Netflix is Making a Bunch of New Animated Shows – Including a ‘Pacific Rim’ Anime
Heads up Pacific Rim fans, or just fans of mechs and giant sea monsters in general! Yesterday, Netflix announced that it will be expanding even further into animated content with several new anime series, including shows based on the worlds of Pacific Rim and Altered Carbon.
Deadline reports that Netflix has five new anime shows in the pipeline. Cowboy Bebop writer Dai Sato is working on an upcoming series set in the world of Altered Carbon, the Netflix series based on Richard K Morgan‘s cyberpunk novels. Cagester is a post-apocalyptic series being developed by Gonzo, the studio behind manga series Hellsing and Afro Samurai.
Alongside this is Trese, a supernatural series based on Philippine folklore, and Yasuke, a series taking place in a “war-torn Japan of mechs and magic”. Yasuke stars Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out) as a retired ronin who finds himself taking care of a mysterious child. While the series is being adapted from a graphic novel, it’s based on the true story of Yasuke, a samurai of African origin.
But perhaps most exciting is the announcement of a planned Pacific Rim series from Craig Kyle (Thor: Ragnarok) and Greg Johnson (X-men: Evolution). The series will centre around a teenage boy and his younger sister who wind up taking control of an abandoned jaeger as they travel the country seeking their parents.
The marriage of the Pacific Rim world and anime is a perfect match given the films’ tributes to anime and manga. An animated series might also invigorate its world of kaiju and jaegers after this year’s disappointing sequel.
Creator Guillermo del Toro has talked about a potential Pacific Rim animated series ever since Uprising was announced in 2014, although those plans were later put on hold. Right now, it’s not clear if this anime is tied to that series or its own project entirely, and what del Toro’s involvement will be is a mystery for now.