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Netflix’s exclusive anime, Brand New Animal, or better known as BNA, shines brightly on the diverse list of anime the streaming site has to offer. Released on June 30th, this twelve-episode urban fantasy anime is sure to grab viewers’ attention with its unique and bright animation style. Studio Trigger is responsible for making BNA look as beautiful as it does, with their previous work including Kill La Kill, Little Witch Academia, and Gurren Lagann. BNA is a short and sweet adventure that is sure to charm viewers with more than just visuals.
A Peek Into Anima City
BNA takes a similar approach to Disney’s Zootopia, but in a more mature anime style. BNA is a story of people who are able to shift into anthropomorphic animals known as Beastmen. Humans shun and are prejudiced towards Beastmen simply because they are seen as a disgrace. Because of this, Beastmen are forced to live in their own city known as Anima City.
Our main protagonist, Michiru Kagemori was a normal high school girl until one day she had transformed into a tanuki Beastman. Since she no longer fits into her old life, she runs away and seeks refuge in Anima City. Michiru runs into a wolf Beastman known as Shirou Ogami who works as a detective for Anima City, both these characters are forced to work together to figure out why Michiru has suddenly turned into a Beastman.
On the surface, this story seems heavily like a plain ‘fish out of water’ trope, but the more you watch it the more depth there is to find. Anima City as a whole is not what Michiru thought it was. Beastmen struggle to get along with one another and have to deal with forms of poverty, violence, and lack of representation within society.
Tricky Tanuki
Michiru is the shining star of BNA, and she easily makes viewers understand and enjoy her character. Her loud and bold personality stands out among the quiet and reserved people in Anima City. While she may seem like a young naive teenager, she really is smarter than the prejudiced adults around her. She definitely feels uncomfortable in her new fur, but her carefree and empathetic attitude helps her learn to understand the struggle of Beastmen.
Even as a human, viewers get flashbacks to how much she cared for her best friend, Nazuna Hiwatashi. Nazuna went missing before Michiru turned into a Beastman, but Michiru still thinks about her and misses her old human life. Her memories with Nazuna are what drives her to try and find a cure to become human again, however, the more time she spends in Anima City, the more she begins to like the Beastman version of herself.
Michiru is in no way a shonen protagonist, but her spunk and sass is something viewers find charming. At one point or another, people experience change that they do not like, but eventually, they grow to like it. In Michiru’s case, her predicament has to deal with a lot of self-acceptance. As an audience, people can admire the powerful message it sends when Michiru learns to accept herself for who she is, a Beastman or not.
Unlikely Duo
Shirou Ogami is an aloof and dramatic character that greatly contrasts to Michiru’s bright and bubbly personality. The two characters clash, especially since Shirou hates humans and wants nothing more to protect Beastmen. Michiru, on the other hand, thinks Shirou is a jerk for not seeing things from a human’s point of view and constantly puts Shirou in his place. The more the two work together, the more they become unlikely friends. Their character dynamic is one of the most interesting parts of the show. The two bounce off one another with their witty dialogue, but they also learn a lot from one another. This yin and yang relationship is very refreshing to see and fun to watch.
Color Pallet
BNA’s colorful palette stands out amongst the wide selection of anime titles Netflix has to offer. Studio Trigger chose a beautiful, cyberpunk like color pallet that entices viewers to take a closer look at Anima City. The animation is very true to Studio Trigger’s art style in the sense that it is colorful but also has its cartoonish and wacky moments. A big part of this art style adds to the specific humor within the show. The choice to have this cyberpunk color pallet allows the characters and settings to really shine and make the viewer appreciate it’s the unique sense of style.
Are You Ready To Go?
If you’re looking for a short and fun ride to watch during quarantine, I highly suggest you binge BNA. Its humor and art style feels like a refreshing change of pace from all the serious issues in the world right now. The show also contains powerful messages about being kind to one another and accepting who you are. The only fault I had with this anime is that it felt way too short.
Since its release, there has been a BNA novel and manga published, so it is possible for Studio Trigger to continue this series. I hope to see more of the colorful cast if Netflix and Studio Trigger do decide to return to Anima City. Even if the series is only a one-off, I think it has a strong amount of rewatch-ability with its more humorous episodes. All in all, I think this anime is one to watch if you are looking for unique art styles or for a quick laugh.
