Netflix’s Bastard!! anime shows how fantasy has changed since Berserk

Recently released Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark FantasyThe anime series is like the 80s distilled into one amazing sword-and-sorcery fantasy series. Bastard!!This is the story of Dark Schneider, an antihero magician who nearly destroyed the world trying to wake the God of Destruction Anthrasax but now fights to save it.

The Netflix series is a reboot/remake of a 1992 straight-to-video anime based on the 1988 manga by Kazushi Hagiwara, and it’s essentially a time capsule of the ’80s, containing within it a lot of what was popular during that decade — including the building blocks of “old-school fantasy anime.” To be clear, “old-school fantasy anime” isn’t simply animated Japanese fantasy that came out before a specific, arbitrary date. It’s more of a distinct approach to fantasy and a specific way of doing things that just so happens to have been perfected around the 1980s. Let’s take a look at it. Bastard!! What was this subgenre, for example? Borrowing: Old-school fantasy anime borrowed heavily from Western sources such as how Bastard!! uses heavy metal and D&D.

The name “Dark Schneider” actually comes from Udo Dirkschneider, formerly of the metal band Accept, with “Accept” also being the spell that awakens his powers. Other musical references in Hagiwara’s work include Dark Schneider’s signature spell, Venom (like the English metal band), or the existence of the kingdom of Metallicana within its universe. The series also takes more than a few cues from Dungeons & Dragons, another ’80s mainstay, like the demon Suzuki Dogezaemon that’s clearly based on the famous Beholder from D&D.

It is a trend that does not go back A little further, though. During the late Edo period (1603–1868), one of the most popular Japanese fantasy novels was Nansō Satomi HakkendenA tale of adventure and intertwined fates. Similar 19th-century novels were inspired by Chinese epics, such as: Water Margin. After Japan’s opening of its borders in the Meiji period it began to draw inspiration from American and European fantasy literature.

That’s why the first modern Japanese isekai Novel about characters being taken into a fantasy world was The Very Aptly Named A Warrior from Another World (1976) Haruka Takachiho is the author of Dirty PairHe pretty much only retold the story. John Carter High-school principal. The series is often called “the first”. isekai anime, Aura Battler DunbineThis 1980s release takes its inspiration from the West, with its European medieval setting, and has a Nordic-esque aesthetic, but it also incorporates a Fantasy twist.

Image: Liden Films/Crunchyroll

Image: Bones/Aniplex

Besides the odd D&D reference, Bastard!! It is set in the standard medieval fantasy world with castles, elves and knights. It’s the same kind of wOrld that other old-school fantasy titles like, say, Berserk or Lodoss War Record This setup is so well-known that it can easily be used in any setting. Contemporary fantasy anime programs tend not to do this. They either create new worlds entirely from scratch, or they base their shows on traditional Japanese culture.

You’d notice instantly if, say, Fullmetal Alchemist Changed its settings to reflect the current world Bastard!!. It’s not just because their “timelines” don’t match up. Sure, Bastard!! It is an ancient time FMA is set in a fantasy Industrial Revolution era, but some of the latter’s far-off locations do have a medieval-esque quality to them that could, on paper, work with characters like Dark Schneider. However, FMA is very specific with its world-building, constantly expanding its fictional universe by, say, mixing the real Law of Equivalent Exchange (the anime’s version of conservation of mass) with the existence of a godlike creature that actually oversees this physical law. When you’re watching Fullmetal Alchemist, you always get the feeling that there’s so much more to this world, and you can’t wait to learn more about it. To Bastard!!, though, you’re told from the get-go that this is your standard-issue fantasy universe, and the only question you may have about it is: “So… will the dragons be black, red, gold, or some other color?”

That’s not a critique of older fantasy anime. When you’re working with a familiar setting, it forces you to flesh out your characters more or find some other hook to help your creation stand out. Bastard!! went with heavy metal, something that few other series have really done before or since, and we’re still talking about it nearly 35 years later.

Old-school fantasy anime are also known for their ability to find safety and security within civilization. This is In Bastard!!, The world can be wild and unregulated, full of unsaveable things that want to meet you face-to-face, much like the inanimate objects found inside. Berserk Or Vampire Hunter D. Only human-made cities can provide stability and peace. Compare this with Fullmetal Alchemist Where the peaceful, technologically advanced world is actually a lie. A facade built on blood that’s controlled by shadowy forces who control the highest levels of society. Rising of the Shield Hero Similar to the previous example, the company took time to disassemble and expose its fantasy world. It was a place in which the so-called civilized are actually the monsters. Hell, Demon Slayer which is steeped in Japanese culture and history, actually managed to capture this kind of anxiety about the corrupting power of progress and modernity that’s come to define contemporary fantasy animation by giving its main villain a distinct hat.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Although there are many reasons that fantasy anime has changed, one of the more likely is the fact that the world was less trashy in the past 30-40 years. The ratio of junk to bag varied, but it never appeared to be one. The people running it seemed competent, or at the very least understood the rules. Although this was false, access to information was limited and it made it easier to believe it. And that collective delusion that humanity was holding it together translated to civilization becoming a safe haven in the world of anime, with all its threats being “external.”

Bastard!!, Human-made castles serve to keep the Anthrasax, the evil Anthrasax, from awakening and pressing the reset button. Comparatively, The Death Note it’s the modern golden boy Light who turns out to be the real monster, even when put next to the literally monstrous death god Ryuk. This is contemporary fantasy anime. Inside the house, the evil calls of the devil are making their way.

All these deconstructions and examinations of “who is the real monster” are par for the course in contemporary fantasy anime. This is what shows like Fullmetal AlchemistRising of the Shield Hero Or Death Note You can explore issues such as racism and geopolitics or even the idea of justice. Bastard!!It… doesn’t. It’s loud, it’s flashy, and it’s so much fun, but it’s not that deep. One scene in the new anime actually involves Schneider turning a powerful sorceress into an ally by giving her the biggest orgasm she ever had… by biting her ear.

In the past, fantasy was perceived as more escapist than today. However, some stories that have lasted for decades had deeper meanings. You could unwind watching a wizard slay a dragon while speaking Latin to it. That’s not to say all old-school fantasy was surface-deep, even in anime. Berserk, Take, for instance: This is not just about the gorefest of a man with a blunt (symbolic), surfboard on his back. It explores themes such as corruption of power and how revenge can be a wasteful life. Even Bastard!! Moments that are worth deeper investigation, such as how Anthrasax is actually the product of alchemists, scientists and magicians working together to make a weapon to end all conflict.

Again, what defines “old-school” and “contemporary” fantasy anime isn’t the calendar. There wouldn’t be distinct contemporary Japanese fantasy without Some Movies and shows from the past try new things, such as creating their own worlds or looking to Japanese culture occasionally for inspiration. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Or Sailor Moon — the latter of which is partially based on the legend of Princess Kaguya, one of the oldest Japanese myths ever — spring to mind. “Old-school” Japanese fantasy is more of a state of mind, which by its very nature is hard to put into words. Thankfully, all of the subgenre’s most recognizable tropes are there on display in Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark FantasyThe ultimate guide to Japanese fantasy, written by a Japanese-born author. There is nothing more you could ask for.