Cowboy Bebop is a live action remake of the beloved anime and while it is not exactly the same, it is still a wild and crazy ride!
Cowboy Bebop is an extremely popular anime that tells the story of bounty hunter partners Spike Spiegel and Jet Black as they cruise the universe looking for criminals to capture. Netflix’s live action remake may not be shot for shot, but there are a lot of similarities. The basic plot points and characters are ripped right from the anime, many of them look exactly the same as their counterparts, or at least close enough that you can squint and not notice, while others take more liberties. The big question is — will the die hard fans be happy?
As someone who has watched the anime, more than once, I have to admit some of the changes bother me, but not enough for me to hate the live action series as a whole. There are small, subtle differences, and some that are in your face drastically different.
In an effort to remain spoiler free in this review, I won’t go into detail, but one that has been known since the trailers is Faye Valentine’s outfit. For me, this is an understandable change as her outfit in the anime is, well, basically nothing. To have an actress wear this is not only unpractical, it would distract from the entire show.
Spend 15 minutes with Faye and you will forget all about what she is wearing anyways because she is one of the standouts of the show. She is hilariously sarcastic, a complete badass, and knows how to get what she wants. She also has a softer side that you rarely see, but when you do, it will go right to your heart. She is played by the talented Daniella Pineda and I cannot wait to see more of her.
Another one of Spike’s companions, and his longtime partner, is ex-cop Jet Black, who is played by Mustafa Shakir. There are not many differences in the live action version of him when compared to the anime version, and this is a very good thing. He is a damn near perfect adaptation, right down to the voice.
Like Faye’s outfit, there is an in your face obvious change in that he is Black in this version, and white in the anime. Pay no mind to this though because it doesn’t change his story at all, and Shakir is the perfect actor to play him — trust me. He embodies his attitude and is just as brutal and kick ass as the anime version.
Now we get to the star of our show, Mr. Spike Spiegel, portrayed by John Cho. This is yet another phenomenal casting choice. Spike’s signature look includes his suit and his hair, which Cho pulls off perfectly, but he also copies Spike’s mannerisms and attitude from the anime. His backstory is the same, and revealed slowly through the episodes in a way that will have those who are unfamiliar with the anime on the edge of their seats.
Of course fans will be delighted to see good boy Ein as a part of the show, and he is just as adorable in live action as he is animated. This dog is an important part of the team and while there are some major changes with him in this version of the show, it is forgivable because he is so darn cute.
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Each episode tells one complete story, while also adding to the overall plot of season one — coming together in an epic finale that will have viewers begging for more. For those who have not seen the anime, they will likely have little to no complaints about the show. They will not notice any of the small (or larger) changes made to the story and characters.
As for fans of the anime, it is hard to say exactly what they will think of this live action Cowboy Bebop, so I will only speak for myself. While there are a good amount of changes, nothing was so drastically different that it bothered me to the point of hating the show. Everything that is different feels like it is different for a reason, and done well. Nothing was in poor taste, in my opinion.
The basic plot points are all still there. Many, many small role characters show up and look almost exactly like their counterparts in the anime. These cameos and appearances are sure to have long time fans smiling from ear to ear.
As for the cinematography and editing, I was personal a fan. However, I have seen that this is what critics are most divided over. I felt that the style was very much like the original series, and helped to move the pacing along nicely for each episode, and the season as a whole.
Cowboy Bebop is full of action, stunning visuals, and is a wild and crazy ride. Even if you know the plot points already, it is fun to go on this journey with these space cowboys.
About Cowboy Bebop
COWBOY BEBOP is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.
Based on the beloved anime series, COWBOY BEBOP is executive produced by André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Makoto Asanuma, Shin Sasaki and Masayuki Ozaki of Sunrise Inc., Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, Matthew Weinberg, and Christopher Yost. Nemec serves as showrunner.
Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.
Cowboy Bebop comes to Netflix on November 19th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.