A Brief History Of Robotech

 

It looks like the live-action adaptation of the ultra-cool anime Cowboy Bebop is finally coming to Netflix sometime this year.

If you are new to this story a live-action version Bebop was first conceived way back in 2008 when actor Keanu Reeves tried to act in and produce a feature film for Fox.

I first reported on this way back in December of 2008:

Unlike Tobey McGuire's "Robotech" project, Reeves vast knowledge of the Japanese animated series is being put to good use to produce a film that will blend several of the shows stories and elements. Reeves told MTV, “We’re taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series and then we’ll deal with the end of the series. We’re trying to figure out [the time frame]. We’re looking at the story right now.”

Reeves also went on to explain the problems associated with taking parts of the 26 episode series and combing them into one film."Yeah, it’s so episodic and so disconnected. We’re trying to figure out what pieces to put together to tell one story, because it’s such a short form, to make a 2 hour version [will be tough]. And it’s got so much of an origin-story obligation; you’ve got to get people up to speed, but you don’t want to do much of that. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, but we think we can do something good.”

Well, that didn't go anywhere.

As it stands right now the current version of a live-action Cowboy Bebop television series has been in development since 2017 and is finally coming to Netflix sometime this year, though the exact date has yet to be announced.

How cool is Cowboy Bebop? Well, if you have never seen it, just check out the opening which by itself is ultracool.

The series also boasts on of the sexiest anime characters of all time. May I introduce you to Faye Valentine.

This is what I wrote about Faye Valentine back in in 2008:

Not bad looking for a 77 year old!

What is so alluring about a bad girl? Not that today's featured animated fantasy girl, Faye Valentine, is 100% bad. Yet she is definitely a "tough" girl, someone who could hold her own in a fight. She is a bounty hunter you know. Ultimately her grit and blase attitude only adds to her sex appeal.

Physically Faye is a work of perfection. Designer, Toshihiro Kawamoto, pulled out all the stops with her design. The character is tall and chesty. A design that could have only come the pen of someone who has spent a great deal of time studying the female form.

On screen Faye is sight to behold. She is a scene stealer for sure. Whether she is kicking ass, or using her charms to get the male members of the Bobop team to do it for her, she always exudes a natural sexuality. Across the globe both male a female fans have been captivated by her. Female fans want to be like her and male fans.....well....you get the idea.

Overall Faye Valentine is the complete package. Drop dead gorgeous looks combined with a "I don't give a shit" attitude. A character that is as visually stunning as it is deeply fascinating.

Still not sold? Let's check out the overall plot of the show:

In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters (also referred to as "Cowboys") chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward. The series' protagonists are bounty hunters working from the spaceship Bebop. The original crew are Spike Spiegel, an exiled former hitman of the criminal Red Dragon Syndicate, and Jet Black, a former ISSP officer. They are later joined by Faye Valentine, an amnesiac con artist; Edward, an eccentric girl skilled in hacking; and Ein, a genetically-engineered Pembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence. Over the course of the series, the team get involved in disastrous mishaps leaving them without money, while often confronting faces and events from their past: these include Jet's reasons for leaving the ISSP, and Faye's past as a young woman from Earth injured in an accident and cryogenically frozen to save her life. 

 The main story arc focuses on Spike and his deadly rivalry with Vicious, an ambitious criminal affiliated with the Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike and Vicious were once partners and friends, but when Spike began an affair with Vicious's girlfriend Julia and resolved to leave the Syndicate with her, Vicious sought to eliminate Spike by blackmailing Julia into killing him. Julia goes into hiding to protect herself and Spike fakes his death to escape the Syndicate. In the present, Julia comes out of hiding and reunites with Spike, intending to complete their plan. Vicious, having staged a coup d'état and taken over the Syndicate, sends hitmen after the pair. Julia is killed, leaving Spike alone. Spike leaves the Bebop after saying a final goodbye to Faye and Jet. Upon infiltrating the syndicate, he finds Vicious on the top floor of the building and confronts him after dispatching the remaining Red Dragon members. The final battle ends with Spike killing Vicious, only to be seriously wounded himself in the ensuing confrontation. The series concludes as Spike descends the main staircase of the building into the rising sun before eventually falling to the ground. - Wiki

Yes, it is that cool!

I only hope that after all this time that the Netflix series can come close to capturing the essence of the original anime.

Check Out:

A Brief History Of Robotech

Super cute and super fun - Cutie Honey

Mazinkaiser (1999)(2001) OVA

Kikô sôseiki Mospeada (Genesis Climber, Robotech)(1983-84)(Fuji TV)

Dominion: Tank Police (1988)(Agent 21, Manga Entertainment)

Venus Wars: A reporter in league with terrorists is a dangerous enemy

In The Groovy 70s Japan Was A Haven For Great Giant Robot Cartoons - Part 1

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)