Netflix’s promotional strategy for the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, which premiered on November 19, has raised concerns among anime fans that the new series will be a pale imitation of the original series.
A series of videos released this week about the official Netflix adaptation on Twitter featured comparisons between scenes from the anime and scenes from the live-action version. The intent is likely to show how much the new show draws from its original footage, but these videos have generated a lot of criticism for the quality of these animated scenes.
The first published comparison video showing the Bebop spacecraft landing on the sea reveals perhaps the most dramatic difference: the lack of color in the live-action version. The vibrant blue of the sea and sky in the anime provides a solid contrast to the shades of gray in bebop and the earth. Instead, the Netflix adaptation throws the scene entirely in a dark brown, with all the difference gone. Several Twitter users responded by sharing their color-corrected versions of Netflix movies with the appropriate contrast.
The second comparison, which shows the first floor of the series, a rose falling into a pool of water, is a much narrower visual match. Still, the complexity of the execution has received more criticism. While the movement is smooth and fluid in the animated scene, the live version is cheaper and more uncomfortable. Jason DeMarco, director of anime programming for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, has gone so far as to compare the cheap live-action scene with The Room.
The latest comparison video of Spike and Vicious’ iconic church fight in The Ballad of Fallen Angels that has been released has received the most mixed responses. The differences between the scenes here are mainly in the composition, and while some like the new composition, others have highlighted flaws in the latest version compared to the original. It may be a relatively powerful scene, but it still adds a big problem: If this remake is meant to remind viewers of a superior animated version, why not revisit the anime?
So I quickly went into Premiere to see what I can do with some good old color-grading. Although the image quality of the original clip in this tweet isn't good, I think my color-graded version looks better: pic.twitter.com/qUoLF6m7Ar
— Dark Spoi (@DarkSparkish) November 10, 2021
Everything is is BROWN
(Everything thing is brown)
That’s not ANIME
(Thats not anime)— Valerie Complex (@ValerieComplex) November 10, 2021
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