"Cowboy Bebop" is Anime-to-Live-Action Done Right

In no way shape or form are conversions from anime to live action a new thing PostWWII Japan and America historically spent their time being super into each other39s cultures which eventually opened a lane here in the states for this meticulously handdrawn and stylized method of storytelling Fast forward some years and bam Ghost in the Shell comes out in theaters and while the original film was hailed as groundbreaking at the time for its use of CG the live action remake that would eventually follow it stateside is criticized worldwide for being quotwhitewashedquot Apparently it had something to do with the main character Major Motoko Kusanagi being renamed Major and played by Scarlett Johansson Go figurePoint is this Cowboy Bebop thing Netflix is doing is not America39s first attempt at taking something that anime has already made dope and trying to put real people into it without you know ruining the whole thing see The Last Airbender But it certainly is one of the few times that we got it exactly rightThat39s right people Exactly Right See the key here was nailing the iconic visual and audio style of this whole thing which is pretty specific It39s part western gunslinger with its twangyness and harmonicas and what have you but it39s also big band jazz with a blaring horn section and Latininfused rhythm section Shout out to Yoko Kanno the composer for both this and the original seriesVisually it39s that combination of grunge and shine that the cyberpunk genre is known for with the added detail of live action sets replacing the attimes impressionistic nature of the matte paintings in the background of the original anime Then of course there39s that signature tone which as original series director and current series consultant Shinichiramp333 Watanabe put it during a QampampA at Otakon 2013 is quot80 serious story and 20 humorous touchquot That sentiment is held to in this new iteration of the series which is a group effort between the writers and actors that allows the characters in the show to live in a world where things are definitely serious enough to matter but not so much that all lightness and frivolity remain totally absentThis bring us to the actors I swear the casting for Bebop could not be better if it tried John Cho39s superpower is infusing unlikely heroes with a mainline injection of cool and this time around his character was already cool to begin with Think about it By the end of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Cho39s character Harold has gone from being the uptight pushover to standing up for himself and getting the girl at the end Remember that scene in 200939s Star Trek when the typically disenfranchised character Hikaru Sulu is left as Kirk39s only backup on a mission and cites quotfencingquot as his only training just to end up kicking all the ass during that fight That39s the Cho Effect again Hell Cho39s jury selector character on that one episode of New Girl was probably the smoothest MFer ever to step foot in a courtroom Now he39s playing Spike Spiegel owner of one of the best hairoutfit combos in the game right now It39s almost too muchPineda and Shakir were perfectly cast as well Shakir displays the perfect balance of tough and comically tender that makes Jet who he is and Pineda pretty much mirrors Valentine39s mischievous yet likable nature of to a tAnd that39s the name of the game essentially creating that same vibe You want this thing to feel like the original because that39s what will get people in the door and once they39re in then you can take them wherever you want them to go That39s why small spoiler the main plot of the first episode of this series is almost identical to the first episode of the original anime even by the shot at times Taking it a step further the intro to every episode is an almost frameforframe remake of the animated series music included The silhouettes the guns the horns it truly doesn39t they much betterSure there are a couple of characters missing from the anime39s team at first like Ed the hacker and some characters are born from aspects of characters that already existed like the enviroterrorists but it39s all in an effort to make Cowboy Bebop as fresh as it is stylizedThe true difference here is the level of care that went into all of this Bebop is a rebootremake that actually does justice to the original Even the intro was a surprisingly accurate liveaction recreation of the anime39s own iconic opening It may even bring new fans to the source material One thing I know for sure It would be crazy if it didn39t at least bring us another season or twoClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

"Cowboy Bebop" is Anime-to-Live-Action Done Right

Author

Publish date

Channel

Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

"Cowboy Bebop" is Anime-to-Live-Action Done Right

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Ainsley Andrade

TAGS:

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

Cookies