Current Events > "Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Isn't supposed to be good." says Vice

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7nbgk/netflixs-cowboy-bebop-isnt-supposed-to-be-good

Like many anime adaptations before it, Neo-Bebops sins are numerous, from the cringeworthy script to its awkward attempts at mimicking the animations original style. Much of it is painful to watch if youre coming from the source material, and you can find plenty of video essays on YouTube where fans dutifully pick apart the new series and compare scenes to their original counterparts. Everything is dissected, from the terrible writing and character backstories to the poor use of lighting during the iconic church duel between Spike Spiegel and his murderous former comrade Vicious.

From watching these analyses, one gets the sense that the showrunners either dont understand what made the original series special or are purposely not trying to capture it.

....

Thats definitely not what Cowboy Bebop was in 1998, but maybe its what it needs to be right now. In 2021, the world is on fire, climate change and failing institutions are upending our lives, and we are still living through the collective trauma of an ongoing global pandemic that has killed millions of people.

After the nightmare of these past few years, I would have welcomed the chance to experience a well-executed adaptation of the classic anime series. But I also welcome the opportunity to turn off my brain and just vibe with familiar characters in a flawed and ridiculous setting.



they want you to financially support bastardizations of classic works.


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What I will say is I appreciate when an adaptation is willing to take risks and try something new. Especially when the source material is available on the same platform.

Why make exactly the same show but worse cause live action will ALWAYS be worse than animation as a means to express that source material?

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Okay guess I won't watch it then.

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Thats definitely not what Cowboy Bebop was in 1998, but maybe its what it needs to be right now. In 2021, the world is on fire, climate change and failing institutions are upending our lives, and we are still living through the collective trauma of an ongoing global pandemic that has killed millions of people.

I... what?

These last few years have been shit so let's just not criticize media being fed to us?

I... don't think I can find myself agreeing with that.

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CyricZ posted...

I... what?

These last few years have been shit so let's just not criticize media being fed to us?

I... don't think I can find myself agreeing with that.

I'd question the mental health of anyone who did.

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Then they succeeded.

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Ever notice how pop culture journalists focusing on geeky things tend to have this bizarre resentment towards fans of geeky things? It's like they're embarrassed that they aren't writing about things being taken more seriously.

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You can tell everything you need to know about this person's basic sensibility from their profoundly unfunny twitter profile name.

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"Batman and Robin isn't as good as..."

"NERD!!!"

People need to lighten up, lmao. It's not like the anime was some sort of literary masterpiece. Not sure what people were expectinf from a live action remake. Watching through it now, it's over delivered, tbh.

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Thats funny because Vice isnt supposed to be good anymore either

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When there's a standard for quality, you don't throw out something substandard. That's like setting fire to a village to light a cigarette.

You can potentially destroy IPs when you do that and it's for nothing more than an immediate cash grab. Fans have a right to be upset about that.

HokagoTeaTime posted...

You can tell everything you need to know about this person's basic sensibility from their profoundly unfunny twitter profile name.

I mean, I was going to agree, as it took me a couple seconds to parse... then I read your username.

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Alteres posted...

I mean, I was going to agree, as it took me a couple seconds to parse... then I read your username.

Lmao

COVxy posted...

People need to lighten up, lmao. It's not like the anime was some sort of literary masterpiece. Not sure what people were expectinf from a live action remake. Watching through it now, it's over delivered, tbh.

It's true that it's not a literary masterpiece. Cinematic masterpiece is a better descriptor technically speaking.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

It's true that it's not a literary masterpiece. Cinematic masterpiece is a better descriptor technically speaking.

Lol.

Naw.

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"I watch the news too much so to compensate I always watch braindead entertainment."

That's what this guy is essentially saying. Think about that

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MaxEffingBemis posted...

Thats funny because Vice isnt supposed to be good anymore either

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I read this article when it came out and it's legit one of the dumbest things I've ever read.

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COVxy posted...

People need to lighten up, lmao. It's not like the anime was some sort of literary masterpiece. Not sure what people were expectinf from a live action remake. Watching through it now, it's over delivered, tbh.

Honestly this. A shot for shot, line by line live action remake of the anime would be pointless. Why not just watch the anime at that point. I've watched the the first five or six episodes, it's been silly and fun, which is good enough for me.

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who made this adaptation again? netflix? moneybags netflix getting an article about how a shit show isn't really all that shit and we should give it a chance?

oh money no, i guess we should really money reevaluate how we money judge things, guys

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CyricZ posted...

I... what?

These last few years have been shit so let's just not criticize media being fed to us?

I... don't think I can find myself agreeing with that.

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CRON posted...

Ever notice how pop culture journalists focusing on geeky things tend to have this bizarre resentment towards fans of geeky things? It's like they're embarrassed that they aren't writing about things being taken more seriously.

Yes.

They want to be credible writers, but they don't have the chops for hard news. So, they settle for pop culture and resent it.

the writer embedded her own tweet in the article, smh.

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ScazarMeltex posted...

Honestly this. A shot for shot, line by line live action remake of the anime would be pointless. Why not just watch the anime at that point. I've watched the the first five or six episodes, it's been silly and fun, which is good enough for me.

Nobody wanted a shot for shot remake. I think they just wanted something more... decent.... Personally I think it was a dumb idea to remake Bebop in live action but I still think itd could've been done well.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

Nobody wanted a shot for shot remake. I think they just wanted something more... decent.... Personally I think it was a dumb idea to remake Bebop in live action but I still think itd could've been done well.

Cowboy Bebop is largely an anime that is grounded enough that it should be relatively easy to pull off for live action.

And, yeah, you don't need to do a shot-for-shot, line-by-line recreation. I dont think anyone expected that. But people still hope the product will be good.

IndustrialTrudg posted...

Nobody wanted a shot for shot remake. I think they just wanted something more... decent.... Personally I think it was a dumb idea to remake Bebop in live action but I still think itd could've been done well.

Not sure what was done poorly that was done better in the anime.

Honestly, they improved on one of the primary issues of the anime, where the viscious/julia stuff kinda seemed like just a boring side story, but ended up being the big climax of the show. Which was jarring and anti-climatic.

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All anime adaptions to live action is a mistake especially from Netflix.

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COVxy posted...

Not sure what was done poorly that was done better in the anime.

Honestly, they improved on one of the primary issues of the anime, where the viscious/julia stuff kinda seemed like just a side story, but ended up being the big climax of the show. Which was jarring and anti-climatic.

Look I'm not the biggest fan of Bebop but jfc dude...

Esrac posted...

Cowboy Bebop is largely an anime that is grounded enough that it should be relatively easy to pull off for live action.

And, yeah, you don't need to do a shot-for-shot, line-by-line recreation. I dont think anyone expected that. But people still hope the product will be good.

I honestly do think the idea has potential. I wouldnt mind a Bebop inspired live action series that kept the actual tone of the show.

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IndustrialTrudg posted...

Look I'm not the biggest fan of Bebop but jfc dude...

Have you watched either recently?

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Alteres posted...

I mean, I was going to agree, as it took me a couple seconds to parse... then I read your username.

I don't understand? My username isn't a joke lol

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COVxy posted...

People need to lighten up, lmao. It's not like the anime was some sort of literary masterpiece. Not sure what people were expectinf from a live action remake. Watching through it now, it's over delivered, tbh.

So only literary masterpieces can be criticized?

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ViewtifulGrave posted...

So only literary masterpieces can be criticized?

I'm saying that the standard being applied to the live action is certainly not the standard being applied to the anime.

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COVxy posted...

Have you watched either recently?

No but I have a friend who has and I just wanted to screenshot your posts and replies to get a rise out of him lol.

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