Last week, we got a taste of what Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop series would look like with The Lost Session. It was a fun “bonus episode” that gave us our first glimpse of the Bebop crew in action, but none of what we saw would be in the actual series.
Fast forward to right now where we finally have an actual trailer, one that shows us the plot, the Corgi pup, and there being a lot more to Spike Spiegel than he lets on.
I’ve already talked about how I’ve always felt that Cowboy Bebop would be a good choice in live-action anime. I get the draw of giving Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, and Ghost in the Shell the live-action treatment under the assumption of “regular audiences” being into that sort of story (which turned out … um … yeeeeeah …)
That being said, Cowboy Bebop is still, to this day, one of the most easily accessible anime series out there. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be into the idea of a ragtag group of “space cowboys” chasing after bounties across the galaxy, backed to an iconic soundtrack with fantastic action set pieces and a damn good overarching plot that unfurls itself through episodic adventures.
I feel like this trailer captures the vibe of Cowboy Bebop and how this is a series that pulls you in pretty quickly. It shows just enough to whet the appetites of fans who know the story and anyone randomly scrolling through Netflix’s recommended picks.
What I like about the trailer is how it transitions from “serious story, Spike has some secrets,” to “the shutters on the ship are malfunctioning but it’s fine, just bang on it like an old TV and it’ll be all right.” Cowboy Bebop definitely has its “I forgot to breathe because I was really into this intense plot” moments, but it’s mixed with lighthearted beats from its colorful characters – both protagonists and antagonists, as the trailer has a good combination of suited gunmen and, as Spike says, “What the actual fuck?”
The trailer also doesn’t give everything away, which I am so thankful for. I’ve watched Cowboy Bebop multiple times via Toonami and my own DVDs so I was definitely doing the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme at certain points, but I like that the trailer is treating this as a series that hasn’t been watched again and again since the 90s. They could’ve easily shown off all the big Bebop moments so the fans could be satiated in knowing that particular plot beats would be there (or bemoan something missing, let’s be honest)
We could’ve gotten narration about what the whole “return from the dead” thing means, but instead, there are just hints of the bigger story.
Spike has been in love once, and … that’s it, that’s all you get. You don’t get to know who it is. You don’t get to know who tried to kill Spike. If you know, you know, but if you don’t? You have to watch to find out.
And that’s just Spike. There’s still Faye and Jet, who are delightful in the trailer, as Jet tries his hardest to stop Spike from killing Faye a little bit.
Honestly, this trailer feels like it was made by Cowboy Bebop fans who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime: tell the story in a new format, for fans like yourselves and Bebop newcomers. All three of them (John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda) are really doing the characters justice.
I hope this is the only trailer we get. I don’t want them to show us anything else, I think this is plenty.
I’m more than ready to jam.
Cowboy Bebop will be available on Netflix starting November 19th.
(Image: Netflix)
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