Entertainment streaming giant Netflix takes their anime serious. So much so that in the past year alone, more than 100 million households around the world as reported today by Takai Sakurai, Chief Producer of Netflix for Anime at the Netflix Anime Festival 2020.
The event gave fans an update on 11 current anime projects that have been announced by Netflix and introduced 5 new original original projects. Before we dive on the new ones, let’s check in on the heavy hitters that will definitely be the highlight of 2021.
1. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
Unless you’re living under a rock, you should already know what Resident Evil is all about. No? Evil biotech corporate, almost always an experiment gone amuck, people start turning into weird zombies and all hell breaks lose. With 8 main games now and a whole lot of media spin-off, this isn’t exactly the first Resident Evil to get the CGI Animation treatment. However, it is the first to get a series and it’s being produced by the same guys that did Resident Evil Vendetta. Not much is known yet in terms of story but we do know that we’ll see Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield once again.
2. Godzilla Singular Point
A whole new Godzilla series in the works, what makes this particular show interesting is the collaborative effort of Studio Bones (My Hero Academia) and Orange (a studio that specializes in flashy 3D effects). So imagine getting the best of both worlds in terms of superb animation. Plus, production aside, the teaser trailer gave this one the ol’ nostalgic feel of classic Godzilla Kaiju goodness down to the musical scoring choices. We hope they keep this for the final output, though.
3. EDEN
Eden has an interesting premise with a central theme of understanding what it is to be truly human. In a world where Machine think humans are evil, Eden presents a heart-felt story from Director Irie Yasuhiro that follows Sarah, probably the last human alive, that’s adopted and raised by two robots. Also, the animation alone looks like something straight out of a triple A game studio with the smooth usage of cell-shaded 3D.
4. Vampire in the Garden
Once upon a time, there was a world where vampires and humans lived together in “Paradise”. This is the story of a young girl, Momo, and the vampire queen, Fine, who traveled in search of “Paradise.” This is a completely new work by WIT STUDIO, well-known for “Attack on Titan” and talented creators.
5. Yasuke
In a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords. The story of Yasuke, the first African samurai who actually served the legendary Oda Nobunaga, will be released to the world.
6. Pacific Rim: The Black
Jumping from the popular franchise started by director Guillermo Del Torro (Pans Labyrinth, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, The Shape of Water) and screenwriter Travis Beachman, Pacific Rim: The Black seemingly happens years after any event in the movies. Not really sure where the continuity (or if the series is part of canon), the official synopsis states that: “There was a time when Kaiju rose from the Pacific Rim only to encounter gigantic robots, Jaegers, built to fight them back. That time has passed. Now, Australia has been overrun by Kaiju, forcing the evacuation of an entire continent. Left behind, teenage siblings Taylor and Hayley embark on a desperate search for their missing parents, teaching themselves to pilot a battered, long-abandoned Jaeger to help in their quest and give them even the slightest hope of surviving.” This anime is being created by
7. Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy – Earthrise
The power of nostalgia is ever strong with Transformers: War for Cybertron. The first chapter gave us solid backstory between the faction of Optimus Prime (Autobots) and that of Megatron (Decepticons). What’s more curious is how the Autobots were branded as rebel factions trying to disturb the peace while the Decepticons were enforcing the law of the land.
On the next chapter, With the Allspark gone, Megatron is forced to confront the harsh reality that his Decepticons are trapped on a dying Cybertron while also fighting off the persistent threat of Elita-1 and her Autobots. Meanwhile, lost in the darkest reaches of space, Optimus Prime and his team embark on a desperate mission that will push them to the breaking point as they travel to uncharted new worlds to face spacefaring mercenaries, enigmatic figures from long ago and even their own creators…the Quintessons.
8. Trese
Probably one of the most anticipated animated series next year, this is the first Netflix Animation adaptation of an original Pinoy-IP. Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo’s creation has gained a strong following since its inception back in 2005. While we do not have much info on the first season of Trese on Netflix, we do know that the show is being produced and directed by Jay Oliva (Dark Knight Returns 1 and 2, Justice League: War, Justice League Dark) and being created by BASE Entertainment. The show follows Alexandra Trese as she tackles organized crime in Metro Manila perpetuated either by or with a slew of Filipino supernatural Folklore involved.
9. B: The Beginning Succession
After Keith and Koku solved the incidents successfully , the world has regained its composure. In the months since then, Keith returns to the RIS to conduct his own investigation, and Koku is living a peaceful life with Yuna. They are visited by Kirisame, who was once supposed to have broken up with Kurou in death at the Faura Blanca Institute.
10. Baki Hanma
The story finally unfolds into a full-blooded clash between Baki Hanma and his father, Yujiro Hanma, who is known as the “strongest creature on earth.” The climax of the Baki universe, which depicted the “strongest parent-child brawl in history of the world” in the original manga, has been adapted into the long-awaited anime!
11. Spriggan
The legendary manga that took the world by storm in the 1990s has been vividly brought to this animated series by utilizing 2D drawings and 3DCG. The legacy of an outstanding civilization that once existed on this planet is said to still be hidden in various parts of the world. The military of major powers has intervened in the excavation and research of this mysterious and powerful heritage, and has begun battling over it. At the same time, an organization called “Spriggan” is working to seal up this ancient civilization. This is a high speed action series featuring battles over ancient relics! Based on a story by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa, Shogakukan and Directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi, Spriggan will bust through Netflix by 2021.
These are the 5 new original series being created for 2021 as well.
12. The Way of the Househusband
The most evil yakuza, Tatsu, is a legend in the underworld. He chose to walk away from the yakuza to become a full-time househusband!
13. Thermae Romae Novae
The very popular manga by Yamazaki Mari has been brought back to life in the present day in a new way. Based on the manga, new episodes created by Mari Yamazaki will also appear. Lucius, a bath designer in the Roman Empire, accidentally slips back in time to present day Japan and learns about Japanese bath culture in this comedy. Think of it as a weird anime bathtub time machine thing. Truly all baths lead to Rome.
14. High-Rise Invasion
Based on the manga by Miura Tsuina (Ajin) and Takahiro Oba (Box!), this is an unpredictable and frightening survival story set in high-rise buildings that don’t reach the ground. The protagonist, Yuri, decides to survive in order to destroy this illogical world and kill the enemy wearing the “mask”, but what will she do?
15. Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure
The production of the new series of Rilakkuma has been produced in stop-motion animation following the success of “Rilakkuma and Kaoru.” The series depicts an active day of incidents and meetings that take place when Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori, and Kaoru go play in an amusement park that is about to close.
16. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
This series consists of four strange episodes that Kishibe Rohan, the manga artist from “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable,” saw and heard in a destination he visited to collect material for the manga.