Netflix's 'Cannon Busters' is an extremely fun watch full of zany characters and adventure set in a cyberpunk Wild West
Netflix’s ‘Cannon Busters’ is easily one of the best original anime series the streaming giant has put out in recent times. The show is a fun, zany adventure that makes for an easy watch while still delivering some really cool moments and an engaging storyline.
‘Cannon Busters’ is based on an American comic book and not a Japanese manga like with most anime. The show and its graphic novel were created by LeSean Thomas, an artist with a rather extensive resume, including Adult Swim's 'The Boondocks' and 'Black Dynamite: The Animated Series'.
It’s a fun mix of cowboy western and fantasy tropes. There are bandits and bounty hunters galore and also an evil magician with dreams of destruction. The best part of ‘Cannon Busters’ is its imaginative and endearing cast of characters.
The main character is an adorable android named S.A.M. (voiced by Angelique Perrin) who was built as a companion to a prince whose kingdom has come under attack. Despite being built as a superweapon, S.A.M. is primarily programmed to be friendly to everyone she meets.
The character is far too pure for this world, something her traveling companion Philly the Kid (Kenn Michael) finds quite annoying. Philly is an immortal outlaw who has been on the run for quite some time. He’s an experienced gunfighter who truly despises his own never-ending life.
In perfect contrast to Philly is Casey Turnbuckle (Elizabeth Maxwell), a semi-functional repair droid with a strange sense of humor. Casey is a cute little trickster who can work wonders with machines so long as she can manage to remember how.
The show blends its American and Japanese influences seamlessly to tell a story of magic and friendship set in a cyberpunk version of the Wild West. Things can get pretty hairy pretty quickly on this show, and as one character puts it, “Out here on the road, you can never let your guard down.”
There are moments of true darkness in the story that gives it a bit of extra depth. Even the show’s main villain has a truly twisted backstory that has turned him into a monster. At one point in the show’s second episode that is a truly disturbing moment.
Without giving away too much of the plot, let’s just say the episode introduces some truly twisted characters with extreme clothing choices. Summing up, the show is extremely interesting and definitely worth a watch. There’s plenty of fun stuff in there for both die-hard anime lovers and for newcomers to the genre.
‘Cannon Busters’ is currently available for streaming exclusively on Netflix.