“Cowboy Bebop” (2021) Rated TV-MA is a boring and monotonous show that lacks all of the heart and substance of the original.
“Cowboy Bebop”, released in 1998, is one of the most beloved animated series of all time, spawning a huge fanbase with its elaborate world, fluid and expressive animation, heartfelt characters, and catchy jazz inspired soundtrack. Needless to say, Netflix had their work cut out for them when they revealed in October of 2019 that they would be doing an adaptation of the series. Fans were suspicious, citing films such as Dragon Ball: Evolution or Ghost in the Shell, as reasons why film adaptations of popular anime series are looked down upon. However, the reveal trailer, visuals, and above all, the music of the trailer had many excited for the series. 

Cowboy Bebop is set in the year 2071, in a society ravaged by crime. To deal with the rising crime rate, the ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) create a system to contract bounty hunters, also known in the series as cowboys, to chase down criminals and bring them in for a cash reward. The story follows Spike Spiegel and the crew of his spaceship, the Bebop, as they hunt down criminals, and face their difficult pasts.

The 2021 remake follows this same plot line, with a few major differences stylistically. One of the main issues with the series is the significant difference in tone between this adaptation and the original. The original series works with a number of genres, from western, to sci fi, to comedy, while maintaining a tragic tone throughout the series. “Cowboy Bebop” (2021) on the other hand, is a complete tonal disaster, not being able to decide what exactly it wants to be throughout the story. For example, the first episode goes at an incredibly fast pace, speeding through the beginning of the story, perhaps to maintain the audience’s attention. But with this fast pace, much of the emotional moments from the first few episodes of the original series are squandered and lost. The characters of the Netflix series also suffer because of this fast pacing, not giving them enough time to properly grow or develop fully as characters, leaving them feeling flat, and unappealing to watch. One more critical issue the series suffers from is putting the characters’ backstories front and center, removing any and all mystery behind them, also causing even more pacing issues. The story is essentially telling the plot of the original series but slower, and with even less information being communicated, leading to many moments of total boredom.

I would not recommend watching this to anyone, people new to the series, and especially fans of the original. The series is a poorly paced, monotonous mess of a series, with even the original story and soundtrack being unable to carry it. Netflix has already canceled the series despite petitions from fans for a second season