Netflix puts out first trailer for Onimusha anime

Netflix has been going all-in on anime-related content lately, from the One Piece live-action series to Castlevania: Nocturne, and that trend looks to be maintaining its momentum. The streamer has dropped a trailer for their animated adaptation of Onimusha, which looks to be an action-packed romp through Edo-era Japan. Takashi Miike, director of 13 Assassins and Blade of the Immortal, is supervising director. 

In the trailer for Onimusha — which is scheduled to release worldwide on November 2 — we get a peek at our main character Musashi Miyamoto wrecking shop against the living and the undead. The series is being produced by animation studio Sublimation, most known for its work on Dragon’s Dogma. As such, this series seems to use CG more than traditional, 2D animation.

The anime series will tell an original story not found in the source material, according to a press release by Netflix. 

“Set in the early Edo Period, a time when Japan was transitioning towards peace, and warfare was fading into history, an aging Musashi embarks on a covert mission,” the release said. “Armed with the mythical ‘Oni Gauntlet,’ Musashi embarks on an epic journey to vanquish the lurking demons.”

To add, Musashi is “modeled after the late Japanese screen icon, Toshiro Mifune,” who is most famous for his work on films such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and The Samurai Trilogy, where he played the true-to-life Musashi Miyamoto. 

This is the first time Onimusha has received an animated adaptation since its initial release more than two decades ago. Onimusha: Warlords was first made available in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.