IsCowboy Bebopgoing to get another season? That all depends on Netflix. Shows with less than stellar reviews still get picked up for new seasons. This show may have just had a rocky start, meaning Netflix may give it a second shot. Who knows? Maybe season two could blow away all expectations.
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Hopefully, the live-action adaptation ofCowboy Bebopwill get that redeeming chance. There are still a lot of elements fans would like to see incorporated into the show from the anime. These episodes and characters are some of the most classic in this series. Whether the show intergrates them fully, or just nods to them, is up toNetflix. There will be spoilers ahead for the anime and live-action shows.
8Mushroom Samba
“Mushroom Samba” might be one of the funniestepisodes of the anime. The Bebop crew crash land on a desert planet after some pirates make trouble for Faye. The ship is broken and they’re out of food and patience. Ed is sent out to find some grub while everyone else repairs the Bebop. This leads Ed to bring back tainted mushrooms.
Spike, Faye, Jet, and even Ein have the trip of their lives. The episode involving Dr. Londes in the live-action version was a great twist on the anime’s episode. It was trippy, which proves that the filmmakers could make a bunch of mushroom scenes look fun as well.
7Sympathy For The Devil
“Sympathy for the Devil” isa strange episodewhich deals with the paranormal more than any other episode of the anime. It seems like a no-brainer bounty hunter mission until the Bebop crew uncover a child, Wen, that cannot die.
He has existed for years, well beyond his body’s capabilities. Who is he? What is he? All of that gets sorted out at the end in one impressive shootout. Putting a kid in danger might be hard to show in live-action, but this would be a fascinating character to incorporate.
6Heavy Metal Queen
“Heavy Metal Queen” is about one of the feistiest and most respected space truck drivers around. She is only known as VT. People place bets to guess her name, which has accumulated into a nice jackpot by the time the episode begins.
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It focuses on her before Spike just so happens to stumble into her at a diner. He helps her out in a fight, wherein they get acquainted. VTdoesn’t trust Spikeat first, even with his help. This leads to some high-stakes shenanigans wherein the two try and get along.
5Waltz For Venus
“Waltz for Venus” has one of the saddest stories in the anime not related to any ofthe main characters. Spike bumps into Rocco during a job who is helping smuggle plants that can help cure a certain sickness. He’s trying to earn enough money to help cure his sister Stella’s blindness.
Without spoiling too much, it’s safe to say the ending is bittersweet. One of the best scenes in the episode has Spike train Rocco in his martial arts, which has its sweet and funny moments and would be a delight to see in live-action.
4Toys In The Attic
“Toys in the Attic” is a creepy episode that is right up there with “Sympathy for the Devil” in terms of high sci-fi ideas. It begins with Faye and Jet gambling, which eventually leads to Jet taking medicine because he is having pains.
What Jet thinks is just a headache turns into a hunt for some kind of alien creature that is continuing to take out the crew one by one, leaving distinguishing purple bite marks behind. What is it and who survives? It’s a great bottleepisode of the anime, and could work well in a live-action format.
3Bohemian Rhapsody
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a great episode that shows off Ed’s prowess as a hacker and a gamer. Spike, Jet, and Faye are trying to find the header of this big criminal ring. This leads them to give Ed a chess piece which begins a virtual match of the game.
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Ed explains that she is playing against the leader they are looking for. So, while Ed is distracting him in a game of chess, the others are trying to figure out where he is hiding. Is this man simply toying with them, or is there more to it?
2More Space Battles
There aren’t that many space battles with Spike’s Swordfish in the live-action version. Presumably, it’s very expensive to film and create battles with CG. Faye doesn’t even get her Red Tailuntil the endof the first season. She doesn’t have a two-way battle with it, but she does use her ship in a meaningful way.
Meanwhile, Jet’s Hammerhead is completely missing from the live-action version. That needs to return, on top of season two implementing more dynamic battles with all three iconic ships.
1Cowboy Andy
Cowboy Andy is in one episode of the anime entitled “Cowboy Funk.” Unfortunately, most of the material of that episode has already been used in the live-action version. In the anime, Cowboy Andy is another bounty hunter that keeps getting in Spike’s way as he is trying to deal with the episode’s main antagonist, Teddy Bomber.
Even though he has already been dealt with in the live-action version, that doesn’t mean Cowboy Andy can’t appear in some other way — after all, characters can return plenty of times.His theme songat least needs to appear in the show.
