Before we get into it, I’ll say this from the start: I haven’t seen the original anime, so I can say nothing about this live-action Netfllix version specifically as an adaptation. I know the (unfortunately) short-lived series drew mixed reactions from fans of the anime, but for me personally, coming in cold, I enjoyed it quite a bit and was bummed out when Netflix so swiftly canceled it. (Side note: the original anime is definitely on my watch list, just taking a breather between the two so I don’t have the adaptation so clearly in my mind when I’m watching the original.)
Jet and Spike are “cowboys,” bounty hunters trolling the star system in their ramshackle spaceship the Bebop. In between chasing bounties to earn enough to keep the ship in the air, the two bicker, banter, and deal with personal issues to a varying degree of success. When they cross paths with Faye, a chaotic but industrious amnesiac who’s also in the bounty-hunting game, they’re unsure whether they’d be better off remaining at odds or teaming up.
That summary captures the basics of the show but not really the feel and flavor of it, which are its main assets. I love the space-western-meets-retro-noir feel of these characters and the worlds they inhabit, their quick humor, and their offbeat energy. The storylines juggle bounty-of-the-week type caper plots with gradual movement on a season-long arc involving a dark and tragic backstory.
For me, the bounties are always hugely entertaining—wild, weird, and fun, they flirt with a variety of styles and genres, which keeps them from ever being forumulaic. I’m reminded a little of something like A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has an inventive new backdrop and cast of colorful characters every two episodes, constantly keeping itself fresh as the Baudelaires continue on their travels. No two planets are the same, each bounty presents different challenges and quirks, and development for the main characters is woven into some of these different plots.
I’d say the season-arc storyline isn’t as successful. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it’s uneven. The way it affects the main characters and their relationships is pretty much always compelling, but moving it forward by degrees every episode requires spending a number of scenes with backstory characters I don’t care about as much. Their ongoing plot feels repetitive to me and far less entertaining, and I’m only really interested in it to the extent that it affects Spike and his relationships with Jet and Faye.
At this point, a trio is such a solid genre convention that I have no idea who was the first to popularize it, but Spike and Jet are a terrific pair of odd-couple partners whose combative friend chemistry is only made better by the introduction of wildcard Faye. These three are so much fun together while also bringing strong moments of heart when it counts. I love hanging out in these worlds, but the main trio is absolutely my favorite part of the show.
To wit, John Cho brings a delightful, irreverent cool to Spike, along with these hints of something deeper from his past. While the initial trailer on the whole looked fun to me, I was already on board with the series purely because I knew he was in it. Cho has this understated leading-man quality that’s just so endlessly watchable to me, and it’s wonderful to see him in a series where he gets to play humor, drama, and action in every episode. Mustafa Shakir is a lovably-gruff Jet, a practical man who’s forever exasperated with Spike and Faye but still considers them family. He’s a bit of a teddy-bear-with-teeth type, which I enjoy, and I like how he often plays the role of the annoyed father figure to the other two. (I do need to mention that Jet is an amputee who uses a prosthetic, and Shakir is not.) As Faye, Daniella Pineda is funny, mercurial, and loud, full of energy and violence but also capable of stunning moments of still clarity. I really like getting to watch her relationships with the other two gradually develop by fits and starts. The series also features nice performances from Tamara Tunie as a world-weary club owner and Mason Alexander Park as her unruffled emcee. I’m not super familiar with either of them, but IMDb tells me that Tunie has had a long run on SVU and Park is going to be playing Desire on the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Sandman.
Warnings
Lots of violence (including domestic violence,) language, sexual content, drinking/smoking/drug references (albeit fictional space drugs,) strong thematic elements, and characters with disabilities played by ablebodied actors.
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