The wait for Netflix’s live-action version of Cowboy Bebop is still a few months away. Starring John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir, the new series has been the source of much debate because of its casting and diversion from the original anime. After a year, fans finally have a better idea of what the adaptation of the 1998 series will be like. At Netflix’s TUDUM event, the intro to the new series was released.
The intro pays direct homage to the original intro, with the same beloved jazz-fueled theme song composed by Yoko Kanno — who will be doing the music for the live-action version as well — and similar color-cut imagery of Spike, Jet, Faye, and of course Ein. But there’s also so much more packed into the less than two-minute clip, including first looks at beloved characters and hints at storylines from the original series.
Anastasia and Gren
The version of Anastasia in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is shaping up to be very different from the original anime. Anastasia was the owner of a convenience store on Mars and a close friend of Spike’s. In Netflix’s version, Anastasia has been shorted to Ana (played by Tamara Tunie) and owns a nightclub on Mars. Gren (Mason Alexander Park) will now be filling the role of Ana’s right hand. The saxophone player resided on Callisto in the 1998 anime and was a veteran of the Titan War, but it’s not clear what their history will be in this new series.
The Iconic Church Fight
One of the most memorable episodes of Cowboy Bebop is “Fallen Angels”, its fifth outing. At the end of the episode, Vicious and Spike meet at a cathedral. As enemies with a dark entwined past, the two start to duel across the building.
Space Warriors
The Space Warriors were an eco-terrorist organization led by Maria Murdock. The group was focused on removing trash from space and the hunting of regional animals like Sea Rats. eventually, they had a goal of infecting the Ganymede moon with a virus in hopes of forcing a bio-expert to work for their causes. The Space Warriors turned militant and violent over time, hiding their identities behind Sea Rat masks.
Julia
The intro also features a first look at Julia, who was a part of the Red Dragon Syndicate years before the events of the original Cowboy Bebop and had relationships with both Spike and Vicious. Julia appears mostly in flashbacks in the 1998 anime, but the live-action version is not a direct adaptation, so rules could be broken in favor of more screen time.
Big Shot
Towards the end of the new intro is a large tower of televisions. Television is an important part of Cowboy Bebop, and one of the most important shows on air is Big Shot, a daily report on the happenings in the solar system and inform hunters of the latest bounties available. The show was cowboy-themed, with hosts Punch and Judy dressed in outrageous Western outfits. Big Shot is used by the crew of the Bebop to get their next bounty or clues towards their current one.
Teddy Bomber
Also known as Ted Bowers, the Teddy Bomber was an activist/terrorist that used teddy bears as bombs to explode signifiers of capitalism like high-rise buildings and city halls. Using a large teddy bear outfit as a disguise, the Teddy Bomber takes his job very seriously, even if others tend to laugh at him. He hates being ignored and directly targeting Spike and his crew of bounty hunters.
Mad Pierrot
With his top hat and clown-esque outfit, Mad Pierrot is a hard bounty to forget for Cowboy Bebop fans. Pierrot was a test subject for countless medical experiments, resulting in superhuman abilities like the ability to fly, super strength and speed, and the ability to stops objects coming towards him.
Asimov and Katerina
The first episode of the original Cowboy Bebop sets the funny, dark, and poignant tone for the rest of the anime, in no small part due to the first bounty heads Spike targets — Asimov Solensan and his wife, Katerina. Asimov is on the run on the asteroid Tijuana after killing his friends and taking off with Bloody Eye, a performance-enhancing drug. Katerina is by his side and dreams of running away to Mars for a better life for the two of them. She tells her story to Spike, referring to him as a cowboy for the first time in the series. It could be interesting if Netflix is able to extend Asimov and Katerina’s appearance in the series to more than a single episode.
Cowboy Bebop releases on Netflix on November 19th.