Crunchyroll's Fall 2020 show lineup features a lot of fantastic anime, including the much-hyped, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, and Is the order a rabbit? BLOOM. However, tucked among these shows is one that will be new to international audiences, even though it is part of a very long-running and immensely popular series.
Secret Society Eagle Talon: Golden Spell is the latest in the Eagle Talon franchise. It has had eight seasons of anime, nine feature films, including a crossover with DC's Justice League and two spinoff series. However, Golden Spell will be the first time the series has received an official overseas release. If you're looking to jump right into the low-budget superhero action, here is all you need to know about Secret Society Eagle Talon: Golden Spell.
Eagle Talon is the creation of Ryō Ono, otherwise known as FROGMAN. Eagle Talon started life as a Flash cartoon that was part of FROGMAN's short-lived FROGMAN Show animation block in 2006. However, the series proved popular enough to get a full series in 2009. Even when the show became standalone, it retained its Flash animation. This is because FROGMAN does most of the work himself. He is Eagle Talon's director, writer, character designer, animator, editor and even the voice actor for pretty much every character! Like South Park in the US, the show is famous for its deliberate use of low-budget animation to convey a mood and to decrease production time.
Eagle Talon inverts the usual superhero tropes by flipping the focus. Rather than focusing on the heroes attempting to save the world, Eagle Talon focuses on a secret society called Eagle Talon that is based in Kojimachi, Tokyo. Eagle Talon has one aim: to take over the world! However, these plans never go as expected, and comedy always ensues. Eagle Talon consists of five core members. President, the group's straight man leader, Doctor Leonardo, a bear and mad scientist who makes most of Eagle Talon's equipment, Yoshida, the group's lieutenant whose dimwitted nature is often why the group's plans fall apart, Bodhisattva Pass, a strange child with psychic powers and Phillip, a former heavy metal vocalist.
However, the group has to contend with Deluxe Fighter. Deluxe Fighter is a superhero who can shoot laser beams from his hands. In a subversion of the usual format, Deluxe Fighter is a very unlikable and dramatically unheroic narcissist. However, he is always able to defeat Eagle Talon, often blowing them up in the process. The characters from Eagle Talon are super popular in Japan and have been licensed for advertising by companies such as Japan Rail, Hulu Japan and even Toys 'R' Us.
In Secret Society Eagle Talon: Golden Spell, which is coming to Crunchyroll, the group finds the legendary Golden Spell. Legend says that this object allows the holder to control the wills of others with just a single word. However, when both the Golden Spell and the device Eagle Talon were creating with it are stolen, the group has to work quickly to recover it and finish their plan to take over the world. This work will lead to them clashing with the new character Homare Kuroki. Homare is the president of the Crotter company and the childhood friend of the Eagle Talon's President.
Unlike the previous series, Golden Spell won't be a series of self-contained episodes. Instead, it will tell one story over its 12-episode run, making it the perfect jumping-on point for new fans. Golden Spell will also feature some commentary on current world events. According to press-releases, the series will feature some discussion and humor based around COVID-19 and the current trend of working from home.
If you're a fan of superhero action, you should watch Eagle Talon. It is a pitch-perfect pastiche of all of the tropes you've come to expect. Even if you're not a fan of superhero media, Eagle Talon's jokes will still resonate with you and amuse you. While Eagle Talon may fail at world domination, their antics never fail to raise a smile.
