Netflix’s “Cowboy Bebop” has the herculean task of adapting one of the crown jewels of Japanese animation. Based on the anime series by director Shinichirō Watanabe, the new live-action adaptation cherrypicks the greatest hits of the original, while significantly expanding the roles of the supporting characters to the adaptations’ detriment. The area where “Cowboy Bebop” excels is chemistry between the three main leads played by John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda and how they embody the crew of the spaceship Bebop. When the three cowboys are tackling a bounty, “Cowboy Bebop” soars with quippy one-liners, bloody action, and outrageous foes. Unfortunately, the adaptation has been shot like a superhero movie—littered with obsessive dutch angles, dreary worlds, and poor costume designs. What’s worse is that the most significant new material for the live-action series could be removed entirely.
“Cowboy Bebop” is a science fiction neo-noir series directed by Alex Garcia Lopez and Michael Katleman, with great emphasis placed on the contributions of original creator Shinichirō Watanabe. Watanabe’s name is the first name that comes up in the credits (as a consultant) and much of “Cowboy Bebop” consists of bringing the original from the 2D world into 3D. Netflix has been keen to showcase just how close it’s managed to come, literally matching iconic images from the anime. Series composer, Yoko Kanno, who worked on the ‘90s series, has been brought in to bring back memorable themes and emphasize the series’ jazz-influenced roots. It’s impossible to assess the live-action adaptation separately when so much of its DNA has been brought over from the anime.
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Spike Spiegel (Cho) and Jet Black (Shakir) are bounty hunters who are chasing the most expensive bounties in the universe. Despite having excellent contacts and the physical prowess to bag most of these criminals, they aren’t often successful, making their money problems front and center. Their ship is held together by duct tape and a common meal for them consists of peppers and beef, hold the beef. Being partners in this line of work typically means that trust is the most important tool for success, but both Spike and Jet have secrets they’d rather keep hidden. When they are unceremoniously joined by fellow bounty hunter Faye Valentine (Pineda), the three make an unlikely family, each with their own vendettas that are likely to get them killed.
“Cowboy Bebop” is at its best when its heroes are chasing after the next big bounty. Each of the bounties is equally eccentric—a group of eco-terrorists that carry a unique bioweapon, a killer with a proclivity for carnivals, and a literal teddy bear bomber are a few of the foes the Bebop crew will chase. These adventures recall classic “Star Trek: The Next Generation” installments, episodic adventures where there’s a new catastrophic situation and the crew must find some way to survive. It’s during these jobs that the chemistry between Cho, Shakir, and Pineda really shines and begins to unlock the potential of the series.
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The problems arise when “Cowboy Bebop” becomes focused on the extended cast. Members of the Syndicate, Vicious (Alex Hassell) and his wife Julia (Elena Satine), are given ample screen time significantly expanding upon their roles in the anime. A lot of this material is original and it’s easily the worst part. New developments weaken the characters and make the show far less interesting than what could have been imagined. Following the recent trope of humanizing villains, Vicious is given an elaborate backstory as a rationale for why he’s become this violent killer for the Syndicate. The Syndicate politics add padding, but it distracts from the crew of the Bebop and makes a once memorable villain into a hilariously inept foil. It was an opportunity after 20 years to expand upon the source material in a meaningful way but instead has burdened the series with a lackluster subplot that was best left on the cutting room floor.
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Another aspect of “Cowboy Bebop” that falls short is the overall production design. Unfortunately, the series follows the recent trend in Hollywood to make sequences desaturated, taking away a lot of opportunities for these imaginative new worlds to come to life. The costume design for the crew of the Bebop is pretty spot-on, but Vicious and Julia are saddled with ridiculous attire and hair selections that can feel like bad cosplay. Beyond all that, “Cowboy Bebop” is overloaded with the usage of dutch angles—a camera shot that involves putting the camera on an axis so that a sense of unease is given to the audience. Its intention might’ve been to create a gateway into this science-fiction world or to heighten the neo-noir trappings, but instead, the over-usage becomes distracting. It’s a shame because “Cowboy Bebop” tries so hard to match classic sequences from the anime, but often devolves into a digital mess with flat backgrounds, poor costuming, and an overreliance on camera techniques.
Given the prestige that “Cowboy Bebop” has as one of the best anime of all time, any adaptation would have a lot to live up to. For its credit, “Cowboy Bebop” did nail the depiction of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, and Faye Valentine—when these three cowboys are hunting down the next bounty, the hilarious banter and chemistry are a winning formula. Where the live-action series failed was when it came time to justify why this classic series needed to be revisited. Viewers returning to the “Cowboy Bebop” franchise with fond memories for the anime might enjoy their favorite episodes receiving the live-action treatment even with the above caveats, but those turning in for the first time will likely be left wondering why this was a big deal. [C-]
“Cowboy Bebop” debuts on Netflix on November 19.