An action-packed new clip from Netflix's upcoming anime series Bright: Samurai Soul has been released.
The new video was released via the streaming company's anime-focused YouTube channel, and shows how the series' two main characters, the ronin Izo and the orc warrior Raiden, meet. The anime is a spinoff of the 2017 Netflix original movie Bright, which was directed by David Ayer and starred Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. The original movie, which blended with a gritty, modern day cop drama with elements of high-fantasy stories such as orcs and elves, was critically panned upon its release but was a commercial success, with Netflix touting it as one of its most streamed titles ever. The new spinoff moves the setting from modern day Los Angeles to Meiji era Japan, and features a new animation style that is intended to look like a moving Japanese woodblock print.
The new series is being directed by Kyohei Ishiguro, the director behind the tear-jerking coming-of-age anime series Your Lie In April. Ishiguro also recently directed the anime movie Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, which was released internationally as a Netflix exclusive. Samurai Soul is written by Michiko Yokote, who previously worked on the Bleach and Hikaru No Go franchises. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu will voice the one-eyed samurai Izo in the English dub of the anime, while Yuki Nomura will portray the character in Japanese. The orc Raiden will be played by Fred Mancuso in the English dub and Daisuke Hirakawa in Japanese. Hirakawa previously played multiple roles in the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime, and portrayed the character of Sota Kume in the most recent game in Sega's Yakuza franchise, Like A Dragon. The Japanese cast also includes veteran voice actor Maaya Sakamoto, who previously starred in anime such as The Vision of Escaflowne and Evangelion 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time. Japanese rock star Miyavi will also voice a character in the series.
While the clip shows Izo and Raiden fighting with each other, the series will tell the story of how the two warriors must work together to escort a young elf girl and the powerful magical artifact she carries back to the safety of the elven lands to the north.
Bright: Samurai Soul will debut exclusively on Netflix on Oct. 12.
Source: YouTube
