As a way of demonstrating their prowess, an invading presence quickly turns all of Earth into an enormous third-world country. In what can only be imagined as a chaotic fever dream of dog lovers, many different breeds of human-canine hybrids continuously face off against giant rat rebels in brutal and ghastly wars.
Humans are subjugated and become nothing more than expendable troops and eventually measly regarded as a form of grilled chicken. Crafting all of this into somewhat of an Orwellian space opera, Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune is a six-episode Netflix adaptation of a novel originally released by Japanese author Carlo Zen in the summer of 2017.
This newly released action-oriented anime follows a team of five young adults who have all been recruited by the innermost branches of the Pan-Star System Trade Federation Security Council in order to help in the fight against the Barkans, a race of intelligent mice who have grown tired of the Trade Federation’s presence and is resisting their general command.
Mutated Animals, Measly Humans, and Cybernetic Weaponry
Showing a surprising amount of violent deaths during wartime and catastrophic destruction, which results in some chilling moments of emotional trauma, the audience watches as the characters of Akira Ihotsu, Tyrone Baxter, Erland Martonen, Zihan Yang and Amalia Schulz react to the physical and political travesties which take place in a raw and gritty landscape. The almost cel-shaded but very detailed and digital animation style presented within Yakitori is highly beneficial when dealing with such a topic as unrefined warfare.
While each episode ranges from only thirty minutes to almost one hour, this is more than enough time to learn all about the complicated dynamics behind our main cast of soldiers.
From being frustrated with one another in simulated military exercises to having to activate some pretty drastic measures when their backs are up against the wall later on in a dangerous actual battle, the best part of Yakitori is the underlying message it conveys to the audience. The stories behind the numerous cities and the livelihoods behind all the foot soldiers and civilians don’t actually matter.
No matter what motivates them to keep fighting, everything they have ever loved can be gone in just a split second. The ones who arrange these battalions, which they look at as chess pieces and nothing more, are programmed and trained to not have consideration, only control. By the time the sixth episode finishes and the credits start appearing on the screen, you’ll be left wondering who the good guy really is.
A Vibrant Cast and Ambitious Crew Behind Yakitori
Before diving into the deep themes of Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune, let’s look at the cast and crew. The various names who voiced Akira, Tyrone, Erland, Zihan, and Amalia for the American dub include Stephen Fu, Frankie Kevich, Zeno Robinson, Cherami Leigh, and Alejandro Saab, respectively.
While Mr. Fu has worked on voice-overs for live-action anime adaptations of Fullmetal Alchemist and Rurouni Kenshin, Ms. Kevich was mostly involved with American animated features such as the multiple iterations of L.O.L and Rainbow High. Mr. Robinson not only recently brought his talent to the recently released Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War but also to the 2021 reboot of Shaman King.
Beginning to act at the age of only six, Ms. Leigh is close to being a dubbing legend at this point, being featured in some astounding anime classics like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Crayon Shin-Chan. Rounding out our main cast, while Mr. Saab also has a very long and impressive list of Japanese animation that he has lent his voice to, he also interestingly brings life to characters within the Nickelodeon children’s show, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. As anyone can see, these names are all perfectly suited for this hard-hitting and raw anime that mixes furry animals with fearsome power.
Collaborating with Mr. Zen to bring Yakitori to life on the small screen, a Japanese animation studio named Arect has much experience in the field, which makes this new anime a worthwhile watch. Not only helping to create the final season of Attack on Titan, which began in 2020 as well as the 3d continuation of Ghost In The Shell, the company has also co-produced an award-winning animated short film in 2021 called Kaiju Decode which takes advantage of the unique perspectives that virtual reality has to offer.
While showing off their wild ambitions, Erect also proves that they are serious about their work by building enduring relationships with massively popular titles in the world of anime.
With many details of the miniseries fleshed out and Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune being available to stream since Mar. 18, this show not only packs a punch with its raw depictions of the do-or-die mentalities that lay strewn on the battlefield but also shows the harsh realities surrounding the legal consequences of war crimes. This is an anime series you do not want to miss if you are a fan of dystopian science fiction stories.