Original ‘Cowboy Bebop’ anime series coming to Netflix this October

Netflix has announced that the original Cowboy Bebop anime series is coming to the streaming platform next week.

Ahead of the highly-awaited debut of Netflix's live-action series in November, the streaming giant confirmed that all 26 episodes of the beloved anime series will be available on its service beginning Oct. 21.

“For me, it’s a great surprise and honor that the Cowboy Bebop universe has thrived for over 20 years and will continue onward,” original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe said in a statement.

First premiered in 1998, the jazz-inspired, genre-bending galactic adventure is set in 2071 and follows the story of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Radical Ed, and Ein—a group of rag-tag bounty hunters who scour the galaxy for dangerous criminals.

Meanwhile, Netflix's 10-episode live-action adaptation of the neo-noir anime series will premiere on November 19, with most of the original voice cast reprising their roles for the series' Japanese dubs.

Those who are returning for the live-action rendition includes Koichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel), Norio Wakamoto (Vicious), Megumi Hayashibara (Faye Valentine), Gara Takashima (Julia), Taiten Kusunoki (Jet Black), Tsutomu Taruki (Punch), Miki Nagasawa (Judy), Takaya Hashi (Teddy Bomber), Kenyu Horiuchi (Gren), Masako Isobe (Mao), Romi Park (Shin), and Hikaru Midorikawa (Lin).

“Cowboy Bebop is an important work for me. I have long anticipated a live-action version," Yamadera said. "I can feel the strong respect it has toward the anime," I hope that viewers will see the atmosphere of the Spike character that I previously portrayed in John Cho’s performance, who is skillfully taking on the role in this version. There are also many settings and developments that can only be pulled off in a live-action series. I hope that both people who love Cowboy Bebop and those who are new to the title can enjoy this new series!”