Netflix Action Anime Combines Cartels And Zombies With Martial Arts
Netflix continues its trends of creating anime-based adaptations, original anime content, and exploration of different cultures with its content—and honestly, the viewership couldn’t be more thankful. On the anime side of things, despite pushing to adapt some of the most beloved manga, Netflix doesn’t shy away from original content, and today, we’d like to mention Seis Manos, a blend of Mexican Culture and Chinese martial arts that works surprisingly well, especially if you’re a fan of ‘70s exploitation cinema.
Seis Manos Is An Original Concept
Unlike most anime throughout the history of the medium, Seis Manos isn’t actually based on any kind of manga content; instead, it’s an original adult television series created by Brad Graeber and Álvaro Rodríguez, co-produced by Viz Productions and Powerhouse Animation Studios, which dubbed and distributed Naruto, Bleach, and Inuyasha in North America. Admittedly, neither of these companies has previously ventured into original content, but their risky step forward paid handsomely, and Seis Manos, in all its glory, is the result.
The Idiosyncratic Dream Team
Seis Manos follows the story of three now-adult orphans—named Isabela, Jesus, and Silencio—who were trained by an old Chinese Daoist named Chiu in the ways of martial arts. Of course, the three are incredibly different from one another; Isabela is a resourceful leader of the team, Jesus is a fun-loving brawler, and Silencio is an aggressive warrior. The teammates live their lives in happiness and peace until, one day, a monster kills Chiu, sending the trio down the path of vengeance.
A Nuanced Story With So Much Action And Violence
But Seis Manos isn’t just a classic tale of vengeance in which martial artists take on forces seemingly greater than themselves. The Mexican cartel is also involved in Chiu’s death, so our protagonists have to work with the local police, but also with an American DEA agent and a policewoman, to bring down the drug lord responsible for their master’s death.
Needless to say, the narrative is set against a backdrop of of bullets and flying fists, demon possessions, and a severe amount of dismemberment—you know, all the good stuff you’d find in all the similar anime, like Black Dynamite and Fist of the North Star.
Entertaining Exploitation Of The Highest Order
This also means that Seis Manos has all the strong points and flaws of the aforementioned anime, but anyone who watched them will tell you that their flaws add to the overall charm of the content. So, if you really like the exploitation genre of the ’70s, you’re going to love Seis Manos—if for nothing else, then for its entertainment value, and we mean MASSIVE entertainment value.
It’s not plot-heavy as some other anime—like NieR: Automata Ver1.1a, where you can’t even blink, lest you miss something—so you can watch it without worrying over details.
Streaming Seis Manos On Netflix
All in all, Seis Manos is a fantastic anime whose story is exaggerated by its very nature. That doesn’t mean that the story is poorly written; quite the contrary, Seis Manos is actually an excellent piece of content, and its 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes attests to the fact. For those interested in watching Seis Manos, the anime is currently streaming on Netflix.
