With the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop fast approaching, the conversation around the classic 1998 series from both fans and newcomers alike has been the loudest it's been in some time. Before its live-action remake sees its premiere, it has been announced that the original Cowboy Bebop anime will be making its way to Netflix. The classic series will be arriving on Netflix on October 21, just under a month before the live-action adaptation is set to debut.
Announced on the Netflix Geeked Twitter page, a brief trailer set to the iconic opening theme of the series "Tank!" revealed that the 26 episode series will be making its way to the streaming service. The series was created by Shinichirō Watanabe and ran from April 1998 to April 1999. The story takes place in 2071 and follows a team of bounty hunters aboard the titular ship "Bebop," as they travel across the galaxy picking up odd jobs and just trying to get by.
The show starts with the nonchalant former hitman Spike Spiegel and wise ex-cop Jet Black simply trying to make ends meet. As the series progresses, the crew slowly expands with Ein, a Welsh Corgi with heightened intelligence, the femme fatale Faye Valentine, and an eccentric computer hacker from Earth named Ed all eventually joining the crew of bounty hunters. As the series unfolds, each of these characters has something to deal with in their past, whether they are running from it or searching for it. There is no word if the 2001 film, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door will also be making its way to Netflix as of right now.
The original Cowboy Bebop has long been considered an all-time classic anime series, taking multiple genres such as Western, Sci-Fi, and Noir and mixing them all together to create something completely unique. The series' signature style bleeds through every scene and also uses its cast of flawed yet likable characters to tell some compelling stories and convey some powerful themes. It's a combination that has had it stick around in the conversation of greats over 20 years since its debut.
The live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation will star John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, and Alex Hassell as Vicious, Spike's rival from his hitman days, and will have a 10-episode run. Whether it is first-time viewers wanting to see where the live-action adaptation comes from or old fans wanting to revisit a classic series, they will get a chance to watch an absolute classic when it arrives in just over a week on Netflix.
The original Cowboy Bebop anime will arrive on Netflix on October 21. The live-action adaptation of the beloved genre-bending anime will be premiering on the streaming service on November 19. You can see the tweet announcing the arrival of the anime on Netflix down below. See you soon, Space Cowboy.