Good news couch potatoes, 2019 is about to get a whole lot more interesting as Netflix has recently announced 17 new and original made-in-Asia shows.
These productions consist of book adaptations, supernatural, science-fiction. They include 9 productions in India, 5 anime series, 2 Thai language originals, and a Chinese-language original from Taiwan. Aside from that, members of the media also got to witness new Asian, Hollywood and international content during Netflix’s “See What’s Next: Asia” event.
“Asia is home to the world’s great creative centres producing some of the most compelling films and series of today. The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world,” said said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix.
“More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad,” he added.
The 5 new anime projects coming to Netflix:
1. “Pacific Rim”
- Plot: “Returning to the epic battle of Kaiju and Jaegers, this original anime series will
expand upon the story of the first 2 live action movies and follow 2 siblings – an idealistic teenage boy and his naïve younger sister – who are forced to pilot an abandoned Jaeger across a hostile landscape in a desperate attempt to find their missing parents.” - Co-showrunners: Craig Kyle (“Thor: Ragnarok”) and Greg Johnson (“X-Men: Evolution”).
- Production Company: Legendary Entertainment
2. “Altered Carbon”
- Plot: “This anime feature, set in the same universe of the Netflix live-action sci-fi
series will explore new elements of the story mythology.” - Writer: Dai Sato (“Cowboy Bebop”, “Samurai Champloo”) and Tsukasa Kondo.
- Animation Studio: Anima
3. “Cagaster of an Insect Cage”
- Plot: “Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious disease ‘Cagaster’ turns people into giant murderous insects, this manga-based series follows the struggle of a young couple to stay alive.”
- Director: Koichi Chigira (Last Exile, Full Metal Panic!).
- Animation Studio: Gonzo
4. “Yasuke”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp6ijn3lBN5/
- Plot: “In a war-torn feudal Japan of mechs and magic, a retired ronin must take up his
sword when he is charged with the task of transporting a mysterious child who dark forces want to eliminate.” - Creator and director: LeSean Thomas
- Voice actor: Lakeith Stanfield (voice of the protagonist “Yasuke”)
- Animation Studio: MAPPA
5. “Trese”
- Plot: “Set in a Manila where the mythical creatures of Philippine folklore live in hiding
amongst humans, Alexandra Trese finds herself going head to head with a criminal
underworld comprised of malevolent supernatural beings.” - Creators: Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldissimo
- Studio: BASE Entertainment (Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson)
Thai Language Originals:
1. “The Stranded (เคว้ง)”
- Plot: “18-year-old Kraam survives a devastating tsunami along with 36 of his fellow students at an elite private high school on a remote island in the Andaman Sea. As mysterious events start happening on the island, it quickly becomes clear that no one
is coming to rescue them and Kraam must lead the students to rescue themselves.” - Director: Sophon Sakdaphisit
2. “Shimmers”
- Plot: “A drama series about five teenagers at an isolated school in Northern Thailand.
Over a school break, they find themselves haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, only to
discover they are threatened by a much more terrifying mystery.” - Director: Wisit Sasanatieng and Sittisiri Mongkolsiri
Chinese Language Originals:
1. “Triad Princess (極道千金)”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp8MZ5qAOVS/
- Plot: “A Taiwanese original series. Growing up in the shadow of her Triad father, Angie craves an independent life of her own. Defying her father’s wishes, she takes on a gig as an undercover bodyguard for a famous actress at an agency, where she must navigate
the unfamiliar world of glitz, glamour and even love.” - Director: Neal Wu
- Cast: Eugenie Liu and Jasper Liu
Indian Original Series:
1. “Rajma Chawal”
- Director: Leena Yadav
- Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Amyra Dastur, Aparshakti Khurana and Anirudh Tanwar
- Release date: 30th November 2018
2. “Selection Day”
- Based on Aravind Adiga’s book.
- Produced by Anil Kapoor Film Company and Seven Stories Ltd.
- Cast: Mohammad Samad, Yash Shashank Dholye, Rajesh Tailang
3. ” Baahubali: Before the Beginning”
Cast: Mrunal Thakur as Sivagami, Rahul Bose as Skandadasa, Atul Kulkarni, Vaquar Shaikh, Jameel Khan, Siddharth Arora and Anup Soni
4. “Leila”
- Based on novel by Prayaag Akbar.
- Produced by Deepa Mehta
- Cast: Huma Qureshi and Siddharth Suryanarayan
5. “Typewriter”
- Plot: The story is based on “a haunted house and a haunted book that stir the imagination of a group of young, wannabe ghost hunters, and a dog, determined to capture the ghost that plagues the notorious home in their neighbourhood in Goa. When a new family and their captivating daughter move into the haunted home, the crew finds it difficult to balance the demands of school and chores with the renewed urgency to capture the neighbourhood ghost before it is too late“.
Viewers can also look forward to 8 new original Indian films including “Chopsticks”, “Bulbul”, “Upstarts”, “Cobalt Blue”, “15th August”, “Music Teacher”, “Hotel Mumbai”, and “Firebrand”.
