Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop can’t ruin Vicious because Vicious sucks, actually

Since Netflix’s reveal of the Cowboy BebopFans of original sci-fi anime are divided over their opinions as they prepare for the premier of the live action adaptation. Reception is split between those who think the series looks like an entertaining, fresh take on a beloved anime classic, and those who think it looks like a cloyingly self-aware fan video — albeit one with an admittedly huge budget.

These criticisms have been directed at everything from the editing of the trailers, the look of stars John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda in their costumes, to even the appearance of supporting characters like Vicious, Spike Spiegel’s nemesis, played by Alex Hassell (Suburbicon( To be honest, he Does It’s absurd. Take a look at this man. This man looks like a guest judge. Iron Chef who’s about to reveal the secret ingredient. Lurch is the one he looks like The Addams familyAs Alucard, a cosplayer from Castlevania. This costume is a knock-off of Rhaegar Targaryen’s Spirit Halloween.

Geoffrey Short/Netflix

That isn’t necessarily the creators of the Netflix show getting it wrong. In fact, I would go so far as to argue that Alex Hassell’s take on Vicious is right in line with the character from the 1998 series. It’s impossible for Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop to “ruin” Vicious because, truthfully, the character of Vicious in Cowboy BebopIt was terrible enough to be awful.

Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichirō Watanabe first introduces Vicious using silent flashbacks and context clues in the fifth episode, “Ballad of Fallen Angels.” He’s a high-ranking member of the Red Dragon syndicate, a criminal organization to which Spike previously belonged before he became a bounty hunter. Vicious was once a partner and friend of Spike’s when they were both younger. They were both mentored at the Red Dragon by Mao Yuenrai (a senior Red Dragon member). A rift formed between the pair when Spike fell in love with Julia, Vicious’ girlfriend at the time.

In “Jupiter Jazz Part 1 & 2,” it’s revealed that at some point in Vicious’ life, likely after Spike left the Red Dragon syndicate and faked his own death, he served as a soldier in a war on the moon of Titan alongside Gren, a former comrade whom he accused of serving as a spy and testified against in military court. Vicious is a sadistic, cold, bloodthirsty, and unambiguously “vicious” man (it’s even his name!) He is a man who seeks power and won’t stop until he gets it. Also, he wields a katana and has a big crane-like bird for a pet that’s filled with explosives. And that’s about it.

Sunrise

Vicious, Spike’s primary antagonist, is also the only recurring major character in the series, aside from Jet and Faye. He appears in a total of five out of the series’ 26 episodes. Despite this, he’s more a vague antagonistic presence than a character himself. His dialogue consists almost entirely of terse, ominous quips like, “When Angels are thrown out from Heaven, they become Devils,” or, “Cloud climates do not concern me.” He’s a one-note anime antagonist without any discernible arc or motivation other than being an asshole. Vicious is a more likeable, multifaceted protagonist, with depths and personality, than Spike. He amounts to a character who’s exclusively cool to 13-year-olds.

So I’m not saying I never thought Vicious was cool back when I watched the series during its original Adult Swim run. And there are arguably way edgier and more thinly characterized anime villains than Vicious — just look at Raditz from Dragon Ball ZShogo Makishima or? Psycho-PassI. All I’m just saying is that it’s been a long time since I was 13. I’ve come to expect more now when it comes to characterization in the anime that I watch.

For example, there’s Mereum, the main antagonist of Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc, who’s arguably more ruthless and violent than Vicious ever was; his evolution over the course of the arc finds the audience understanding and even sympathizing with him as he struggles to reconcile the human and half-insect aspects of his own nature. My Hero Academia’s Tomura Shigaraki essentially begins the series as the lackey apprentice of All Might’s nemesis All For One before gradually growing into a formidable and cunning adversary himself. Even Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s Father has his own arc as the former dwarf homunculus, a creature incapable of performing alchemy himself, aspires to Godhood in his dogged quest for absolute knowledge and self-empowerment. Vicious pales in comparison to these examples for the simple fact that he has no discernible arc or objective that define his goals counter to Spike’s, apart from the simple desire for power for its own sake.

Image: Sunrise/Hulu

You won’t find a more original or lively series.Cowboy BebopVicious, which draws from many different genres such as sci-fi and noir in creating its own vibrant cast of characters, is an unsatisfying sad boy nihilist who likes to perch himself on narrow ledges, or just being creepy. If anything, the costume design for Alex Hassell’s live-action portrayal of Vicious is a dead-on depiction of this. Also, with over two decades of time separating the production of the original anime and Netflix’s live-action adaptation, there’s more than enough room to improve upon Spike’s nemesis.

PolygonCowboy Bebop showrunner André Nemec said that developing the story of John Cho’s portrayal of Spike also meant fleshing out his relationship with Julia, played by Elena Satine of GiftedThe following is the. Nemec describes Julia as “more of an idea than a character” in the original anime, a description that could be used to describe Vicious as well. Whether the same level of attention will be paid to Vicious will become clear when Netflix’s Cowboy BebopThis fall, premieres