If you were one of the fans of the original Cowboy Bebop that was skeptical that it could be easily adapted to live-action, consider yourself vindicated. From the outset of this project, adapting a beloved science fiction anime to live-action would have been a tall order that would have demanded a budget to match. Add Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop to the list of flawed live-action adaptations whose ambition exceeded the budget and, at times, the talent. It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened. Just ask the folks who tried to adapt Akira, or to the earlier iterations of Dune. Perhaps this will go down as another unremembered lesson on how animation can be a better medium for a more economic budget. It’s not a completely unmitigated disaster, but the shadow cast by the original will often eclipse this adaptation.
Had the showrunners been adapting a novel or comic, things may have been easily forgiven. It is far easier to bring to life pages of prose than one of the most beautifully animated series of the 1990s. However, while the original was having stellar dog fights in space, Netflix is making do with a simple shoot-out. Whereas in the series, the moons of Jupiter looked distinct from terraformed Mars, the sets Netflix funded can only boast recycled contemporary refuse. Longtime fans will undoubtedly savage this production, even if it is a bit unfair for them to do so. It’s the “we have Cowboy Bebop at home” version. Even if Netflix’s adaptation is serviceable, it in its current state pales compared to the original. Perhaps it never could, given the production challenges of live-action.
Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop was made with care and love. It’s abundantly clear as they brought in Shinichiro Watanabe and Yoko Kanno to their team as well as littering easter eggs, calling back to both the original series and the interquel movie as well. However, lightning doesn’t strike twice, and this is no exception. From the start, Vicious could never have any bird perch on his shoulder without ruining the costume between takes. So, making up for the lack of visual punch, they opted for increased characterization. This is never an easy thing, take Boba Fett for instance, he had a few moments in Empire Strikes Back and a few lines, and yet somehow fans latched on and created a whole expanded universe to resurrect him after he tumbled screaming into Sarlacc’s open maw. With Vicious, it is much the same. He was more menacing in the background, but here the more he talks the pettier and juvenile he becomes. It’s not to say that Alex Hassel botched the role, rather the new characterization of Vicious succeeds in explaining why the Syndicate would keep him on.
Subsequent viewings of the Cowboy Bebop anime over the years have taken its toll on Vicious’ cool factor. If we are being honest with ourselves, even in his anime incarnation, he was a coward. Vicious was never in the business of dueling Spike on a level playing field. He shows no loyalty or affection to anyone, which brings into question what the hell did Julia see in him? As for Van tolerating his treacherous murder of Mao and all the mooks willing to die for him, well, the more you try to think about it, the more it falls apart. Making Vicious a child of privilege does much to explain why he was tolerated for so long and why mooks would be okay working for the kind of boss who would throw you under a bus.
John Cho did a fine job of bringing Spike Spiegel to life, but at 49 he isn’t going to master martial arts and move like a 27-year-old in peak physical condition. The original anime was inspired by contemporary Hong Kong action films where fight choreography was a craft that was being actively pushed. Those films benefited from having actors who were well versed in martial arts and were more than willing to take risks when it came to stunts. However, it came at a cost, with injuries being routine and for some, the injuries would be lasting. The anime could sidestep the issue while risking no one, but Netflix must comply with worker safety regulations and as such, I don’t believe any modern production could easily match the old Hong Kong films.
Furthermore, the original anime was a pastiche of genres and paid homage to other works. The Netflix adaptation is then stuck trying to pay homage to an homage. It’s treading the same ground as its predecessor with a more limited toolset. To its credit, they tried to cover most of the original rogue’s gallery with some tweaks. On the face of it, how are you supposed to balance fan expectations for the familiar with the need for new material? If one was watching this with fresh eyes, I could see the appeal, but if you are a returning fan, what is the point of going back to a story you have already heard that was told so beautifully the first time?
A straight adaptation would have been boring and would never have exceeded the original, let alone match it. I am perfectly happy that Netflix opted to fund a remix rather than struggle and fail to match the original from the outset. No adaptation would have matched the original. If you want to stream the 1998 series instead you will be all the happier for it. Well, until the end when the Bebop crew fractures and Spike and Vicious have their final showdown. This new version is more comedic and the drama less nuanced and moreover the top. I confess I took a liking to the more whimsical tone. I still have hope for Daniella Pineda’s Faye Valentine, while less sultry than her original incarnation, is just as lovable as a scoundrel. This time Faye has stepparents of a sort, and if there is to be a second season, then I hope that this time around she doesn’t end up weeping in a corridor before the credits.
Cowboy Bebop is now available for streaming on Netflix.