2071 AD. Humanity
has colonized the solar system and crime runs rampant, bad enough even the
police need some help. Spike Spiegel and
Jet Black are bounty hunters looking to keep the engines running and the lights
on aboard their ship, The Bebop. But
being a Bounty Hunter in this day and age isn’t easy; not when you have
beautiful rivals, insane targets and the deadly guns of the Syndicate all
standing in the way of a big score. And
that’s all before the troubled past of Spike returns with a vengeance to wreck
havoc on his present. It's a dangerous life...but it can be a little fun too.
Well it’s here at last.
After a year long delay due to John Cho getting injured doing stunts and
COVID-19, Netflix’s next attempt at a live action Anime project has arrived and
expectations could not be higher for this one.
Cowboy Bebop is, to this day, universally praised by casual viewers and
Anime fans alike.
It’s smart and adult
scifi storytelling, cool cast of characters and that unforgettable score have
made Bebop a staple of the genre and one that many have wanted to see get the
live action treatment for a long time.
But we’ve been here before: an adaptation looks promising only to fall
flat on its face for either not appretiating the source material or trying to
lean into one end of said material without understanding the whole of what
makes it good.
So, after checking out
the first episode, where does Cowboy Bebop fall in that confusing statement I
just made?
It’s…well it’s an adaptation for sure.
The first episode follows the basic outline
of “Asteroid Blues” aka the first episode of the Anime, but expands
tremendously while laying seeds of new changes and add ons that we’ll surely
see throughout the series.
Spike’s past
is now heavily factored into his plotline with Katarina, girlfriend of bounty
head Asimov.
Jet has a family and the
pair also meet Faye during their chase of the doomed bounty lovers.
There’s even a rendition of the opening of
the Cowboy Bebop movie: Knockin on Heaven’s Door, to kick things off with a
bang.
From familiar setups to camera
shots to set design, Netflix really wants this show to work from a visual
standpoint for sure.
And yeah, it doesn’t
look like a movie but it does look like what I’d envision a Cowboy Bebop Live
Action TV Series to look like.
Whether
the not the character plotlines and story changes can make a difference, either
enhancing or diminishing the soul of the Anime that’s its inspiration, remains
to be seen.
The cast is as great as promised.
John Cho has always been a cool and funny guy
in a lot of his projects and he brings that same coolness and sarcasm to Spike,
who’s a bit more of a wild card here.
He
isn’t prone to holding back too much and his gun and combat skills are just a
hair under John Wick level.
Mustafa
Shakir is way too good as Jet, especially when it comes to his voice.
Dude sounds just like Jet’s English Voice
Actor, Beau Billingslea, to the point where I know a lot of people might think
he was dubbed over, he is not.
He rocks
Jets look and his brotherly back and forth with Cho’s Spike is always a
highlight.
I’m looking forward to what
Daniella Pineda can do as Faye as she gets a fun intro.
There’s way more sass and potty mouth to this
version of Faye and I’m sure she’ll become a hit with the crowd (haters about
her not being in her iconic skimpy outfit be damned).
There isn’t enough of Vicious and Julia to
get a good opinion of yet.
However,
Asmimov and especially Katerina are given a bit of a beefier, if not slightly
more tragic tale than their Anime origins and Jan Uddin and Lydia Peckham both
shine in their performances.
If there’s one thing that definitely bothers me about the
first episode of Cowboy Bebop its…oh man I cant believe I’m saying this, it’s
the music.
As you know, Yoko Kanno and
the Seatbelts have reunited to handle the series score once again.
They’ve touched up the classic tracks and
added some new ones into the mix.
Everything. Sounds. Great.
It’s
the classic tuneage that’s made Bebop so popular, one might say that the
soundtrack is even more legendary than the Anime.
So why do I find it troublesome?
Simply put, I feel like theyre taking the “randomized
playlist” concept with the first episode, putting songs in wherever the editor
seems to want them.
Some tracks make
sense in their scenes, especially the ones directly related to Asteroid
Blues.
Most times though, it was
distracting.
The Anime knew when to use
music and what music worked with what scene, you wont find a better use of music
in many shows like it.
I’m just saying,
we all love the music, it’s why we’re willing to give this series more of a
chance than most.
No need to just flash
it all willy nilly just because you can.
Use the fruit of Yoko Kanno’s genius wisely, otherwise it feels
desperate.
After one episode, I’m willing to give Cowboy Bebop a
chance…what am I saying, I was always going to watch it, good or bad.
It comes with the Netflix binge territory.
Sometimes you get a rapid fire watch like
Daredevil and other times you get a slough youre just trying to get through
like Iron Fist.
Everything about Cowboy
Bebop’s first episode had me curious but also a little uneasy.
Will the new story changes work?
Can the production use the soundtrack
better?
Is it too faithful, not faithful
enough, or only trying to show enough to make the fans happy?
I’m sure I’ll do a full series review down
the line.
I want this to be good, I
really do.
But like I said, I’ve been
here before and even thinking about the live action Ghost in the Shell is
enough to piss me off.
Don’t let me down Netflix, the Space Cowboy deserves your
best…so give it.
No comments:
Post a Comment