When Netflix licenses an anime, they usually try to make sure you pay the monthly fee continue to be able watch the show, thus not providing a physical release that lets you watch it until the disk rots. Turns out that one particular Netflix title is an exception to that rule as the ultraviolent Shonen Jump series Bastard! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy is coming to Blu Ray courtesy of Sentai.
The Blu Ray will contain season one (the first 24 episodes). A second season consisting of 15 episodes was released in 2023. If season one does well enough, it is reasonable to follow that season two will follow suit.
As the impolite title of the series implies, this series contains content some viewers may not find suitable. Despite being based on manga released teen manga magazine Shonen Jump, this series contains graphic content and is not for the feint of heart and it was probably this content that led to the manga moving to the edgier adult magazine Ultra Jump. You’ve been warned.
The series can be summarized as “What if Dio’s Holy Diver music video were an anime television series.” This heavy metal music video influenced medieval-esque post apocalyptic fantasy series is set in the land of Meta-Llicana (get the reference?) and is the story of Priestess Tia Noto Yoko and her brother Luche Renlen who have to deal with evil mages and discover that an infamous wizard named Dark Schneider (a reference to Accept lead singer Udo Dirkschneider) is sealed within Renlen’s body. Lots of gory action ensues.
There is still no news on if a season 3 will be released on Netflix, but we will keep you posted on that if there’s an announcement. While not for everyone, this series does have a loyal fanbase and has received critical acclaim from professional review outlets like Anime News Network.