There's something just not connecting for me here. It's a tonal shift from the original that I haven't been able to get past that I'm not sure I'd like even if I wasn't comparing it to its predecessor. It's corny, tongue in cheek presentation rather than stylized cool and fluid. I'm not sure that was intentional. It doesn't feel like it. It feels more like a lot of independently well made parts just not coming together to make a cohesive whole. That's unfortunate, as there are a lot of good design decisions made. Edit after finishing season 1: Normally, I try to separate the source material as much as possible from an adaptation or remake. But in a case like Cowboy Bebop, that's a lot easier said that done. The original isn't just a story or characters in a particular setting. It's a collective ensemble of music, tone, style, and writing that set it apart as something unique and inseparable from its parts. That's why people love it. All of those individual pieces are often chaotic, but riff off of one another like a jazz ensemble to make one of kind experience. It's a tall order for anyone to try and replicate that into something new. If they pulled it off, it would have been amazing, but sadly, this series never hits that stride. The greatest strengths of this adaptation are the pieces of the original. The changes are questionable. The original content is mediocre at best. I wouldn't have wanted a straight copy. So, I applaud them for making some bold decisions, but, at the end of the day, they just aren't good decisions. The injection of campy humor makes it feel like the best dialog is written by Michael Bay instead of something Tarantino-esque. Vicious feels more Viserys Targaryen than Deacon Frost. The best casting of all in Jet goes from being a disgruntled cop to an absentee father at the butt of jokes. The mystique of the characters' background is filled out with underwhelming and frankly boring rambling that takes away far more than it adds. Less is more would have gone so far here. It's not completely awful. There are redeeming factors, but at the end of it. I'm questioned wondering do I like what's left because it's good or simply because of the echos of the original. That's a rough position for any content to sit in. Hopefully, they can find a different tempo that better matches their choices in season 2. That is if I can get over the new ending.

A 1 already? Haters gonna hate i guess....

The problem with Cowboy Bebop The Series and why a good series feels bad: The original Cowboy Bebop anime is a masterpiece, one of the best pieces of animation ever made, with its unique style, great animation, memorable characters and great writing, it won its place on the list of the best entertainment to ever exist, the problem with the new netflix series is that it is... Good, just good... when you make something based on a masterpiece and that something turns out to be only good... You failed. The minimum fans were expecting and the minimum they would accept is something either exceptional or unique, being good is just not enough. I would say that because it is a live action series and not an animation, it is impossible to make it truly unique and to stylize it, but Blade Runner 2049, Mad Max Fury Road, Altered Carbon and many others would prove me wrong on that statement, so its just a matter of what does this series lacks, and i think i narrowed it down to a couple factors: 1 - The characters: One of if not the most important thing about the original Cowboy Bebop is its characters, and while the characters in the netflix series are not bad, they are not as good. Spike feels like he is just an asshole with good intentions, he doesn't feel like the laid back guy with a broken heart who hides away his pain with witty remarks and justified violence. Jet feels too stiff with his movements and line delivery, he feels like the actor is trying his best to look tough and invulnerable, even when he talks about his daughter he feels more like he is angry about it instead of desperate to make her happy, the original Jet is a really tough and imponent figure, yes, but he also has a heart made of butter and is always caring and kind, even when he jokingly insults someone it is always followed by his trademarked laugh. and finally Faye, she feels so distant from her original character... The Faye we get here seems really lost and desperate, seems like she is making joke after joke trying to look cool and not trying to hide her feelings and worries like the one from the original anime, Faye in the original sounded much smarter and more grounded, while still emotional and witty, this one feels more like the secondary character that is there to make the others look cooler. 2 - The styling: The sceneries in the series are really good, and the clothing, weapons and everything else also look ok, the problem is... Nothing feels unique, the camera angles look boring and used a million times before in any other series, the color grading is very normal and bland... nothing really tried to be unique, they only tried to reproduce the places and clothes from the original on the real world, but they completely forgot the styling that makes it unique. The series would be vastly improved with more bold color grading and more creative camera angles and photography direction, maybe even some creative uses of vignettes, ANYTHING that would make it feel more unique and memorable. So, after all that what is my verdict? How i feel about the series? Its a good series, i had a lot of fun watching it, but i cant help feeling like i just want to go back and watch the original for the 100th time after finishing this... And deep down i know that in some years, maybe even some months, my only memory from this series is that it exists, and not anything more than that, in the end, its not unique enough to be great or memorable, is just a good show based on an absolute masterpiece, a new forgettable version of a series that most of us will remember and love for the rest of our lives.