Bright: Samurai Soul Trailer: Yes, Netflix Made A Bright Anime
2017's "Bright" created plenty of buzz when it released on Netflix amid a huge marketing push and the implied promise that the straight-to-streaming release marked the moment where Netflix became a true competitor to established, conventional studios. That ... didn't work out quite as planned, given that "Bright" only made waves for being one of the most notoriously, ah, misguided films to release that year. But what does a critical savaging mean in the face of viewing numbers? That probably explains why Netflix is doubling down on the property anyway, first with a sequel in the works and now — get this — an anime spin-off set in the same world, titled "Bright: Samurai Soul." Yes, you read that correctly, and we have a new trailer as further proof for those who still might not believe me. Check it out below!
Bright: Samurai Soul Trailer
One of the biggest reasons Netflix greenlit "Bright" in the first place likely had to do with the unique world-building on display, mashing up a straightforward cop drama with heightened fantasy trappings. That foundation would seem to lend itself to future projects with a deeper exploration of orcs and elves mingling with humans, which is what "Samurai Soul" attempts to tap into. Directed by Kyohei Ishiguro and written by Michiko Yokote, the anime film is set in Japan and tells the story of a Ronin, an orc, and their attempt to rescue a young elf girl from darker forces.
In the English dub, "Shang-Chi" star Simu Liu voices the protagonist Izou, a one-eyed wandering samurai. Fred Mancuso is cast as the voice of the orc Raiden and the elf girl Sonya is portrayed by Yuzu Harada. The Japanese cast of the three respective main characters includes Yuki Nomura, Daisuke Hirakawa, and Shion Wakayama.
"Bright: Soul Samurai" releases on Netflix on October 12, 2021. You can read the official synopsis below:
In the time between the fall of the Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji era, a powerful bright light emitted from a wand brings an end to the long Shogunate period to avoid further bloodshed as Japan begins to shift toward a new era. Amid these circumstances, a one-eyed wandering ronin named Izou, who has lost his reason to live, and Raiden, an orc who detests murder and hopes to leave a life of thievery behind, separately meet a young elf girl named Sonya around the same time. Together, they go on a journey along the Tokaido road to bring her and the wand she holds safely to the land of the elves in the north. Standing in their path is the mysterious organization Inferni, which aims to obtain the wand and revive the Dark Lord, who intends to rule all of creation. Inferni also uses the new Meiji government in its attempt to steal the wand from Izou, Raiden and Sonya. Traveling along the Tokaido road from Kyoto to Yokohama, Izou and Raiden begin their journey to protect the wand.