Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is changing the anime for the better with a more emotionally mature lead and updated material that reflects the modern times. Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the beloved series Cowboy Bebop is changing the anime for the better.
See you, Space Cowboy. Netflix has canceled its live-action Cowboy Bebop series after just one season. The first, and only season, premiered on November 19 this year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix will not pick up the anime adaptation of the sci-fi western for another season.
Why was Cowboy Bebop cancelled? At the time of writing, neither Netflix nor the Cowboy Bebop showrunners have revealed a specific reason for the series cancellation. However, the show has most likely been scrapped because it failed to meet the viewership expectations needed to merit the required resources to produce a second season.
Unfortunately, this appears to mean traveling to the local Carnevil (yes, that's how it's spelled)/ The meta-yuks keep coming, as Cuphead's ghost (seen when the character dies) even flies out of his body at one point. Cuphead is coming to Netflix on February 18, 2022. This was announced in the first trailer for the show, which you can watch below.
This genre-defining anime series is set to receive a live-action adaptation by Netflix, with John Cho assuming the titular role of Spike. A blend of science-fiction, Western, slapstick comedy, and film noir, Cowboy Bebop is set in the future, in which the Earth is rendered inhabitable, spurring the human race to colonize the solar system.
Netflix's live-action adaptation of the Cowboy Bebop anime made some drastic changes - which really divided the audience. Just like any other live-action adaptation of a pre-existing story, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop made some changes to its source material.
Despite its lukewarm reception, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop made the right decision by deviating from the original anime as much as it did. To do otherwise would have been a disservice to the beloved anime as well as to everyone involved with the live-action series.
Overall, Netflix's adaption of Cowboy Bebop is a lighthearted introduction to the anime fandom that still does an extraordinary job at honoring its long legacy with its American fans, and leaves room to continue the story for a possible second season.
Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop may not quite be a 1:1 remake of the anime, but it gets pretty close at times. Many episodes feature key character moments and fight scenes taken directly from the source material.
Created by Shinichiro Watanabe in 1998, Cowboy Bebop is considered one of the greatest anime ever aired. Its blend of science-fiction, Westerns, and noir storytelling, as well as the jazz-filled score, give the anime a distinct tone that stands out from other 90's anime.
The show does take a lot of direct inspiration from the anime, but it also diverts paths frequently. Let's go through some of the bigger changes Netflix's Cowboy Bebop made to the anime. There will be spoilers for both versions and the film.
Speaking with Deadline, Pineda explained that while the creative team wanted to keep Faye's costume as close to the original as possible, ultimately changes were needed to allow for the show's intense action sequences. "We did rolls. We did sword fighting. We did fist and footwork.
Nemec, in an interview with Netflix Unlocked (via ComicBook) the after show for Cowboy Bebop, said that Ed's appearance late in the first season was intentional.
The live-action Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop was always going to be contentious. Not only is the original anime widely loved, but it's also highly respected, readily recognized by many as one of the best anime series ever produced.
As was made evident by its trailers, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop was more of a colorful action-comedy than a rustic spacefaring Neo Noir. Though the anime wasn't averse to fun and levity, they were fleeting given the setting's overbearing bleakness and ennui. This was actually something showrunner André Nemec sought to fix, for better or worse.
Though The Red Dragon Syndicate was a major criminal organization in the anime, they weren't the overall threat. They may have been a core part of Spike's past, but they were antagonists exclusive to him. Thematically speaking, The Red Dragon Syndicate was only one of many symptoms of the setting's corruption and darkness.
When the Netflix version was first announced, Radical Edward was nowhere to be seen. As it turned out, Ed was being saved for the cliffhanger ending. Before Ed showed up with Ein to hire a drunk Spike, the most screentime they got was being off-handedly mentioned during the Dr. Londes case.
Originally, Ein was the first new member to join the Bebop and a supposedly valuable data dog (i.e. a mentally-enhanced canine). Beyond their debut episode, Ein had nothing to do with any larger background conspiracy and mostly relaxed in the Bebop with Ed. In Netflix's Cowboy Bebop, though, Ein had a much bigger connection to the narrative.
In terms of the basics, there were few major differences between Spike's anime and live-action appearances. What did change was how they were executed. In the anime, Spike's past in The Red Dragon Syndicate and his connections to Vicious and Julia were only shown in broad strokes. Meanwhile, the Netflix Cowboy Bebop showed these in full detail.
Jet was an obvious homage to the hardboiled lawmen made famous by Film Noir, and his two incarnations reflected this in different ways - specifically, through his personal life. In the notably bleak anime, Jet clung on to the memory of his ex-lover Alisa, who left.
Besides a more practical outfit, Faye experienced some of the biggest changes among the perfectly '90s-era Bebop crew - specifically, in her past. In both versions, Faye was reawakened from cryogenic sleep as part of a scam by a conman named Whitney.
While Netflix’s version comes with a handful of changes, anime fans would appreciate the tribute to jazz, which is intertwined with Cowboy Bebop ’s legacy. Each episode keeps the iconic “Tank!” theme song composed by Yoko Kanno as well as the “Real Folk Blues” ending theme.
Beyond the aesthetics, the cast also makes the adaptation exciting. John Cho, who plays Spike Spiegel, does a brilliant job at bringing the character’s mystery and playfulness to life on screen, which is only further illuminated by the impish banter he shares with Mustafa Shakir, who plays Spike’s partner, Jet Black.
Julia is the most different from her anime counterpart. Despite her betrayal to Spike in the season finale, there is a still softness present that wasn’t there in the anime, mostly due to the fact that she wasn’t very present at all in the original.
This contributes to one of the main differences between the show and its predecessor that always made a live adaptation difficult—the anime did not give the characters a happy ending. Despite their stoic or aloof facades, the three main characters’ backstories and fates were tragic.