Everyone’s been talking about it. Fox is in the process of developing a live action Cowboy Bebop film. Yup, not even shitting you. Guess who plays Spike.
How did they even come close to believing this was a good idea?
People are bitching and moaning about it, but I don’t see why. Yes, it’s true they could screw up royally and make the movie awful, but it’s also at least somewhat possible that it could be good. If you don’t want to see the movie you don’t have to see it. It’s not like it would detract from what the series is.
Another issue I’ve seen people complain about is the fact that an American studio is behind this. Really, that’s a good thing. Fox’s involvement with the film shows that the US mainstream is becoming more interested in anime in general. Greater demand + competition = better selection of anime in the US. Damn capitalism.
English dubs and translations are of such poor quality because anime and manga is handled by a select few companies at the moment. They cater to a niche market. Unfortunately since these companies really have a monopoly on the market, there’s no need for them to improve their performance. They’re free to release slowly, edit arbitrarily, translate inaccurately and charge ridiculous amounts of money for their products. Having a larger number of big companies involved will help with at least some of these problems, because no one wants to lose out to their competitor. (Please don’t think I support their money grubbing…)
So, what’s the big deal? Why do I think making a Cowboy Bebop live action film is a bad idea? Well, that’s because Cowboy Bebop is a cartoon. Live action films based on anime are never good. I don’t care if it’s American or if it’s Japanese. A live action film of a cartoon show will suck; that’s just the way it is. Half of the show’s charm is that it’s animated, and the other half comes from its great story and wonderful characters, and in Cowboy Bebop’s case its cutting edge use of technology and an awesome soundtrack. By making the film live action, we lose three-quarters of what we loved about it in the first place. I’d be happier if they made another animated film. Maybe a prequel… hint, hint.
So, while I don’t like the fact the film will be live action, I don’t hate it either. It is what it is. Let’s not lie, I will probably go to see it, just like most of you will. Even if it’s bad, everyone knows how fun it is to sit in the theatre and commentate on horrible films loudly enough that others can hear you (and occasionally chime in).
That’s just my two cents. But, if you think the Cowboy Bebop film’s going to be bad, wait until you read about the live action Smurfs film.
Did I totally ruin your day or what?
they’ve been talking about this for a while so no one is really certain if they are going to make a movie or not. speaking of which, i really need to finish cowboy bebop…