whom he cannot open up. But a series of upheavals will force him to deal with the Red Dragon and plans to take over the organization of Vicious.

The bonds of the trio made up of Spike, Vicious and Julia are sensed over the course of the episodes. The viewer manages to reconnect the pieces but it is in the last two episodes that the necessary explanations are given and a shocking but not definitive conclusion is reached.

In this sense, the character of Spike manages to maintain his aura of mystery for a long time until the complete disclosure of his past. This is why he is a fascinating and interesting character, an extraordinary fighter, with a quick joke and obsessions like that of food. His interactions with Jet, but especially with Faye, can be pressing, funny, sarcastic, and unmissable. In short, the dialogues are always pleasant to listen to and see the characters, especially the cowboy trio, interact with each other. Through them it is possible to understand the feelings they feel and their relationships, making it a strong point of Cowboy Bebop, together with its setting.

Before talking about the setting, however, I would like to finish the discourse on the characters of Cowboy Bebop. Let’s start with Spike’s initial partner, Jet Black. An ex-policeman who left his job accused of corruption, is a bit stereotyped in several situations. He holds back his companions and their strange ideas due to his sometimes excessive rationality and mockery. He has a fixed thought of his daughter Kimmie, whom he wants to please with beautiful gifts (like the corgi Ein that his ex-wife doesn’t approve of…), protecting her from everything and everyone.

Episode 5 is entirely dedicated to him who, seeing the size of a new wanted man, wants to find him and redeem his honor. There is a great 1950s vibe reminiscent of old detective and inspector shows. Unfortunately it is a bit obvious in its development and at times a bit boring or in any case not very intriguing and exciting. Personally I was hoping that the parts dedicated to him would flow quickly to pass the hilarious interludes of Spike and Faye on the Bebop. And speaking of Faye… She is absolutely fantastic, crazy and exuberant. A woman with balls and no hair on her tongue, but who on several occasions we see her as fragile and sad due to her loss of memory. Resolute in her pursuit of the truth about her, she is sometimes far too reckless and reckless as well as constantly competing with Spike and Jet to prove her worth. And that she is not just crazy …

Because in fact the Cowboy Bebop series sees the different characters bring their storylines to a conclusion, leaving some elements pending and ready to be explored. It’s about Spike’s relationship with Jet and Faye, but also Vicious and Julia with some real final surprises! Not to mention a new character introduced in the last minutes of the tenth episode that I would say that the intent of making it a second season is clear. We are only waiting for an official confirmation from Netflix but it seems obvious …

Music and Other Aspects

Overall Cowboy Bebop is a beautiful live-action series. The space setting is interesting, multicultural with different settings where different nationalities and places are mixed. We are in the future but there are analogical and common elements also to our daily life in a unique and coherent mix as a whole. Even the music tends to the jazz genre but styles and rhythms are mixed that trace the setting and the moment. There are many action scenes with fights that mix cowboy duels with guns on one side, karate and kung-fu moves on the other.

Except in a couple of moments there are no stunts or wires that help the actors and also the CGI is very beautiful making the landscape very realistic and authentic whether it is a neighborhood of a city or the deeper space . The episodes each have their own internal story, often linked to the criminal our cowboys want to catch. On the other hand, the subplot dedicated to Viscious and Julia is carried forward, closely linked to Spike and his hiding from the Red Dragon.

Only the last few episodes of Cowboy Bebop are a bit waning, with rushed moments as well as issues left unresolved probably for future new episodes. But it remains a very enjoyable series to watch. Perhaps from my words it is clear that I am not a great expert on the anime from which it was drawn. However, for what little I have seen and know it seems to recall it well as in the theme song and in the atmospheres. There will certainly be differences that fans will not be able to ignore but I find it an interesting and well done series. He manages to thrill the viewer in his own way and he wants to travel once again in the company of his characters. And so it is appropriate to say: See you space, cowboy.

The Last Words

Cowboy Bebop’s live-action series entertains with the charisma of the characters and the mystery that envelops their past. But the unoriginal narrative approves the show to many others. Well regret at the end of the Cowboy Bebop review because it seemed to us that the Netflix live action series was unable to find a balance between its originality, both visual tone and the homage to the anime. which inspires it, the different approach in spirit, excessive and over the top, becomes even more evident where specific situations and other elements (the music, first of all, starting from the theme song) are faithfully reproduced. A special mention is made for the dog Ein, who is confirmed as a great character even in his live action version.