Tomorrow Studios has set itself up for one of the biggest challenges they could’ve ever faced. Not only did they try to tackle the critical darling Cowboy Bebop, but also set their eyes on One Piece. The former, however, did not quite end up winning fans over at the time which had many nervous about the biggest-selling manga’s adaptation.
Luckily, Executive producer Marty Adelstein highlighted that they took a lot of lessons from their work on Cowboy Bebop. They realized that “fans are expecting you to be true to the source material” which isn’t too surprising given just how invested fans are to the projects they enjoyed for many years.
What we learned is the fans are expecting you to be true to the source material. As we read the comments, it was always, ‘Well, they didn’t do this character the same as this and that’…It really taught us a lot of what we needed to do with this one.
Marty Adelstein
Tomorrow Studios’ president Becky Clements also highlights that it’s not about just adapting the source material but rather that viewers have “the same reaction and feelings towards the narrative” of the live-action adaptation. We want to relieve those moments and have others go through it as well.
It became everyone’s goal to make sure that when you looked at the show, you thought this was a live-action version of the manga that felt like another feather in the legacy of Oda. That people just get to see it in another genre, but still have the same reaction and feelings towards the narrative.
Becky Clements
It’s definitely the right goal to set and something many have talked about when following the live-action adaptation of One Piece. While there were some concerns with the teaser, the first full trailer seemingly brought those feelings back for many viewers, and going by some early social reactions, they may have succeeded.
A new rumor has hit the web, hinting that Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece may not release until August 31st. The news dropped just a week after we got our first official look at the adaptation, which gave us a simple tease of the main cast from behind; a perfect way to hint at what’s to come. The biggest confirmation from the first look was also the fact that we’ll be getting the series at some point in 2023. Now, with a new rumor hinting at when it might release, maybe some old releases may help point to when we can expect more news throughout the years.
Our first actual footage of the show arrived on October 19th with the “Lost Session” teaser. In retrospect, it was a great little teaser that was closer to what Cowboy Bebop feels like than the actual show itself, which had a much slower pace in comparison. Ironically, we still wouldn’t get an actual trailer of the show until October 27th; only 21 days before the actual release.
Given we got the first poster before even a cast image, it seems like One Piece is getting more attention than the previous Tomorrow Studio collaboration. Given it was only truly promoted for less than three full months, it almost seems like Netflix was desperately trying to hide the show and it never got a chance ahead of its cancelation on December 9th.
The Sandman’s Drag-Out
So, there’s another major release and adaptation that may offer a hint at how we can expect the release window for the future. Taking a glance at The Sandman, however, it seems like some marketing ploys can even drag out a bit longer than one might expect. We got our first look at the adaptation back in 2021; September 25th to be exact with a variety of character posters and first footage as part of Geeked Week of that year.
Yet, we wouldn’t really get anything else out of the series until a new key art poster was released on June 6th that confirmed a release on August 5th. We also got a few new character posters. So, we got the exact release date around two months ahead of its premiere with the trailer following on July 24th. So, Netflix once again held onto that full look at the series until the last possible second even as we already got footage the year before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ClbRPRDXU
Netflix really likes to keep a more intense promotional window for a series shortly before its release. There are some similarities with One Piece given that we got some behind-the-scenes footage for the new series during Geeked Week on June 6th, 2022. So, the early showcase isn’t too different but this time we had to wait half a year before we got any key art for the adaptation.
Wednesday’s Balance
The Sandman isn’t the only major 2022 release, as we also have the massive success of The Addam’s Family remake focusing on Wednesday Addams. Ironically, Wednesday has the perfect balance between the two with a shorter promotional window but adding quite a few smaller snippets to promote the adaptation before we get our first actual teaser or trailer.
Back in May of this year, we got a poster for the series hinting at a Fall 2022 release that gave us a tease of what to expect with a caricature of Wednesday Addams. That was swiftly followed by a teaser on June 1st giving us our first look at Thing before Jenna Ortega was unveiled just five days later. It was our first look at the series and was given quite the highlight during Geeked Week with a still image and small teaser video. We would have to wait until August 17th before we got a teaser trailer.
The fact that we had a trailer without a specific release window is quite curious as we wouldn’t find out its release date was November 23rd with the second poster that was released on September 23rd. So, the two-month window is still there for the release date but this time we saw footage around three months before. This time around we didn’t get any character posters until November 2nd though, as the focus was mainly on Wednesday; it’s titled after her.
It’s no surprise that the series would go on to break viewership records, as the series had the most stretched-out advertising campaign with a steady build-up towards its release and giving viewers a bit more time to build up interest in its release. It’s curious how that release date confirmation is always around two months ahead of its release and something that Cowboy Bebop surprisingly unveiled the earliest out of all projects with the shortest marketing campaign.
One Piece’s Potential
So, we have very distinct pieces of a puzzle to potentially connect when we may expect a release for One Piece. As it stands now, we only know that the series will “set sail in 2023” and we got not one but two key visuals for the live-action adaptation. There is one similarity with The Sandman stretch-out as we got a first tease all the way back in 2022 just as they were filming the project, but it wasn’t as extensive.
Of course, any of this is just speculation based on behavior partners on how Netflix promotes its series. There’s a lot of optimism if a series is given time to breathe ahead of its release, as rushing it out and not giving anyone time to really take it all in like with Cowboy Bebop just dooms a project from the get-go. It’s why many movie trailers drop six months in advance and we don’t hear anything until we’re actually closing in on the release date.
The best comparison is likely Wednesday with the teaser poster releasing early and no confirmed release date. While it would’ve been nice to get a “Summer 2023” inclusion, it does seem that Netflix wants to keep some flexibility on when exactly it’ll drop but with the rumored release date, we may have some potential wiggle room on when we could expect something.
There is one major anchor that gives us some orientation on when we can expect a major drop for the series and that is Geeked Week. It has taken place at the beginning of June 2021 and 2022. So, it may be safe to assume it’ll once again take place around that same time window and Netflix will definitely want to promote one of its biggest releases during that event.
Wednesday had the benefit of having its first poster drop around the time Geeked Week took place, so for that time window we’d have to consider the time window is a bit longer but not as out-there as The Sandman was. Still, it makes it challenging to figure out just how much they’ll plan around that event and try to keep everything for the “big reveal” during Geeked Week or not.
Potential Marketing Roadmap
So, after all that deduction: here’s a potential timeline based on previous projects on when we might expect teases to promote the One Piece series:
January – Teaser Poster & Key Art
April/May – New Poster, First Full Look at Cast
June – First Trailer and Release Date (Geeked Week 2023)
July – Second Trailer, Character Posters
August – Release on Netflix
It’s a very rough estimate but it’s hard to say if we’ll see anything before May, even if it would be great to drip-feed at least something. Still, an optimistic look would be to see a photo of the cast in their outfits around April, as they start promoting the series through a variety of interviews with showrunners, and the cast. Perhaps we’ll even have a statement from Eiichiro Oda; whose support may push this series into the spotlight it needs. The time window would also match the two-month wait between Geeked week and the first trailer. Still, it doesn’t seem likely we’ll get any real information for a few months given there’s no time window included with the posters.
Where the optimism comes in is the expectation to really see the ball rolling as of May with something new hitting every month if they truly are going for that 31st August release date. A series based on pirates is perfect for a summer release and with their two-month rule, we’ll likely see a trailer around June. What is in June? Geeked Week, of course, if they remain consistent with the last few years. So, we may get a poster either shortly before to promote its appearance or worst case alongside the trailer.
If we get any tease for One Piece in June, we can safely bet on an August release. Netflix really likes building around that event and it would seem fitting if they get their own segment and plenty of promotion. Wednesday‘s success may also play a factor in their hopes to replicate that same momentum to break more records with a series that is based on the most popular manga.
Of course, this isn’t something one should take as a definite time window, as anything related to the project could shift any of these predictions. They are mainly based on what has come in the past and how Netflix seemingly operates with its biggest releases. One thing is certain: this isn’t another rushed drop like with Cowboy Bebop and Netflix may be wanting to make this as big as they can to ensure its success to establish the next Stranger Things level series.
It’s nothing new that any live-action adaptation of anything has drama surrounding it, but there’s something “special” about the discourse of a manga or anime being brought to the West. We’ve long lived in an era where adaptations have been a pipedream as in the early days of Hollywood they’d simply adapt something for the sake of its popularity, such was the case with Avatar: The Last Airbender or Dragonball Evolution. Those involved seem to have a surface-level understanding of the property and simply rushed out a product that doesn’t reflect the thing most of us grew up with.
Netflix hasn’t been that innocent either with their very Americanized Death Note and the recent Cowboy Bebop adaptation, which tried to take an existing property to create something a little more streamlined. Even the anime’s creator, Shinichiro Watanabe, openly spoke out about it was “clearly not Cowboy Bebop” due to a lack of involvement with the project. Even with the existence of actual good adaptations like Alita: Battle Angel, the Rurouni Kenshin movies, Blade of the Immortal, Speed Racer, and others, we still tend to hold on to that Dragonball Evolution comparison even to this day.
The sad thing is that this focus kind of develops this overall negativity surrounding any discourse. Projects are “dead on arrival” long before we’ve seen anything that actually gives us a good feeling of what exactly we can expect from an adaptation. The same has now happened with the One Piece series with the first look at the Straw Hat crew. We’ve seen a variety of reactions as while there’s a good positive surrounding it, there are also quite a few reactions focusing on some curious details.
The biggest may be the fact that Monkey D. Luffy, played by Inaki Godoy, does not wear his usual sandals but rather has shoes. Surprisingly no one has pointed out that Nami isn’t wearing her usual high-heels but the debate is if the sandals are a “must” for the character’s carefree attitude. Nami actress Emily Rudd even had to publicly point out that sandals aren’t safe for bringing the stunts to life, especially as they tried to do their own stunts throughout production.
It’s understandable that people are protective of projects they love, especially something that has been running for 25 years. Yet, the main focus has been on the entire project falling apart and being terrible due to Luffy not wearing sandals. This “Sandalgate” sadly generally reflects a discourse on how the Internet generally handles any live-action adaptations nowadays. In the era of The Last of Us, Marvel films, and so much more, we have gotten quite spoiled by what is and isn’t possible.
Yet, we see a lot of discourse of the most minute details as a “make or break” for any project. Moon Knight was highly discussed because it wasn’t “comic-accurate” enough but may be one of Marvel’s most diverse characters with a long history behind it. Even Thunderbolts are currently being scrutinized based on who is part of the team and we haven’t seen any footage of it so far. In the digital era, we have access to so much information that it also becomes a challenge to be part of the discourse.
It’s also a showcase of how often certain groups reflect the same talking points. The Last of Us is praised for recreating specific shots but also dragged down for an episode that takes a character in a new direction, even going as far as having it review-bombed to make a point. Even with the creator’s strong involvement, it’s not something people focus on as we work with what we get. We create content and reactions to be part of the discourse, which subsequently leads to repetition.
Luffy wearing shoes instead of sandals is sadly a strong reflection of that very discourse. In the end, it has no bearing on the quality of this series and serves a practical purpose. We know that live-action adaptations have to make changes due to the fact of it having real people involved, a different structure, and a media format to work with. To some degree, it feels like people want to be mad about something and don’t have a lot to go off from.
At this point, it sometimes feels like people want to be upset. To some degree, it’s understandable, as most experiences people have had with live-action adaptations of anime and manga haven’t been the greatest. It also involving Netflix adds to that very concern. So, no matter the quality of the show, the online discourse is very likely going to be a nightmare; something Marvel fans might be familiar with given how each project ends up being discussed. We don’t know if it’s going to be good, especially not going off of a poster alone.
It becomes even more depressing once you enter the discussion points surrounding Nami, who proclaim that she doesn’t “match Eiichiro Oda‘s original vision” given she doesn’t share the same body type as Who Framed Roger Rabbit‘s Jessica Rabbit. Not only is it an impossible standard to set but given Oda‘s heavy involvement, it creates a similar discourse like how people co-opt Stan Lee to reflect how they personally feel about whatever Marvel Studios is doing they don’t like.
We’re sadly not learning our lessons but continuing to fall down a deeper rabbit hole. Based on a poster, we have no idea how One Piece will turn out. Some will be more optimistic than others, but there’s a certain level where the discourse becomes absurd. Is it a shame that Luffy doesn’t have his sandals? Yes, but we don’t know if there are scenes where he might still have them on but don’t involve any action.
Even Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop fell victim to it due to the oversaturated reactions regarding Eden Perkins‘ performance as Edward or even just Daniella Pineda‘s take on Faye Valentine not being “revealing” enough like in the anime. The show had its faults but that is more in how it simply struggled to revive that unique spark that the anime offered us in our childhood back in 1998. It was less episodic and embraced the Bebop we know and love, but it wasn’t the cast.
John Cho was a great cast Spike Spiegel, even if an older take on the character. Mustafa Shakir gave us an iconic Jet Black on top of it all. Pineda had her moments to shine even if her character was a bit of a departure from the original. Cho gave a heartfelt statement on losing out on the show given he was heavily injured shooting the series and was forced to take a year off. In our discourse, we tend to forget real people are working on these projects.
Yet at the end of the day, we’ll always tend to jump the gun as fast as possible to be that trendsetter. Instant gratification can feel good and we get swept up by it all. Sadly, we don’t give chances like we used to, which creates a higher barrier of entry for any new project trying to establish itself. One Piece has a chance to do what The Last Of Us, Arcane, The Cuphead Show, and many more did for video game adaptations. But if we draw the line at sandals, we may have never deserved the projects we got.
Cowboy Bebop is a much-beloved anime series for how it bent and twisted our understanding of the genre to fit its neo-noir episodic format. So, when Netflix announced it’ll attempt on bringing it into live-action, there was quite some concern early on. Not only was Netflix’s track record not the best with the controversial release of Death Note, but it also seems like one of those series that just won’t translate well into the media format.
In 2021 we finally got the release of the live-action series starring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda in the roles of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, and Faye Valentine. It did not catch the attention of viewers as much as Netflix may have hoped and stands at a 47% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though it did get a more positive reception from viewers. Still, it seems not enough to watch it for it was swiftly canceled after teasing a second season.
Interestingly enough, the series creator Shinichiro Watanabe was brought on as a creative consultant had many think that it may stay true to the spirit of the original. Yet, it seems that Watanabe may have had a consulting role but only received some footage to review and barely made it through the opening of the series which was an adaptation of the famous casino scene from the movie.
For the new Netflix live-action adaptation, they sent me a video to review and check. It started with a scene in a casino, which made it very tough for me to continue. I stopped there and so only saw that opening scene. It was clearly not Cowboy Bebop and I realized at that point that if I wasn’t involved, it would not be Cowboy Bebop. I felt that maybe I should have done this. Although the value of the original anime is somehow far higher now.
Shinichiro Watanabe
This is quite surprising, as it raises the question of just how far his consulting job went as he states that he “wasn’t involved.” This is quite a curious reveal and stands in quite a contrast to how One Piece is currently being handled. While it’s unclear if this may have been a learning from that project, Eiichiro Oda is also very protective of how his beloved manga series is brought to life.
Multiple times it has been pointed too that Oda has a very heavy involvement with the live-action adaptation with even some hints that they may actively be having him ensure that the spirit of his work remains alive. So, it’s a shame that a similar level of care hasn’t been done with Cowboy Bebop. Though it’s a shame that its talented cast couldn’t continue their work as there was still some potential to utilize this unique world and cast of characters in a new take.
Fans — or at least, some of them –were disappointed when Netflix decided to cancel its live-action Cowboy Bebop series starring John Cho. However, those eager for more Cowboy Bebop will find solace in an accompanying side story coming this November titled Cowboy Bebop: Supernova Swing. Set in the year 2171, this story brings together the Bebop crew to hunt down an ex-gang member who has stolen a vest that gives its wearer unparallel powers. This isn’t an altruistic hunt, mind you: Spike, Faye, and Jet are down on their luck and need both a win and a way to be financially stable for a while, and the original owner of the vest has put a bounty on it that would give them both. However, they are not the only ones after the vest, as the Syndicate is also looking for it.
Think of the story as a play on Jason & The Argonauts, and the hunt for the almighty fleece in that story and you have the proverbial skeleton. However, this story is told with that classic Bebop flair. There is a casino heist that does not go the way the group hopes it will, and leads them to a planet that intoxicated the whole crew. This setting gives us more of an opportunity to see how drunken thoughts reveal sober truths for Jet and Faye, and how these three ultimately need each other for more than just good times. The artwork is what you have come to expect from Cowboy Bebop, but it is really the story that brings you in and hooks you from the beginning. Dan Watters, in a way that maybe the Netflix series didn’t get a chance to, captures the tone of the Bebop universe and its need to be multi-layered perfectly. This story goes from emotional (these are three characters thrown together not because they wanted to, but almost out of necessity) to funny (there’s a ramen exchange that works really well) to philosophical (the three characters often find themselves asking each other about the meaning of life in ways that are not often found in these mediums). The humor allows us to breathe during the more emotional beats, and the art helps but does not overwhelm this story.
Speaking of the art, Lamar Mathurin deserves a shout-out because Cowboy Bebop is not Gumbo (Mathurin’s graphic novel). As such, he is the one tasked with adapting his style to an already existing world, and he knocks it out of the park. Having to juggle so many different settings, stylistically, could have been a challenge for any other artist, but not here. The action itself, had it not been curated properly, could have looked awful on the page, but Mathurin displays both reverence for these characters and a desire to showcase them with his own style.
If you loved the Netflix series, then you will absolutely love this and the other standalone novels that have been released. If you have been on the fence about giving Cowboy Bebop a shot, this is a quick read that could be a good springboard for you because it doesn’t require past knowledge of the characters. It, also, gives you everything the series gave you in a much more consumable medium, which may whet your appetite to try the series. Watters and Mathurin deserve so much credit for their great work here and for their love of this universe.
The last few days have been rough for Netflix. Not only did they publicly have to acknowledge that they lost subscribers for the first time in over ten years, but they’ll face 2M more jumping ship by the next quarter. Subsequently, investors are furious and fearful as their shares have dropped by a scary amount. Many find themselves wondering what exactly has led to this sudden shift within the market, as streaming was seen as this bottomless potential with billions of subscribers. What seems like they have potentially reached their limit, may showcase a general trend that has been waiting to show its fangs over the years.
One thing is for sure, it’s not a good look for Netflix and there are many discussion points that can be made on what led to this current downward spiral. Netflix will still hold on to its top spot and we’re already seeing it with the decision to add an ad-supported version at a cheaper price. Yet, there’s one aspect that seems worth exploring and that is Netflix’s obsession with quantity. They are investing a lot of money in originals, which leads us to get a diverse selection of projects. Yet, it also led to the new perception of the streamer becoming a safe haven for canceled projects but sadly a new trend has arisen.
Oddly enough, they’ve become obsessed with swiftly canceling projects. While some select projects manage to have some sense of longevity, they manage to drop franchises that have even proven to be quite successful. When Bright was first released in 2017, it was one of their most-watched films. Yet, somehow the sequel was buried at one point without any fanfare, and we got a prequel Anime spinoff that had little to no marketing push. There are projects where we do get some news ahead of its release, but there’s a trend that a lot of it is creator-driven.
The biggest example of Netflix’s modern marketing approach was their live-action Cowboy Bebop series. While production did face quite the delay and an adaptation of such a cult classic was definitely going to face some backlash, it just suddenly arrived. Its release date was announced on August 23rd and would hit the streamer on November 19th. At the time we didn’t get a trailer to build up the excitement and it wasn’t until the 19th of October that we got a mini-episode titled The Lost Session. we wouldn’t get the actual trailer until the 27th with only a few more weeks before it hit Netflix.
By the time we got any actual promotion or the series, people’s opinions have already been made on what to expect and a new audience had barely any time to relate to it. Considering it was released on the 19th of November, it barely even got a few weeks before Netflix just dropped the axe on the series on December 9th. Early reports indicated that the production was going in expecting multiple seasons and it was cut short before it even got started. The issue is also we don’t know what exactly the metric is that they are going for, especially with newly established franchises. They seemingly banked on the addition of the anime which may have hurt the release more than anything else.
It almost creates this belief that existing IPs will always draw in an audience no matter what. Yes, Cowboy Bebop has an extensive following but it’s also quite a bit more niche than some might expect, especially given Netflix’s focus on worldwide viewership. They are currently working on two other projects with Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece that have strongly established audiences but would still require a certain amount of marketing to ensure fans that this will be a faithful adaptation while pulling in new audiences.
There’s also a strange inconsistency with how much marketing a project ends up getting. As we were speaking of building upon existing IPs, there is the series Human Resources, the spinoff of the animated series Big Mouth, that got released on March 18th. The series actually got the first teaser back on October 4th. Even if it was short, it had the strict advantage of building upon an already established franchise on the service even if the naming wouldn’t hint at a connection. Its official trailer dropped in January, which gave it multiple months of momentum ahead of its release. The Season 2 renewal wasn’t until a full month before an announcement was made.
Ironically, a project that already has a well-established audience is given more time than a project that only a select few really are aware of. The odd decision to drop many animation projects as a result of the current development creates this odd disconnect of what exactly Netflix’s end goal is. They seemingly are dogpiling project after project that get no more than one or, if they’re lucky, two seasons.
Even those that seem like sure-fire franchises to build upon are killed off before they even get a chance to get going. The life and death of a series, or even an entire franchise, ends faster before it even has a chance to start. With the amount of growing competition, it’ll get more and more difficult for this model to survive by only giving spinoffs time to grow and just wait and see if a new series, even if based on a new IP, will somehow end up becoming successful.
Once a show drops with every episode, there’s hard to no additional marketing at play to keep it alive. They pretty much just bank on the show living on their own without putting in the work to keep it so. Disney+, Amazon Prime, Peacock, and more are slowly leaning towards weekly releases as it keeps these series alive way more than a single release. Yes, viewers are complaining about it but it’s a sign of how these continued marketing attempts build up the momentum as we get more impatient for what lies at the end. Perhaps Cowboy Bebop could’ve had some more attention given to it if it was a weekly release, especially as it moved away from the more disconnected storylines of the original.
Yes, Squid Game technically was one of the most talked-about series for weeks but that was a lightning in-the-bottle moment. If Netflix is hoping to keep that kind of series as their ongoing pillar, they are putting all their eggs into a single basket. Competition is rising, the demand is higher than ever and growth can no longer be the only focus. Some people subscribe to their service for specific series and franchises. If they have the feeling it barely sticks around, they won’t either. Word-of-mouth depends if the series is a game-changer and only rarely do we see that happen.
We’re seeing a new era of television, as Netflix’s original model is potentially reaching its limit. We’re either going to see more hybrid models moving forward, as we slowly step back into elements that made broadcast television work. As legacy companies are getting their hands back on their projects and Netflix is more dependent on its originals to keep people watching, they might require the number of reasons that remain as binge-able as The Office, Friends, and more. As they are losing their usual library and may soon no longer have all the bit IPs they usually had available, investments will only continue to grow moving forward.
People come to watch The Ozark, but they stay to watch their favorite comfort show. At some point, they became so dependent on existing series, that the demand for newer ones has reached some rather questionable highs if they keep canceling shows out of convenience. perhaps shifting to more long-form storytelling with various stories unfolding and growing audiences across multiple seasons will benefit them moving forward. With Netflix’s Geeked Week on the horizon, perhaps we’ll see a new shift in how they tackle their projects moving forward.
While the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop was met with a mixed reception, the cast was definitely dedicated to the series. Many expected that it’ll get a second season, but Netflix suddenly pulled the plug shortly after the series finally premiered on the streamer. It was never made clear why the series wasn’t continued, but given its troubled production, it must’ve hit hard for everyone involved. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, former Spike Spiegel actor John Cho finally opened up on the cancellation.
I put a lot of my life into it. I’d gotten injured shooting that show and so I took a year off because of the surgery and devoted myself to rehab, came back and finished the show. It was this huge mountain for me to climb healing from that injury. I felt good about myself as a result. We also shot the show in New Zealand, so my family moved there. It was just a huge event in my life and it was suddenly over. It was very shocking and I was bummed.
John Cho
It must be tough to fully commit to a role and face an injury that takes you out for an entire year, only for all that hard work to be thanked with a quick cancellation. He did share his thoughts on teh upside of tackling this role:
But I was very warmed by the response. I wish I could have contacted everybody and gotten hugs. You can’t do that now, but … I don’t know what this is. I’m mystified a little bit about how you can connect with people that you don’t know doing your work, but I won’t question it. I will value it and treasure it. I’m just really deeply appreciative that anyone would care. It’s stunning to me.
John Cho
There was certainly a lot of love between the cast members, as some of them took to Social Media to share their thoughts on Netflix’s sudden decision. Cho has still been busy since, as he’s currently promoting his middle-grade debut Troublemaker. So, while the series has sadly come to an end, it’ll always be exciting to see what the cast has in store next.
When I started the review series of the various episodes of Cowboy Bebop, I didn’t expect that the season finale review would turn into the series finale. Yet, as Netflix has decided not to continue with their work on the project, it seems like this is our take now. It looks like my planned piece on what they could improve on for the second season goes out the window, and it’s time to take a closer look at the final episode on the live-action take of this live-action adaptation and see if it somehow sticks the landing.
We continue where we left off with Spike in the eight-episode, as he awakens back in Ana’s jazz bar, where he finds out why she’s been walking in a cane. His friends come in for the rescue with probably one of my favorite moments. Jet realizes Spike is okay and goes on to give him a giant bear hug just shows how much he cares for him. All that only for the series pulls the rug from under us when he finds out his partner worked for the Syndicate and got his daughter kidnapped.
At that moment, it made you realize why he had a daughter in this adaptation. It was the perfect device to drag him into the final conflict, as most Western series focus strongly on having all story points come together in a finale. While it doesn’t hold the same weight as the original, the inclusion of others takes away from the personal moment that this storyline was in “Ballad of Fallen Angels.” It’s strange that most of the time they keep the cast separate, but this is the first time they force them back together in a story that is originally meant purely for Spike.
Still, we get some great moments like Spike and Jet’s exchange. Faye’s “last-minute” save was also a nice moment as she still came back for them, but it did make me question why in the world she managed to find a hint at her past in the same spot that Spike happened to fight Mad Pierrot. As they go out of their way to build connections that weren’t there before, this one felt a bit forced. It also brings the team together only to split them up again for what would’ve been a second season that seems like what the writers love doing.
Vicious and Spike get their confrontation and Alex Hassell’s take on the character ends up being the most cartoony in this entry. The faces he makes are quite hilarious, especially when he is in “stabby” mood – even if it feels like it undercuts the intensity he sometimes tries to convey. Still, his maniac personality remains consistent with what we learned about him from the previous episode and see it in action. Even if it feels like this version of Spike could wipe the floor with him normally.
The biggest departure is the twist at the end when Julia shows up, shoots Vicious and undermines their rivalry, and then decides she’ll become the Syndicate’s new ruler. While it would’ve opened up a potentially new direction for the series to make it stand out from the original, there is a certain lack of set-up about this betrayal. Yes, she was mad she lived in the shadow of Vicious and Spike never came to save her, but this is the case where knowing less might’ve made this character more interesting even if Elena Satine gives a great performance.
In the end, it doesn’t quite stick the landing but does offer at least a fun end to an overall enjoyable experience. It’s still sad that we won’t get more out of the series, but it did give us some exceptional performances from John Cho and Mustafah Shakir. It lacked the subtlety of the original in many ways and struggled quite a bit to find a balance between source material and making it its own, but there were some great ideas throughout. Here’s hoping this is a learning experience for Netflix and Tomorrow Studios when they start working onthe One Piece series.
As I said on Twitter, we have entered the Wild West age of Marvel Studios’ projects being spoiled. At this point, no spoiler is too big and multiple projects had big spoilers leaked this week. You can check them out here:
Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the iconic sci-fi anime series, Cowboy Bebop, is dead after one season. Read our review before it becomes a collector’s item.
Michael, not Kenny, G. to score ‘Thor 4’
Michael Giacchino, who has scored at least a half dozen Pixar projects and a handful of Marvel Studios projects, including all the Spidey films, revealed he is now scoring Thor: Love and Thunder. Wait until you guys find out about his next project for Marvel! It’s a howling big deal.
Let There Be More Venom
Sideshow Amy Pascal confirmed this week, to literally nobody’s surprise, that the studio was developing a third Venom film. The two films have inexplicably built a huge fanbase and made a metric shit ton of money, so a third film, featuring Tom Holland, would probably somehow become the biggest money maker of all-time for Sony.
‘Wonder Woman 3’ Headed for a Potential 2024 Debut
WW director Patty Jenkins has been on, off, in and out of a lot of films recently. A new report from one of the trades indicates that she’s still on Wonder Woman 3 and that it’ll start production in 2023, making a 2024 release date a possibility.
Destin Daniel Cretton Signs a Ryan Coogler-esque Deal with Disney
Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton signed a new deal with Disney that will see him develop, among many other things, the Shang-Chi sequel and a Disney+ Shang-Chi spinoff.
As many might’ve noticed, we’ve covered Cowboy Bebop and Tomorrow Studios’ next project, One Piece, quite extensively. The studio is tackling some of the most popular IPs and bringing them to life in a new format. Netflix is no stranger to it with their attempts at Death Note and the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender series. The future seemed too bright with the release of Bebop‘s release, but barely a month after its release, the series was canceled by Netflix. Of course, it opens up the question, what does it mean for the future of Netflix’s adaptation wave and, especially, Tomorrow Studio’s next project.
Short term, this won’t have any effect on any upcoming projects. It’ll certainly shake things up and there will be fears instilled that series with seasons mapped out will suffer a similar fate. One Piece‘s manga spans 1,000+ chapters with no true ending in sight as of yet. So, they’ll manage to map out seasons of content as they explore different parts of the Grand Line. Yet, the challenge is that the series has to get over the Red Line after the first season explores the East Blue.
That’s where the uncertainty lies. Even Cowboy Bebop ended on a cliffhanger that’ll remain unresolved with the arrival of Ed. There were plans to build upon what the season has offered. So, it means that even if the creatives behind the series have big plans, it’s not a confirmation that it’ll continue with a full adaptation. Yet, it’s understandable as Netflix puts a lot of value into their productions and has very specific expectations going in. If a product is expensive, they’ll try to get the most viewership numbers out of it.
No matter what your opinion is on the live-action Bebop series is, it’s very likely that the critical reception didn’t play directly into its cancelation. It simply didn’t get the audience that Netflix expected due to the popularity of the IP, the lack of word-of-mouth and positive buzz surrounding the series didn’t add any favors. It may partly be due to a very late marketing campaign with official trailers not releasing until long after its release date announcement. There is also the fact that the franchise may not have a broad of an appeal as one would think considering its standing in specific circles.
As the adaptation moved further away from its roots, choosing a serialized drama format over the bounty-of-the-week structure, it struck a nerve with fans in a negative way. The fact it tries to balance “both” aspects may also have also lost its appeal for viewers going through the ten-episode run. That one point might be One Piece‘s biggest advantage. Unlike Cowboy Bebop, the series was already made with serialization in mind. While the East Blue didn’t include many references to later storylines, the team will likely dip their toes into foreshadowing more and they have quite a bit more to play with.
Luffy’s eventual reunion with Shanks and his brother, who are making waves out in the Grand Line. The possibility of different and creative Devil Fruit abilities that come in countless varieties. Then there’s the history that led to Arlong’s actions and how the Marines play into this world. The dangers of the Grand line are heavily hinted at through Don Krieg during Baratie.
If they hide away enough details and hint at future storylines, may it be as small as Germa 66 posters in the background, there is quite a bit more build-up to the future of the franchise. Most of Cowboy Bebop‘s storyline focused on his time with the Syndicate that technically was mostly resolved outside of a left-field twist in the finale. We learn very little about the world outside of its underworld and our main casts’ backstories. One Piece, however, is all about world-building and letting its characters set out on a voyage to explore every corner of it.
There are mysteries that still haven’t been answered and certainly something that’ll grab people’s attention. Many fans are still discussing the mysteries of the weapons and the Void Century. I would dare say it’s a mystery on the same level as John Snow’s heritage that’ll have newcomers guessing what it may potentially be about and even visit the manga or anime adaptations to find out more. Cowboy Bebop is more straightforward in its approach, as there isn’t much to theorize. Ed’s arrival at the end doesn’t foreshadow any plotline, but rather gives fans the character’s long-awaited arrival.
Plus, there’s one last effect that may have also become a hurdle for new viewers to the anime adaptation. While the original 90s anime was a new benchmark within the industry, it was THE entry that defined future additions to the genre. Sadly, as time went by, we’ve seen plenty of entries that shared similar visual styles, storytelling concepts, and more. So, Cowboy Bebop also isn’t as new as it once was and the live-action adaptation may have suffered as a result.
One Piece, on the other hand, might seem like a pirate story similar to Disney’s Pirates of the Carribbean, there aren’t many “pirate” elements in the story. Once viewers meet the Straw Hat pirates and the wacky world they live in, the unique aspect of the show might draw in viewers that thought they were just going to see something in the vein of Black Sails or the Pirates franchise. One Piece is still even unique among other Shonen series and that may be to its advantage once it premieres on Netflix.
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