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Cowboy Bebop | Official Teaser “Lost Session” | Netflix

Hardensoul

Member
I watched the first episode, and then proceeded to watch Hellbound instead. Such a damn great show.

Squid Games
Kingdom
Hellbound
Your Name

So many great shows from SK.
I did same thing, after first episode I stopped but I watched Mudnight Mass instead, good show.

Good to Hear about Hellbound, it’s in my Q, will watch that later today after work!
 

Kev Kev

Member
also, holy fucking shit will someone get julia's actress a better wig. that thing was horrible lol. i coudnt help but notice it every time she was on screen
NECA_ET_DRESS-UP_header.jpg
 
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Thaedolus

Member
Never seen the cartoon, but it's like a comedy Firefly. If it was made by SyFy. :messenger_neutral:
Firefly is a Whedon-ized Bebop. I haven’t watched it since like 2005 or whenever it came out but I remember liking it and thinking it was as close to a live action Bebop as we’d ever get, and that take may still be accurate
 

Javthusiast

Banned
Yea, One Piece really needs a big budget to do that any justice! But IMO that is one of the manga/anime that would really not translate well to live action!

It already has like 10 mill per episode as reported I believe, but if they can't get Bebop right which comparably is a much more grounded sci fi show, then I have zero hope for One Piece.
 
It already has like 10 mill per episode as reported I believe, but if they can't get Bebop right which comparably is a much more grounded sci fi show, then I have zero hope for One Piece.
Yep

There was parts in Bebop that looked out of place and that's because you can tell they didn't have the budget for it.

Not to mention that they toned down the sexualization that was another negative
 
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j0hnnix

Member
Finishing it up, but finished Hell Bound first. Thank God , Hell Bound was much better... Jesus this "re-imaginbs" is utter dog water. There were moments I was like this isn't to bad but every next episode it became more and more cringe.
 
Can't make it past episode 2. First of all: the biggest issue: it doesn't look right. High key lighting, overlit, ugly, cheap, makes everything look and feel like cosplay or a fan film. Cannot understand why they took that visual approach, maybe they thought it's what would be the right fit for an anime adaptation? It takes me out instantly.

It's a bummer because the VFX work is strong and they clearly spent money on this and there's an effort to make it faithful and there's care involved.

Faye is completely miscast, Vicious is a joke, Cho is good though, Gren they seem to have butchered based on what you see in episode two.

Was curious to see what Ed looks like and it's nightmare fuel, one of those things that does not translate to live action like many other things.

So odd how they cast characters who clearly look Asian in the anime as white, or latina, cast Spike as Asian when he isn't in the anime, etc.

There's also no energy to the whole thing, it's flat, lifeless. The fighting is so slow and sluggish, which isn't necessarily something due to live action but you can't get the feeling of the anime there.

It's just no bueno.
 

Yoboman

Member
It already has like 10 mill per episode as reported I believe, but if they can't get Bebop right which comparably is a much more grounded sci fi show, then I have zero hope for One Piece.
I dont know if I agree with that. Bebop is so nuanced that even the slightest shift in tone makes it crap to some

I think One Piece genuinely has to be an adaptation, you can't get that cartoony in live action. So my expectation is they make a great show, not replicate the Anime and manga. If they manage to make a Pirates of the Caribbean in the One Piece world, hitting the main emotional beats of humour, tragedy, creativity and adventure then they are on to something

The main thing for One Piece is it needs to be funny and not take itself too seriously. If they can't get that right it won't be One Piece
 
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Kev Kev

Member
3 eps in and I'm kind of enjoying it? It's better than I was expecting but still a pretty far cry from the original as an overall product. It's trying for the ballpark and watching it with that in mind, it isn't too bad.
it took a turn for me around episode 6. i was mostly enjoying it till then, despite how it seemed to just go off the fucking rails at times. but the script and acting took a huge nosedive from that episode on (i blame the script more than the actors), and the show continued to go off the rails at times, and those two things combined just kind of killed it for me.

im still in for watching the rest. perhaps they will take some notes and improve in following seasons (if it doesnt get canceled)
 
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Fuz

Banned
I watched 3 episodes of the anime ages ago, and felt really bad for being completely cold to it.

That opening is crazy good, though.
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
My girlfriend likes it, probably the marvel level humor.
I can't stand it anymore. their version of "Black Dog Serenade" was fucking awful. None of the villains are intimidating and are just caricatures. Like viscous's outburst about "fearless" made his character a joke, and the constant angry face.
 
I heard they missed the point of Gren’s story and did a 180 with the live action. After hearing this gonna skip and watch Hellbound.

I seen what they did with Ed too, nope that was cringe.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
None of the villains are intimidating and are just caricatures


The tone is completely wrong, when the comedic or genre-parody aspects just turn out corny and end up killing all the real tension and danger, not to mention making unassailably cool characters look more like convention cosplay.

But that raises a question. Can anyone name a live-action film (or show) that captures a tone close to that of the Cowboy Bebop anime? It's definitely not this mess, but what would it look like if done correctly?
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
But that raises a question. Can anyone name a live-action film (or show) that captures a tone close to that of the Cowboy Bebop anime? It's definitely not this mess, but what would it look like if done correctly?
The closest I would say was "Firefly", a space western that has story beats similar to "outlaw star". Though firefly was never made as an homge to bepop, that's probably why it comes close.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
The closest I would say was "Firefly", a space western that has story beats similar to "outlaw star". Though firefly was never made as an homge to bepop, that's probably why it comes close.

Eh, for me Firefly is way too much "standard Whedon banter." I hate his characters, in general, and don't find them to resemble the style of dialogue in Cowboy Bebop. Although, I don't really have any good examples to counter that with.
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
Eh, for me Firefly is way too much "standard Whedon banter." I hate his characters, in general, and don't find them to resemble the style of dialogue in Cowboy Bebop. Although, I don't really have any good examples to counter that with.
I get it. His style was novel at the time firefly first came out. Now though, it's overplayed. I don't think i would enjoy firefly as much if i watched it today.

Yea, i would love a good dirty space western. Alas we won't get such a thing
 

Atrus

Gold Member
I’m 2 episodes in and I have to say that the music, sets, and cg are good but the tone and fight choreography and direction are a put off.

It leans heavily into the campy side but doesn’t quite deliver the tone of the original. I’m not sure Spike’s flashbacks require the soap opera look.

The character of Julia seems to be completely inverted here so far which is weird if you wanted strong female characters.

I’m also confused by making Gren visually a crossdresser and ruining the surprise reveal.

I think Spike and Jet do remind me of their anime counterparts but I’m not sold on Faye yet, particularly since she’s not been in it much. The stories they draw from aren’t as impactful as their originals but I’ll wait until I see some more to judge. Not a fan of making Jet’s kid as a device to move the plot forward.

Overall, I don’t find it unwatchable so far and will continue onward.
 

Thaedolus

Member
Man I dunno, I thought the second half was better than the first. For me the show got better as it went, and the final scene is...I dunno, how did you expect them to adapt that character? I'm fine with the plot changes, I didn't expect (or want) a 1:1 remake, however I do think they absolutely massacred Vicious' character. Otherwise it was...fine? I'm interested in watching more? The humor started to hit more toward the end and my comparisons to the original sorta faded as this found its own personality.

The original is probably in my top 5 of all entertainment media ever, or maybe just the GOAT TV series. I own multiple copies of it. Nothing would ever live up to it, and this was...fine. I'm up for another season or two.
 

Thaedolus

Member
All I see is people here and on Era settling for low quality shit. Shame on you all.
GIF by iHeartRadio
Even if they got all the original cast and animators back together and tried to do a new season of the anime it could never live up to the original. And a live action adaptation would always be fraught with some shit that, unfortunately, this show did step in a few times. Vicious was pretty awful, for example. Not sure why Gren’s character had to be Gren instead of just someone new. The tone was all over the place (but so too is the original’s).

Honestly I think the worst crime is omitting the Betamax joke
 

Thaedolus

Member
My biggest issues so far are writing, limp action choreography and overall direction. Fuck those dutch angles. Jesus, it's like they found out how to do them for the first time and now can't get enough of them.
Yeah there’s plenty to complain about with those choices. The people complaining that it’s too woke are either a broken record, never saw the original, or retarded
 

MastaKiiLA

Member
On episode 9 now. Rather enjoyable. I think the casting turned out great. Cho as Spike might be the weakest, but it's not a bad take on the character. They do a shitty job editing in the stunt double in the fight scenes. The action is pretty shitty, as already noted. The Mad Pierrot fight is what I was waiting for the whole time, and it completely fell flat. Pierrot in the anime was ruthless and persistent, and that fight felt like Spike would leave with permanent damage. In this, he's just a laugher, with very little in the way of mayhem that was the anime episode.

But I can't complain. I'm interested to see how they end the season, and where we go next season. Ed must be a really late add, or just a cameo.
 

Kev Kev

Member
On episode 9 now. Rather enjoyable. I think the casting turned out great. Cho as Spike might be the weakest, but it's not a bad take on the character. They do a shitty job editing in the stunt double in the fight scenes. The action is pretty shitty, as already noted. The Mad Pierrot fight is what I was waiting for the whole time, and it completely fell flat. Pierrot in the anime was ruthless and persistent, and that fight felt like Spike would leave with permanent damage. In this, he's just a laugher, with very little in the way of mayhem that was the anime episode.

But I can't complain. I'm interested to see how they end the season, and where we go next season. Ed must be a really late add, or just a cameo.
agreed on pierrot. the actor did his laugh spot on tho. sounded just like the original to me
 

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
What with everyone's obsession with Julia's "safety" in almost every episode someone is talking about her being safe. She was just some singer at a bar, not a Dubai princess. Give her some agency.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
My biggest issues so far are writing, limp action choreography and overall direction. Fuck those dutch angles. Jesus, it's like they found out how to do them for the first time and now can't get enough of them.
That’s the main thought I had. Maybe all the tripods were broken. Next season invest in a spirit level or something
 

MastaKiiLA

Member
What with everyone's obsession with Julia's "safety" in almost every episode someone is talking about her being safe. She was just some singer at a bar, not a Dubai princess. Give her some agency.
Isn't this more agency than the anime character had? It's been many years since I watched CB, but I don't remember Julia being more than a background character. She exists only to create conflict between Spike and Vicious. I'm not sure her agency matters at all to the story to be told. But maybe they want to expand her role now that it looks like Season 2 will either slow the pace, or drastically expand the story-telling for the big showdown.

Of course, I'm saying all of this before watching the finale. I just don't see how they can condense everything left into 1 episode. So I assume they have to change the pacing. That's kinda weird too, because CB isn't exactly a rocketship pacing-wise. There were a good amount of slow moments in the anime, so I don't know why they didn't want to just burn through the anime storyline this season, and then expand into new stories next season. CB can be an evergreen story, as the bounty hunter angle can provide tons of filler, to setup new big bads.
 
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