Cowboy Bebop

This series is based on a legendary Japanese anime TV show that aired in 1998. In 2001, it was dubbed into English and was the first anime to be broadcast on Adult Swim. The cartoon was wildly successful in Japan and internationally, and won several major anime and science-fiction awards when it was released.

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In 2017, it was announced that it was being adapted into a live-action TV show. In 2018, Netflix announced that they would be streaming it, and in 2021, it aired.

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The original cartoon was broadcast in 26 episodes, so Netflix began with a first season that is 10-episodes long. The director of the original anime, Sinichiro Watanabe saw Netflix's first season and was upset that it didn’t perfectly adhere to the source material. When he criticized it publicly, Netflix canceled the series. What a bummer! I loved this so much I watched it twice. It’s a visual delight.

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The story follows two bounty hunters, Jet Black, played by super handsome Mustafa Shakir, and Spike Spiegel, played by John Cho, who planet hop, catch and kill bad guys, and deal with their past.

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The Bebop is not just their spaceship, bebop the music is also a character in this visually delicious show. We are treated to Jet Black listening to the music and sometimes talking about the players and the style. I loved that.

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There is so much to love about this series, from the stylish opening credits (with a super catchy song), to the cinematic camera angles (which are obviously influenced by comic book layouts). I like that food plays a big part in this. I like the styling of the clothes and hair, and I enjoyed how many of the sets were created to look like stereotypical American westerns. It makes sense because in 2071, bounty hunters are called "cowboys".

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The fight scenes are gory and bloody and the bad-guys are exaggerated. But it’s so over-the-top that it’s actually perfect. The opening scene of the series is a show-stopper.

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With the composition and styling of each scene, the perfect casting, the strong visual direction, and the way each episode is grounded in mundane concerns as well as high-stakes interactions, I LOVED this.

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