Dig Faye Valentine’s outfit? Sounds like the live-action series is dropping it. 

We’re back to it. The whole tried-and-true costume debate. We often hear fans complain that comic book adaptations don’t have faithful costumes, and on some level I get it. When you have characters like the X-Men, their uniforms are a big part of who they are as characters. However, we also have the flip side of that argument — like whether or not someone like Psylocke should be as scantily clad in the film as she is in the comics. Round and round the debate has gone surrounding characters like her, and it’s not stopping any time soon.

A new live-action anime adaptation is in the works at Netflix. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s called Cowboy Bebop and it features the femme fatale character Faye Valentine. Anime fans will recognize the outfit immediately. It’s a yellow ensemble consisting of some short shorts, a…short vest (?) of sorts, and a red shawl. Oh, and we can’t forget the suggestive straps that are strewn between the vest and shorts, giving her outfit a lingerie-esque look. 

When adapting to live-action, this was honestly something I thought was a shoo-in to get changed. Cowboy Bebop was very much made to appeal to guys, but this live-action series would likely have to appeal to women as well in order to be successful. And why not? Faye is actually a great character, so not a whole lot would be lost in making her ensemble a bit more realistic. 

RELATED – Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop Writer Promises The Original Anime Series Is Not ‘Just A Take-Off Point’

As it turns out, the showrunners of the Cowboy Bebop Netflix series agree with me. In a recent interview with io9, writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach made it clear that they’d be toning down Faye’s revealing costume. More specifically, he stated “we need to have a real human being wearing that.” It’s an understandable concern. Let’s be real — this isn’t an outfit most women would be wearing on a consistent basis.

But, of course, many fans were quick to jump on the hate bandwagon. One comment pointed to cosplayers proving the writer wrong. 

Not surprised at all. I find it funny how he talks about all the things he's going to change then talks about they have to remain true to the property.

And of course "A human has to wear this" excuse for changing Faye.

What's that say about women who cosplay Faye accurately? pic.twitter.com/ZIrPk7ZcR3

— Giddy Kong: The Gaming Ape (@GideonOnGaming) June 5, 2020

And the hate continued.

https://twitter.com/MossGreens/status/1268684288314105858

https://twitter.com/AlenaWidowVlogs/status/1268608417939230722

https://twitter.com/overtoyallnow/status/1268800218507743232

https://twitter.com/MrManceres/status/1268640007717367810

Sooo ughh does that mean cosplayers aren’t human beings XD. I made a Faye cosplay. Still human! But makes sense they’d censor fayes outfit. people did get offended by man Faye. A Strong and independent man was shamed for loving his body 😔. Body positivity nowhere to be found.

— Kiyomi Chi 🌺 (@Omichichan) June 5, 2020

It’s hard not to roll my eyes at this behavior. While I can understand the desire for the Netflix series to be as close in spirit to the anime as possible — that outfit is just…not great. While I’m sure many fans will argue it’s how Faye uses her sex appeal, we all know the real answer. It was drawn that way so that boys and guys can ogle her. And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I do think outfit practicality is something to consider. 

Is her outfit something we can actually expect someone to wear in the real world? Do those cosplayers look like they’re wearing actual functional clothes or wearing a costume? I don’t think so. And there are plenty of other ways to portray Faye’s personality than through the shallow outfit shorthand. If you really take a step back and look at it objectively, her outfit isn’t that crucial to the story or character. Why not waste your energy on something like the actual substance of the series?

Where do you stand on this whole debate? Are you sad to see Faye Valentine’s outfit got? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: io9, Twitter