Man has produced many different works during his life on Earth. Although most of the works we see are garbage, there is always something special and beautiful that will remain on stage. Beethoven, Michaelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Steven Spielberg, Guccio Gucci, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are just a few of the myriad of artists that have given the world something that it can’t ever forget.
These works are sure to be copied, manipulated, or stolen. They may create duplicates because of their inspiration. Others do this because it is easy to make quick money. They don’t have any respect for the original work. They don’t care about what it means to people, what the work tried to impart, or what kind of significance it had to our culture. They just know you really liked it, it’s really popular, and that if they do something with it they can get you to fork over some money.
This is, as I stated in an earlier article, one of the main driving factors behind our long-running nostalgia trip. It’s an era where very little is being created that is new, and most everything is a recreation of once-great works. It wasn’t until the very end that I actually revealed what my main reason for writing the article was, and that was the live-action recreation of a work called “Cowboy Bebop.”
(READ: We’ve Abused Our Thirst for Nostalgia)
Okay. Three, two, one, let’s jam.
For those of you who don’t know what Cowboy Bebop is, I can only describe it as one of (if not the greatest) anime series ever created. The show arrived on the scene in the late ’90s and proceeded to become a juggernaut among anime fans across the globe. If you’re trying to introduce someone to anime, then you either showed a creation by Studio Ghibli (famous for such movies as Princess MononokeOr Take a Spirited TripYou could also show them Cowboy Bebop. Few exceptions were made.
Cowboy Bebop explored a variety of different genres at once. This show had a lot of different genres. The characters were flawed, unique, hilarious, and tragic, and while the story was very in your face in terms of plot, there was always a mystery lurking in the background surrounding the show’s main character. This show managed to combine these elements into something unique and memorable.
Weirdly, it’s a show that grows up with you despite the fact that it never changes. I was first introduced to Cowboy Bebop as a teenager, but I would rewatch it as I grew up, and each time I would discover something new about the show that I hadn’t seen before. The show would have a different meaning, and many situations might feel completely new.
I had the feeling that with all the nostalgia-bating going on with IPs and franchises getting reboots and remakes that Cowboy Bebop would eventually be on the butcher’s table, and sure enough, Netflix announced that it was pulling one together. It wouldn’t be the first live-action remake of an anime, and judging by the way it had remade previous anime titles such as Death Note, I didn’t have hope that Cowboy Bebop would be respected.
After watching the series I can confirm that Netflix did what Netflix does and it’s given us something that is a shadow of its original.
I could go into detail with all my complaints, but I’ll keep it light since that’s not the real intent of this article.
There are many actors who do a great job. Mustafa Shakir’s depiction of Jet was so spot on I would forget there was an actor underneath the costume. John Cho does his best Spike Spiegel but doesn’t manage to capture the cool the character is known for, though I’m not entirely sure if that’s his fault or the fault of the writers. Daniella Pineda’s recreation of Faye Valentine was so atrocious that I found my attention drifting off whenever she was on screen. These three main characters made up the bulk of Bebop’s story, and while the anime gave them so much depth and feel, the Netflix remake feels like it tries too hard to bring them back, resulting in too many characters feeling like bad cosplay knockoffs.
Then there’s the writing. The Cowboy Bebop anime averaged around 25 minutes per episode. It managed to fit plot, character development, introductions, problems, solutions, and conclusions in that short time span, and that’s including the classic Bebop intro and outro.
Netflix wanted the episodes to last an hour. This means that Netflix introduced what I would describe as an excessive amount of filler. Talks last longer than it should and many side-plots end up in the trash. Some characters also get more screen time than needed. For instance, the primary antagonist, “Vicious,” very rarely ever appeared in the anime though he would be alluded to. This gave him an extremely mysterious, sinister and dangerous feeling. The Netflix adaptation of him appears to be so much different that it makes him less interesting. He actually looks completely different from his original character, which detracts from the charm of the anime.
While the story was flawless, it did not fail to deliver the music. Cowboy Bebop’s was all about jazz music and old cowboy western tunes, and to Netflix’s credit, they largely respected that.
However, my biggest complaint is Netflix’s complete and total misinterpretation.
This could be a dangerous territory.
Bebop, despite all its comedy and charm, is at its heart a tragedy. Each character’s backstory is filled with sadness, regret, and ghosts that haunt them. These ghosts eventually drive the characters to their final destination, even though they may be able to come together in humorous situations.
Bebop lets you see how each character handles their pasts as they lead a life on the margins of society. It’s these ghosts that cause them to grow together, form emotional attachments, and then be ripped away emotionally and/or physically. In a way, they all get what they asked for by the end, but it’s not what they wanted, and it looks a lot like getting the opposite.
It’s a deep, emotional ride that makes you feel the weight that the characters carry.
The writers at Netflix didn’t seem to really understand this. It’s tragic in all the wrong ways. They saw a fun spaghetti western in space that had elements of tragic backstories and threw together a show that’s more fashion than function. They added the Netflix staples of nudity, cussing and gratuitous violence to the show, while omitting the emotional depth that made Bebop such an iconic series. It’s a show that tries to take nothing too seriously and winds up being a parody of the anime more than a recreation.
Whedon-esque quotes are often used to break up moments. Characters experience complete backsliding from the anime versions they were born with.
This is where I have my greatest problem with the remake.
Netflix saw Bebop clearly as a crash grab and not an incredible story with an ending. The ending was left open by Netflix, who even introduced Radical Ed (one of the Bebop’s main characters) at the end. This film makes it feel like you’ve been robbed more than once.
It’s called Cowboy Bebop, it kind of looks like Cowboy Bebop, but it’s not at all Cowboy Bebop. The truth is that it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of an important work of art. It feels intentional in light of current sentiments and income. It’s a cheap Gucci knockoff. It’s a watered-down version of a really great scotch. It’s peppers and beef without the beef.
It’s a Netflix recreation.
Space cowboy, see you.
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