Netflix's 'Cannon Busters' is the perfect show for newcomers to the world of anime since it's based on an American book
Anime might be a cultural phenomenon across the world but that doesn’t mean everyone in the West is completely familiar with the world of Japanese animation. Sure it's been around for a really long time and many major anime series have developed a cult following but the majority of these shows have only recently started to gain mainstream attention.
Netflix is angling to change all that with its big push into the industry and the streaming service's upcoming offering, 'Cannon Busters', might just be the perfect introduction for newcomers to the world of anime and manga.
Most anime shows are based on Japanese comic books called manga (singular and plural). There are a lot of different genres involved that we won't get into right now. Suffice to say, there is an infinite range of themes and narratives in these stories that are often not seen in Western animation and comic books. They are also mostly rooted in very localized cultural settings which don’t always translate well. This is why 'Cannon Busters' is so unique.
For one thing, the show is based on an American comic book and not a manga. 'Cannon Busters' was created by LeSean Thomas, an artist and writer with a rather extensive resume, including Adult Swim's 'The Boondocks' and 'Black Dynamite: The Animated Series'. Thomas draws from his previous works and personal experience quite a bit ('Cannon Busters' notably has a lot of people of color) but he also takes inspiration from the manga and anime that he grew up with.
Despite its uncommon origins, 'Cannon Busters' has the right look and feel for an anime. It has endearing characters and a compelling storyline that makes it worth the watch even if it didn't have such a unique position in the industry. So far, it seems the show will not have a Japanese dub but the art and storytelling are about as quintessentially anime as you can get. That said, the show’s western origin does make it a lot more accessible for international audiences.
‘Cannon Busters’ is only one among the long list of anime titles that Netflix is planning on bringing out. Now that the streaming giant is set to lose its Disney and NBC titles to the new streaming services set up by those companies, it seems only logical that they would try to find an as-yet-untapped market to capitalize on. Die-hard anime fans can rejoice at the chance to legally stream so many great shows like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and 'Gundam' while for newcomers, it’s time to prepare yourself to be introduced to a whole new world of entertainment.
'Cannon Busters' will debut on Netflix on August 15, 2019.