Discover five essential series of Japanese animation, having managed the feat of agreeing both the public and the critics!
With a sufficiently rich catalog to satisfy all segments of Japanese animation fans, Netflix also has the particularity of offering several series reaching a perfect score of 100% on the reference site Rotten Tomatoes (total obtained according to the average ratings given by American critics to each of these series).
Whether you are looking for a new series to discover on the platform, or simply want to (re)discover one of the many animation classics offered on Netflix, find below five animated series to have received a perfect score from our colleagues across the Atlantic!
TRIGON
mad house
Nugget of the 90s, Trigun is a cross between the spaghetti western and the twilight apocalyptic story. In a future marked by the conquest of a new planet following the depletion of the Earth’s natural resources, two bounty hunters embark on the footsteps of the bloodthirsty Vash the Stampede, nicknamed “the humanoid typhoon”. But the latter’s blundering and unserious personality does not match the image we have of such a killer…
Halfway between Sergio Corbucci’s Django and the Mad Max universe, Trigun is a series that manages to create suspense through adventures full of action, but also humor. Composed of 26 episodes, the anime gains in seriousness over the course of the story, as the past of the mysterious Vash the Stampede is gradually revealed to us.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
Gainax
A visionary retelling of mecha series, Neon Genesis Evangelion has been one of the main game changer Japanese animation during the 90s. This creation by Hideaki Anno (Nadia, the secret of blue water) paints the portrait of young characters responsible for piloting giant robots to face the Angels, gigantic creatures that threaten our planet . To the immense pressure that rests on their shoulders are added many inner questions.
Monument of Japanese animation, Neon Genesis Evangelion was followed by several films, two of which are available on Netflix: Death & Rebirth, a summary of the series with unpublished passages, and The End of Evangelion, which completely revisits the original end from anime.
COWBOY BEBOP
Sunrise Inc.
Everyone remembers the industrial disaster that was Netflix’s live-action series, canceled after its first season. But isn’t this the perfect opportunity to (re)see the jewel that is the original Cowboy Bebop series, signed Shinichiro Watanabe? Originally conceived as a simple commission by toymaker Bandai, Cowboy Bebop follows the adventures of bounty hunters in the melancholy, twilight universe of a dystopian future.
Composed of barely 26 episodes, Cowboy Bebop is a real gem of humor and darkness, accompanied by an anthology soundtrack by Yōko Kanno and his group, The Seatbelts. If you like thrilling adventures with heroes with complex personalities, this anime is definitely for you!
MY HERO ACADEMIA
bones
The hottest schoolyard anime, My Hero Academia is considered by many to be Japanese studios’ answer to Marvel and DC Comics productions. Right, because the series is obviously greatly inspired by the stories of American superheroes, starting with its hero Deku, a sort of Peter Parker also confronted with the adage “With great power comes great responsibility”.
But also wrongly, as My Hero Academia very quickly takes an original and unprecedented turn, in particular by digging into the personality of its villains, tortured villains whose past is explored during exciting flashbacks. A very good example of a series that continues to improve over the course of the episodes, My Hero Academia also benefits from high quality animation and an extraordinary soundtrack.
GREAT PRETENDER
Wit Studios
Broadcast internationally exclusively on Netflix, Great Pretender is a fast-paced anime of 23 episodes, following the rivalry of two crooks: the Japanese Makoto Edamura and the French Laurent Thierry, ersatz of Arsène Lupin. Surrounded by colorful allies, these two characters will take us on adventures full of surprises and unexpected turnarounds!
Launched on Netflix in September 2020, Great Pretender benefits from beautiful animation, produced by the Wit studio, to whom we owe the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. The comparison between the two series nevertheless stops there, Great Pretender standing out with a more uninhibited and playful tone, and a most delightful pop soundtrack (including the hit by Freddie Mercury “The Great Pretender” as the end credits song).