Shinichiro Watanabe speaks to Forbes on failed Cowboy Bebop adaptation

Ollie Barder, British mecha expert, games director and Forbes contributor recently sat down with Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe in a wide ranging discussion about the prolific creator's career. It's certainly worth a read, and you can find the full article on Forbes.

Of particular note are his comments on the Netflix Cowboy Bebop adaptation which caused something of a stir for being both awful and featuring a cast that was pretty hostile to the fans. It appears that, despite claims to the contrary, Watanabe had no influence on the show, and in fact couldn't watch it.

“For the new Netflix live-action adaptation, they sent me a video to review and check. It started with a scene in a casino, which made it very tough for me to continue. I stopped there and so only saw that opening scene. It was clearly not Cowboy Bebop and I realized at that point that if I wasn’t involved, it would not be Cowboy Bebop. I felt that maybe I should have done this. Although the value of the original anime is somehow far higher now.”

That's a pretty cut and dried account by the man himself.

Again, this is an in-depth and fascinating insight into one of anime's great creatives, so give the article a look.