In an announcement I personally never could have predicted, the 2001 PlayStation 2 Capcom video game Onimusha: Warlords (and subsequent sequels) is getting an anime adaption for Netflix. The reveal is surprising for a number of reasons. The franchise is not one that is particularly well-known or currently popular. Also, the anime seems to have little to do with the original game. Protagonist Samanosuke Akechi does not make an appearance in the trailer. But, like Samanosuke, who was modeled after Japanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi,the anime’s protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, is modeled after the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. Coincidentally, Onimusha 2’s protagonist, Jubei Yagyu, was modeled after Japanese actor Yūsaku Matsuda, who had also passed away well before the game released. It’s an odd throughline for the series but is a key element.
The other surprise for the adaptation is it is being co-directed by Takashi Miike. Miike is known for films like Ichi The Killer and Audition, but he also has another big Capcom franchise under his directorial belt with Ace Attorney, a film adaption of the Phoenix Wright games.
I played Onimusha for the first time in earnest when it released on Switch and enjoyed revisiting it and finally beating it. You can find more of my thoughts on that topic here.
The anime premieres November 2 on Netflix.
