Netflix just announced plans for a brand new anime series to be produced by an eclectic pair of creative minds familiar to our familiar to us all. Yasuke, a revisionist samurai adaptation, will star Lakeith Stanfield (of Atlanta and Sorry to Bother You) in the lead voice-over role. On the other side of the spectrum, producer Flying Lotus will produce the musical score for the series.
According to a press release forwarded to the media, Yasuke will air on Adult Swim in the not-so-coveted 2:30 AM time slot, behind the financial chutzpah of Netflix Studios. The series will focus on the plight of a retired samurai who must now seek work as the personal bodyguard for a child. Little does he know, the child is actually the target of "dark forces" he must now swear to combat one at a time.
To make matters more interesting, Yasuke will be directed by the showrunners that brought us the Boondocks animated series. Co-director LeSean Thomas was inspired to join the writing process after learning of the Yasuke legend: an African warrior empathizing with a Japanese warlord, then fighting by his side. Four other animes have been ordered to begin production. They are Pacific Rim, Altered Carbon, Cagaster of an Insect Cage, and Trese.
