Fans Are Losing Their Minds Over The First Look At Netflix's Cowboy Bebop
It would seem that Netflix has officially declared that it's time we blow this scene, get everybody and the stuff together — because 3, 2, 1, we finally got our first real look at the cast of the live-action adaptation for anime classic "Cowboy Bebop." The original animated series about a group of bounty hunters in space trying to stay fed while avoiding the ghosts of their past has been a staple of anime fans since it debuted in 1998. Back in 2008, there were rumblings of Keanu Reeves attempting to make and star in a live action film based on the show, but it's only now that we're actually getting a live-action version.
There are many challenges with adapting "Bebop" to live-action: There's a hyper intelligent dog, a battery of spacecrafts, some very anime hair, and Faye Valentine's gravity-defying outfit.
However, the first eight images of the new "Cowboy Bebop" not only seem to ably navigate the challenges, but they even hint that this new version will hew closely to some of the more iconic aspects of the original. Let's go through the images and talk about why fans are already excited, and why, the more we look at these photos, the more excited we are, too.
John Cho as Spike Spiegel and Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black
Let's go down the line, beginning with John Cho as Spike Spiegel. The Spike of the animated "Cowboy Bebop" is lean of build and big of hair, he wears a blue, asymmetrical suit jacket, a button down shirt with a popped collar, and a loose-fitting tie. If you look at John Cho, he is that version of Spike made flesh. Even photos of Cho with his shirt off and working out are nearly identical to shots we see of Spike from the animated series.
Next up is Mustafa Shakir as former ISSP-turned-cowboy Jet Black. The Jet from the anime is an older, bearded bruiser who wears a jumpsuit and has a robotic, prosthetic arm. Shakir, just like Cho, is a near-exact recreation of the anime Jet.
The biggest question was always going to be how Daniella Pineda was styled as Faye Valentine. In the anime, Faye wears a tiny, cropped, yellow top with matching tight hot pants which are paired with white ankle boots, thigh-high stockings, garters, and these weird suspenders that don't quite make sense, but certainly look cool.
Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine
Putting Pineda in an anime-accurate Faye Valentine costume would probably not have translated as well as Spike or Jet's do to live-action, so while the new Faye Valentine retains the cropped yellow top, everything else is different. Her shorts are black instead of yellow, she wears full tights instead of thigh-highs, and her boots are thigh-length and black rather than ankle-length and white. Pineda's Valentine also wears a cropped, burgundy leather jacket over her yellow zip-up.
There will be people who question whether or not this is a truly accurate live-action representation of Faye Valentine, but, from a pragmatic standpoint, it simply would not have been reasonable to expect someone to play a tough-as-nails bounty hunter while wearing the original, exact costume that would constantly be at odds with that person's very survival. You can't claim a deadly bounty when you're constantly popping out of your top and pulling out a wedgie, can you? @OrionKiddler agrees, saying, "Faye is a great interpretation of her anime appearance without being vulgar."
The essence of Faye Valentine is here — the sharp eyes, the haircut, and that pop of yellow are all Pineda really needs to look the part. However, there are a few other aspects from these "Cowboy Bebop" screenshots which are exhilarating and even funny — but unmistakably Bebop.
A dog, a ship, and a very important church
While the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" has yet to show signs of the final, human member of the Bebop crew, we do get a shot of our three cowboys with a certain Welsh Corgi who fans of the original anime will immediately identify as Ein, the brilliant data dog. The crew pick Ein in the second episode of the animated series "Stray Dog Strut" and seeing the live-action gang walking Ein on a leash is both reminiscent and different from that original episode — most notably because the new series sees Valentine holding the leash when she hadn't turned up in Episode 2 of the original anime.
There's another important character we see in these images — the Bebop herself. While we may not see any exterior shots of the ship, just that iconic yellow sofa and the circular doors is enough to tell you the set designers went the extra mile to faithfully adapt "Cowboy Bebop's" most famous setting.
Geoffrey Short/Netflix
But the most chilling and exciting photo of all is of Cho, battered, gun in hand, walking through a church. This image is a clear reference to the fifth episode of the original "Cowboy Bebop," "Ballad of Fallen Angels." It's in that episode where we first learn of Spike's former connection with a Martian crime syndicate called the Red Dragon. More importantly, it's the episode we first meet Spike's former friend and now nemesis Vicious. Simply knowing that this story will be part of the live-action adaptation is likely enough to guarantee nearly every "Cowboy Bebop" fan will be checking out this live-action version. @Ketsal_Eynon is one of them: "John Cho killing it in these promos. I can't wait to see the action scenes."
"Cowboy Bebop" begins streaming on Netflix on November 19.