Although it has become a cult animated series over time, the debut of Cowboy Bebop and its own production phase were slightly troubled, especially for the type of thematic which are covered throughout the adventure. The story of Spike And Jet in particular, but in general the single ones of the whole crew, are full of extremely mature arguments and which inexorably push us to reflect on the meaning of life, on our personal priorities, on joy, on misfortunes and much more. More than twenty years after the original production, the streaming platform Netflix will see a live action series published on its digital pages on Cowboy Bebop, which we will analyze today in the review.
It is a very unique product that differs largely from the animated series: some personages have been cut, others totally new inserted, others still modified. It goes without saying that the events that follow one another have undergone variations for narrative reasons, but with some specific and very important cuts or events in terms of the background of the characters that have been re-proposed in a similar sauce, without depriving us of some of the most iconic clashes. All this should not necessarily be seen as a malus, because we are dealing with a different product, revisited, and which for reasons of timing (they are in total 10 bets turned, so less than half of the animation) has seen different cuts at the level of secondary events. However, there are topics that we can only deal with several days after the release of the series to avoid big spoilers.
Honky Tonk Cowboy
Taking a cue from the modus operandi of the animated series, even in Cowboy Bebop the story comes to life when Jet Black And Spike Spiegel, of the bounty hunters – or indeed Cowboy – who make their way into the solar system by catching wanted criminals and handing them over to the authorities, have been partners for some time. Although the two often succeed in their intent, the standard of living on board the ship Bebop Jet isn’t quite luxurious, and often bounty gains are barely enough to repair damage and eat. Both are very skilled in combat, and really hard to die, but despite this, bad luck often puts a spoke in the wheel. The main events will have Spike’s past as their leitmotif – or rather Fearless -, who will come knocking on his door again, and from which he will not be able to escape for long: the Red Dragon, its evanescence, and above all Julia.
Not even time to say “Ganymede”And we are in the thick of the action. Already from the first episode it will be clear how the events are strongly inspired – as well as some of the sought-after ones – by those of the original work. Clearly, as we have anticipated, we will not see all the characters we have known, but some iconic ones have been decently re-proposed, albeit unfortunately with less charisma.
The personal stories of Spike, Jet and Faye (which we will meet already from the first episode in this case) still remain a backbone for the whole narrative, and will develop as we continue in more or less known ways. The Cowboy Bebop series then shuffles the cards on the table by removing some figures, but inserting in their place some well-placed Jokers: new characters, new developments and a couple of big surprises and twists they will make the viewing not only interesting, but also essential for all brand lovers.
The changes of our heroes have been made wisely, and while it will take some getting used to, you won’t struggle to make sense of everything you see on the screen, like Jet having a daughter, or like the eccentric Faye Valentine with a more understated wardrobe and a slightly different past. AND Radical Ed? You will see. The well-known character who most seems to come out with “broken bones” from the new script is undoubtedly Vicious, the antagonist par excellence who seems in a certain sense transformed, less cold and calculating than we remembered him, but more impetuous and inclined to instincts.
Jam session
The rhythm of the narration is well marked, even if the various hunts for wanted people that we will see on the screen will be far less convoluted than we would have expected, so much so that the psychology of the latter and their motivations remain in a certain sense “off”. The result, apart from a couple of sizes revisited worthily, seemed almost too hasty due to the limited duration of the episodes.
Excellent work done on the scenography and construction of the setting, with parts of the galaxy (known and unknown) reproduced in an absolutely credible way and also faithful to the animated work; moreover, the new places and their inhabitants fit well into the context, as if they had always been there. The performances of the main actors were very respectable, especially during the more action phases, with a John Cho (Spike) in great dusting and a Mustafa Shakir who knows how to defend himself well after taking off the clothes of Luke Cage and wearing those of Jet. Postponed with reservation instead Daniella Pineda, our Faye Valentine, who seems to struggle slightly to fill her role.
Some on-screen scenes were recreated by playing a lot with the cameras, in a skilful mix of involvement, adrenaline, precision and a bit of healthy self-quoteism. It is therefore a pity to see how potentially very high moments have been wasted badly, but we’ll let you find out for yourself which ones we’re talking about. The icing on the cake turns out to be the sound: the interpretations of our voice actors are very good – to also mention Maurizio Merluzzo in the role of Vicious – and macroscopic the soundtrack, which makes a healthy use of jazz and all its facets, also proposing many tracks well known to fans (including the theme song, and a song that is proposed in a very particular iconic moment). Music is one of the undisputed protagonists, a full-blown companion who holds us by the hand in the right way at the right time.
Fortunately, what remains almost unchanged is the soul of the series: the strong themes that we have known in the past are still present, and a couple more current and attributable to today’s social situation have also been introduced. However, the feeling, even in this case, is that everything could have been even more detailed. Choices made for a specific reason? Maybe, and maybe, by the time you get to the credits of the last episode, you may already have some answers.
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