Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos)
Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/23/21 8:19 p.m.

I decided to watch the live action Cowboy Beebop on Netflix. I'd watched the animated version of it a long time ago, and figured it'd be some light holiday fare.

The show is jam packed with old cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s.



 

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
11/23/21 10:20 p.m.

The trailer is mostly spaceships and guns.  But I did spot an old bug in the background of one shot.

 

Cooter
Cooter PowerDork
11/23/21 10:32 p.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :

I was on the fence about watching it for fear of being disappointed compared to the original.  Old car content is enough to convince me to give it w whirl.

yupididit
yupididit PowerDork
11/23/21 10:49 p.m.

I've been afraid to watch it too. 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
11/23/21 10:56 p.m.

Same here. The anime is perfection. I think Cartoon Network has been airing it continuously for 20 years. Don't kill what I love. Don't kill what I love. Don't kill what I love...

Vracer111
Vracer111 HalfDork
11/23/21 11:17 p.m.

Have not actually seen the live action series but every review and analysis of it I've seen shows it's nothing I want to see. The original Cowboy Bebop anime series is a masterpiece... bought the UK blu-rays while waiting years for the US blu-ray set to finally be released, it's one of my favorites. All the changes done to the characters and story in the live action series rubs me wrong... Viscous and Julia are jokes of their anime characters and political and 'woke' agenda being inserted with other characters changed to 'fix' it to current US culture.

There are older cars in in.. 70's camaro/firebird and the like. The cars are't enough to get me to watch what both critics and audiences/fans overwhelmingly don't like...

BenB
BenB HalfDork
11/24/21 3:16 a.m.

I lasted three episodes. There are some cool cars, but I found the show itself slow and boring. 

Apexcarver
Apexcarver UltimaDork
11/24/21 4:53 a.m.

Been watching it. It's good, but not great. They miss the mark a little on Faye, but otherwise not bad. It's fairly honest to the source material, but some changes to make realism to live action. 7/10

Beer Baron
Beer Baron MegaDork
11/24/21 6:02 a.m.

Watched the first episode. Wife and I looked at each other. Netflix has the original right next to it. Now we're watching the original.

There is no artistic reason for this series to exist. It's not bad, but the original is a masterpiece and is right there to watch instead.

They're blatantly trying to ape the style of the anime, and I find it weird and offputting. Live action characters will hold still poses or affect stylized facial expressions or movements that work in animation, but not in real life (e.g. Vicious' evil grins). It puts it in a sort of weird inverse uncanny valley.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) Dork
11/24/21 7:23 a.m.

The live action Vicious just doesn't seem that vicious to me. He acts more like an aging rock star than a Syndicate enforcer. He talks too much, is actually afraid of his bosses and reacts too much to everything. The anime Vicious talked very little, killed many and never reacted to anything no matter how bloody or violent. Kind of like Gus Fring in Breaking Bad. He could kill in cold blood and not have any emotion about it. Somebody to really be afraid of.

dculberson
dculberson MegaDork
11/24/21 7:45 a.m.

I've had no experience with any cowboy bebop before, and I enjoyed the first episode. It wasn't great but it was pretty good. 

Beer Baron
Beer Baron MegaDork
11/24/21 8:03 a.m.

In reply to dculberson :

Put down the live action. Go watch the original. It's on Netflix and Hulu.

Tony Sestito
Tony Sestito UltimaDork
11/24/21 8:45 a.m.

I'm currently doing a watch-through of both side-to-side. I am liking the live action one so far. Is it as good as the PERFECT original? Of course not. But it's fun. Yes, they change a bunch of things, but I'm still digging it. Only on the 2nd episode so far, but I'll stick it out to the end.

And production companies really need to stop blowing up old cars.

Dusterbd13-michael
Dusterbd13-michael MegaDork
11/24/21 8:52 a.m.

I just texted the wife and told her about this. May have to renew Netflix 

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos)
Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/24/21 9:53 a.m.

The key takeaway is this: a lot of the hate I see is along the lines of what the Lord Of The Rings movies got from diehard book fans.

The original animated Cowboy Bebop was groundbreaking and used a non-Hollywood sense of pacing and storytelling. It had a certain style and an aesthetic that the live action one doesn't.

The live action Cowboy Bebop is a Hollywood remake of a franchise beloved by many. It's made in a different time with Hollywood sensibilities and diverges from the original. Is it as good as the original? If you're a fan of Hollywood Action Movies, and aren't a fan of anime, you may like it more. If you're a huge fan of the original and don't go into it expecting it to be anything other than a Hollywood remake of your beloved story, you'll be mad.

Jerry
Jerry PowerDork
11/24/21 10:22 a.m.

I watched the anime on DVD years ago, anime isn't my thing but I liked it.

I'm 5 episodes into the live action and also liking it.  It's fun & I recognize enough of the cartoon to say "hey I get that".  It's not great but it's good enough.  People need to lighten up a little.

The 70s Camaro was fun.

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/24/21 10:27 a.m.

I'm not a huge Anime person anyway, but I did watch some of the original series and liked it. Based on watching the first episode, I don't think the live action version isn't that bad - I actually quite liked it.

Like with the Wheel of Time, I think the issue is that you probably shouldn't expect a 100% identical retelling of the story it's based on.

In fact, so far I like that they didn't "Hollywoodize" the grit and darkness the original had, it's still mostly there, just looks like it's been redone by Tarantino/Rodriguez.

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter)
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
11/24/21 11:13 a.m.

Didn't know a live action version came out. Not sure how I will watch it, don't have any streaming services or premium cable channels. Maybe it's for the best? I did enjoy the original.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) Dork
11/24/21 11:13 a.m.

I like the hardware in the background, from the Bebop ship to the old scooters and cars. I want to see what shows up next. Maybe even the old space shuttle from the anime series.

Beer Baron
Beer Baron MegaDork
11/24/21 11:41 a.m.

In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) :

The difference is LotR was adapting a book to an entirely different medium. Cowboy Bebop is adapting a TV show to a TV show.

The problem isn't that it's bad. The problem is that it doesn't do anything better than the original that it's sitting right next to.

Edit: although the fight choreography/direction is really bad. I'm talking 'Iron Fist' levels of having to cut around the lack of practice needed to execute things properly.

 

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