First look: Netflix reveals Cowboy Bebop premiere and photos of John Cho as Spike

First look: Netflix reveals Cowboy Bebop premiere and photos of John Cho as Spike
PHOTO: Netflix

Three, two, one…let’s jam!

It has been a long time coming, but Netflix’s live-action take on beloved anime classic Cowboy Bebop has finally dropped its first batch of preview images, which showcases John Cho’s Spike Spiegel, Daniella Pineda’s Faye Valentine, and Mustafa Shakir’s Jet Black donned in the outfits of their onscreen personas.

The verdict? Between Cho’s double-breasted suit, Pineda’s near canonical-perfect outfit, and Shakir’s robot arm, the trio sure is looking nothing short of spiffy, with a respectable anime-faithful aesthetic completing the tease-show.

Just look at the details: not only is Spike’s hairdo brought over with flair to the live-action format, some of the show’s iconic scenes and elements, such as the protagonist’s big headphones, shirtless workout, and walk through the church, have all been replicated.

That’s a pretty good start, even if these stills don’t necessarily reflect the actual quality of the series.

Everyone’s favorite data dog, Ein, has also made its glorious entrance in an image where Pineda-as-Faye takes it on a walk along a neon-drenched alley.

Alex Hassell and Elena Satine, meanwhile, are notably absent from the set as antagonist Vicious and Spike’s love interest Julia respectively.

In continued fashion, the fourth member of the Bebop crew, Edward, remains unacknowledged by Netflix, and it remains to be seen if he has been completely removed from the 10-episode series.

While live-action adaptations don’t often receive the most positive of reception or reputation, Cowboy Bebop is shaping up to be rather promising – well, more promising than many of its other counterparts, at least.

Creator Shinichiro Watanabe, after all, has come on board as consultant, with original composer Yoko Kanno returning to score the music.

There are, of course, other concerns to take into account, especially with the bold decision to explore more characters and lore development, but this set of images has managed to stir just a bit of that excitement and cautious optimism.

The series will premiere on Nov 19, 2021, with its synopsis on Netflix as follows, “A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll save the world…for the right price.”

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This article was first published in Geek Culture.

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