Netflix has made another move to secure more original anime content, with the announcement that upcoming series Perfect Bones will debut worldwide on the platform
The series, the release of which Netflix calls “a milestone in anime distribution innovation”, is set to be a sci-fi thriller dealing with genetic enhancements, conspiracies, and rival organisations manipulating the future of humanity.
The synopsis reads: “The 12-episode series is set in the future where scientists have tried to create the ‘perfect human’ in hopes of keeping peace in the universe. After nearly achieving their goal through several children, the scientists send their ‘new humans’ for further training where they are kidnapped by an evil organization set on using their powers to implement their own concept of a new world order.”
Perfect Bones will be helmed by Blood+ director Kazuto Nakazawa and produced by Production I.G., the animation studio behind international hits such as Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor.
While Perfect Bones won’t be the first anime series to bear the “Netflix Originals” branding, it’s significant in that it will be the first to adopt the familiar complete season release model found in shows such as Daredevil. The streaming video providers’ previous experiments with Japanese animation — such as Knights of Sidonia, or The Seven Deadly Sins — were added to the service only once they’d completed their broadcast on Japanese television. Here, the show will be the “first ever original anime title to debut all episodes simultaneously in 190 countries around the world.”
In November 2015, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings indicated that he wanted to bring more anime and Bollywood content to the service, saying “We’re hopeful that we’ll, over time, make a great Bollywood show, make a great anime show.” Perfect Bones looks to be the first step in original anime production for Netflix.
However, there’s no launch date or promotional artwork for the series yet. Anime fans will likely be aware that production times for shows aired on Japanese television are so tight that episodes are rushed to completion, and frequently need to be reanimated for later release on Blu-ray. Netflix’s model removes that pressure for weekly broadcast slots, but given how slow the material can be to produce, fans could be waiting a while to see Perfect Bones in full.
