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From awesome martial arts stunts and gunfights to space battles and hilarious jokes, Netflix’s take on Cowboy Bebop is not afraid to take chances. Even the naysayers can’t argue with the magic that can be found in these moments from the show. Get ready for some spoilers for the live-action version and the anime as well.
8 The Intro
Most modern TV shows don’t have extravagant openings like they used to. Cartoons and anime are often the only forms of media carrying on the tradition regularly. Thankfully, the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop rightfully borrowed from the best and redid the original “Tank” intro.
The music slaps harder than ever and the updated sequences are a nice preview to the show within. It would have been nice if the music itself was not copied and pasted from the anime and was instead remixed a bit. However, at the same time, it’s hard to argue with reusing perfection.
7 Big Shot
The Big Shot bounty program is not in the live-action show as often as the anime. However, after the initial intro of Punch and Judy, every second of their screen time is appreciated. Their best moment comes when Faye and Spike are arguing over which new bounty to take on.
Every time they settle on a score, Big Shot updates them with some hilarious banter. Judy getting mad at Punch for stealing her lines is also a fun moment. This is like a fun callback to when Big Shot is canceled in the anime.
6 Doctor Londes’ Time Loop
The Dr. Londes arc from the anime returns with a twist in the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop. Spike gets caught in Londes’ trap instead of Faye. Spike is then stuck in a time loop, which is a genre that is very popular now across mediums.
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Spike escapes from his chair only to see Julia meet her doom by Vicious several times over. It’s a unique nightmare that adds some good flavor to Netflix’s interpretation. Thankfully, Spike is able to escape with just a migraine.
5 Faye’s Reaction To Her VHS
Faye was a hard character to fully like in the anime. She was rude and kept trying to screw over her shipmates. Her past was one element that tied her back to reality. When she sees herself for the first time as a child in the Betamax tape, it’s heartbreaking.
The live-action version changes the format from Betamax to VHS but the content within is mostly the same. It’s even harder to watch but in a good way. The moment is bittersweet and powerful.
4 Kimmie’s Recital
Episode seven of the live-action series finds Jet constantly talking about his daughter’s dance recital. He can’t miss it no matter what. Even with bloodthirsty gangsters on their tail, Spike tells Jet he can handle things so that the latter can watch Kimmie’s recital via a hologram projector.
The show keeps cutting back and forth between Jet in the recital and in a random building while Spike is kicking the living daylights out of pirates. The juxtaposition between the two scenes is hilarious.
3 Tree People
Twinkle Maria and her family of eco-terrorists return in the live-action version. Instead of complaining about the mistreatment of Sea Rats like in the sci-fi anime, she thinks the government is messing with pollen poorly. That’s why she decides to start turning people into trees to prove a point.
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The first person mutating into a tree was shocking. It was one of those jaw-dropping moments where it was hard to tell if what was happening on screen was cool or extremely horrific. Ultimately, it was a little of both.
2 Faye And Spike Bonding Over Bathing
One of the biggest changes in Netflix’s adaptation of Cowboy Bebop is that Spike and Faye get along. They have tension at first but they soon bond over two things: bounties and bathing. The two spend a large amount of time comparing the biggest captures of the past.
Faye eventually proves to Spike that she is the real deal, earning his respect. This fondness is further solidified when he takes Faye’s patented shower bath shower cleanup routine. That sounds like an extreme waste of water in reality but also just as magical as Faye describes it.
1 Mad Pierrot’s Unending Chaos
Mad Pierrot’s anime episode is one of the best in Cowboy Bebop because of how action-packed it is. The live-action version of him is mostly the same. The biggest difference is that Vicious hires Pierrot to kill Spike instead of the clown targeting the protagonist randomly for sport. Pierrot still has the mind of a child and is afraid of animals.
The Netflix adaptation changed Pierrot’s fear of dogs so that they could tie him into Ein. That’s right. Ein has Pierrot’s memories plugged into him like data. This leads to the best moment. Toward the end of the episode, Ein projects an invitation from Pierrot to Spike through his eyes which Faye can’t wrap her head around. The action sequences are still great, but this weird bit with Ein steals the show.
Cowboy Bebop, the live-action and anime versions, can be watched on Netflix. The anime is also available on Hulu, Funimation, Adult Swim, DirectTV, Spectrum on Demand, and Tubi.
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