There's many things they decided to do differently in the show compared to the anime that don't make a lot of sense, not even from a budget standing point. Most of it is just placing events in a different setting but what really bothers me are the plot differences, like introducing Faye into the episode when it's still not her turn to appear, which makes me think the rest of the show is not gonna look anything like the anime. We'll see if it's a good thing or a mistake.
Anyway, there's something else I didn't like about this first episode, and it's the fact they portray Katerina as innocent, when in the anime she has a gun and uses it to ultimately end Asimov's drug-fueled rampage, as a way to end their suffering, which I think is an important aspect of this first story. They could've dig deeper into the couple's story considering the episode is already longer than that of the anime, instead they added a completely unrelated intro to the show and some scenes already introducing other plots.
I feel the show lacks the sense of nostalgia and turbulence the anime has, it's almost like they purposely eliminated the more mature aspects of the original to appeal to a wider audience, and that I believe is a huge mistake.