Since September 1, 2022, Netflix has been streaming Claymore , one of the best anime released in 2007 (a time when simulcast and SVOD platforms didn’t exist). The arrival of the series on Netflix should allow it to welcome a new audience. For the occasion, here is a selection of titles available on the platform.
Netflix ‘s anime catalog is quite extensive, with exclusives ( Violet Evergarden , Devilman Crybaby , Great Pretender ), shônen classics ( Naruto , FMA , Hunter x Hunter ) or classics plain and simple ( Cowboy Bebop , Trigun , Evangelion ) . . But, there are other lesser-known titles that deserve your attention just as much. The 5 titles below are not unknown, but they are all a few years old and are slowly starting to disappear from the radar.
5 must-see anime on Netflix
With the release of Claymore , since September 1, 2022 on Netflix, it is therefore time to bring these works back to light.
Claymore
This is the latest novelty. Claymore is basically an excellent manga in 27 volumes by Norihiro Yagi ( Ariadne, the celestial empire ), published between 2001 and 2014. The story follows Claire, a Claymore. These half-human, half-demon warriors have the mission of cleaning the villages of infiltrated demons devouring the population. One day, she meets a young orphan, Raki. The latter decides to follow her on her journey… A pitch that is very similar to that of Demon Slayer (one mission, one enemy to defeat), but with a heroine and a medieval universe.
The 2000s were extremely busy for Madhouse Studios: Monster , Death Note , Dennô Coil , Black Lagoon , Nana , Kaiji and more. The famous Japanese studio has delivered a string of excellent series during this period and of course, Claymore is one of them. If you like dark fantasy worlds à la Berserk, this series is surely one of the best representatives. Her main fault is that she arrived too early. At the time, the concept of season was not as present as it is today in Japanese animation.
Thus, the story of the anime covers only 11 volumes (until the invasion of Pieta) and ends abruptly by leaving an open door, which has never been closed since. We are entitled to dream of a remake covering the entire story. Who knows, maybe one day…
Guilty Crown
Admittedly , Guilty Crown , a 2011 series, isn’t perfect. The anime is inspired by many titles: the SF universe evokes Ghost in the Shell or Evangelion and the scenario has many similarities with that of Code Geass . Logical, since it is the same authors, Hiroyuki Yoshino and Ichirô Ôkouchi. We are in Tokyo in 2039. Japan is going through a serious crisis following an epidemic and the country is still standing thanks to the support of a multinational, which imposed a military regime. One day, Shû Ouma, an ordinary high school student, sees his life change when he meets Inori. This famous singer is also a member of a rebel group fighting against the government…
Guilty Crown can be described as a sort of draft of Attack on Titan . Wit Studio was in charge of the animation, when it was still a division of Production IG A year later, the structure became a studio in its own right, with the success that we knows. We also find Tetsurô Araki on the production, future master on board the adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s manga, and Hiroyuki Sawano on the music. Guilty Crown often sins with its uneven writing, but the series delivers many impressive action sequences, often magnified by its composer’s soundtrack. For that alone, the series deserves to be seen.
The Heroic Legend of Arslan
Do you like Kingdom, epic stories, battles with thousands of extras and charismatic heroes? Logically, you should enjoy The Chronicles of Arslân by Noriyuki Abe (director of Yu Yu Hakusho , GTO and Bleach ). This adaptation of Hiromu Arawaka’s manga is taken from a series of novels by Yoshiki Tanaka ( Legend of the Galactic Heroes ) written over 30 years and already transposed in the 90s into manga and anime. Arslân is the young prince of the kingdom of Parse, ruled with an iron fist by King Andragoras. One day, a neighboring nation, Lusitania, decides to invade Parse and Arslân is forced to take part in his first battle…
Rather fond of “tokutasu” such as Kamen Rider or Ultraman , the Japanese had until then little explored the universe of Western superheroes like Marvel or DC. Tiger & Bunny is thus almost a visionary work, prefiguring the very popular My Hero Academia . But, above all, the anime is very rich with its reflection on our overconsumption society and on the myth of the superhero. Fascinating themes, even more topical today, which make Tiger & Bunny an essential series.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
It is difficult to choose among the few titles of the famous Gundam franchise available on the platform, because we could have listed them all here. However, the OAV Unicorn series will be released from the catalog on September 19: it is therefore the opportunity to see (or see again) this dizzying space opera before its disappearance.
Produced over 5 years between 2010 and 2014, these OAVs or “mini films” (50 minutes per episode and above all an achievement worthy of a feature film) adapt a series of novels of the same name. The events take place 3 years after the movie Char Strikes Back .. We follow a high school student, Banagher Links, who after saving a young girl, Audrey Burne, will find himself embroiled in a story that will completely surpass him. He will become the pilot of the Unicorn Gundam.
Unicorn can be an interesting gateway to the Gundam saga for neophytes, because the hero is a new character. But, the whole political and historical context may seem obscure and complicated for many. The good news is that Netflix has several Gundam titleson its catalog. For those who want to fully immerse themselves in it, you can see the original trilogy (1981-1982) and Char strikes back (1988). Nevertheless, Unicorn is appreciated without and remains today one of the most ambitious works of the franchise.
