![]() ![]() What could possibly go wrong? Cowboy Bebop was an immediate shipwreck, earning a cancellation less than a month out on the streamer. John Cho and Mustafa Shakir would be starring, the - and not using this word lightly - iconic jazzy music of the original anime would be in this new version of the show, and there’d be a real-life corgi. In the end, Netflix’s rendition of Death Note failed at hitting the notes of a tense and gripping psychological thriller, and instead settled with becoming a generic YA/teen drama (and a mediocre one, at that).Ĭowboy Bebop (2021): All seemed like it was going to go great with Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop. ![]() Cultural nuances whooshed over director Adam Wingard’s head. Moreover, the rules of the titular Death Note, and the overall philosophy of the original show and manga were inconsistent, possibly because of elements of the story getting literally lost in translation. So, why did Netflix’s 2017 take on the story tank? Though all of Netflix’s Death Note ensemble cast was made up of strong actors like Margaret Qualley, LaKeith Stanfield, and Willem Dafoe, there were no Japanese actors playing main characters. Death Note (2017) and Cowboy Bebop (2021)ĭeath Note (2017): The 2006 Japanese live-action film version of Death Note was superb. Alice in Borderland fared so well on Netflix when it debuted worldwide on December 2020, that the streamer greenlit a second season premiering today on the platform.Ĭan Netflix finally succeed with their attempts at live-action anime? Is Alice in Borderland an exception to the rule, or is it a justifiable reason to get excited for the streamer’s future offerings? Let’s get into it. Netflix’s only good live-action manga adaptation at the moment is Alice in Borderland, a Japanese-language sci-fi thriller based on the story of the same name by Haro Aso and directed by Shinsuke Sato, which captures the cleverness and suspense of the original graphic novel. Netflix is banking big on live-action anime, but most of their past outputs ( Death Note and Cowboy Bebop, in particular) have been lackluster and generally devoid of soul. This kind of tonal shifting is something that Asian TV and cinema is, so far, more adept at than Western TV and cinema. The manga and anime live-action adaptations that have succeeded, like Detective Pikachu, Oldboy, Blade of the Immortal, Rurouni Kenshin, Assassination Classroom: Graduation, and Alita: Battle Angel, have all embraced the over-the-top nature of the anime, and don't try to fully ground it in reality, giving directors, cinematographers, and actors more room to play and be flexible with tone that whiplashes between dark and emotional, and straight-up wacky and comedic. ![]() Both Marvel and DC have had their fair share of flops amongst their hits ( Thor 4, She-Hulk, The Inhumans, Batwoman, She-Hulk, Black Adam), and anime hasn’t been immune to this issue, either. Here, then, are the characters in the live-action "Cowboy Bebop" adaptation, ranked from worst to best beware of spoilers past this point.Live action comics-to-TV adaptations (or comics-to-movies) don’t always translate as well as animation. While the adaptation stays mostly true to the original anime (with admittedly mixed results), it does take a few liberties, starting with the characters' racial backgrounds, making for a truly inclusive show. Thankfully, Netflix confirmed that the anime's original director, Shinichiro Watanabe, was a consultant on the series, giving fans hope that it would live up to the original. Together, they hunt various criminals until Spike's past comes knocking, threatening all of their lives. They're joined by Faye Valentine, a seductive bounty hunter who's also an amnesiac she meets the two partners on her quest to discover her true identity. His partner, Spike Spiegel, has a mysterious past, irresistible charms, and unequaled skills. The ship is the property of Jet Black, an ex-cop who was framed and spent five years in prison before becoming a bounty hunter. "Cowboy Bebop" is a noir western sci-fi thriller following a trio of bounty hunters, known as cowboys, who travel the solar system aboard their spaceship, the Bebop, in search of wanted criminals. ![]()
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