The differences between Faye Valentine's costume in the Cowboy Bebop anime and live-action adaptation are a prominent aspect of the discourse surrounding Netflix's new show. In a recent interview, actor Daniella Pineda discusses the particular reasons behind the changes in her character's look.
Speaking with Deadline, Pineda explained that while the creative team wanted to keep Faye's costume as close to the original as possible, ultimately changes were needed to allow for the show's intense action sequences. "We did rolls. We did sword fighting. We did fist and footwork. It was really rewarding and really intense, and after having gone through that, I have this whole new respect for people who do action film. Thank god for my stunt double, Jayde Rutene," Pineda said.
"Having gone through the training, it makes sense why we made adjustments to the costume," she continued. "I think it was everyone's intention to keep the original costume, but with that original costume, you can't hide gels and knee pads. You can't have Faye be live-action and a fighter and doing all this incredible crazy stunt work and not have a little coverage. That's the primary reason why adjustments were made to the costume."
Netflix's Cowboy Bebop adapts the anime series of the same name by animation studio Sunrise (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Amain Warrior at the Borderline) and director Shinichirō Watanabe (Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Space Dandy). The live-action show was developed by André Nemec (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Alias) and written by Christopher Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok). Alongside Pineda, it stars John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Alex Hassel and Elena Satine.
Faye's costume isn't the only aspect of the live-action series that drew negative comments from fans. In fact, the show has not faired well with both critics and audiences; many of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic describe Netflix's Cowboy Bebop as a soulless rehashing of the anime's highlights that never justifies its own existence.
While Netflix's Cowboy Bebop has been a letdown for many people, the renewed attention in the story led to a surge of new merchandise and rereleases. For example, The Good Smile Company is now accepting preorders for the rerelease of its 1/48 replica of Spike Spiegel's iconic ship, and Mana Project Studio, Fumble GDR and Don't Panic Games are collaborating on a Cowboy Bebop tabletop roleplaying game.
Both the live-action Cowboy Bebop and the original anime series are available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Deadline
