Danica Davidson
August 24, 2021 
Yesterday Netflix shared multiple images of its live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, which will begin streaming on November 19. American fans, including Otaku USA readers, have begun sharing their reactions, whatever they may be. But how are people responding over in Japan? SoraNews24 took a look at the online responses to Netflix’s Japanese announcements, and they’re generally not favorable.
These reactions are from Twitter, and not a survey based on empirical evidence, so take them for what they’re worth. Some of the negative comments include:
“Spike doesn’t have his messy hair or world-weary expression, so I’m really worried about this.”
“I’ve actually seen cosplay that looks better than this.”
“Looks like some sort of gag cosplay session.”
“This just looks somehow off to me.”
“They look more like the cast of Black Lagoon.”
“Looks more like City Hunter to me.”
Others were on the fence about it:
“Hmm…not entirely sold, but I’ll probably watch it to see how it is.”
“It’s good to see they’re trying to stay close to the original work and not making all sorts of weird changes. Not sure if I’m confident they can pull it off, though.”
Another person pointed out that people from the original anime are involved in this new project, including the former director in a consulting role:
“They’ve got Yoko Kanno [who composed the music of the anime] doing the music, and Shinichiro Watanabe [the director of the anime] involved, so it can’t be all that bad, can it…”
And then there are fans who are just plain excited to see it:
“So looking forward to this! I know there are a lot of different opinions, but it’s good for Bebop to be back in the spotlight in the current era.”
Are you planning to check out the live-action Cowboy Bebop when it streams this November?
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
