Anime: ‘Bastard!!’ Is Back With A New Netflix Series
The 1988 D&D-inspired anime classic Bastard!! is getting new life with a Netflix exclusive reboot later this year.
Do you remember Bastard!!? I know, I hadn’t thought about it in more than a decade, either! Well this blast from the past is coming back with a brand new anime project.
Bastard!! Coming to Netflix
Warner Brothers announced this week that Bastard!!: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy will be streaming on Netflix sometime in 2022. In addition to the announcement was a promotional poster featuring wizard Dark Schneider, and the priestess who resurrects him, Tia Noto Yoko.
The new Bastard!! series will be directed by Takaharu Ozaki (Goblin Slayer, and Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers) and is being produced by Liden Films. Liden Films has previously worked on Berserk, but has also recently seen a lot of success with last year’s runaway hit, Tokyo Revengers. Additionally Yousuke Kuroda (My Hero Academia) is on series composition, Sayaka Ono (CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon) is in charge of character design, Yasunori Ebi (Naruto) is the sound director,.and Yasuharu Takanashi (Naruto Shippūden, Fairy Tail) is on music composition.
Also announced was the Japanese voice cast. This includes Kisho Taniyama (Jean from Attack on Titan) as Dark Schneider, Tomori Kusunoki (Llenn from Sword Art Online) as Tia Noto Yoko, Hiroki Yasumoto (Sado from Bleach) as Gara, and Yoko Hikasa (Kyoko in Danganronpa) as Arshes Nei.
The original Bastard!! manga by Kazushi Hagiwara was published in Shonen Jump from 1988 through 2010. The series is currently on hiatus.
Vis Media Series Synopsis
The kingdom of Metallicana is under siege by evil armies of monsters. The desperate defenders turn to a legend that a virgin’s kiss may awaken the wizard “Dark Schneider” from his slumber inside the innocent boy Lucien. Thanks to his sister Yoko, Lucien metamorphoses into the powerful, lecherous wizard. With demons, dragons, and other dark forces roaming the land, and Dark Schneider barely under control, the question remains: will Metallicana ever know a lasting peace?
On of the most popular manga of the 80s and 90s, Bastard!! sold over 30 million copies before going on hiatus. The series also had a six episode OVA in 1992. Anime International Company, the studio behind the 1992 Bastard!! adaptation, was also responsible for other hits of the time such as Tenchi Muyo! and Record of Lodoss War.
At this time we don’t know how many episodes Bastard!! will include or exactly when we can expect to see it added to the streaming service. Netflix has seen a lot of recent success with its exclusive anime releases. One of their most recent successes was the long awaited Stone Ocean arc of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
We’ll definitely be keeping an ear out for more information on this particular reboot and can’t wait to hear more about Netflix’s take on this anime classic.
Did you read or watch the original Bastard!! manga or OVA? Are you looking forward to the Netflix reboot? Do you hope this is another short OVA style release, or a longer series? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
