What is Onimusha about? New Netflix anime explained
NetflixNetflix’s adaptation of Capcom’s popular video game, Onimusha, is the streaming platform’s latest hit – here’s what it’s about and if it’s worth watching.
2023 is officially the year that Netflix became one of the biggest anime streaming platforms in the world. With its impressive catalog and regular release of new original series, let’s take a look at the platform’s latest hit: Onimusha.
Based on Capcom’s survival action video game series of the same name, it’s no wonder that Onimusha has already become a fan favorite since its November 2 release date.
So, here is everything we know about Onimusha – including its cast, crew and fan response.
What’s Onimusha about?
Co-directed by legendary directors Shinya Sugai, known for Dragon’s Dogma (2020) and 13 Assassin’s Takashi Miike, the eight-episode series is set in the early Edo period in Japan and focuses on the legendary samurai figure of Miyamoto Musashi (voiced by Akio Ôtsuka) as he embarks on an epic covert mission.
But what’s his mission? According to Netflix’s official synopsis, with a demonic weapon in hand, legendary swordsman and samurai Miyamoto Musashi struggles to defeat a bloodthirsty zombie uprising. So, it’s safe to say that it’s a historical series, with a supernatural twist.
Staying faithful to the premise of Capcom’s original Onimusha series, which made its debut in 2001 and served as the inspiration for the 2006 Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams CG film, the anime sets itself in the Sengoku period with additional supernatural elements.
Koji Endo, renowned for his work on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, is the series’ music composer, while Shochiku, recognized for their role in Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, is credited for providing historical supervision. This ensures the anime maintains an authentic historical atmosphere, that has already delighted fans across the world.
Is Onimusha worth watching?
A few days have passed since Onimusha’s Netflix debut, and it’s started to make waves on Twitter and Rotten Tomatoes, with an 86% audience score.
Rated as a 6.5/10 by Kate Sánchez from But Why Tho? A Geek Community, she says: “Onimusha is an anime that offers a stellar narrative down a well-trodden path with only odd animation choices, keeping back parts of the series that aren’t action-forwards.”
Fairing slightly better with Slant Magazine, critic Niv M. Sultan gave the series a 3/4. In his review he said that “beneath the show’s slick, ferocious action lies a surprisingly touching emotional core.”
And what about Twitter?
Fans took a bit of time to catch on, possibly due to the continuous influx of new Netflix shows. However, they’ve now begun to share their excitement for this series, with many highlighting the impressive fight scenes and animation.
Netflix’s Onimusha Cast
The cast of Onimusha features award-winning, veteran voice actor Akio Otsuka, known for Ghost in the Shell, as the main protagonist Musashi Miyamoto. As well as Attack on Titan’s Aya Yamane and JoJo’s Bizarre Aventure’s Kazuyuki Okitsu.
The rest of the Japanese cast are as follows:
- Akio Ôtsuka as Musashi Miyamoto
- Aya Yamane as Sayo
- Hôchû Ôtsuka as Kensuke Matsui
- Daiki Yamashita as Sahei
- Subaru Kimura as Goro-Maru
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Heikuro
- Kazuyuki Okitsu as Kaizen
- Makoto Furukawa as Gensai
The English version of the cast, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s Alain Mesa, is as follows:
- Alain Mesa as Musashi Miyamoto
- Chris Hackney as Kaizen
- Christopher Swindle as Gorō-Maru
- Greg Chun as Kojirō Sasaki
- Kirk Thornton as Kensuke Matsui
- Kyle McCarley as Gensai
- Matthew Yang King as Heikurō
- Sarah Williams as Sayo
- Yuri Lowenthal as Sahei
- Christopher Swindle as Onibi
- Dave B. Mitchell – Unsho, Yoshioka Seijuro
So there you have it, that’s everything we know so far about Netflix’s new original series Onimusha. Although there are rumors that a new videogame could be in the works, currently no details have been leaked.
Stay tuned, because we will be updating this page with new information as soon as its released. But in the meantime, check out Onimusha which is streaming exclusively on Netflix today.
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