So, now that I’ve got my hands on “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl,” I thought I would cover another recent reworking of a work I love- the first season of the live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” now streaming on Netflix alongside the original anime. This project has been in development for so long, it initially began life as a movie that would have starred Keanu Reeves as Spike, Laurence Fishburne as Jet, Carrie-Anne Moss as Faye, and directed by the Wachowskis. Basically, it would have been a Matrix reunion before the upcoming fourth movie.
I’ve done my best to reserve judgment until I got a chance to see it myself. Having spent this period alternating between the new series and rewatching the original for the umpteenth time since 2003; I will say this: while not the groundbreaking masterpiece the source material is, it at least held my interest with each episode.
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| From left- Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), Faye Valentine (Daniela Pineda), and Ein. |
The creators described this as a “remix” of the original that still does its best to capture the overall look and feel. For the most part, it does a good job: while Jeff Pinkner and Christopher Yost may have also been involved with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” I will not hold that against them. The production design does a great job at capturing the visual style of the series in the new format. It’s the little touches that really help sell the “used future” aesthetic of the show, whether it’s a wood etching of a phoenix or Jet having to physically close one of the Bebop’s shutters before the ship makes a hyperspace jump. The Bebop itself is still every bit as beloved to me as the Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, the Serenity and now the Benatar.
I’ll do my best to keep things spoiler-free in regards to the new show; so I’ll just focus on what stood out at me. Visually, it looks great: even just watching it on my computer, it’s clear the platform put down lots of money on the production. One of the things I was wondering about most was how they’d portray the visual style of the material; and they actually did a decent job there. The tone also manages to balance some of the more absurd elements from the source (such as one of Teddy Bomber’s followers wearing nothing but underwear, an explosive belt and a teddy mask); yet a serious situation is treated as such when it’s presented. It treads something of a line between the gothic style of the first couple Tim Burton “Batman” films and a more “neo-noir” approach you’d find in takes like the upcoming Matt Reeves film. The main cast fits their roles alarmingly well, and despite some comments about their costume designs; what I was most concerned about was their story and characters. With that in mind, I think what I’ve seen so far is okay. I’m especially glad they brought back Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts to do the music; the arrangements of the intro are just incredible.
Bottom line: while not on the same level as the original anime, I’m at least willing to see where this goes in a potential second season. At the very least, it was better than the 2017 Death Note. If you’re curious and haven’t seen the source material, I recommend watching that first. If you have seen the anime like I have, I can at least say that while it’s not quite the real folk blues; it’s also not a total disaster either. At the very least, it’s a 4 out of 5. See you, space cowboy.
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