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Netflix Is Making a Live-Action Cowboy Bebop & Fans Are...Skeptical
Considering all of the whitewashing that's beein going on in North American anime adaptations, it's understandable.
So last night, Netflix announced that a live-action adaptation of the critically-acclaimed anime series Cowboy Bebop is officially in the works.
\u201cGuess it\u2019s time to announce that Cowboy Bebop, the live-action series, is heading to @Netflix.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1543381206
\u201cOriginal anime creator Shinichiro Watanabe will he brought on to consult, too. The first episode is written by Thor: Ragnarok\u2019s Chris Yost.\u201d— Netflix Geeked (@Netflix Geeked) 1543381582
For viewers unfamiliar with the series, Cowboy Bebop follows the misadventures of a motley crew of bounty hunters as they travel space in a ship named the Bebop. With it's mixture of Western and Sci-Fi themes, the 26-episode series is considered a classic amongst many anime fans, and is often credited as a gateway series that helped introduce Japanese animation to North American audiences. (Side note: the show originally went off the air in Japan in the late '90s, but you can still watch it on Hulu and can occasionally catch reruns of the English dub on Adult Swim's weekend Toonami block.)
(Another, much queerer side note: Spike Spiegel was also one of my first crushes. Just LOOK at him!)
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While the possibility of some new Cowboy Bebop material is an exciting one, when you consider all of the...let's call them "creative liberties" North American production companies take when they adapt an anime series for Western audiences—with whitewashing being the most notable of these liberties—it's hard for die-hard fans who treasure the series to get excited. (After all, we don't want another Death Note or Ghost in the Shell fiasco happening now, do we??)
And people weren't shy about letting their reservations about a live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop be known...
\u201cWhat not to do: probably fuck up remaking cowboy bebop\nWhat to do: just give the people who made cowboy bebop money\u201d— the ultimate nice gamer \u2124\ud835\udd4f \ud835\udd38\ud835\udd55\ud835\udd67\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd5f\ud835\udd65 (@the ultimate nice gamer \u2124\ud835\udd4f \ud835\udd38\ud835\udd55\ud835\udd67\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd5f\ud835\udd65) 1543381853
\u201cLive action Cowboy Bebop is happening... By Netflix...\u201d— J. Fremen (@J. Fremen) 1543384807
\u201cthey fucked up death note. i can only imagine cowboy bebop.\u201d— + (@+) 1543383009
\u201cI think it's fair if people are apprehensive about the Netflix live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop given their track record with Japanese live action adaptations. I'm personally really apprehensive because I'm worried about potential white washing of any PoC in Bebop's cast.\u201d— Kazuma Hashimoto (@Kazuma Hashimoto) 1543423080
\u201cNetflix making a Cowboy Bebop live action series??? Let\u2019s hope you it\u2019s not anything like their Death Note live action\ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udc40\u201d— \ud83d\udc952ne1\ud83d\udc95 (@\ud83d\udc952ne1\ud83d\udc95) 1543434577
\u201cA live-action #CowboyBebop series could be amazing but please don't whitewash it! https://t.co/fZ5AEItfNe\u201d— SYFY FANGRRLS (@SYFY FANGRRLS) 1543428222
\u201ci don\u2019t want a Cowboy Bebop live action anything because they\u2019re gonna \n\n1) whitewash Ed\n2) completely miss the tone of the original\n3) idris elba won\u2019t be Jet and thats a goddamn travesty\u201d— Jack (@Jack) 1543405339
\u201cCowboy Bebop will probably be pretty embarrassing but I don't really mind as long as they don't whitewash Faye\u201d— Maaria (@Maaria) 1543397911
\u201cTime for Netflix to whitewash an amazing anime #CowboyBebop\u201d— Pratzmyname (@Pratzmyname) 1543398719
\u201cDear @netflix \n\nPlease don't whitewash the cast of the live action Cowboy Bebop. \n\nBest Regards\n\nJason\u201d— Jason (@Jason) 1543387538
We'll try to be open-minded and optimistic, but considering all the whitewashing that's already happened in Western, live-action adaptations of many beloved anime series, we're not really that optimistic...
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Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
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