Going back to the days of Star Blazers and Robotech, anime hair has always been a wee bit extreme. And sci-fi western Cowboy Bebop was no different. It’s always a suspension of disbelief that anyone can pilot those giant robots with all those locks of hair always strategically covering one eye. And it’s why so many live-action adaptations of anime and manga kind of skip the whole extreme hairstyle thing.
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But while not quite as extreme as the anime series, John Cho’s interpretation of space cowboy Spike Spiegel for the live-action Netflix version of Cowboy Bebop does indeed sport some luscious locks. And the internet wasted no time in letting Cho know how much they loved it, and its accuracy to the original character. Somehow, Cho pulled off what most anime adaptations had thus fair failed to do.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cho revealed just how much attention his stylish new ‘do got from fans. He said “People were texting me, ‘FYI, your hair is trending on Twitter.’ I did think it was a joke. After multiple texts, I looked, and literally, it was trending on Twitter. I couldn’t believe it.”
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And just so everyone knows, that is indeed Cho’s hair and not a wig. Apparently, wearing a wig for Spike was just not in the cards for Cho. He said “I just really disliked the idea of a wig. Have you ever worn one? I’m just so aware of wigs. I said, ‘I really want it to be my own hair.’ It was a kind of a struggle to grow it out. It went through some really awkward phases.” The last time he was on a famous starship was in the Star Trek films. But that character’s hair was pretty standard Starfleet regulation. With Spike, it was a whole different ball of wax. But judging from these early photos, he’s pulled it off rather nicely.
The live-action version of Cowboy Bebop is coming to Netflix on November 19.