The early reviews for the Netflix live-action adaptation of the hit Japanese series "Cowboy Bebop" are out now. Despite the adaptation's efforts, it seems that critics are still sticking with the original anime version of it.
Netflix 'Cowboy Bebop' Live Action
According to Screenrant, the iconic Japanese anime series of the same name, which debuted in 1998, portrays the futuristic adventures of a bounty hunter named Spike Spiegel and his crew onboard the Bebop starship.
With regards to its synopsis, My Anime List stated that humanity has occupied some of the solar system's planets and moons, leaving planet Earth's surface uninhabitable in the year 2071. The Inter Solar System Police aims to maintain peace throughout the galaxy, supported in part by illegal bounty hunters known as Cowboys. The ragtag crew aboard the starship Bebop are two such individuals in Spike and his partner Jet Black.
Spike Spiegel is easygoing and carefree, but his noisy, pragmatic partner Jet Black keeps him balanced as the two make a profession chasing bounties and collecting rewards.
As Spike and Jet do their job, their crew has grown as they meet other characters along the way, including Ein which is a genetically engineered and highly intelligent Welsh Corgi. Meanwhile, the femme fatale Faye Valentine is an enigmatic deceiver with memory problems. She was also added to the team along with the mysterious computer savvy kid Edward Wong.
Despite the fact that it only lasted 26 episodes, "Cowboy Bebop" is one of the most successful anime series of all time, inspiring comics, video games and even an animated feature in 2001.
In relation to this, the Netflix "Cowboy Bebop" contains 10 episodes. It was written by Christopher Yost, who is known for writing multiple entries into the MCU. Aside from Yost, André Neme, who have written the "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," also developed the Japanese adaptation.
Even though the original series was a hit, the early reviews of the Netflix "Cowboy Bebop" adaptation seems to be different, especially the score given by Rotten Tomatoes.
'Cowboy Bebop' Rotten Tomatoes: Is It Good or Bad?
Since early reviews have been spoiling and critiquing the "Cowboy Bebop" series, the Rotten Tomatoes score showed that the adaptation is quite disappointing.
As of writing, the Tomatometer of the Season 1 contains 39 percent. This only means that the series has a green splat or rotten rating.
"A soulless remake of a landmark anime series, one that is constantly drawing attention to the original while changing enough to take away the impact of what it's trying to emulate," Rafael Montemayor of Collider stated on his review.
"If this Cowboy Bebop accomplishes anything, it's to highlight the quality of the original series, justifying many anime fans' belief that trying to translate anime series from one medium to another never works out," Christina Tucker of Slate added.
In addition, Rick Marshall of Digital Trends wrote that its visual effects, bright sets, imaginative costuming, and color choices just ended up becoming fancy decorations over an otherwise hollow experience.
Despite the negative reviews given, there are still positive reviews about the series.
Ash Parrish of The Verge stated that the story may fail her standard at first, but as the story went on, the characters hooked to watch the series.
With a score of seven out of 10, Matt Kim of IGN Movies wrote that Netflix's "Cowboy Bebop" live action succeeded in unabashedly honoring and appreciating the anime even if certain efforts to add to the storyline fall flat.
Despite these reviews, the "Cowboy Bebop" Rotten Tomatoes rating could still improve (or worsen) once it is released on November 19.
