Fans were excited about the live-action adaptation to a beloved anime. Cowboy BebopThis point looks more like Cowboy womp for Netflix. Based on early reactions by fans, and reviews such one from our sister newspaper VarietyThat laments the series is only the latest example of “Netflix bloat.”
The early days are indeed the best! Rotten TomatoesScores are quite rotten. Critics are giving it a 50% rating, while audiences have given it a 53% average score. “Please don’t watch Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop,” One Twitter user plead. Remarks Another: “It’s now somehow worse than CW quality.” Are people over-reacting? Are you seeing another streaming service that prizes quantity more than quality?
The most anticipated Netflix release
Grab your friends. Do not kill each other. #CowboyBebopIt is streaming now. pic.twitter.com/IR5MgDMzT8
— Cowboy Bebop (@bebopnetflix) November 19, 2021
The most pressing question is: What the hell happened? This is the summary. The seriesNetflix “Based on the worldwide phenomenon from Sunrise Inc., Cowboy Bebop is the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts, as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll even save the world … for the right price.”
Cho admitted to Netflix that this was the best thing they could do. “scary as hell.”Since the world and characters already have so many loyal fans, the cast and crew were worried about getting it wrong.
He feels that he is a good fit for the job. “visually, it’s a very faithful adaptation.”Cho agreed to be a part of the series after hearing that Yoko Kano, the original anime creator, was attached. So far, so good.
Cowboy Bebop Trailer by Netflix
In case you haven’t seen it yet, by the way, we’ve embedded the trailer for the new series right here in this post. The trailer gives you an idea about the style, tone, and sound of this show. Everything seems to be very faithful to the source material, at least as far as packaging.
Variety’s argument is essentially that Netflix’s blank canvas — the fact there are almost no bounds for what a show can do or be — is not necessarily the formula for creative success that it might sound like. Fans don’t feel restricted by time or commercials. Cowboy BebopThe show is too long and slow, and the story can get lost in translation. Whereas tighter ending and more control over the show’s chaotic energy might have served it better. But for now? I’m reserving judgement and still plan to check out the show myself. I have to admit that it feels almost universally negative.
The last word
Cowboy Bebop is another Netflix winner pic.twitter.com/Go6SVnksx3
— Brandon (@Thatoneguy64) November 15, 2021
All of which is to say: I don’t know what I think about the series yet, nor how you feel about it. This review is from The Daily Beast does a good job of summing up where it seems many fans’ heads are at regarding this new release from Netflix. “Unfortunately, the show’s only connection (to the source material) is aesthetic. It looks like the world and even sometimes — when the energy is high, bullets are flying, or new characters are introduced — can FeelYou might also like it.
“But as a whole, the new Cowboy Bebop is just so ploddingly inefficient and misguided, the idea that it could share the same DNA as its original is farcical. When it comes to stakes, the original is simply in another weight class.”
