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Year: 2022
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Sword and sorcery
Episodes: 24
Rating: 3 out of 5
Who are some of the world’s all-time rock or heavy metal bands? One would have to say Metallica is on that list. How about Guns N’ Roses? Their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was a straight-up banger with singles like “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “Sweet Child of Mine.” Let’s not forget Kiss. You can’t utter rock & roll without that group and how they performed. I don’t want to leave off AC/DC. My favorite songs from that group are Thunderstruck and Highway to Hell.
What do you think about an anime revolving around a dark wizard who uses names of famous groups as attacks or medieval places after famous group names? How about a dark wizard with a hairstyle straight from the 80s that would make any hairspray blush. Well, Bastard is an anime with many rock bands’ names and the outrageousness and sex appeal of the 80s.
Overview
Four centuries ago, life in the present world changed when a demon named Anthrasax descended upon the world and caused extreme damage and chaos. Anthrax was slain by Dragon Knight, plunging the world into a new dark age. Four hundred years later, in an age of wizardry and magic, the Dark Rebel Army was once ruled and led by the strongest sorcerer in all the land, Dark Schneider. Dark Schneider was defeated, and now his army dispersed. Years later, the Kingdom of Metallica is attacked by the revised Dark Rebel Army, which seeks to resurrect Anthrax. As the attacks ensue, a high priest asks his daughter to awaken Dark Schneider, who has reincarnated himself within the body of 14-year-old Luche Renren. With the return of Dark Schneider, his allies soon learn of his true nature. Soon the world becomes a battleground once again. Will Dark Schneider help defend the world or try to rule it?
Review:
I am going to be honest with you. I was expecting more with this Netflix version. The story is funny, even if it gets obnoxious after a while. I feel like there could’ve been way more nudity. It failed greatly in that area because it seemed to promote it so well. More on that later on. This anime could have lived up to the hype of being a badass heavy metal/rocker anime and seems to just get by on fancy names and over-the-top characters.
The story of the anime is entertaining. The story shows this badass character named Dark Schneider, the most powerful wizard. Homeboy amassed an army but was eventually defeated. He has reincarnated himself within the body of 14-year-old Luche Renren. When the Kingdom of Metallica is under attack, Dark Schneider is released. One of the main storylines is that Dark Schneider’s old crew wants to revive an evil demon. The story shows how each villain wants to take down the kingdom to release the demon but loses in the end. One area it lacks is not truly showing how strong Dark Schneider is. He seems to only have three real attacks.
The story does a great job with the fighting and over-the-top action. The show of abilities and magic is the major highlight of the show. The battle between Schneider and the skeleton dude was nicely done. Each fight is different and fun to watch, even if the main character is beyond cocky. The attacks are straight-up crazy because when the characters go all out, it sometimes looks like a mini-DBZ fight.
The animation is crisp, but it should be a lot better than the original as it is updated. Does it look like a normal/standard Netflix? Yep, and with it, you know exactly what you are going to get. Another highlight is the use of metal band names. If you listen closely, you can point out many band names.
When I read articles, I was expecting massive amounts of nudity. Some that would make other anime series blush. The sexual tension was high in this anime, but the other parts failed. Was I expecting full-blown hentai? Hell naw, because I know Netflix has its limits, but if you are going to promote some that have sexual tension, then do it. Highschool DXD puts this anime to shame in that area.
As far as the characters go, they could be more memorable. Dark Schneider is the loudmouth protagonist who is also an anti-villain. He is strong, but after a while, the cocky attitude and over-the-top attitude just got old. Thunder Empress Arches Nei was a badass initially but became a damsel in distress. I know you love the main character, but you don’t need his punk ass anymore. All the characters seem to start off as badass and then slowly drift to lesser versions of themselves.
Bastard is one of those anime series with great potential but gets quite dull after a while. It had a repeat flow of a villain showing up, the main character defeats them, and then they join up or perish. The anime lacks in the nudity department and could be better. Take a chance, Netflix. This is an okay anime, but you can find something way better.
