Anime’s increasing popularity is undeniable, but many people who aren’t too familiar with the animation style don’t realize that it can cover a lot more than adventure stories likeOne PieceandDragon Ball Z. A less common theme tackled in anime ishistorical fiction, but one good representative of the subgenre is coming toNetflixthis summer. This week, the streamer confirmed thatLeviathanis debuting on the platform and announced a release date: the new animepremieres on July 10.
Leviathantakes place in 1914 — a period when political tensions were high asWorld War I was just about to begin. In that setting, Aleksandar (voiced byAyumu Murasein the original Japanese) is a prince who is running away from his duties to ascend to the Austro-Hungarian throne, while Deryn (Natsumi Fujiwara) is a girl who took on the daring task ofdisguising herself as a boyin order to be able to join the British Air Service.The two of them cross pathsinside a living airship, and their lives are changed forever once they embark on a fantastical around-the-world adventure.
Leviathanis produced by Orange, the animation studio that brought to lifehit anime series likeTrigun StampedeandBeastars. The studio works alongside Qubic Pictures, which brought to life titles likeEdenandStar Wars: Visions. The story will mix the high stakes of war with fantasy andsteampunk elementsthat will provide a unique look and feel to the anime series.
Is ‘Leviathan’ Based On A Manga?
Unlike most anime adaptations,Leviathanis not based on a manga series, but rather a trilogy ofbest-selling novelsby authorScott Westerfeld. According tothe author himself, the Netflix series is adapting the whole trilogy at once. Westerfeld also revealed that he was “very” involved in the production, with his input taken into consideration at every step of the way. The author told fans that theLeviathanis “mostly super faithful” to the source material and “really cool when it varies from the books.”
Leviathanis directed byCristophe Ferreira, who worked in the animation department of titles likePersepolisandFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Additionally,Studio GhiblicomposerJoe Hisaishi(Spirited Away,Castle in the Sky) contributed to the soundtrack by composing an original song. Westerfeld also revealed that the novels' illustratorKeith Thompsonwas brought onto the animation team at the start of production in order tokeep a visual consistencywith what fans expect from theanime series.
Netflix premieresLeviathanon July 10. you may check out the trailer above.
