'Cowboy Bebop' review: Live action remake is a lite remix of the original

The live-action 'Cowboy Bebop' is like a remix of a song you love – it's almost like the original, but doesn't quite hit the right notes. – Photos: Netflix

Cowboy Bebop

Cast: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine, and Alex Hassell.

“I think it's time we blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. OK, three, two, one, Let's jam!”

If you know those words, you’re probably a Cowboy Bebop fan. The original anime, which came out in 1998 and ran for 26 episodes (called ‘sessions’) has a huge cult following, and is widely recognised as one of the best and most influential anime series of all time.

So of course Hollywood would try to make a live-action version out of it. Does it work? Well, yes and no.

Streaming on Netflix starting today (Nov 19), the show is set in 2071 and follows a group of bounty hunters (known as ‘cowboys’ in the show) who live on a spaceship called the Bebop. At first, the group comprises just Spike Spiegel (John Cho) and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), but later on adds Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) and a Corgi named Ein. As we follow the crew while it takes on various bounties, there is also an ongoing storyline involving Spike's past and a gangster named Vicious (Alex Hassell).

Note to self: Buy suits that are one size bigger, and don't just chuck them into the washing machine.

First of all, let's talk about the cast. John Cho is pretty fun as Spike Spiegel, albeit a slightly more smart-mouthed version than the laidback one in the anime (the iconic blue suit looks one size too small for him though). Mustafa Shakir is suitably gruff and tough as Jet, and while Daniella Pineda’s Faye takes a bit more getting used to, but she does at least make it her own version of the character rather than just a carbon copy of the original.

The only misstep for me in terms of casting, however, is Hassell's Vicious, who comes across more like a bumbling goon than the cold-hearted killer he is in the anime.

As far as adaptations go, this is actually pretty faithful to the original in terms of story. In fact, many of the episodes actually draw directly from the anime, just remixed for a more international audience.

Try not to buy any more lobsters and leave them in the fridge, Spike.

‘Remix’ is probably a good word to describe this series. The live-action Cowboy Bebop is like a remix of a song you love. It hits all the familiar notes, but somehow feels a little weird, and it doesn’t quite resonate with you as strongly as the original.

It’s got almost the same characters, almost the same cool Western/noir/sci-fi vibe, almost the same penchant for music, and even almost the same opening title sequence. ‘Almost’ is the operative word here – everything feels, looks and even sounds almost like Cowboy Bebop, but it isn’t quite Cowboy Bebop.

Perhaps the reason for that is because the showrunner André Nemec chose to go mainly with storylines from the anime itself. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does open itself up to inevitable comparisons between the two, and the live-action version invariably comes up short most of the time.

The show has a cute Corgi. What more do you need?

Then again, I’m talking as a fan of the anime, who already has a set notion of what Cowboy Bebop should be like. This live-action version would probably appeal more to those who are not so familiar with the original. After all, it IS a pretty entertaining space fantasy show, one that already benefits by mining from a rich vein of stories and characters via the anime. The cast is likeable (apart from Vicious), the space and action sequences are visually cool, the dialogue is witty and sharp (most of the time), and there’s a cute corgi (who doesn’t like a space story with a cute corgi?).

Would we want another season of this though? Well, only if the showrunners can move past merely recreating the anime and actually come up with some new stories that don't just pay homage to the original series, but actually expand and add more to that particular universe. Otherwise, you’d be better off just rewatching the anime. So until then, so long, Space Cowboy.