Picture: Netflix
Netflix gave a season 2 renewal order in January 2023 to the hit anime series BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- which will return for 15 new episodes in late July 2023. Here’s what you need to know.
Directed by Takaharu Ozaki, the Japanese anime series (which holds a 6.7 on IMDb) is about what happens when evil forces threaten to resurrect Anthrasax, the God of Destruction, the Kingdom of Meta-llicana calls on a volatile dark wizard for help.
The series is produced for Netflix by Warner Bros. Japan Anime. Season 1 touched down on Netflix globally on June 30th, 2022.
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Following its first season released on Netflix on June 30th, 2022, it spent two weeks in the top global 10s picking up 18.28 million hours between June 26th and July 10th.
Here’s how its hourly figures break down:
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26th, 2022 to July 3rd, 2022 | 8,960,000 | 8 | 1 |
| July 3rd, 2022 to July 10th, 2022 | 9,320,000 (+4%) | 8 | 2 |
Per our data, it was the sixth most popular anime series in the top 10s in 2022, with Hunter x Hunter ultimately topping the list.
BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- will return for 15 episodes in July 2023
On January 9th, 2023 as part of a live stream found on Netflix’s anime channel, the creator of the series, producers, and voice actors announced that the series would be returning for new episodes:
“As people from our generation who are fans of the original manga, we know there’s much more, and that it only gets better. I was over the moon to hear that the anime will be continuing.”
We’ve since learned season 2 of BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- is set to release on Netflix globally on July 31st, 2023.
What is the second season adapting? The additional episodes will cover volumes 8 to 12 of the manga, which leads up to Hell’s Requiem.
Netflix has also provided an expanded synopsis for the second season:
“The Dark Rebel Army, which plans to resurrect the god of destruction Anthrasax, continues to expand its power in a bid to rule the world, led by the overwhelmingly powerful Four Divine Kings. The Kingdom of Metallicana on the Central Metallion Continent is assaulted by the sorcerer-led Dark Rebel Army. In order to save the kingdom, Tia Noto Yoko, daughter of the Great Priest, has a decision to make — she must resurrect the ancient great wizard who once plotted to rule the world, and who is sealed within her childhood friend Lucien Renren. The only thing that can undo the seal is a virgin’s maiden kiss. Facing imminent danger, Yoko puts her lips on Lucien’s, and in that moment, a dark and powerful energy fills the air.”
Picture: Netflix Anime Livestream
In the aforementioned live stream (embedded below), producer Tsuruoka told us more about Hell’s Requiem in the live stream, saying, “The story goes well beyond the story depicted in the additional episodes,” adding, “This storyline was the most popular in the manga actually. A lot of new characters make an appearance, and we also get to see the fateful showdown between Dark Schneider and Kall-Su. In order to deliver every detail of this part of the story, Hell’s Requiem will consist of 15 episodes.”
Speaking about how far along the series is in production, Tsuruoka said, “Production actually started a while back, so we’ve recorded a lot of it already.”
The main staff members will continue to work on the series, and all the cast members returning.
The full live stream can be seen below, which kicks off with a quiz before diving into the news of the second season order.