I am not really an anime fan. But, there are a few anime and manga that are the exception. Whether I love Ranma 1/2 or Cowboy Bebop more is pretty hard to decide, but if you ask me whether I prefer Ninja Scroll or Ghost in the Shell, that’s an easy one. Sometimes I actually prefer the anime to the manga. It really just depends. And when I heard that they were making a live-action Cowboy Bebop I wanted to be excited. But, I also knew there was a lot of room for error.
Cowboy Bebop is a series about a crew that runs through space working jobs, collecting bounties. Bebop is the name of the ship and Cowboy is a term used for bounty hunters. Spike is the main character, played by John Cho. He is a cocky guy who is too cool for anyone and always seems to remain chill. It doesn’t matter what chaos he walks into, there is always reason for him to remain calm. He runs into little snags in his plans here and there but always seems to find a way out. Maybe he will end up losing out on the deal, but he’ll still be breathing.
The storylines in this series were the same ones you can find in the anime. That shouldn’t be any surprise. But, I thought that they could have tried to write something that was a LITTLE different here and there, instead of going line by line and straight along the plot points laid out for them. Of course, I am sure that they avoided this to keep the peace with fans. Still, you can stay true to the story while keeping it a little fresh.
The direction isn’t anything new, but the aesthetic is something a little more rare. While it isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, it is something that feels close to a flat comic display. The colors are like muted comic colors and add to the feel, keeping it true to the original series. The mood manipulation here is good, but is lost on most scenes.
The acting is the only thing you can really comment on since everything else is a replica of the anime. And I have to say that it was flat. I love John Cho as much as anyone, but he wasn’t a good choice for Spike. He didn’t have the swagger or charm and the acting was just short of what it needed to be. However, that seemed to be the theme with most of the cast. Even to the point where a lot of great characters become annoying kid sisters of themselves. I’m looking at you Faye and Ed.
While I thought overall it could have been worse, I didn’t really LIKE it. I would give it a seven and a half overall, but we don’t do that here…so, it’s a seven. I thought it could have been done better and I thought there was a lot of room for potential that was easy to fill. It seemed pretty dialed it. It really felt like someone took the anime series and decided to make school theater version of it. Overall, I doubt I will watch it again, but I did think it was worth seeing if you’re a fan. If you are wondering if you should see it, give it a watch. Just make sure you have something to drink nearby or something to do during. At least until Einstein shows up and then you can just do what I did…scream “EINIE!!!” Every time he shows up. The cute little rascal makes Cowboy Bebop worth watching.
