A few weeks ago we introduced you the top of the most anticipated anime for this year 2022, with the long-awaited sequel famous licences like the return of Bleach or season 6 of My Hero Academia, but also with beginnings in anime from new series, For example Chainsaw Man, planned for this summer. And precisely, speaking of novelties, the streaming giant Netflix recently announced a new anime that should land this year on its platform.
new netflix this year
It’s been a while now since Netflix sniffed the right vein with anime, and the platform seems determined to continue exploiting the breach.. Admittedly, this is not necessarily a winner every time, as evidenced by the poor reception of live-action adaptations of certain works, as with Cowboy Bebop Last year, canceled after just one season. But despite these few failures, the streaming giant has still provided some great original productions, with the release of Baki Hanma, Valkyrie Apocalypse and Beastars, having all had very good receptions during their respective releases.
Determined to continue in this dynamic, Netflix then planned a new animated adaptation which should be released this year, and which would be titled Bastard : Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy. Adapted from the manga of the same name by Kazushi Hagiwara, the anime will be produced by Warner Bros. Japan, and the animation will be supported by LIDEN Films, studios already known for their adaptation of Terra Formars, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, or more recently Tokyo Revengers.
The story immerses us in the heart of the kingdom of Metallicana, then besieged by armies of evil monsters. Desperate defenders turn to an ancient legend that a virgin’s kiss could wake up the wizard “Dark Schneider” from his long slumber. As the latter slept inside an innocent young boy named Lucien, he woke up with the help of his sister Yoko, and Lucien thus metamorphosed into a powerful wizard, although a little lecherous on the edges. With demons, dragons and other dark forces present throughout the land, and Dark Schneider who is just recovering his powers, the fate of Metallicana seems all the more uncertain. Here is a first visual published with the official announcement :
a new adaptation 30 years later
Anime director Takaharu Ozaki, known in particular for having directed the anime Goblin Slayer, spoke about the upcoming adaptation on Netflix:
The BASTARD!! […] will be reborn in anime! It can be said that the influence that this work had on many Japanese fantasy works continues even today. It’s not just ‘classic high fantasy’, it has evolved with tremendous momentum and power, and has fascinated many fans. We live in a time when society is becoming more diverse and individual freedom is asserting itself, and as it becomes more practical and richer, we tend to lose sight of something important. […]. It is not useful to have your own ideal and your own way of life. You can only really live when there are important people. Not only the fantasy world setting, but also the characters with such passionate feelings will continue to soar with all their being, so whether you know the original or not, you will definitely be able to appreciate it.
Because indeed, this is not the first anime project for this series. A six-episode OVA series, titled Bastard!! and produced by the AIC studio, was released between 1992 and 1993. The manga meanwhile, began to be published in 1988 in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump of the Shueisha. In 2000, he was transferred to Ultra Jump, where he remained until 2010. The series has a total of 27 volumes, published in France by Glénat, the last of which was published in 2012.