Bastard Anime Announces Release Date, Episode Count
The era of the 1980s for anime had its fair share of brutal franchises that helped introduce scores of new fans to the medium for the first time in North America. Now, Netflix is aiming to revisit this gruesome time by recreating the series known as Bastard!! which first hit the scene in 1988. With the series set to arrive this year, Bastard!! has revealed when fans can expect Dark Schneider to return and how many episodes will make up the first season of the series.
Bastard!! is set to hit Netflix on June 30th of this year, with the series promising to release thirteen episodes to start, followed by eleven more installments that will land at an unspecified date later this year. Put together, the first season will consist of twenty-four episodes that will see the dark wizard of the series make his major return.
On top of the revelation of its release date and the number of episodes that fans can expect, the series also revealed some new cast members that will be helping bring this gruesome tale to life. The new cast members announced include Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Lars, Ari Ozawa as Sen Ari, Shizuka Itou as Kai Harn, and Takehito Koyasu as Di-Amon. As mentioned earlier, Liden Films will be in charge of the animation for the series, with the director of Goblin Slayer, Takaharu Ozaki, heading up the show.
If you haven't dipped your toes into this brutal series, the official description of Bastard!! reads as such:
"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?"
This wouldn't be the first time that Bastard!! was given its own anime adaptation, with a six-episode mini-series landing in 1992.
Is Bastard!! one of your most anticipated new anime series of 2022? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Netflix originals.