Netflix Sets Anime Programming Slate With 12 New Series, ‘Godzilla’ Movie

Children of the Whales

In a world covered by oceans of sand, 513 people live in complete isolation on the “Mud Whale,” an island-like ship adrift on the sand. Children of the Whales is an adaptation by director Kyohei Ishiguro and anime studio J.C.Staff based on Abi Umeda’s hit manga of the same name (serialized in Akita Shoten’s “Monthly Mystery Bonita”). Chakuro, the island’s archivist endowed with special powers, meets a mysterious girl named Rikosu as he investigates an abandoned ship that drifted up to the Mud Whale one day. It is the first time anyone on the island has made contact with someone from the outside world, but is it an auspicious sign that a new world awaits?
Children of the Whales stars Natsuki Hanae, Manaka Iwami, Yuichiro Umehara, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Mikako Komatsu, Daiki Yamashita and Hiroshi Kamiya. The series will debut everywhere except Japan on Netflix in 2018.
Director: Kyohei Ishiguro
Series Composition: Michiko Yokote
Character Design: Haruko Iizuka
Art Director: Toshiharu Mizutani (Moonflower)
Color Designer: Miyuki Ishida
Director of Photography: Yoshio Okouchi
Editor: Masahiro Goto (REAL-T)
Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa
Music: Hiroaki Tsutsumi
Animation Production: J.C.Staff

Fate/Apocrypha

Fourteen Heroic Spirits gather for an apocryphal Holy Grail War. In a city called Fuyuki, seven magi and their Heroic Spirits once clashed in a Holy Grail War. But amid the chaos of the Second World War, a magus made off with the Grail. Decades later, the Yggdmillennia clan holds the Grail high and secedes from the Mage’s Association, declaring their independence. Angered by the move, the Association sends assassins after them, only to have them wiped out by a Yggdmillennia Servant. The choice is made to fight Servants with Servants, and the Holy Grail War system is expanded to two factions of seven Servants each. A Holy Grail War of unprecedented scale — a Great Holy Grail War — begins in Trifas, Romania.
The series stars Natsuki Hanae, Maaya Sakamoto, Koki Uchiyama, Miyuki Sawashiro, Junichi Suwabe, Saori Hayami, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Koji Yusa, Ryotaro Okiayu, Makoto Furukawa, Rumi Okubo, Tetsu Inada, Mitsuru Miyamoto, Satoshi Tsuruoka, Ai Nonaka, Kei Shindo and Sakura Tange. Fate/Apocrypha is an ANIPLEX/A-1 Pictures production. The series will be 25 episodes that premiere is the US and Canada on November 7 and everywhere else, except Japan, on December 2.
Original Story: Yuichiro Higashide・TYPE-MOON
Original Character Design: Ototsugu Konoe
Director: Yoshiyuki Asai
Story Editor: Yuichiro Higashide
Music: Masaru Yokoyama
Studio: A-1 Pictures

Kekegurui

There is one absolute rule in gambling — at the end of the day, there is a winner and a loser. The winner gains riches and prestige, while the loser is branded a failure and left with nothing. In the silence leading up to the moment that separates winners and losers, instincts are sharpened and desires reach the point of ecstasy. This is a harsh microcosm of life in a capitalist society. Why are people captivated by a world filled with risk? What lies beyond the madness? As the class system of modern society crumbles, an unprecedented adrenaline-pumping anime sweeps the world. Based on the manga by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura (Serialized in Monthly Gangan Joker published by Square Enix), twelve episodes of the series are being produced by MAPPA. Kakegurui stars Saori Hayami, Minami Tanaka, Tatsuya Tokutake, Yuki Wakai, Karin Nanami, Mariya Ise, Yu Serizawa, Tomokazu Sugita, Mayu Udono, Ayaka Fukuhara and Miyuki Sawashiro. The series will premiere in 2018 on Netflix, everywhere except Japan.
Director: Yuichiro Hayashi
Series Composition: Yasuko Kobayashi
Character Design: Manabu Akita
Art Directors: Haruka Matsuda, Masanobu Nomura
Color Designer: Chikako Kamata
CGI Director: Shin Jaehoon
Director of Photography: Takashi Yanagida
Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose
Sound Director: Akiko Fujita
Sound Production: HALF H・P STUDIO
Music: TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND

Baki

The protagonist, Baki Hanma, trains with an intense focus to become strong enough to surpass his father, Yujiro Hanma, the strongest fighter in the world. Five of the world’s most violent and brutal death row inmates are gathering to face Baki. Their objective is to taste defeat — their unmatched strength and skill have led them to grow bored of life itself, and they now seek out Baki in the hopes that he can overwhelm and utterly crush them. In this crisis, other underground martial art warriors gather to fight by Baki’s side: Kaoru Hanayama, Gouki Shibukawa, Retsu Kaioh, and Doppo Orochi. An epic showdown between violent death row inmates and Baki and his friends begins! More than 63 million copies of the original manga series have been printed and the series will be comprised of 26 episodes for Netflix, produced by TMS Entertainment.

Lost Song

An all-new, classic fantasy starring Yukari Tamura and Konomi Suzuki as the two heroines.
Rin (Konomi Suzuki), an energetic girl who loves to eat, lives in a verdant frontier village.
Deep within the royal palace in the bustling capital city, the songstress Finis (Yukari Tamura) spends her days in solitude. Both share a special power no other person has. A miraculous power that can heal wounds, create water and stir the wind — the power of song. Guided by destiny, the two young women each face an arduous journey with the power of song. The shadow of war looms over the kingdom, tainting even the miraculous songs with the blood of innocents. Loved ones meet their deaths as silent screams echo through a stone prison. As two destinies intersect, will the final song be one of despair, hope or…? The series is comprised of 12 episodes, and is a LIDENFILMS x Dwango co-production. Lost Song will debut globally on Netflix in 2018.
Director and screenplay: Junpei & Morita
Original character design: Tomonori Fukuda
Lyrics: Aki Hata
Music: Yusuke Shirato
Background art: Dehogallery

Cannon Busters

Created, directed and executive produced by LeSean Thomas (Children of Ether), the series follows the adventures and exploits of S.A.M, a high-end, royal-class friendship droid who’s joined by a quirky, discarded maintenance robot and a brash, deadly fugitive. Together, the unlikely trio embarks on an unforgettable journey in a fantastic and dangerous world in search of S.A.M’s best friend, the heir to a powerful kingdom under siege. Twelve episodes are being produced by Manga Entertainment Ltd, Nada Holdings and Satelight (Macross Delta).
Writers: Natasha Allegri (Creator of Bee & Puppycat), Anne Toole (Writer’s Guild nominee for “The Witcher” video game), Nilah Magruder (M.F.K. web series) and LeSean Thomas, among others.
Story Editor – Matt Wayne (Justice League Unlimited, Niko & The Sword of Light)

Which of these anime shows are you looking forward to stream on Netflix?