Back in March of 2019, Netflix announced they had commissioned an anime adaptation of Capcom’s swords-and-sorcery RPG Dragon’s Dogma. Now, Netflix have confirmed it will premiere on September 17th.
Only the Arisen can face the Dragon and defeat the apocalypse. Here's your first look at the anime series adaptation of Capcom's action fantasy classic Dragon's Dogma, arriving September 17th. pic.twitter.com/UxJMcUrsdp
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) July 14, 2020
As well as announcing the date, Netflix also released three teaser images, which can be seen below:
The official synopsis reads “The story follows a man’s journey seeking revenge on a dragon who stole his heart. On his way, the man is brought back to life as an ‘Arisen’. An action adventure about a man challenged by demons who represent the seven deadly sins of humans”. Netflix’s placeholder page gives a brief additional synopsis of “Ethan sets out to vanquish the Dragon that took his heart, but with every demon he battles, the more he loses his humanity.”
Perhaps the main revelation here is that the show will be using a mix of 2D animation and CG, the same approach which animation studio Sublimation brought to their previous project Walking Meat. There’s little other information available – nothing has been announced about the cast as yet.
With Dragon’s Dogma, Netflix is venturing further down the road of adapting video games for the screen. This has traditionally been a fairly risible format – one thinks of the famously dreadful Super Mario Bros. film – but Netflix has found some success with its adaptation of Castlevania, recommissioned for a fourth season earlier this year, and also has a project based on Cyberpunk 2077 in the works.
The original game itself was well-received, initially released for Xbox 360 and PS3 before coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch as the slightly expanded Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. Many are hoping for a sequel, including director Hideaki Itsuno, who’s stated “If someone would let me, it’s what I’d want to do. I already know what the story would be. It’s just about convincing people to let me make it.” This anime adaptation could well buoy interest in a sequel.
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