It is a story as old as time. Around the start of every Halloween season, streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Peacock start flooding their audiences with TV shows and movies that are sure to give people the chills, and this year is no different.
For this October and among the many other haunted productions streaming since 2019, Hulu has exclusively released the following entry in the Hellraiser franchise and the premiere of a movie called grimcut, where a simple meme turns into something dangerously real. On the Netflix side of things, a few of the Halloween-centric stories include: The viewer, that’s about a stalker who haunts the life of a couple who just moved to a new neighborhood, and of course, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. In the latter, actor Evan Peters steps into the shoes of the real-life serial killer from the 80s for a 10-episode run. At the same time it’s showing in theaters, Peacock will have exclusive rights to stream the finale to the current one Halloween trilogy, appropriate called Halloween ends.
On the one hand, all this new content is excellent and is sure to terrify fans of the horror category for the entire month. But what ultimately happens in a genre funnel marketing promotion like the one we see in the month of October is that some of these titles that would have no trouble finding a fanbase otherwise either immediately rise to the top or end up sidelined. fall as soon as they are released in favor of more well-known and popular programs. Exception, a new Netflix horror anime released on October 13 seems to be one of those sleepy hits.
Enter exception
Don’t be fooled by the unusual and experimental visual appeal of this anime. While some have turned away from the short series and argued that the style is too reminiscent of ’90s animated films, others have stated that the choice of animation is a complementary mix between Tim Burton and Brendan McCarthy (of Restart fame). By the end of the first episode, everyone could agree that this creative approach complements the general premise of: Exception. The nearly cel-shaded appearance and slowed-down film reel-like movements enhance the show’s isolated consistent setting.
Viewers of the anime are quickly pushed into a universe where the Earth is quickly becoming uninhabitable. Five people are reprinted from their original selves to take a giant ship into space where they will study and eventually start a civilization on a potential planet, X-10. In the story of Exceptionreprints can not only contain memories and emotions of their original selves, but by harnessing the powers of The Womb, a huge intertwined biological printer embodied on the ship, they can make another one of their own if that absolutely is needed.
The mission of procedurally terraforming Planet X-10 begins to unravel quickly. A seemingly harmless solar flare spoils a crew member’s reprinting process, turning him into a half-human, half-beast hybrid. Not only that, but as they deal with the mysterious intentions of the supposed monster, the remaining crew concludes that a traitor is on board.
As you can see, it’s no surprise that on a show like Exception, where the story revolves around human clones who also have the ability to play god not just with themselves but with entire planets, the themes of morality and existence take center stage.
Setting the voltage
Created and written by Japanese short story writer and filmmaker Otsuichi, Exception was first announced by Netflix in June 2021 in conjunction with their annual five-day virtual event called Geeked Week and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. They also helped create many other anime properties, including: Transformers and Robottech adjustments.
The designs of the five crew members were created by Yoshita Amano, who also creatively designed characters for franchises such as Final Fantasy and Speed Racer, which was recently ordered for a live-action series by Apple TV. Successively, every voice actor in this lineup has quite a career; Nolan North, Ali Hillis, Robbie Daymond, Eugene Byrd and Nadine Nicole bring to life the five crew members in this anime, Lewis, Nina, Mack, Oscar and Patty. Among many other accolades, North has been featured in many LEGO DC animated films, Hillis had a concurrent role in Cartoon Network’s regular showDaymond was the iconic Tuxedo Mask in sailor moon, and Byrd recently had acting roles in Disney’s Secret of Sulfur Springs and CW’s All American.
Even Exception lasting only eight episodes and on the surface feels like a small story, there’s so much more to it in the twists and turns of the plot. Towards the end of each episode, this anime seamlessly brings heavy topics to the fore, such as the purpose behind the life and having the lives of others in your hands. Since this show has such a small story but ever-expanding themes to fall back on consistently, it’s no surprise to see that, from the creator to the character designer to the talent, the miniseries has an all-star cast and crew. .
Among the countless blockbuster franchises hacking into October and making their way onto your television screens, don’t forget to check out the underrated Netflix exclusive horror anime, Exception. Nestled among all the tension, this show will also make you wonder what life is really all about.