Forum - View topicWhat Was Cowboy Bebop Really About?
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5831 Location: Virginia, United States |
|
|||
|
I haven't watched it yet, so it is a bit sad to hear it has failed so miserably.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Dayraven
Posts: 176 |
|
|||
Either “Don’t leave things in the fridge” or “When you see a stranger, follow him!”, wasn’t it? |
||||
|
||||
NeverConvex
 Subscriber Posts: 2305 |
|
|||
|
This is a lovely, well articulated point that I don't think was really brought up in the previous review thread of Netflix Bebop:
I don't really have much to add, here, just wanted to highlight it, because it seems important, and I definitely failed to remark explicitly upon it in looking back at how I felt about the Netflix adaptation. |
||||
|
||||
Marzan
 Posts: 515 |
|
|||
|
Spot on. They didn’t get (or chose to ignore) what they were adapting
|
||||
|
||||
penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
|
|||
|
What bothers me the most about Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is its fear of sincerity. It wants to have the prestige of being Cowboy Bebop without actually committing to it seriously. This is why much of the dialogue (especially Faye's) is this nearly fourth wall-leaning, insecure quipping designed to apologize to the viewer for its subject matter. "Relax, we don't take this seriously, and you shouldn't either" is what they're saying with it. The writers and directors think if they throw in enough references to the original it's the same as being the original, but they're deep down embarrassed by the original because it's not what they think a cynical modern audience wants. And because this makes them, and the show in general, cynical by extension, the show emphasizes kitsch, becomes incredibly campy.
[Edit: removed self-promotion. Errinundra.] |
||||
|
||||
tygerchickchibi
 Posts: 1448 |
|
|||
|
Still not done with the live action series (I took a break from the oversaturarion of media available to me), but I can understand why it was underwhelming for the OP.
As I've seen within my own community of friends, opinions of this show are rather divided, either that it was freaking awesome, or hot garbage. Either way, the music still slaps (the soundtrack is online). 
|
||||
|
||||
|
Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18192 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
|
|||
|
So we have another "it didn't do things exactly like the original, so it's garbage" dissertation.
Yawn. Would have been a lot more interesting to see a contrasting viewpoint, or at least a take from someone who didn't venerate the original so completely. EDIT: Edited for typo Last edited by Key on Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
|
NeverConvex
Subscriber Posts: 2305 |
|
|||
Oh, c'mon. Neither review said anything like this. They both leaned heavily on comparisons to the original in trying to understand why they didn't like it, yes, but they're both littered with quite specific criticisms. This review, for example, observes that the anime made frequent, powerful use of silence, while the Netflix adaptation diffuses what should be emotional moments with a continuous flow of comedy and noise. You're welcome to disagree with that argument, of course, but to dismiss it as "it didn't do things exactly like the original, so it's garbage" just makes it feel like you completely ignored what the reviewer said. |
||||
|
||||
|
penguintruth
Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
|
|||
What's not to venerate? It's Cowboy Bebop! |
||||
|
||||
Ashabel
 Posts: 350 |
|
|||
See, the core problem with your argument is that Netflix Bebop's differences don't begin on a level where it has a different story or interpretation of the characters, the problems begin on a level where Cowboy Bebop understands the very basic fundamentals of Basic Cinematography 101 and Netflix Bebop doesn't. When the difference between two shows is that one of them completely relies on being a vehicle for experimenting with a variety of cinema genres and manages to pull it off successfully, while the other makes you wonder how any of the people involved with it managed to not fail the first year of art school (let alone find a job in cinema industry), complaining about comparing the two becomes a silly affair. I mean, what do you even say about Netflix Bebop as its own independent affair? "It's actually impressive how bad this is"? |
||||
|
||||
#Bird_Black
 Posts: 46 |
|
|||
If Netflix Bebop brought anything interesting to the table, it wouldn't have to be compared to the original. Instead, it can't stand on its own feet. If this production didn't have the Bebop name attached to it, it would be generic, low-budget, forgettable Netflix fare, and no one would be talking about it. The best you can say for the Netflix production is that it *tries* to do something interesting with Vicious and Julia, but it fails spectacularly because fleshing out characters in such a literal way is antithesis to Bebop. |
||||
|
||||
MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5319 |
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
andramus
 Posts: 165 |
|
|||
I'm speaking as someone who only just watched the original anime for the first time a couple of months ago and didn't love it. Oddly enough after watching the Netflix adaptation I've come to appreciate the anime more. For myself I think the biggest strike against the Netflix adaptation is it falls into uncanny valley territory. It's just close enough to the original that small differences can be jarring. Of course I'm not referring to the parts where it deviates drastically. This adaptation gets just enough things right that it makes me believe that a more faithful adaptation could have been done and done well. Here's one example of how I found the Netflix adaptation deficient. When I watched the anime the episode that got the biggest emotional reaction out of me was the one where they played Faye's video tape at the end. It was an emotional sucker punch that was particularly effective because up until that point I had been laughing at the lengths they went to in order to play the video tape. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why but the way the scene played out in the live action didn't hit me the same way. The execution just felt off. Perhaps in part it was because the scene was too "cozy" with Jet just putting the tape on for Faye like it was no big deal. Whereas in the original version Faye had to covertly watch it after feigning disinterest due to Jet demanding payment to view the tape's contents. |
||||
|
||||
|
tygerchickchibi
Posts: 1448 |
|
|||
This is also fair -- I particularly don't really like takes that do 1:1 comparisons because many live action adaptations never really are straight from the source like that (I mean, "The Watchmen" did, but it was utterly a beautiful, yet boring film). [Edit: removed quoted troll comment and response. Admittedly, the response was fine, but it doesn't make sense without the quoted comment. Errinundra.] Last edited by tygerchickchibi on Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:35 pm; edited 3 times in total |
||||
|
||||
BonusStage
 Posts: 307 |
|
|||
|
In regards to the "not like the source material" discussion, I feel that's always a catch 22. If the source material wasn't integral to the series, then they wouldn't base it on it to begin with. It always comes off as if a network wanting the name recognition, popularity, and existing audience of something but without the responsibility or expectation that comes with it. If this show wasn't Cowboy Bebop but instead an original series on Netflix or SyFy it probably would have been largely ignored like many of the of shows that last for only 1 season that come out with zero fanfare or attention. If nothing else, the buzz around the disappointment is getting people to talk about this show and tuning in to see it for themselves which just might net it at least a second season which would put it above most other series.
Imagine if that Netflix original show from last year Spinning Out was instead a Yuri!! on Ice adaption. It would have gotten a lot more buzz instead of just being a mostly ignored show with no buzz surrounding it, even if it was negative reception from YOI fans complaining it was nothing like the anime. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group