3, 2, 1, let’s jam? After more than a month from the Netflix release, the Cowboy Bebop life action series divides fan receptions. Let’s jump into this futuristic solar system and see how the “real life” Bebop’s crew deals with the bounty hunter life.
Do you have a comrade?
Cowboy Bebop Netflix series is the live action of the homonymous manga and anime directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Cowboy Bebop’s anime is considered a masterpiece by the critics, exploring complex topics like loneliness, boredom and inability to escape one’s past, in a science fiction/western/noir genre full of jazz music. The live action series takes the task to deliver this curious and original world in 10 episodes of fifty minutes each, showing to the audience the life routine of this “out of this world” bounty hunter crew.
Are you living in the real world?
Cowboy Bebop series is hard to define, because it pays tribute to the anime in many ways, without necessary follows the events of it. The best way I found to describe this Netflix series is quoting a great musician: “When you don’t know what it is, then it is jazz”. And this series is full of it, or better full of bebop: a composition of complex chord progressions within a fast tempo, rapid key changes and improvisation. By the way, strictly speaking I am not talking only about music!
Sleeping Beast
Regarding the action scenes, it is evident the involvement of very good stuntmen, specially for the acrobatics. Remembering that the combat style of the protagonist of the series Spike Spiegel is inspired by Bruce Lee, the series pays homage to it, but arguably choose to focus on a Jeet Kune Do / Wing Chun hybrid style, used for more characters. Although we have seen major examples in not so famous short movies, the result of the Netflix’s fight scenes are worthy to be reviewed, so enjoy this spectacular blocks!
Inevitably then the combination of martial arts with guns are the first choice of the bounty hunters. This mix gives birth to a classic Gun fu style, so popular these years thanks also to John Wick and Kingsman franchises. In the season finale we can see some of it with the duel between Spike, played by John Cho, and Vicious, portrayed by Alex Hassel, in a never goes out of fashion “gun vs katana” fight. Here below all the action scenes of the series thanks to the youtube channel All Powers Explained, Spoiler Alert!
3, 2, 1, let’s jam? Do I piqued your interest in the series? If that’s the case, don’t miss it on Netflix.
See you (hopefully soon), space cowboy…