The Anime Series On Netflix That’s A Forgotten Hidden Gem
With the popularity of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s beloved anime, One Piece, audiences may be looking for more productions from the genre to dig their teeth into. While it isn’t a live-action series, the streamer is home to one of the most looked-over titles in the genre. First arriving on the platform in 2017, you can still check out the entirety of the Fate/Apocrypha series now.
Fate/Apocrypha, available on Netflix, is the companion series to Fate/Stay Night, which isn’t available to stream.
Based on the anime novel series of the same name, written by Yūichirō Higashide with illustrations by Ototsugu Konoe, Fate/Apocrypha introduces audiences to a world parallel to that of Fate/Stay Night. In the story, the Holy Grail is found during the Third Holy Grail War and whisked away to safety in Romania following the bloody battles. But, all is still not peaceful as a war breaks out between the Red and Black factions.
Bringing both factions together are the seven masters, with the Black faction made up of mages from the Romanian Yggdmillenia magi family while those in the Red faction are magi on a mission passed down from the Clock Tower to secure the Holy Grail from the Yggdmillenia. Fate/Apocrypha sees the two factions clash in an attempt to regain control of the Holy Grail.
Incorporating historical characters and locations, Fate/Apocrypha works in the Holy Grail, Joan of Arc, Chiron, and even Frankenstein’s Monster.
Directed by Yoshiyuki Asai, anime fans will recognize the filmmaker’s vision from previous productions, including Charlotte, Banner of the Stars, Angel Beats, The Day I Become a God, and, most recently, Buddy Daddies. A production of A-1 Pictures, Fate/Apocrypha first premiered on Tokyo MX with a runtime of 25 episodes. From there, it took over Netflix in Japan before making its United States debut via Netflix later that year.
On IMDb, Fate/Apocrypha shares a batch of mixed reviews from audiences. Some love the anime, boosting their beliefs that it should have more of a following, while others still aren’t sold on the storyline and necessity of an alternate story running alongside Fate/Stay Night. On Rotten Tomatoes, the anime series has an audience score of 89 percent, showing that many longtime fans of the genre side with the idea that the 25 episodes are a must-see for anyone even remotely interested.
A one-stop shop for all things anime, Fate/Apocrypha is hardly the only title to catch this weekend on Netflix. Audiences can also get a fuller picture of the universe as Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks, a remake of the original anime series, is available on Hulu. Other Netflix anime productions include Baki Hanma, Record of Ragnarok, The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato, and Castlevania.
Fate/Apocrypha may have received mixed reviews, but fans enjoy it, giving it an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stepping out of the world of classic anime as seen in Fate/Apocrypha, Netflix tried its hand at a new telling of the genre with the recently released One Piece. An instant favorite among fans, the series takes its story from the manga series by Eiichiro Oda and puts a vibrant and live-action spin on the story of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail around the world in search of the sought-after treasure known as “One Piece”. The series sees critically acclaimed performances from the likes of Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar, Jeff Ward, Morgan Davies, and Vincent Regan.
With both those who have been longtime fans of anime and others just getting their bearings with One Piece, the series has already raked in incredible numbers of viewers over the last few weeks that it’s been on Netflix. While the streamer hasn’t announced plans to turn other animes like Fate/Apocrypha into live-action productions, there’s a good chance that with the success of One Piece other similar projects will go underway. For now, you can immerse yourself in the excitement of the battle of the Holy Grail by checking out Fate/Apocrypha now on Netflix.
