I'm a sucker for a unique animation style. Sure, I have my favorite styles too, but every now and then one will stand out that I am not expecting. Netflix has always been pretty good about surprising me in that regard, and it happened again today with a new limited series that will be coming soon.
ONI: Thunder God's Tale comes from showrunner Dice Tsutsumi and Tonko House Inc. animation studio. The four episode limited series bring a unique spin, at least in my eyes, to CG animation. See for yourself in this first teaser:
It's not just the style itself, but the imagery and character designs really help sell the tale for me. The cast list is pretty impressive, as well. It includes Momona Tamada, Archie Yates, Craig Robinson, Tantoo Cardinal, Brittany Ishibashi, Omar Miller, Anna Akana, Charlet Takahashi Chung, Miyuki Sawashiro, Yuki Matsuzaki, Seth Carr, Robert Kondo and George Takei. Tsutsumi will also serve as executive producer along with Robert Kondo and Kane Lee. Sara K. Sampson and Megan Bartel also join in as co-executive producers. The series is written by Mari Okada.
So, what's it about? Here is the early synopsis from Netflix: "In a world filled with the oddball gods and monsters of Japanese mythology, one of the creature’s free-spirited daughters, Onari, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of lore, but her unique powers are yet to be revealed. Does she have what it takes to fight to protect her peaceful village from the encroaching threat of the gods' mysterious enemies, the Oni'?"
Tsutsumi added, "The story of a brave girl caught between two worlds divided is, at its core, not only a very personal story for me, but one that’s become personal for everyone involved including our absolute dream cast. Every one of these incredible talents from our dream list accepted with such passion and empathy for the story, and collaborating with them has been equally humbling and inspiring. They've given souls to our characters and unparalleled performances for our animators."
If you're ready to add this to your list, you can go to http://www.netflix.com/onithundergodstale. There is no release date yet, but keep checking back for that and for a full trailer.
Photo Credit: Netflix/Tonko House Inc.