Read Negative User Reviews for Cowboy Bebop (2021) (2021)

1

imotheeDec 24, 2021

A horrible take on an anime classic. Silly
Hollywood tropes (let’s throw in a horrible ex wife scene) and terrible storytelling. The pacing and narrative don’t work in any of the episodes and the rush to bring in the ‘big bad’ is a totalA horrible take on an anime classic. Silly
Hollywood tropes (let’s throw in a horrible ex wife scene) and terrible storytelling. The pacing and narrative don’t work in any of the episodes and the rush to bring in the ‘big bad’ is a total hatchet job and a massive miss.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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2

witriakerJan 1, 2022

As an adaptation is really awful. In its own terms, is bellow average. Their heart really wasn´t into this. I don´t know why they did it, and probably, the people behind this neither. The dog was cute, the music fine, the spaceships wereAs an adaptation is really awful. In its own terms, is bellow average. Their heart really wasn´t into this. I don´t know why they did it, and probably, the people behind this neither. The dog was cute, the music fine, the spaceships were pretty good, and some people tried to act, even if the script they were given was terrible, like Mustafa Shakir and Cho. But everything else was plain bad.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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1

amir_barakDec 10, 2021

Seriously, I had zero expectations from this show and it still managed to disappoint me. Misses every single thing that made the original a classic.

I know one of the writers said she's sad for us for missing her awesome S2 scripts butSeriously, I had zero expectations from this show and it still managed to disappoint me. Misses every single thing that made the original a classic.

I know one of the writers said she's sad for us for missing her awesome S2 scripts but luckily we can all watch the Anime. A much better show with actually competent writers, producers, actors and anyone else that worked on it.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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3

UnCabronDec 11, 2021

Is it watchable? Sure. Is it good? To some. Did I like it? Sorry, no. The Cowboy Bebop anime is probably my all time favorite anime ever! (Besides DBZ) So when this came out on Netflix, I went in with low expectations knowing how bad animeIs it watchable? Sure. Is it good? To some. Did I like it? Sorry, no. The Cowboy Bebop anime is probably my all time favorite anime ever! (Besides DBZ) So when this came out on Netflix, I went in with low expectations knowing how bad anime adaptations can be as live action shows. I knew right away, oh this is kinda corny/cringy. It felt like I was watching one of those bad CW shows or a cheap Fox show. I hated what they did to certain characters like Vicious and Julia and Ed. I honestly blame the show runners for its failure not the actors. I was hoping this show would be good but sadly its not.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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0

NahobinoNov 25, 2021

I just finished watching the show and I have to say it pains me to write this review. You take an anime that was flawless and turn everything that made it excellent into some kind of advertisement for diversity and human rights in today'sI just finished watching the show and I have to say it pains me to write this review. You take an anime that was flawless and turn everything that made it excellent into some kind of advertisement for diversity and human rights in today's United States. If you love the anime do not watch this adaption, they ruined so many great character's including Faye, Vicious, Julia and Gren. 0/10… Expand

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

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1

Akira1Nov 20, 2021

I firmly believe a live-action Cowboy Bebop COULD work. The problem is that you'd need a filmmaker who takes it seriously and respect the intelligence of the audience. The anime touched upon such intense scenes and existential topics and thisI firmly believe a live-action Cowboy Bebop COULD work. The problem is that you'd need a filmmaker who takes it seriously and respect the intelligence of the audience. The anime touched upon such intense scenes and existential topics and this completely missed the mark. I did not want a beat for a beat but if the team understood the source material and its philosophical element I think this would have been able to be achieved. They can say : "You are just haters"

More like I don't want respected, medium-defining works like Cowboy Bebop to be mishandled at it was here. They ruined Faye's storyline and character it is a completely different persona. Faye in the source material personality-wise was very realistic and I do not understand for the life of me why they rewrote her that way (in every way). The saving grace is Mustafa Shakir as Jet he was the only one to truly embody his character and Cho has good moments too. Overall they missed the philosophical, moral essence of the original that existential necessary component. It lost its bebop soul.… Expand

13 of 19 users found this helpful136

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1

Reed618Dec 1, 2021

The nicest thing I can say is that it really made me appreciate the anime a lot more. Spike in the anime is just instantly likable.. the characters are so expressive and the action is a lot of fun too.
In the show... everything is justThe nicest thing I can say is that it really made me appreciate the anime a lot more. Spike in the anime is just instantly likable.. the characters are so expressive and the action is a lot of fun too.
In the show... everything is just straight up terrible. The only character who actually feels like their anime counterpart is jet. The writing is pretty awful.. especially the jokes... God they make a lot of jokes but none of them are funny.
It's fine that they changed the storyline. It's probably a good idea if you're making a live adaptation but the story just isn't interesting. The show feels cartoonish and tries to be fun... it isn't.
I really hope they don't make a season 2... there's just nothing to build on here. The show is a mess beyond repair. Also that scene with Ed... yikes... that looked awful. It's in no way the actor's fault though. The director and writers are just incompetent.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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0

CapJokerHaNov 29, 2021

Jet Black doesn't mean he is black...I'm surprised Spike here is not black lesbian. Being white, guilty!
Being straight, guilty!
Being male, guilty!
Being white straight male in USA, the sinner among sinners!

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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3

QAOSbringerNov 30, 2021

Seriously, how did Netflix make Cowboy Bebop so terrible?

I also watched and compared the original anime episodes they imitated. It seems like they made this show with the reason: "There's this thing called Cowboy Bebop, everybody talks aSeriously, how did Netflix make Cowboy Bebop so terrible?

I also watched and compared the original anime episodes they imitated. It seems like they made this show with the reason: "There's this thing called Cowboy Bebop, everybody talks a lot, the dubbed version we made in America is still in business, why don't we buy the IP of it and make money on it?".

One of the biggest features of anime was animation visuals and fluidity in animation. They turned this into like a Syfy series and that visuals and fluidity disappeared. Especially when you compare the Church scene, when he is trying to go upstairs, the weaknesses in this subject is very noticeable. In the anime he is trying to go with a vengeance and greed, in the Netflix series it was like "do not tire yourself too much, point the gun, we will die anyway".

Anime's other biggest feature was the storytelling and the relations between the characters.
Spike isn't bad, but the light hearted vibe is gone and he felt too old and serious for the role.
They turned Faye into a very "Netflix-esque" character.
Vicious is a man-child villain, he doesn't have a tenth of his anime charisma and intimidation.
Julia was really butchered, they changed her from a Femme Fatale character to a pop-lipped Tik-Tok influencer.
Only Jet Black was successful, and his voice was very similar to the Japanese voiceover from the anime. But they smashed his story at the last minute.

While watching the anime, the music really adds a different flavor to the anime, as if the songs are characters themselves. They tried to imitate the same songs, but they couldn't keep the atmosphere and tone of the anime, and it cause the music remain weak in the background.

That jazz/blues mood in the anime is gone, and ignoring the subtext of the stories was a major factor.
It's like they watched the anime episodes skipping and then shot the Netflix series with what they remembered.
They ignored the important details, background designs, ideas behind the stories and made their own imitations over it.

Ok, I didn't expect to see the exact same show with exactly the same quality. But I expected them to carry the "atmosphere" or "tone" of the anime. Instead, they repeated the same mistake made in the Ghost in the Shell movie adaptation. They tried to carbon copy the same story, the same visuals, the same events, while not understanding why and what the original source intended with those story, visuals, events. And this made the adaptation fail really hard.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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3

PerrificationNov 29, 2021

Jet and Spike was decently portrayed. The world was artistfully done. Everything just went to hell.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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1

PictureThisNMDec 6, 2021

It's one of the biggest hate letter to the Anime. It is horrible. They don't take the source material seriously and They changed an essential character designs of almost every iconic one we grew up to love. Cowboy bebop the original was wayIt's one of the biggest hate letter to the Anime. It is horrible. They don't take the source material seriously and They changed an essential character designs of almost every iconic one we grew up to love. Cowboy bebop the original was way ahead of its time and had all the inclusion in it already. It didnt need any of these changes. This is just an expensive fan fiction.. A cheap imatation of the greatest anime created.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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3

CMGPURDec 5, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Right off the bat, as an adaptation, there is so much that this series does wrong that there are multiple reasons on why it's being hated by most fans. The cast, the writing, how it deviates from the original plot, etc. Now let me say that hypothetically for someone that has absolutely no idea what Cowboy Bebop is, watching this live-action series as blind as possible will probably end up liking it. Now, for the people that actually watched the original, there is not much to salvage here. Let me say that anime live-action adaptations are essentially death sentences. With the exception of the Rurouni Kenshin movies, practically every other example is entirely detrimental to the source material. In this adaptation, there are things that are being talked like the fact that Jet was black and to be honest, he was IMO the most "decent" out of the whole cast. Sure, he was white in the anime but at least he somewhat made the age resemblance (even though the whole subplot of her daughter was just completely invented). I thought that John Cho was just too old for the role (even though he was ripped) and wasn't someone that resembled his anime counterpart. Faye Valentine was one of the worst offenders because from what I remember, she wasn't that vulgar and annoying in the anime. Making the ridiculous choice to put a lesbian scene on her character absolutely developed nothing besides her newfound discovery of what an orgasm is. Nothing of the sort is ever implied in the anime either. The only episode that somewhat follows the plot of the anime is the first one and even then, it changes quite a lot. The rest of the series is entirely new with a cast of villains that are independent from the original anime. I did like certain things like episode 9 which showed the past of Spike and Vicious and episode 8 which shows Vicious plan come to fruition but besides those few moments, the whole series falls off heavily. The new villains are cheesy but unique and the action is decent. The intro retains the original song but in no way is it better than the original. The gloomy outro of the original is also not present in the same way. Naturally, I don't know what this adaptation is supposed to be. I am not sure if it was even advertised as a 1:1 remake or as an expanded reboot but it definitely did not follow the story at all. The ending was changed heavily, leaving the curtain open for season 2. It's sad that such a masterpiece anime was brought to this level because for fans of the original, this was a disappointment. Considering Watanabe, the original director of the anime, worked as a creative consultant, I sincerely hope they don't mess up the One Piece adaptation.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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3

Kai82Nov 25, 2021

The best I could say is that it will made you appreciate the original show far more. Basically it is lacking the hearth, charm and soul of the original. Atop of this the characters are also far weaker versions of themselves and they made someThe best I could say is that it will made you appreciate the original show far more. Basically it is lacking the hearth, charm and soul of the original. Atop of this the characters are also far weaker versions of themselves and they made some harmful changes to them. I think the team behind this show did not understood what made the show so good and well liked or were fully convinced by their own ideas in a way that made them ignore all (valid) criticism. The Cowboy Bebop Anime show is a masterpiece. It is nearly universally loved, has great characters with deep backstories, style, humor, fascinating worldbuilding / lore and great writing. It is the best space western out there and I would recommend this even for people that do not like or ignore Anime shows. Back to this review. Sadly there were many warning signs. The director of the Anime Shinichiro Watanabe warned us that he is unsure if Netflix can do justice to the show, the trailer did not look convincing too and they ranted about the fans which are their main target group. If you liked the original it is hard to watch. There are some changes to the story and characters that will anger you. I must say I blame not the actors as hey are limited by the script and direction or re-imagination to be honest. For example Vicious was one of the best villains of his time. He is a smart, deadly, mysterious and puts fear into all his enemies. If he appeared you did know it gets serious and intense. Here he is ruined. Alone his look made me laugh and he is not intimidating or in the realm where I can see him as menacing villain. Lets go to Julia and I say the changes they did would made a lot of fans rage quit if shown in the first episode. You have been warned spoiler free. Spike and Faye are also more shallow and this is a shame as both actors John Cho and Daniella Pineda are really good. I even think they could work but not as these characters in a Cowboy Bebop adaption. I will praise Mustafa Shakir as Jet. He is awesome. Another point is a character that was missing in the trailers. I think it counts as spoilers so I only say this is the poster-child that not everything can be adapted into a live show. The story itself has some good moments and ideas but also many WTF moments, boring parts, angering parts and is underwhelming. Visually I like the sets and that they try to recreate some shots and moments of the show. However the costumes are annoying. I often heard the remark that they look like badly done cosplay and I see the validity even if it is not garbage. The music is fine for me but did not get as awesome as in the original. Overall I would say do not watch this show and watch the original instead. Sometimes you create something that you cant reach or recreate and the original sets the bars really high.… Expand

7 of 11 users found this helpful74

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0

VanitasNov 23, 2021

Absolute trash, how long is netflix going to keep churning out these terrible anime adaptations?

7 of 11 users found this helpful74

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0

Robert88Nov 25, 2021

What complete and utter trash this show is , it destroys the real cowboy bebop . This is filled with nothing but identify politics ,inclusion lgbtq nonsense and propaganda.. this Netflix show is inaccuratefrom all source material , andWhat complete and utter trash this show is , it destroys the real cowboy bebop . This is filled with nothing but identify politics ,inclusion lgbtq nonsense and propaganda.. this Netflix show is inaccuratefrom all source material , and destroy they characters that were created .. honestly do your self a favor and don’t watch this dumpster fire .save your self the trouble this show really sucks bad… Expand

7 of 11 users found this helpful74

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0

neuetypNov 20, 2021

A terrible joke in this century. Please, I hope all of this is a dream......

12 of 19 users found this helpful127

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3

EilanzerNov 25, 2021

This show is bad RLY bad! No respect for the source material...Didn´t understand the characters...Put random useless crap in the story and sexuality bullcrap because NETFLIX as always...One of THE WORST writing and dialogue...Hell even theThis show is bad RLY bad! No respect for the source material...Didn´t understand the characters...Put random useless crap in the story and sexuality bullcrap because NETFLIX as always...One of THE WORST writing and dialogue...Hell even the failproof epic ending of the anime got ruined with stupid changes (again for no reason).
Netflix writers are crap, and have the ego so inflated that they need to force feed you agendas and personal changes.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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1

Cracker1Nov 27, 2021

Way to cannibalize a golden classic for the sake of conquistadoring your message, netflix. At least you got the casting right (this extends to picking the right people for the music only to have no idea how to use them).
Written by and forWay to cannibalize a golden classic for the sake of conquistadoring your message, netflix. At least you got the casting right (this extends to picking the right people for the music only to have no idea how to use them).
Written by and for people with the charm of rotten fish.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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0

Phteve11Nov 25, 2021

This is arguably worse than the death note live adaptation

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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2

strangebrew123Dec 1, 2021

I couldn't get past the second episode...simply unwatchable nonsense! The direction is questionable to say the least. I would not recommend.

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1

CoryleviNov 24, 2021

Look it doesn’t help when one of your actors attacked the fandom of the anime, which baring in mind is a classic up there with akira in my opinion, but this my god up there with all the other live action remakes. Dumpster juice the music I’llLook it doesn’t help when one of your actors attacked the fandom of the anime, which baring in mind is a classic up there with akira in my opinion, but this my god up there with all the other live action remakes. Dumpster juice the music I’ll give it that is good but the rest and substance is honestly disappointing considering Netflix track record with live action anime movies of the past. Would I recommend no now the original anime that I would recommend. Unless your gonna stop pandering to the modern day gustapo Netflix, or in fact stop allowing western influence to ruin great bodies of work.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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2

jfallen1990Nov 23, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Never should have been greenlit. The anime is perfect just leave it at that. Jett, Spike, and the music are the only things i can say i enjoy. I HATE what they do to Vicious and Julia. Ballad of the fallen angels is so bad it is laughable. Faye is just garbage. Do not waste your time on this. Stick with the anime and stream the music.… Expand