Cowboy Bebop's Creator Shares Thoughts on Netflix Adaptation
Netflix's Cowboy Bebop adaptation was certainly one of the most controversial live-action adaptations to arrive in the past few years, with the first season unable to secure the television series a second season. Despite ending on a cliffhanger that gave a new take on the legendary anime episode, "Ballad of Fallen Angels", and introducing the series' version of Ed, the streaming service decided to move in a different direction. Now, following the 2021 live-action series, Cowboy Bebop's creator has shared his thoughts on the doomed Netflix series.
The live-action adaptation starred John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, Alex Hassell as Vicious, and Elena Satine as Julia. When the series landed on Netflix, it received more than a few mixed reviews, with many fans believing that it ultimately wasn't able to live up to its source material, which might have been an impossible feat considering the impact that Cowboy Bebop has had on the anime world since the animated series debuted in 1998. Despite Cowboy Bebop's live-action cancellation, Netflix is continuing to move forward with bringing beloved animated franchises to the "real world" as it is set to release new takes on the likes of Avatar The Last Airbender, One Piece, and Yu Yu Hakusho to name a few.
Cowboy Flop
In a recent interview with Forbes, creator Shinichiro Watanabe revealed that he most certainly was not a fan of the Netflix live-action series, going so far as to state that he was unable to even watch the show past the opening scene:
"For the new Netflix live-action adaptation, they sent me a video to review and check. It started with a scene in a casino, which made it very tough for me to continue. I stopped there and so only saw that opening scene. It was clearly not Cowboy Bebop and I realized at that point that if I wasn't involved, it would not be Cowboy Bebop. I felt that maybe I should have done this. Although the value of the original anime is somehow far higher now."
What did you think of Cowboy Bebop's live-action series? Do you think it's impossible to truly create a live-action adaptation worthy of its anime source material? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Bebop.