Chris Stuckmann reviews Netflix's adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, one of the most beloved anime of all time. Starring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine, Alex Hassell.
What I missed the most out of this was the melancholy, which is one of my favourite bits of Watanabe shows. The quiet and the stillness all build room for melancholy. This felt like a TV series of Robert Rodrigues' Desperado with Bebop's story as dressing.
Damn you hit the nail right on its head. I've only come to realise it after your comment. Yes, the melancholy is what makes Bebop's entire vibe so unique and that is absent from the Netflix version.
That's where it becomes hollow for me. This show is something that I put on in the background and got through three episodes doing so but that's because the score is superb. If Yoko Kanno wasn't there the journey wouldn't even be worth the price of admission. It's similar to Inner Universe from GiTS - if they had gotten someone other than Origa (RIP) then the series wouldn't have the kind of impact it does. The music from Mirror's Edge the video game - Solar Fields and Lisa Miskovsky (Still Alive). Paprika would be completely devoid of emotion... music key.
👆 Music can't necessarily save a big budget cosplay but I'm still working through it. It just feels like a cheap mirror imitation of actual art but we'll see.
@@humane143imperfection6 it sucks dude 😖 I wish I hadn’t watched the whole thing. It sucks because there’s some actual amazing scenes like 5-10% of the time but the rest is all garbage ..
The creator Shinichirō Watanabe was asked about this live action and he said "That's right. I read the initial concept and provided my opinions, but I'm not sure if they will be reflected in the final product" also "I have no choice but to pray and hope that it will turn out good. Also, for Cowboy Bebop I don't have any right to stop it. Those rights are in the hands of Sunrise, so if you have a complaint, please send it to them." So they just asked for notes so that they could say he consulted which is bullshit
This clarifies a lot. I think the biggest mistake is that every criticism that has been made, people from the show defend in a, let's say, problematic way.
Stuckman was being really nice about reviewing this anime turned live action because he is such a huge channel but the folks that don't have a lot to lose know what this is, they injected identity politics with feminism, they pushed their agenda on a classic, the things that messed up Star wars, the current iteration that failed heavily among fans
@@justinsingleton2113 exactly and the show already had that all on its own gren turned into a full on trans when theym literally went to a planet full of men where their are trans man their cause their is no women. Julia had the balls to live their for a while só she could take care of herself.
Having now seen the adaptation, I agree that Ed not translating well wasn't Eden Perkins's fault. It was an issue with the writing, and it's not fair to blame them for it.
I dunno I thought immediatly it was horrible casting. Like a bad cosplay and the voice just killed it for me. Cringed so hard when overall I enjoyed it more than not till the last 10 seconds.
@@KoolKatDave people who say that Edward is unadaptable are so weird to me Edward is just a kid that acts like... an over-excited kid Edward in the show is a clearly far too old for the role for one, and the costume is bad. The actor is also trying wayyyy too hard fo be WhAcKy and QuIrKy where Ed's energy levels aren't actually as high as people seem to remember.
it feels like the show was so incredibly BUSY, that Ed wasn't much contrast to the otherwise "somber" tone. Like Ed's supposed to feel like a non-sequitir, but the entire show doesn't allow for anyone to breathe (as other comments mention)
@@KoolKatDave I remember originally being bewildered with Ed, but in a recent rewatch, I imagine her being like a prodigy, but on the spectrum. It would have been interesting to see the live action adaptation go in that direction instead of trying to mimic the anime
I love the animated series. Most of the stuff in the Netflix show didn't bother me. What does bother me is... I'm tired of reboots, remakes, and re-envisioning. If Netflix liked Cowboy Bebop enough to transliterate it to live-action, then why not hire the creator to make a new show for them.
It's a show that didn't need to exist. It can't possibly be as popular as the original and it doesn't really change much from the original either. It's not even like giving it a modern CG remake captures something that the original just couldn't pull off visually because the original is gorgeous.
When a performance in a show has been bad, there can be times when you can blame the actor but usually that falls in the director - It is their responsibility to make sure that the scene has been acted out in such a way to invoke the same emotions and so if the actor doesn't do this, it is always the director's responsibility to recognize and have the adjustments made.
Especially that some of these actors have done good performances in the past, as an actor they were simply following what the director and script told them to do. This is same goes to the Star Wars prequels, it has dry acting but we can't blame the actors for that as they have done good performances in other stuff when they're given the right material to work with
I am forever grateful for Adult Swim, especially at the beginning. It exposed me to a world of anime and clever animated comedy that I otherwise would've never sought out. Like your love for Cowboy Bebop, Adult Swim cultivated my lifelong love of Ghost in the Shell.
I agree with you on some and disagree on others: 1) Some scenes/episodes worked well and others really did not. 2) Many of the sets and scenes looked cheap and shallow like an '80's sitcom set. This is really a bad look for something as stylish as Cowboy Bebop. The space scenes looked great though. 3) Many of the fight/action scenes were awkwardly slow and uninteresting. Again, this does not do justice to the crisp, kinetic action in the anime. The Red Eye bar scene really highlights this. 4) Although I think John Cho is a really good actor he did look too old for the character and often lacked the lanky "coolness" of Spike. 5) Mustafa Shakir was amazing as Jet....especially the voice! It was like he walked right out of the anime. The addition of his daughter felt eye-rollingly unnecessary. 6) Danielle Pineda was mostly fun as Faye but also lacked some of the independent, self assured style Faye displayed in the anime. 7) I agree that this version of Vicious felt more like a whiny child than the mysterious and dangerous character in the anime. Alex Hassel does not fit the role IMHO. 8) I waited and hoped for Ed to finally show up but when she did it was filmed in such an obnoxious way that was off-putting. I don't blame the actress for this and hope future appearances (if they come) will be handled better.
I felt like the issue was this show was trying to imitate the style of the original but it just always felt off somehow. The show is not terrible but it also is not great. If people like this, that fine. But for me it just doesn’t have that atmosphere and presence of the original. The casting seemed fine to me. The action was ok. But yeah, the feel is kind of off. However I do prefer their version of Faye. I think she seems stronger in the live-action than in the original show. And I’m not a hater of live-action adaptations. My favorite is the Rurouni Kenshin films. I feel like they knocked all of those out of the park. Maybe the takeaway is that live-action should just be left to Japan?
@@tutuadefolalu3661 lol no, have you seen what Japanese production has done to Shingeki no Kyojin and Full Metal Alchemist? Kenshin works because it was set in Japan and of course Japanese people done it accurately.
If you aren't an anime watcher (or never got a chance to see it), it's fine. But PLEASE, then watch the original. If you were already a fan for twenty plus years, fuck. It feels bad. There are flashes of greatness... Jet sounds like Jet, some of the goofiness is totally there. Cho does a pretty good job as Spike. But god, the butchered most of it, especially Vicious. Even so, I can't shit on this, nor do I want to. When it works, it REALLY works... Spike hanging from a roof, lighting a cigarette and chilling out ("I'm waiting for you to pull me up"), that was _perfect._ But when it fails, it feels like an uncanny valley issue. Also, Faye felt odd... she had like half of the character's soul, but was strange in a way. Like... it wasn't an issue of character design (Faye kinda purposely dresses like a floozy to disarm _everyone_), but direction. Part of her character is that she's shit in a physical fight. She's good with guns, intimidation by misdirection and the Redtail, but now they have her kung-fu fighting with a push-knife. What Faye is SUPPOSED to do is whine and plead in efforts to take advantage of people both emotionally and sexually before she gets foul-mouthed and sour, which is very different from Spike, Jet and Ed. The thing is that EVERYONE on the Bebop brings a different skillset to the table, and having Faye on your crew is like owning a great big cat. She goes and does what she wants, is out of control and manipulative, then comes back to coax some love out of other characters, annoying as she can be. So I did like her finding a big-ass, intimidating gun then calling the boys fucking idiots for being so sloppy and dumb. That's cool. But I would like for her to be simultaneously fragile while in control of a ridiculous confidence and ego. That's what makes Faye so fun to watch. Just be warned.
The idea is the adaptation is "updated" and NOT in canon with the original. They will do the same for One Piece and the same results will occur .. you divide the fan base. Just leave it alone. Pineda WAS NOT Faye.
@@wonderyearsdouche475 I don't know how anyone thought Ed wouldn't have been hard to pull off. It's like the pettiest thing to be mad about. The people trashing her couldn't have been pleased no matter how they handled her, but making Vicious a little whiny daddy issues boy ruins the gravitas. Spike is even elevated when Vicious is a stone cold killer. Like Chris said, they wanted to show too much and explain too much. Lafou and Vicious need to be mysteries. Predators, not people.
@@wonderyearsdouche475 I don't see anyone bullying the actor who happens to be non binary and is said to not even be a kid I don't even think they they have a social media. They just say the performance is awful and leave it at that.
@@AscendedLife1 Pretty much the show rushed way too much Vicious stuff that was near the end of the anime. It feel like one that kinda have Spike survive the last episode or whatever they're just gonna do what they want. Ed should have remained animated, since they chould have made her work like Vtubers work especially outside with holograms. She's the main one that needed adaption and not the 1-1 translation
@@wonderyearsdouche475 No that was not Ed. How about for once, stop attacking the fans first. Like stop being disgusted at the original source. An Interview said "They fixed Ed" implying that the original needed to be fixed.
It's amazing that an anime which came out 20+ years ago still has such a huge fanbase to warrant a live action TV series. Over 20 years... that show is older than my niece!
The whole element of mystery has been removed from characters like Julia and Vicious. Spike has been emasculated. Why is there so much killing by spike and jet? And joy in killing? That was incredibly off-putting. Also it seemed like they were allergic to pauses. It adds so much gravitas
Also the action scenes are terrible Everyone is moving like their underwater or something, and it's full of those "Hollywood people who have no idea how weapons work" mistakes like gunman getting closer to their targets for no reason and bottomless magazines.
Bottomless magazines is a must😁. But yes, the pacing was a miss, the series was cramming in plots and not letting the characters breath. The cartoon was actually very episodic and didn't really get connected until the very end.
@Viper 47 people don't move like their wrestling in a tub of a mollases in John Wick. And I would genuinely say that as far as 1 goes (which is the best one) you almost never see it (imo they got lazy with the sequels)
@Aurora 47 I just saw review claiming that in one of the John Wick movies, John is using a gun with 15 rounds. Every time he fired 15 in the action scene, Keanu reloaded. They counted every round. So I think your argument falls flat. Great movies are made by people with attention to detail, that can count.
@@melanieenmats not to mention the knife fight where not every knife hits the target or actually manages to stab the hitmen, john wick definitely wasnt the example that shouldve been mentioned, frankly its fight scenes in 1 were some of the most accurate action movie scenes on film.
Agreed, Vicious was off to me. In their attempt to give him more character, they just ended up making Vicious annoying, stereotypical and tryhard. Best to treat him like Jaws & less like Chucky lol.
Not to mention how he acts like a little bitch after getting shot, and in the anime he never shows any emotion after getting shot which make him so unnerving because after that he just throws spike out of the church
They basically took what was hinted at by other characters in the anime, Him having a inferiority complex to Spike, then dialed it up by 100. I also liked how Vicious acted like for the first episode then the actor was like fuck it I can do whatever I want now? DOPE
I'm like five episodes in and I'm already tired of all the Vicious/Julia scenes. They weaken him so much. Like the bit with the singing. He comes off as absolutely childish, being as mad at Julia as he was. Not to mention insecure. Plus, maybe it's just me, but I can't help thinking of the actor as "discount Jason Isaacs." Also, on the scripting side, they clash with the rest of the episodes they're in. It took me a minute, but I think I figured out why: The Bebop's adventures are largely episodic, with minimal continuity, while the Syndicate stuff is serialized. It doesn't fit in. It's like I'm watching a Cowboy Bebop episode, and then someone randomly splices in ten minutes of some mobster show.
while i did like the series, Vicious i would agree was the weakest part. Any time him or the Syndicate were on screen it felt like a parody of the bad guys in The Fifth Element
John Cho straight admitted that the team basically never really consulted Watanabe, and Watanabe himself confirmed this say he could only hope and pray it would be good. He hasn't voiced his opinion on the show yet though. EDIT: For the record I mostly agree with Chris here on the main cast. (Spike, Jett, and Faye with Jett being the best btw) They were basically holding the entire show up but you could see them buckling under the weight constantly.
Chris, Arcane is a treat for anyone who enjoys animation. For me it is among the best among the genre. I hope you get around to review it, would love to hear your take on it
When does it pick up? The first episode wasn’t special till right at the end. Second episode is slightly better, but again, not spectacular. I wouldn’t have minded, but these rave reviews have me scratching my head a bit. Not trying to hate, just asking if it picks up later?
I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that they missed the POINT of the anime. These people are team superfriends....in the anime they were very sad and lonely, even when together. I could go on but you get the point. It would have been cool with episode of the week for a few season, with the Vicious thread weaved in throughout the seasons. Not great, but not awful though.
I weirdly don’t know if Chris did. Despite saying how much he loved the anime, it doesn’t feel like the guy was talking about anything he liked with the themes of the original beyond the stuff with Vicious, he limited it to just talking on the characters. And even then, I think it’s a little bit annoying how he framed the thing with Ed. I don’t think many people are upset with the actress, more how her costume was setup and how the writers set her up in the scene. I don’t know, maybe I’m looking at his review too hard, but I feel like Chris tried a little too hard to not compare this show to the anime, when the fact is you have to acknowledge it more as most people wouldn’t even care about the Netflix adaptation if not for the animation that came before it
@@gameb9oy because you dont compare it to the anime. Just judge it as a good or bad show on its own. Forget about the anime. Thats whats stopping you from enjoying it.
Mania, Forgot the anime? Right, we should absolutely forget the source material that this “show” is meant to be adapting. See, it’s this kind of attitude that allows Hollywood to keep getting away with embarrassing stuff like this. Sorry, but I’m not going to sacrifice my standards and just consume what is clearly a mediocre product.
@@mania4270 Geat point, but hard to pull off, i guess. I've never seen Cowboy Bebop the Anime, and i liked the Netflix show. Somehow i think it's almost only possible to enjoy this show when you've never seen the anime. If you love the anime, then you'll be dissapointed in places, and if you didn't like the anime, you'd probably not watch the adaptation either
@@Dave1507 my girlfriend doesn't like the anime, but liked the show. I'm not going to say I hate the Netflix version, but I much prefer the anime, so I think you make a good point. The original creator was a consultant for this show, so I'm a little surprised he didn't object to the changes to the core theme, which is lonely/depression of these characters. Their story arcs have ended and we're watching the aftermath, I really liked that.
I was thinking this: If they wrote Cowboy Bebop the live action adaptation, and nailed the character motivations and understood their humanity...they would've gotten away with bastardizing the set design and general aesthetics. They tried so hard to nail the aesthetic, hell even got Yoko Kanno, then fucked up the character motivations and misunderstood their thematic values of relative human condition. If the characters looked NOTHING like the anime but you could tell who they were by the SPIRIT of their personas --- you would've nailed this show. But you hired hack writers, Netflix.
Also this is an excellent rebuttal to what Chris says in his review. They took cosmetic things, but they gutted the story. He totally missed the point here and came off pretentious, looking down on people with BETTER critique, like yours.
@d R He is looking down by dismissing certain valid criticisms as done by -ist-o-phobes. Especially at the end he gives away his true colors. I've really watched him for many years, and noticed a bit of this before. But in this video he is showing his true imo colors as an ideological bigot. He is doing in fact exactly what he accused those people of. I'm tired of ideologues dismissing valid critique by calling people bad words. And I'm certainly not going to support that behavior with clicks. PS: A concrete example: dismissing criticism of the female character as sexist when people are not commenting only her dress, but actually on her character arc being ruined by gutting an essential part of the character; her seductiveness.
Atleast Death Note had some semblance to the mainstory. Dragonball Evolution was... I don't know. I never been hurt by a movie in this way before. My boy Piccolo.
Death Note while bad at least it was trying to be good. Dragon Evolution on the other hand was just awful. If the anime creators hate it that means your doing something wrong there.
I'm sorry, but why does Vicious look so much like an older Viserys Targaryen even down to the whiny attitude. 😂 Great review as always, thanks for keeping them coming despite all that's going on in your life right now with the new babies and everything, I hope you know how much we appreciate the time and efforts you make for us. :)
@@humane143imperfection6 I think he was Asian. In the comic a character described Spike as "oriental" and he was based on the actor Yusaku Matsuda...which you can totally see when you google him. ^_^
I just finished the show. I thought it was okay at best. There were some nice things about it like the main trio who eventually really started to grow on me and certain plot points were adapted well. However overall it felt kind of hollow with horrible dialogue, slow and uninteresting fight scenes and inconsistent visuals. They really ruined Viscous and Julia for me and as for Ed, she wasn't as bad as I thought but at the same time it was a little extra for me. If this show gets a second season I really hope the writing and direction improves.
Bad news: it got canceled, so The Teaser with Zed is now Null and Void! Saddest Cliffhanger I’d ever experienced in recent years since Fox’s Son of Zorn! That show, starring a Animated Barbarian trying to reconnect with his Live Action Family, only had 13 episodes, which ended with a sign of what we would had expect for a Second Season, only for Fox to shut the series down in General!
Funny. I thought Jet Black was the one they didn't quite get right. But when Chris said he reminded him so much of the english dub, it all made sense to me. I grew up with the german dub and that specific interpretation of the character. Never switched to the english dub since. Just goes to show how personal these things are, and especially in animation where a lot of the world and its characters rest on the viewers own imagination.
I thought Jet was the only good casting choice, but I thought that before even hearing his voice. The body language of the actor was what I would expect from Jet.
Yeah, I do wonder if this is one of the things that makes it hard to please the fanbase for an anime. We've not all experienced it the same way. The English dub of Cowboy Bebop was so good, that I didn't feel the need to switch to the original Japanese. I have tried watching with it in Japanese a couple times, and the characters feel off. The Netflix series leans heavily on the English dub interpretation of the characters. If that's not the version you're used to or enjoyed, then the Netflix series will likely feel like more of a miss.
they did jett black sooo dirty! he's a fucking loser now who you only get to feel bad for! and he's younger than spike so he doesn't even get to be the experienced older brother/dad archetype. i was actually thinking that this new adaptation is like meta-commentary on the fandom and the legacy of the show itself: Jett Black- the old fans; has a kid(adoration of the series) now but can't be a good father figure because "ok Boomer" we have to be the butt of the joke. Spike Spiegel- the legacy of the show itself; way too old, past his prime, and shot by the person who is supposed to love him, Julia(the showrunners). Faye Valentine- the new fans; just showed up and are the only people having fun with this.
Chris, they totally set up Julia taking the throne. Go back and watch Season 1 and her interactions with Vicious. Watch her facial expressions while she's dealing with him. Throughout the season, I kept thinking she had something else going on so when she finally took her shot (literally ha!) I wasn't surprised at all. Great and fair review! Glad I found you from your Double Toasted visit.
I have seen the live action version of Sailor Moon a while ago and it was fine for me even with the slight changes to the story but I'd just prefer the anime in the end. The transition to live action is gonna to be hampered quite a bit because now you have to figure out how to bring such crazy setpieces to real life and that could mean lots of CGI or just outright ridiculous looking physics.
Its to introduce people like me who've never seen the show. Most people have a bias on never watching anime because its childish, because of the fanbase, etc. I enjoy anime but finally I can compare and contrast both versions on Netflix. I also enjoyed parts of the live action, I know that the show is on a higher pedestal. But I understand why Netflix wanted to adapt it, to help their users get affiliated to this IP. If they are discontent about it, they have the anime as well to appease the fans. I can't wait for season two see some more
I've noticed alot of Netflix shows are like that and I can't put my finger on why. I watched Red Notice recently and apparently that was 200 million to make but felt like maybe half that.
I still can't get over the fact that you have over 1 million subscribers. I remember when I started watching your channel you were in the 100Ks. So amazing and I'm so happy for you.
The issue I had with the show and you sort of touched on it: this feels like someone telling you that this is how cowboy bebop should be. Because if it was a love letter it would've added and not change so much of the original.
Chris, you are seriously one of the best if not the best movie lover/critic ever! I appreciate your take on films and being able to just see the hard work that’s put into them and as a work of art rather than just straight up bashing it. I’ve been watching your channel for years now and I can say you’ve definitely have grown and improved not just as movie critic but as a person too. Keep up the amazing work! ♥️
I was fixated on... All the other stuff in that scene, but thinking back you're totally right, they do literally nothing to set up that turn for Julia. It's infuriating. On the flipside, though, I also 100% agree about the cast being phenomenal!
Is the twist motivation more bothersome because it isn't in the anime I wonder? If Julia was given some ambition sure but that would be picked up by some people. Better then to give her an ambition for something else to show that she's not some weak, thoughtless pushover when away from Vicious. Something I noticed in the later shots just before she attempts to win over then shoot Spike in comparison to her walking into the scene was her hair changing to look much more like Vicious'.
She's been abused, used and lied to by Vicious and Fearless all the while existing in an environment where lives don't matter and people stab you with a smile on their face. She simply had it with all that and snapped. Also .. she didn't spend THAT much time with Fearless, when you think about it, so it's all more of a crush than true love, so the turn comes easy too.
@@Jigsaw407 Absolutely, it's her grabbing an opportunity when she says it after effectively being a prisoner for years and her relationship with Spike breaking apart since it is based on idealised past after which they developed into different people. Like basically this whole show it's not terribly good and of course the way the original handled same themes is way better, but people are being too harsh on it, it's not really bad either.
@@Jigsaw407 I agree the problem is I think they didn't bring it to the foreground enough the flip dose actually make since but it just wasn't brought up enough as to how scared she was and how tired she was of being scared, it honestly reminds me of Game of thrones when it seemed like the mother of dragons going insane came out of nowhere. The build up was kind of there but it just wasn't done very well
I get what you're saying, and while it may not sound too progressive, I like Julia as she was in the anime. I wish that stayed closer to the same. Julia worked because we knew spike cared about her. The second we thing things will go good for spike and Julia, we all have her taken away from us. As spike said in the movie "I love a woman who can kick my ass" so I'm left to assume Julia was a badass off screen, and not just some Noir damsel waiting to be saved. Like Vicious, her lack of screen time helped cement her as the important character she was. You're spot on about the casting, as the author of this video is. I personally wish Faye was more femme fatale, but I don't mind that we got space Revy. I love Revy. I honestly hope this cast gets put into a live action black lagoon. They got good chemistry.
Chris, you should have a pallet cleanser by watching the show Arcane. A well constructed story, animation on the level of Into the Spider-verse, emotional beats hit every time, and riveting action scenes.
I was just gonna hop on here and say the same thing! I'd love to see his take on it. Though I think it surpasses into the spider-verse. They pushed that style to the next level.
@@benwilliams4377 It is, but you don't have to know anything about league of legends to be drawn into the show. Honestly, I think knowing next to nothing about the game improved the show for me.
I remember getting the DVDs sent to me when I was deployed to Afghanistan. Everyone would crowd around my little laptop and we would binge watch the new ones. The most memorable one for me was when Andy was introduced (but you can call me Wyatt Erp). We had a guy in my unit named Andy Erp who was a big fan too. Everyone couldn’t stop laughing when that happened. I’m not sure if it’s in the Netflix version though.
Chris, you should check out Arcane. It's a fantastic animated series starring Hailey Steinfeld and based on the lore and characters from League of Legends. It being adapted from a video game property and the trailers being pretty underwhelming, I went into this expecting it to be mediocre but it really blew me away. The animation is so beautiful and the story and voice acting are insanely good.
@@brabiz67 oh shit context? bc i dont know shit about league of legends but my bisexual little heart exploded at the main characters biceps so like. did i accidentally do a problematic while watching it?
I'm convinced a lot of fans will never be happy with what they are given. I.E. Star Wars. A lot of fans cant disconnect with the original source. Your review is pretty concise and well drafted. I really like how you articulated your positive and negative responses. Thank you for that!
This is true. I think if people just temporarily forgot the original source and watch the movie/show adaptation for what it is, I think a lot more people would enjoy their time watching. Cowboy Bebop I actually enjoyed for the most part except I didn't care for Vicious as far as the character. I hope with the second season (should there be one), they take the time to expand on Julia's ambition of becoming the head of Syndicate and maybe we get a better dynamic of Vicious. I hope Radical Ed turns out great too
If something is genuinely well written, most fans will get over their more petty criticisms. But well written scripts and modern Star Wars are complete strangers.
I have no qualms with Ed's actor. I DO find it unbelievable that they thought directly translating the character like that was a good choice. Here's hoping they tamper that shit down.
Chris you need to give Arcane a watch. It’s phenomenal. It goes beyond what into the spiderverse did in terms of groundbreaking animation. I knew nothing of league before watching it and now I’m completely invested.
@@josechamu240 spiderverse pioneered a new era of animation and I’m glad it inspired new shows like arcane. I haven’t watched it but yeah the animation looks insanely gorgeous
Thanks to the Otaku culture. Japanese do their own storyboards hand drawn. No 2D, 3D tech shit, apart from recent works such as your name. Now that Otaku had created itself a niche market, now westen animation trying to catch up.
It was done really well in my opinion. It still hit me rlly hard at moments I have such a close to heart love for the anime so this obv doesn't compare. I just viewed this like watching a cowboy bebop play or something and a friend said it's something like an alternate universe or timeline for it. I dug tht way of describing it with the tweak in story. Man it rlly honestly hit for me! And lol I luvved Ed's introduction at the end!! I wasn't sure how they where going to do it but it seemed like they were going to handle it well. It was an amazing ride I wish there was going to be another season can't believe they pulled the plug so quick. Crowd hate is wild. I'm glad we got it an I was rlly doubtful! Great points from Chris btw moving too close like shit for shot with source work wasn't ideal. Idk sometimes I liked it tho! Haha sucha cool piece idk..!!
I disagree with Faye. Should have casted Pom Klementieff or some Singaporean actress. Plus her outfit didn’t stay true to the actual anime. In addition. Her personality just missed the mark to me.
LOL Actually Netflix DOES have to carry the weight... of another failed live action anime attempt. I wish Netflix would do a poll: Do y'all want us to make more Live Action Animes? Cue Michael Scott: NO, GAWD NO, NOOOOO
I tried to give this live-action version the benefit of the doubt, but I just couldn’t love it as much as I love the original anime, Cowboy Bebop is my all-time favourite anime too. But this version just lacks the spark and feeling that I got from the original show.
Hi Chris, Long time follower, I pretty much only watch your reviews cause they really resonate with me. I want to know are you planning on doing a review on Arcane the TV series? If you aren't I think you should. It is an amazing show whether your a fan of League of Legends or not. Would love to see this content.
Good review. I didn't understand why Julia wanted the throne either, especially when chances of her being killed by other members of the Syndicate are very high. But overall, it was a great show and I look forward to what comes next.
To me his youth was important. Felt like a "how could a guy so young, have a past so deep and tragic". It made me as a viewer feel like spike had been through it.
Sometimes I feel like people are just being overly polite and walking on eggshells just because he's Asian. Well I'm Asian and I really do think he was miscast.
Literally almost all anime protagonists are either teenagers or young adults, and that's because the creators want those same people to identify themselves with such characters, but complaining about an actor being too old is the same as conplaining about a protagonist being a woman, or of a different etchnicity as yours, things that are of 0 relevance to the actual important thing, which is the story, and Spike being young was never the reason why he was an interesting character in the first place, and the only way I would have seen it ruined in live action is if they casted a 60 or 70 year actor.
I think his youth matters insomuch it makes his impulsive, passionate, life & death relationship with Julia make more sense; Cho has twice as many years on Spike so his gravitas doesn’t match that impulsiveness.
@@Athenia There's still many people past 50 who act laid back and immature, Spike seems to be one of those people, I doubt that even in the anime a 50 year old version of Spike would act any different than the one we know.
The main issues I have with the live action series is that the show felt a bit hollow and sometimes it also felt like they were stuck in the rehearsal stage (especially the fights). It wasn't great and it wasn't horrible either - it just didn't flow so smoothly.
exactly this!! the figths looked halfbaked or like it was an "on set" rehearsal with the cinematographer and the costumes to see how it would all work but then ended up being in the show.
Thank you for this Chris ❤️ All your time, editing, and great perspective. Easily the favorite RU-vid channel for many years you've been doing your great work!!
I honestly didn't like episode one but when it reached Jet's story I started to enjoy it. Once we got to the end of the show I felt like we did see Spike really develop. Like I know who Spike is based on the Anime but he could have been more in the show. If someone can check the screen time John Cho had vs everyone else.
Thank you for addressing the way people are talking about Ed. It’s honestly disgusting the way they’re treating the actor, especially since they only saw them on screen for less than a minute. People who bully children are seriously the worst.
Absolutely disgusted, but not surprised... This is why I just don't even call myself a fan or a gamer or anything like that anymore. To be associated with that kind of person is just not great.
THIS ^^^^ the amount of hate she gets kinda reminds me of the hate that Rose got from the last Jedi. Not trying to defend the movie, but the amount of hate she got as an actor was absolutely embarrassing and horrible
Happy Thanksgiving Chris! Hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. I saw ghostbusters afterlife and loved it. I have cowboy bebop on dvd. Glad you reviewed the netflix update!
Chris, i don't think this is about ownership. I think most fans would be ok with slight changes, provided the source material was respected. These show runners shouldn't go about buying rights for IPs that have massive fandom and exploit it at their free will. Now THAT is ownership, a studio entitled to make drastic changes to beloved IPs for the sake of whatever bullshit reason they come up with. The backlash is also useful for preventing show runners and studios from everlastingly making free adaptations from IPs according to political/social flavors. If they want to tell up to date stories, it would serve them better to create new IPs, and not transfigure old ones. Fans made the IP what it is, that's the reason why Cowboy Bebop got famous: people watched it and the author kept on delivering. Ultimately, the reason why Netflix bought the rights to this anime, is because they know there's a massive fanbase for it. And to think they would be respectful to that fanbase and provide an accurate adaptation, seems ludicrous nowadays. People didn't want a "free adaptation" of Cowboy Bebop, they wanted the anime respected and faithfully represented. edit: grammar
I didn’t like “the look” of the show. It didn’t feel cinematic enough or something. For example, Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul are TV shows but they look cinematic, does that make sense? This Netflix Bebop has that Gotham, TV show look. I just don’t like how the colours translate but maybe that’s a preference thing. I wish they had done what Rogue One did for the Star Wars franchise. Rogue One took modern production but made the look and feel slightly “dirty” and “grimy”. I hope the producers and writers buck up if there is a S02. The actors are competent and look the part but could probably do with better notes from the showrunners on how to play the characters. Julia and Vicious’ place in this universe could benefit from a recalibration as well. Funny thing is fans are critical because we want Bebop to succeed, not to shit on a show for no reason. I wish the showrunners watched the anime in the native Japanese with subtitles because the feel of it is different. I really don’t care if Faye looks sexy enough or Spike is too old, etc. They need to get the spirit of the characters right first and everything else will follow. They can even write new storylines etc once the spirit of the characters are intact and the whole thing will FLOW. Sorry, I’m just super passionate about Bebop and yes, it is my favourite TV show of all time too (anime or otherwise).
This is how I feel when I watch a show made for HBO, or HBO Max, compared to a show on Netflix. The “big budget” shows like The Witcher just don’t look the same as shows made on HBO. They feel and look cheap, not cinematic.
"Fans are critical because they want the show to succeed." The show wasn't even that bad. That part you mentioned about it looking cheap and not cinematic enough, were your expectations of Space Adventure in cinema like Gravity or Interstellar? The look of the show was definitely one of the things unique about the show. From different planets holding a different tint of colour. Set pieces are littered with trash, gave a much dirtier look on certain planets.
@@Carl-ito The show isn't that bad, you're right. But I didn't say it looked "cheap". It just has that "TV series" tint to it rather than a "cinema" tint to it, which I prefer. I don't expect it to look as good as Interstellar, but something like the Mandalorian would've been brilliant. Is it the colour? Is it the choice of perspective? I don't know what it is exactly though. It just felt claustrophobic. I feel like it could've benefitted from a lot more open, wide angle shots that just linger without any sense of purpose. Just to let the story breathe, y'know? But I see your point too, so maybe it's just a preference thing...
@@hafizimranYT I haven't watched this but just seeing some of the shots I can agree, it has a low budget look to it. Almost looks like it was filmed with an iPhone at parts. Feels like a RU-vid fan film.
@@SamDoesStuff maybe you should watch it instead of complaining over stills, the show doesn't look cheap at all. You may disagree at a certain style decisions but 'low budget' is not it
I gotta say, Chris, I really like this new direction you're taking with your channel. It's more like video essays now, and your opinion is as always well structured and informed. So yeah, keep it up ,man
You never change characters, you can adjust scenes that can't be recreated in a real life adaptions but you don't mess with original characters. They're the entire reason the show gathered a following for decades. They should have just created a new show from scratch if they planned complete makeover of personas
I liked it so far. I thought all casting choices were clutch. I have only seen the original anime once about 3 years or so ago and loved it. Not a mega fan but easily my favorite anime if not 2nd favorite and I thought what I have seen so far is amazing. You have Uber faithful stuff and new stuff. Personally I liked the first episode but also liked the new additions. Great video Chris.
This is the school of modern era Disney remakes. There's no artistic merit to just adapting something to live action "just because you can and people will watch it."
And this review pretty much says to me .. "i'm having children and i am not getting demonitized and need access." There is no way ANY of these remakes are keeping in spirit, character, canon or personality/sensuality of the previous anime and why should they THEY ARE PUSHING AN AGENDA. in some cases there are companies PAYING agenda scores for this. This is what Chris doesnt understand. There are no toxic fans or trolls. This is done purposefully and deliberately.
@@SuperOmnicronsj44 I mean, I'm the first to agree that _most_ remakes are pointless and annoying-- but 'ANY' is a pretty broad blanket statement, especially when considering you're also saying 'THEY' are (all) pushing some unified agenda. What agenda would that be, that Hollywood is conspiring to insert into our media?
You're disrespecting anyone in the movie making business who has a dream or vision of turning their childhood memories into live adaptations. You haters are like spam bots repeating each others complaints when a director/writer wants to turn an animation into a live adaptation. And fail to grasp the fact that it can be successfully done but like I said you're all just riding the same hate bandwagon. Everybody loves the Iron-Man and Spiderman movies and fail to realize that they as well once animation. Smh. Bandwagon.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Chris. I was waiting and hoping to hear what you had to say and was pleasantly surprised that your opinion on it was so similar to how I feel. I really enjoyed some episodes and really disliked a couple of them. My biggest criticism with the Netflix series is with the raunchiness (I.E. cum in a tree). It’s a bit gross at times and it’s hard to take those blinders off when the anime was subtle with the sexual innuendo. I’ve been swinging back and forth how I feel about this adaptation but I do think there is good in here that hopefully will turn non-Bebop fans on to checking the anime out and falling in love with it.
Not going to lie, i'm really like both the original Cowboy Bebop and the Netflix version. The worst thing for me so far has really been how super toxic people have been about the Netflix version, like it feels as if some people who's barely watched the original are jumping on some kind of bandwagon. Sure the new show has some problems, but it has *_soooo_* much potential and i can't wait for Season 2!
I respect that you went into the Netflix adaption with any hope at all. I feel like after Death Note I gave up on ever having a good anime to live action remake.
Reddit can be like that lol. Especially now that it’s just TikTok 2.0 with comments. Seriously, I liked new Reddit until this happened. Half the people on Reddit don’t even know how to use it anymore! It’s a breeding ground for toxicity.
I think age plays a really important role in the show. Simply because each character represents a lifestage. For example, Ed being a teenager who joins the team to explore the world and sees everything like a journey. But at the end of the day goes back home safe and sound. Faye being 20/in her early 20s, trying to find out who she is as a person and living recklessly and irresponsibly because of it. So each character is very reflective of our own journey. Hence, age should’ve been taken into account for the live action remake. But I do like the cast tho! Like you said, they are very competent actors.
Spike is the personification of the quarter-life crisis. So yes, Spike's youth is integral to his arc in the anime. He's had a taste of adulthood and has determined everything is meaningless.
The former mafia hit man is suffering from a “quarter life crisis” yeah nah. Mid-life you can argue, but acting like he’s some college kid who just graduated with no clue what do next is ridiculous
That criticism would have more force if you couldn't accurately replace the 'Spike' in your sentence with every other poorly written character in cinema and this Anime, especially Vicious. These poorly written characters are all teenagers emotionally. No adult that has had a taste of adulthood concludes that everything is meaningless and acts accordingly. Adults take whatever they do seriously, meaningful or not. So is Spike supposed to act like a teenager? If so, then I agree that youth is integral to his arc. Otherwise, he's just what Hollywood poses as adults these days.
Would love to see you review Arcane! I've never played League of Legends and yet found myself really enjoying it and feeling invested in the story all the way through.
This is the kind of review for the series I've been waiting for. Felt like I was insane with some of my opinions versus what was being said on social media
Agree. Wasn't super nit picky or down right hated comments. Unlike how Angry Joe n crew was. I personally like this series so far. Yeah there is a few things in it makes me go "huh" but this series is enjoyable. And I 10,000% agree the guy playing Jet nailed it well. Even I thought sound like the english dub voice actor at times
@@Leandra001 that's why I did not watch Angry Joe review because I knew they would be ripping it apart and when I clicked on the video I just made my comment and walked away because they are always talking shit about things
I'm surprised he didn't take note of how bad the dialog could be or how everyone was swearing all the time in a cheesy attempt to make the show more adult. I also thought Faye was extremely unlikable. That issue people making with the outfit was just the beginning. And I get giving Jet a daughter but why did they feel the need to keep mentioning the Jet's present for her over and over and over. It was so awkward. Then he goes to visit her and it feels like we're in another universe altogether?
They changed it so Jet isn't some old man being a bounty hunter to survive with nothing but an old ship, to a sad cuck who does bounty hunting to buy a toy for his kid. One is tragic the other is pathetic, I can't help to imagine them floating in space complaining about no fuel or food and that they've been starving for a week and jet is just hiding a jar of money and refuses to use it cause it's for a present, it just doesn't sound as good.
Spike's youth wasn't touched on in the anime's story explicitly, but it was reflected in his hotheadedness,. devil may care attitude and playfulness. John Cho's portrayal was more cynical, mean and mature which I guess suits his age better (apologies if I'm wrong in the later episodes I couldn't make it past the first episode of the live action and instead went to watch the original anime instead).
I second what someone else commented here. I highly suggest checking out Arcane, Chris. The animation is incredible and some of the abstract imagery and ways they depict things is beautiful. Plus, just my opinion, but I think the story telling and character development are top notch. They made a lot of refreshingly bold decisions. Would be interested to hear your thoughts.
Vi's parkour scene when she's introducing Caitlyn to Zaun was spectacular the animation and design beautifully done And SILCO! What a character- that's how a villian is done- his last words left me in tears Can't wait for season 2
@@tash936 hell yeah, you could tell the creators really cared about what they were doing. And totally agree about Silco. One of the best villains Ive seen in a while. Loved how layered and complicated they made him.
I think when they say it deviated they’re referring to the fact that so much is mashed together rather than handled separately. They definitely copy&pasted damn near everything, but the spots the copy was pasted often felt very combative to the story they were telling. I’m curious if season 2 will be better received since more of it will be “off-book” so-to-speak. Also, this Vicious is absolutely awful compared to the anime.
I really like this review. I watched a few where people just drag the whole thing, but I was definitely trying to watch as if it was a new piece of art separate from the show. Your point that they should have chosen to remake or reinvent is exactly what kept me off kilter the whole show.
It honestly was okay, I enjoyed some things and felt that some other things were unnecessary. If they do make a season two I do hope they add certain things that were missing originally. Edit: well as of the update of this comment, the live action series has been canceled so they unfortunately lost a possible redemption
Yeah I would actually like a season 2, I'm pretty interested in seeing what they will do, unlike most people I actually really liked specific changes but I guess that's just me and in no way saying it's objectively good and no one can dislike it
