The staff for Netflix’s remake of Bastard- Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy anime confirmed the release date for the second part. The anime’s first part consisted of the first 13 episodes. With this, it debuted on June 30th on Netflix. Hagiwara first launched the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1988. Since then, Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy has had a history of irregular serialization. Later, Ultra Jump then featured the manga in 2001. Shueisha published the manga’s 27th compiled volume in March 2012, with the series finally reaching over 30 million circulating copies. Bastard is considered one of Shueisha’s best-selling manga series of all time despite its irregularity.
Viz Media has since released the manga in English but stopped after its 19th volume. The manga inspired a six-episode anime that ran from 1992-1993. Geneon Entertainment (now known as Pioneer) released the anime on DVD. One thing to note about the series is that it is filled with many heavy metal and rock references. These references range from character names to powers and weapons to structures and cities. Kazushi Hagiwara noted that he also drew heavy inspiration from Dungeon and Dragons when creating Bastard.
The “Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy” Anime Makes a Comeback
Bastard- Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy is a hyper-violent story that follows the protagonist Dark Schneider. He is an egotistical wizard who once tried to conquer the world. Now, he is revived in order to protect the Kingdom of Metallicana from the Four Lords of Havoc. However, he is now reincarnated in the body of a 14-year-old named Luche Renren. Currently, Linden Films (Tokyo Revengers) is currently animating the Netflix reboot.
The anime’s second part, consisting of episodes 14-24, will premiere on September 15th. Bastard- Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy is available to stream on Netflix in the original Japanese and English dub. The second part of the anime will also be on Netflix.