Crunchyroll signed a deal with couple Idris and Sabrina Elba to produce a new fantasy anime, titled “Dantai.” The series will be produced through Idris’ Green Door Pictures and Sabrina’s Pink Towel Pictures.
Joanne Waage, current GM for Crunchyroll, states that people of the younger generations have “superhero fatigue,” which is why the main focus of “Dantai” will be its Afro-futuristic sci-fi setting.
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According to Crunchyroll, “Dantai” takes place in a city “where the rise of biotechnology has created an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots.” (Variety) The story will explore topics of societal corruptness and equality through the two protagonists, who are from the opposing sides of the city.
For starters, I’m not entirely sure where Waage got this “superhero fatigue” from. The only popular superhero-esque anime that comes to mind at the moment is My Hero Academia. It may be possible that Waage is referencing shonen anime, since they do have some kind of superhero style story-telling. However, I haven’t heard any anime fans talk about being tired of this kind of genre. In fact, it’s opposite.
Recent anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen remain popular despite having some of these superhero/shonen elements. Additionally, non-superhero anime, such as Attack on Titan, are extremely popular as well. There really isn’t a huge influx of superhero anime and anime fans know that there’s more to the industry than just shonen.
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Or perhaps Waage is trying to take an opinion about Hollywood cinema and apply it to the anime industry? Not sure if this is entirely applicable.
I’m a bit hesitant about “Dantai.” It’s not because of the premise or genres. It’s because of Crunchyroll’s past failure with EX-ARM. EX-ARM was directed by someone who has never dabbled in animation EVER, which is super obvious with the anime’s low-quality production. This isn’t to say that I won’t give “Dantai” a chance, but EX-ARM is the reason why I’m not too pumped about watching a new anime produced by people who have never produced anime before.
However, Crunchyroll hasn’t revealed if “Dantai” will also be produced by an actual animation studio, I’m just assuming that it will be solely by Idris’ Green Door Pictures and Sabrina’s Pink Towel Pictures. With the assumption that it will be produced by the Elba’s respective companies, we can only hope that they’ll sign on an experienced animation studio to help them with the series.
What are your thoughts on “Dantai”? Do you think it’ll be well produced, or become another EX-ARM?
Source: Variety
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Gabriella is a 21-year-old writer and artist from Texas and currently goes to university in New York. Her favorite anime shows include Mob Psycho 100, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, and Kill la Kill. In her free time, Gabriella likes to watch anime, read manga, and play the newest games on her Nintendo Switch.
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