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Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

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Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#31
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It failed and got canceled by Netflix. Now, I know getting canceled by Netflix means little. I gave this show a chance, after being impressed with the intro sequence remake, but found it to be soulless. Maybe Cowboy Bebop just doesn't translate to live action; what seemed charming in the original was played for kitsch in the remake. I couldn't even make it to the last episodes.

It could have been successfully moved into live action, but as the animation was built by creative genius, you'd need the same level of skill for a good live action. Maybe someone like Joss Whedon could have breathed life into it? The show had potential, but the casting was bad, the character design was bad, the writing was bad, the directing was sub-par, and the aesthetic was 75% there which just isn't enough for so…

Maybe someone like Joss Whedon could have breathed life into it?

Joss Whedon has his turn with Cowboy Bebop when it was called 'Firefly' :P

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#33

Inspiration for Ed > Before Cowboy Bebop, I met this composer. And the composer was female and very eclectic. And during the production, she would kinda just roll around on the floor and do very strange things. And on occasion she would make strange noises. I thought it would be interesting if I could put her in as a character in my next series. Yep that tracks

Is that Yoko Kanno?

Yoko Kanno is an amazing person. I'm blown away by her creative works.

But personally, I found Ed (in the anime) to be super annoying. I wish her character was written differently.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#34
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It failed and got canceled by Netflix. Now, I know getting canceled by Netflix means little. I gave this show a chance, after being impressed with the intro sequence remake, but found it to be soulless. Maybe Cowboy Bebop just doesn't translate to live action; what seemed charming in the original was played for kitsch in the remake. I couldn't even make it to the last episodes.

Yep. Everything shouted "see, we did that thing from the anime, everyone! WINK-U FACE-U!" and on top of that, it was a jumbled mess because instead of just adapting the story, they had the audacity to "re-imagine" it. Fans love the series because it's such masterpiece of storytelling and it had amazing production quality. It's like taking pasta, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, raw chicken breast, etc and throwing them i…

> It's like taking pasta, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, raw chicken breast, etc and throwing them in a blender, tossing the paste into a pan and baking it, and being amazed that you somehow didn't reproduce a mouth-watering delicious chicken Parmesan.

Funny timing on that simile. Right now I'm watching a Cutthroat Kitchen episode where contestants almost have to do that very thing.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#35
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It failed and got canceled by Netflix. Now, I know getting canceled by Netflix means little. I gave this show a chance, after being impressed with the intro sequence remake, but found it to be soulless. Maybe Cowboy Bebop just doesn't translate to live action; what seemed charming in the original was played for kitsch in the remake. I couldn't even make it to the last episodes.

I thought Jet was great, Spike and Faye were just ok, Vicious was absolutely terrible and since the main villain was basically played for comic relief it kept the show from having any real emotional impact or gravitas.

They nailed Jet! I was so pleased with that casting.

The problem was the horrible writing and the campy tone. They turned the series into a WB show with cartoon characters. Vicious was laughably cheesy.

I was expecting Casino Royale set in space, but young and jazzy and cool. Instead we got standard Netflix wall spaghetti.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#36

I remember stumbling across Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim in the late 90’s. No idea about the show previously but was immediately hooked. Glad they picked it up. [Edit] Looks like the AS promos are still on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Qh8JkogEaFs

I only recently learned that Spike's English VA was also the VA for TOM, the CGI robot host of Toonami.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#37

To anyone who watched the disaster that was the netflix live adaptation and was put off - please try the original anime. It's a masterpiece. Animation, characters, storytelling, soundtrack - it's all top shelf. The original intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-D9LrFJd4 The English dub is better than most, and if you really can't deal with subtitles, go for it - but the original voice actors were some of the best…

Contrary opinion: I actually just finished the anime a few weeks ago, first time ever seeing it - and for the most part found it boring. A couple episodes were interesting, but nothing really held my attention (I only kept at it because I'd watch it while doing laundry, so I wasn't really doing anything else).

I can't help but think most people with such a high opinion of it are at least partially looking at it through nostalgia goggles.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#38
post #37

To anyone who watched the disaster that was the netflix live adaptation and was put off - please try the original anime. It's a masterpiece. Animation, characters, storytelling, soundtrack - it's all top shelf. The original intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-D9LrFJd4 The English dub is better than most, and if you really can't deal with subtitles, go for it - but the original voice actors were some of the best…

Contrary opinion: I actually just finished the anime a few weeks ago, first time ever seeing it - and for the most part found it boring. A couple episodes were interesting, but nothing really held my attention (I only kept at it because I'd watch it while doing laundry, so I wasn't really doing anything else). I can't help but think most people with such a high opinion of it are at least partially looking at it throu…

I'm curious: did you roll the opening theme and closing credits fully for each episode?

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#39
post #16

To anyone who watched the disaster that was the netflix live adaptation and was put off - please try the original anime. It's a masterpiece. Animation, characters, storytelling, soundtrack - it's all top shelf. The original intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-D9LrFJd4 The English dub is better than most, and if you really can't deal with subtitles, go for it - but the original voice actors were some of the best…

This is a very rare example of an anime where I prefer the dub to the original audio. Not only was the casting and acting excellent, but they even went the extra mile in the mixing and environmental audio, which was fine in the original but even improved in the dub.

I logged in to comment to say I absolutely despised the dub.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBdxUNk1wR4

Do not watch the dub.

Re: Designing the Characters of 'Cowboy Bebop'

#40
post #16

To anyone who watched the disaster that was the netflix live adaptation and was put off - please try the original anime. It's a masterpiece. Animation, characters, storytelling, soundtrack - it's all top shelf. The original intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-D9LrFJd4 The English dub is better than most, and if you really can't deal with subtitles, go for it - but the original voice actors were some of the best…

This is a very rare example of an anime where I prefer the dub to the original audio. Not only was the casting and acting excellent, but they even went the extra mile in the mixing and environmental audio, which was fine in the original but even improved in the dub.

I prefer the dub, too. That's unusual for me.

I find the original audio enjoyable as an alternative way to explore the episodes, but I got a great deal of enjoyment from the casting and the acting.

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