When I first watched the new Netflix anime Bastard!!: Heavy Metal, Dark FantasyI was expecting a horror anime in the same series Records of the Lodoss War. What I got was a no-nonsense show about a wizard and his ever-growing harem of big-haired guys from the anime. I love every minute of it.
Bastard!!: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy, made by LIDEN FILMS, is a remake of the 1992 anime Bastard!! Ankoku no Hakaishin. Bastard!!!pitch in Kotaku The summer anime guide, which you should pay attention to check out, is that a wizard named Dark Schneider resurrected to save the kingdom of, I shit you not, Meta-Licana (pronounced Metalicana), from the villains. unprincipled. However, that description is only the tip of the iceberg for what this horned anime series has in store.
Read more: Your 2022 Summer Anime Guide
You see, Dark Schneider used to be the bad guy of the series. In fact, he was the head of the series’ villains, the Four Lords of Havoc, before the events of the anime. While Schneider advertises that he is the hero of this shonen anime — a fourth wall-breaking truth that he isn’t afraid to remind viewers and other characters of — Schneider is, in fact, the embodiment of The early 90s OVA anime series of the wizard almighty rogue. I mean, you’ve got Sense8-grant organization with his harem in the midst of his conquest for world domination. But, like all tamed creatures, his arrogance worked to his full potential and he was sealed into the body of a gentle boy named Lucien.
The kingdom of Meta-Licana was forever the place where the failed war against the Four Lords of Havoc ended. The Kingdom’s only trump card is the revival of Dark Schneider from Lucien’s body. They wanted to do so by having Lucien kiss the lips of a virgin woman. Wait, haven’t closed this tab yet. I know, that’s a pretty interesting premise. However, this program works because of how self-aware of its absurd premise. The magical virgin kiss to save the doom kingdom is one of the many times the show pokes fun at its absurdities every chance it gets. For example, after summoning Schneider in the first episode of the show, the kingdom asked to summon him again at the beginning of the second episode because it would be easier than rallying their army.
While going over the Kingdom’s request to pet the tall, dark, and handsome Schneider, Lucien’s caretaker – and arguably the second funniest character on the show – Tia Noto Yoko develops feelings for dark wizard despite his worn out personality. She’s also not the only one. Without fail, each episode features Schneider’s enemies arising from a desire to join his harem beyond their command, sabotaging the Lords of Havoc’s plans.
Say what you’ll do, but hear me out: Bastard!!Descriptions of strong women who defy orders and know what they want, whether it’s a conquest of power or some sexy time with an attractive witch, is the ultimate solution. Fights ahead of the genre’s distribution of women as interchangeable cardboards of characters that blend into backgrounds.
Unlike most harem anime that depict its protagonists drooling fearfully at the female cast, the women in Bastard!! Don’t take anything evil from him. Whenever Schneider crossed the line, they called him an asshole with the persistence of Justin Roberts, announcer of the AEW . round and give him a well-deserved kick in the butt.
Schneider and the show itself often tease the female characters because it’s understandable that he likes him so much because he’s the show’s de facto attractive male character. But Schneider has some class on him. Beneath the bravery of his self-centered horny teenager lies an eccentric who sometimes has thoughtful things to say and self-harms those he loves. Instead of treating the women as his property, the show debunked the scam by letting Schneider have a real relationship with the women in his life.
Schneider and Lucien’s personalities fade together, like Amon and Akira Fudo’s personalities in the manga Devilman Grimoire. This combination of personalities turns the former POS Schneider into a kind of shrewd wizard Inuyasha-character type; He craves praise whenever he does something interesting, such as saving his caretaker from a slime monster that’s melting clothes. That’s not to say the show lacks “spice”.
Despite the existence of smutty anime that Normalization of sexuality and attractiveness very few and far between, Bastard!! somehow managed to take its sweet cake and eat it too. It’s one of those anime series where you’ll have to turn the volume down so your neighbors won’t complain about the noise of high-pitched moans mixed with heavy metal music. The show sometimes delves into the spicy levels of Dragon’s Breath, but they’re more hilarious in context than its trailers tease, and without any real sex in the show. program, just funny sayings. For example, characters on the show are poisoned more often than not and have to let other characters “suck the poison out”.
While the fan service-y situation isn’t surprising to see in an ecchi anime, the English voice actors clearly make the show a lot of fun and elevate its ridiculousness to 11. I laughed when Schneider told the narrator- than you are the pure princess that she needed to get the poison out more difficult. Bastard!! is tropey as hell, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, like an isekai comedy Konosuba if the main character has a lot of sex.
While Schneider has yet to make his way home with any of the Four Lords of Havoc’s subordinates who have defected, he converts to his side via Dio-esque the power of charisma, the show’s opening and ending themes are blatantly monstrous. Coldrain and Tielle knock it out of the park with a performance open high octane and The topic is over. No notes, or skips, just straight bangs.
Bastard!!, by all accounts will not work as an anime in 2022, but somehow it pops up on the other end as one of the funniest and funniest anime of the season and I want more.
