Posted in: Netflix, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: alita: battle angel, anime, bleach, cowboy bebop, death note, one piece, opinion, Speed Racer

Cowboy Bebop: Is Live-Action Anime Still Viable? Take Notes, One Piece

If there's one thing you can credit Netflix in attempting several times is that they're trying to adapt anime to live-action. If the cancellation of Cowboy Bebop is any indication along with its fan reception, perhaps its upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece is doomed to meet a similar fate. I mean it's far from a one-and-done experience. When it comes to attempting to bring beloved anime characters to the screen, the anime fandom hasn't exactly embraced the idea of seeing their beloved series adapted (and that's being kind).

The list is long and a bit disappointing on a number of levels (unless your name is James Cameron & his 2019 hit Alita: Battle Angel because he seems to be the only one who can do no wrong). Obviously, he can't put the entire genre on his shoulders but Alita's popularity as an anime didn't go as far as say Dragon Ball, Speed Racer, Naruto, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, or even One Piece. In the last 20 years, Dragon Ball Evolution (2009), Speed Racer (2008), and Ghost in the Shell (2017) all underperformed at the box office. The Wachowskis, who blended their love of anime in the Animatrix with their Matrix franchise, couldn't even make the genre palatable enough for film audiences in Speed Racer as Cameron did with Alita.

If Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Failed, What Can Succeed?

Japan has adapted several of their most popular anime to live-action with Bleach, Death Note, Rurouni Kenshin, Sailor Moon, and more. Many were produced by Warner Bros and distributed on Netflix domestically. Cowboy Bebop was one such unique project that was a true collaboration, between an American production company in Netflix and their Japanese counterparts at Sunrise. The reception was mixed upon its release in November but provided the rare opportunity to add upon its lore while recreating some of the anime's memorable moments. Sadly, with the series' cancellation, short of a miraculous pickup elsewhere, we won't ever see it come to its full potential. Personally, I would have at least played out the second season with the full Bebop crew, but what do I know?

Given that the original source material acts as a love letter to some of the most popular American tropes in sci-fi, westerns, and jazz, it should be a slam dunk, right? Apparently not for showrunner Andre Nemec and creator Christopher Yost, who many felt didn't capture enough of the spirit of original creator Shinichirō Watanabe's work. If an American live-action adaptation of an anime based on American pop culture fails after one season, then what hope is there really for the American adaptation of One Piece?

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!