Netflix are making a live-action version of COWBOY BEBOP and have confirmed the cast:
Spike Siegel - John Cho (HAROLD & KUMAR, STAR TREK)
Jet Black - Mustafa Shakir (LUKE CAGE)
Faye Valentine - Danielle Pineda (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE ORIGINALS)
Vicious - Alex Hassell (TORCHWOOD, SUBURBICON)
There are all very good actors, although some of the changes are interesting: Spike being older than Jet, everyone being older than their original incarnations etc. No word on Ein, Ed or the music yet, which I know will be a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
Hama,
Not sure it is...but this is a) anime and b) they'd probably do well to get some Asians involved after that whole "Ghost in the Shell" debacle.
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What.
Huh.Didn't know that Siegel is a traditional korean last name.
The character design and attitude of Spike was based on Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda (from 1970s cop show DETECTIVE STORY), so it's not like the original Japanese creators were much concerned with the logic of the situation either (not to mention the complete logic breakdown of Faye being born and bred in Hong Kong but somehow passing as a Romany). Besides, there seems to be a lot of fan-theorising that Siegel was an alias or adopted name from his time in the criminal gang in any case.
If they don't have the jazz soundtrack, you can be damn sure there will be a revolt.
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The character design and attitude of Spike was based on Japanese actor Yusaku Matsuda (from 1970s cop show DETECTIVE STORY), so it's not like the original Japanese creators were much concerned with the logic of the situation either (not to mention the complete logic breakdown of Faye being born and bred in Hong Kong but somehow passing as a Romany). Besides, there seems to be a lot of fan-theorising that Siegel was an alias or adopted name from his time in the criminal gang in any case.What.
Huh.Didn't know that Siegel is a traditional korean last name.
Didn't know that. Alrighty then.
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The show drops on 19 November.
In any case, I'm glad to see the show honor its past with what is still, one of the best theme openers of all time.
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Nice find, Orville.
This isn't necessarily a clip from the show, but appears to be a kind of tone teaser, showing that the show is going to be somewhat stylised, and the humourous angle is going to come through, though they also nod at the more serious Vicious storyline.
It's certainly not what I was expecting. But at the same time I keep wondering why it seems that Spike is more competent than he some times seems in the series...
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The fact that it's leaning into the silliness and a more campy tone gives me hope that this won't be a total unmitigated disaster. I'm not optimistic given the number of god-awful anime > live-action films and adaptations that have been released in the last decade but the fact that the trailer felt more goofy than serious makes me think that maybe Netflix might not botch the job.
jeff,
I mean rewatching Cowboy Bebop again isn't a BAD thing...
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jeff,
I mean rewatching Cowboy Bebop again isn't a BAD thing...
I made it a regular thing to get zonked and rewatch/binge the entire show+movie every year on Valentines day with the wife, we stopped doing that around the time we had our first child since life really cranks adulting into overdrive at that point but this makes me want set aside the time to do so again.
I haven't done that...but I want to along with binging Samurai Champloo.
I mean I liked the first teaser, but this trailer sells it even more.
So, rocked the pilot and...
The Good.
Hyper Space, costumes, spaceships/vehicles all look fantastic. Really a feast for the eyes. Yoko Kanno soundtrack kept (wish we got some more new tracks from Kanno, but hey its still classic Seatbelt powered soundtrack!) Fight scenes are fun and fresh. Actor playing Julia is hawt.
The Bad.
They said this would be an original story that fits within the timeline of the anime. Second half of the pilot was a near copy (damn well done but still?) of an anime episode. Both direction/writing and acting seems to slip in and out of feel of the bebop characters at times. Potty mouth Faye dropping f bombs constantly (who thought this was a good choice?).
The Ugly
Vicious. Just Vicious and everything about him. Cosplay looking costume with a bad wig. Actor seems poorly chosen. Felt cartoonish even by anime standards.
For your bad choice, not sure that having a more 'mature speaking' Faye is a bad thing...
For your bad choice, not sure that having a more 'mature speaking' Faye is a bad thing...
Daniela felt the least like their character to me (The look is right, the writing just seems off). Though, all of them could use some work, IMO.
Understood. Even watching the trailer, I could feel it was more like "This is a good fan made live action attempt"
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I thought the first episode was pretty solid, and was surprised they managed to match the tonal variation of the anime, from comedy to drama to tragedy, which was a very tough nut to crack. I'll watch the rest.
A major word of warning:
Well that's not good Wert but thanks for letting me know.
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So I went into this knowing nothing at all about the anime, and vaguely turned off by the trailers, which were a touch too stylish for my taste, but the show itself was much better than I expected. A trifle predictable in places (everyone has stuff in their past they don't want to talk about that swings around to bite them in the butt at some point, but that's pretty standard), but not nearly as gonzo as the trailers suggested and with some fun characters, splashy action sequences and weird and funky juxtapositions between old-style architecture and noir-esque vehicles and jazz clubs and spaceships and warp gates and disguise tech. (I haven't seen such a mash-up of noir and sci-fi aesthetics since that weird Dark City movie.)
I'm intrigued to see where it goes for a second season.
Considering I have watched Cowboy Bebop before (not all of them but more than 50%) I'm still willing to give this a shot...when I can find time to binge watch it.
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Just finished the show and it's very solid. Probably the best anime-to-live-action adaptation so far (not that's saying much) and it improved on the anime in some respects (TV Julia is far more compelling a character, Jet is also a much stronger figure) but was worse in others, particularly the mis-casting of Vicious and the less nuanced, more obvious characterisation of Faye Valentine (no dis on Daniella Pineda, who is outstanding, just the writers went for an easier interpretation of the character than the original).
I think a second season could be very interesting, though only if they turn down Ed from their appearance at the end of the finale. Yeesh.
Just finished the show and it's very solid. Probably the best anime-to-live-action adaptation so far (not that's saying much) and it improved on the anime in some respects (TV Julia is far more compelling a character, Jet is also a much stronger figure) but was worse in others, particularly the mis-casting of Vicious and the less nuanced, more obvious characterisation of Faye Valentine (no dis on Daniella Pineda, who is outstanding, just the writers went for an easier interpretation of the character than the original).
I think a second season could be very interesting, though only if they turn down Ed from their appearance at the end of the finale. Yeesh.
Im only half way so im looking forward to more Julia. Though, so far im disappointed in the damsel in distress role they have written. She seemed more cut throat and capable in the anime. Though, vicious seems completely off in the live action and has a lot to do with making Julia seem weak. Viscous is easily the worst part of this. I cant stand any scene with Hassel.
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Im only half way so im looking forward to more Julia. Though, so far im disappointed in the damsel in distress role they have written. She seemed more cut throat and capable in the anime. Though, vicious seems completely off in the live action and has a lot to do with making Julia seem weak. Viscous is easily the worst part of this. I cant stand any scene with Hassel.
He is really acting with his teeth, isn't he? It's almost like he's trying to portray an anime villain in real-life, all clenched and veiny and wide-eyed and ranting, and it's just way, way over-the-top, like the villains Profion and Damodar(?) from that 1st Dungeons & Dragons movie.
I feel like he's watched too much My Hero Academia, with the clenched face trembling going on for minutes between every punch.
Fortunately the actors for the Bebop protagonists are a bit more reserved.
Yeah if you keep them cool and calm, then you've achieved some of what made Cowboy Bebop good. Sorry to hear though that Faye is quite as spot on as I'd like...
Second half is way better so far. Feels like the actors have settled into the characters. Writing is also improving. Pierre Pierrot was great! Still hate vicious.
Yep. I might try this again soon as I have time.
It has been a while since I watched the animated series but were the bounties in the first episode always supposed to be Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek from Desperado?
Love the shower bath shower, but I think it has diminishing returns over the shower bath.
It has been a while since I watched the animated series but were the bounties in the first episode always supposed to be Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek from Desperado?
I recall it having that feel, yeah. I mean, not so much the Desperado bit, but the Banderas and Hayek if you mean latinx.
Finished it last night. Not a fan of what they did with Vicious and Julia now too. Had zero problems with Radical Ed, actually liked the intro.
Reviews I've watched have made the same points. Common theme is that it's great when it's doing Bebop-inspired storytelling, not great when it's retelling Bebop stories, and bad when Vicious and Julia are involved.
Yeap, this is it right here in one neat description.
Whelp, hopefully that doesn't mean we won't get another season. I'd want that.
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Vicious was a poor letdown from the anime, though in fairness anime is able to better handle the "badass bad guy who you get is badass despite having sweet FA characterisation" trope then you could ever get away with in live action.
Julia I thought was a massive across-the-board improvement. She was just a cypher in the anime, but now she is a character with a real arc (if a pretty traditional noir-based one) whose story makes sense.
Keeping Vicious alive for a second season is a bad idea, though. His story was done. Kill him and let Julia take over as the antagonist.
Vicious was a poor letdown from the anime, though in fairness anime is able to better handle the "badass bad guy who you get is badass despite having sweet FA characterisation" trope then you could ever get away with in live action.
Julia I thought was a massive across-the-board improvement. She was just a cypher in the anime, but now she is a character with a real arc (if a pretty traditional noir-based one) whose story makes sense.
** spoiler omitted **
It may have been tough to get Vicious right, but im not convinced it would be impossible live action. Vicious is ruthless and cunning and only rarely (usually by Spike) caught off guard. Instead we got the old cliché mob boss son who is a coward idiot that fails forward and eventually murders their father to take over. Yawn.
Julia has very little screen time in the anime, but a huge presence. Thats something I wish western media would get better at. Instead everybody has to be explained away, everyone has to have an arc. Its become cliché itself for the good guys to become bad guys and bad guys to become good guys. I'll want to puke when Vicious gets loose and joins up with Spike in season 2 for his redemption story.
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I don't want to be overly negative so I'll be brief, I do not like the show and couldn't bear to continue watching it after the first episode. As far as LA anime/cartoon adaptations go I suppose it was a bit better than average, but then again, that's not exactly a very high threshold.
If I didn't know anything about Cowboy Bebob in the first place I probably would have enjoyed it at least somewhat, but as it stands I cannot recommend this show to anyone given how much of a step down from greatness this is.
Just my 2 copper pieces.
I don't want to be overly negative so I'll be brief, I do not like the show and couldn't bear to continue watching it after the first episode. As far as LA anime/cartoon adaptations go I suppose it was a bit better than average, but then again, that's not exactly a very high threshold.
If I didn't know anything about Cowboy Bebob in the first place I probably would have enjoyed it at least somewhat, but as it stands I cannot recommend this show to anyone given how much of a step down from greatness this is.
Just my 2 copper pieces.
Sounds like you are already out but it does get better in the middle, of course, before getting bad again.
annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...canceled :(