If you want to re-watch the original Cowboy Bebop show before Netflix's live adaptation drops, you don't have to go to another streaming service. Netflix has acquired the global streaming rights for all 26 episodes of the anime, and they'll be available for streaming starting on October 21st, just a few weeks before the November 19th debut of the live series' first season. The Cowboy Bebop anime first premiered in Japan in 1998 before making its way to the US via Adult Swim three years later. While it won't be available on Netflix until the 21st, it's currently streamable on Hulu.
Bang… COWBOY BEBOP, the original anime series, is coming to Netflix worldwide on October 21 pic.twitter.com/BN3LF2XVSl
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) October 12, 2021
One might say that adding the anime to its catalogue before the live adaptation's debut is bold on Netflix's part, as it would make it easier to compare the two — especially since live anime adaptations haven't been typically well received. There's a way to merge the two shows if you think you'd enjoy it that way a lot more, though.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the anime's original voice actors are reprising their roles for the Japanese dub of the live action series. They include Koichi Yamadera as Spike, Taiten Kusunoki as Jet and Megumi Hayashibara as Faye. It's also worth noting that original composer Yoko Kanno and original director Shinichirō Watanabe are both involved in the Netflix show. The live action adaptation stars John Cho as Spike, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine. And, of course, an adorable corgi as Ein.