Japanese pop culture’s complicated history with Hollywood

With the release of Netflix’s remake of ‘Cowboy Bebop’, Jim Moore takes a closer look at why the thirst for live-action adaptations of animated originals hasn’t always worked out

Alex Hassell’s Vicious battles John Cho’s Spike Spiegel in the latest anime conversion (Netflix)

Japanese pop culture is mounting a sustained assault on the global stage. A string of its top properties are set for live-action adaptations as Hollywood, and its streaming giants, seek to satisfy their insatiable desire for new and exciting content; for stories that can stand out and draw eyes in an increasingly competitive field

Netflix’s hotly anticipated live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, the legendary anime, is out now – and there’s plenty more where that came from.

Legendary Entertainment, which has enjoyed success with Detective Pikachu, Pacific Rim and several Godzilla films and is fresh from Dune, is working on a My Hero Academia movie. Netflix will follow Cowboy Bebop with a series based on One Piece, the oddball pirate manga and anime that boasts a large and devoted fanbase.