Nemo Taylor

As a pretty die-hard Cowboy Bebop anime fan, and massive anime fan in general, I have to say I am so relieved to say this was GOOD. The instant the original intro score hit me with that jazzy bass riff I had a good feeling. That sprezzatura casual coolness, smokey saloon, ennui, and slick and stylish space western vibes are all there. It feels right. Is it a 1-1 rendition of the anime? No. And of course it isn’t. There’s no point in that anyway. This takes the original anime and breathes in some fresh air and new twists to the story. The ending honestly was even darker and more messed up than the anime and had me in shock. In a good way. Because now we can have a Season 2. Well. Maybe. If Netflix has the balls to make it in the midst of backlash from the impossible to please cultists. It’s really disappointing, but not unexpected, to see all the Reddit keyboard warriors, who have been waiting all year in their Mom’s basement to spit hate on this, sadly come out of their caves and do so. Look. Here’s the thing. It’s hard to make a live action version of a beloved masterpiece. I mean just look at the recent cringey white-washed Ghost in the Shell. One my all-time favorite animes turned into a rushed and shallow CGI shoot-‘em-up movie. Ruined. Thankfully this is not at all like that trash. Over 10 episodes we get to see a fleshed out Spike, Jet, and Faye, all broken and haunted by their pasts, slowly form a chosen family. But just as seeds of hope begin to sprout (as fans of the anime well know), one can never escape their past. The end of Season 1 was surprisingly dark in its own way (which I was happy to see). Which leads us to the casting. This was knocked out of the park. John Cho is a believable Spike, Mustafa Shakir BECOMES Jet (by far the best acting), and Daniella Pineda is a fun Faye. Sure, she’s not as overtly sexed up as some anime fans might want their Faye to be, but she’s sassy, dark, and still pretty sexy. It works. The ending leaves the characters totally shattered; their new family torn apart. Yet, a tiny ray of hope appears at the very end. Netflix, please ignore the haters and renew this show! It can’t end like this. I need to see what happens next!