SPRIGGAN Netflix Anime Review
An ancient alien civilization’s relics on Earth hold dangerous powers. The ARCAM corporation’s SPRIGGAN agents must keep them out of the wrong hands.
Enter 17-year-old S-class SPRIGGAN agent Yu Ominae; equipped with his orichalcum gear: a combat knife that can cut through steel like butter, and his muscle suit that both enhances his muscles, and provides him with psychic energy blast powers, essentially turning into a Z fighter.
Netflix’s Spriggan brings us 6, 45-minute action-packed episodes; each a stand-alone mission that gives a brief glimpse into our teen protagonist’s background, and the world these characters inhabit.
Should you watch Netflix’s SPRIGGAN? Short answer; yes, definitely. Just know what you’re getting yourself into.
Watch My SPRIGGAN Video Review with my full analysis below!
Spriggan doesn’t hold any punches in the action and violence. It’s bloody, brutal, and it’s awesome! It’s an action-first series with sci-fi and supernatural elements. Future weapons tech and cyborgs, but also possession, evil spirits, and curses. I sum it up as slightly-cyberpunk Indiana Jones.
David Production, the animation studio that famously works on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure uses a mix of 3D CGI models with 2d animation and for the most part, Spriggan looks amazing with fluid animation.
There were a few times that that 3D modeling stood out to me, looking a little “choppy”, but I really only noticed that in the first episode. I either got used to it or simply didn’t notice it the rest of the season.
I do call this a “season” because the plot of Spriggan is in no way wrapped up after these 6, 45-minute episodes.
Each episode of Spriggan is centered around a specific mission for Yu Ominae, excluding the first episode “Flame Serpent”, which includes 2. The first 7 minutes follow the aptly names “First Mission” arc of the manga, a previously unreleased mission that recounts the origins of Yu’s muscle suit.
Netflix’s adaptation, cuts this bit out, as it thankfully drops the audience fully into fully battle-ready SPRIGGAN Yu Ominae, with no need for an origin story. Other changes include moving the setting to a modern one, which is why we see smartphones and modern technology. The manga is set near the end or slightly after the cold war.
Since these missions are mostly one-off in nature, we only get slivers of world-building and character development for Yu Ominae, and this version of Earth. We see Yu in class, some of his child soldier upbringing, and a few hints that ARCAM may not be exactly as they seem, through interactions with other agents during the episodes.
There’s no major overarching narrative, at least for season 1. Yes, I mentioned there are some slivers, but there’s no end goal that Yu is working towards; episodes don’t end in huge cliffhangers, they wrap up more like short films. It really just feels like we are seeing a day in the life of S-Class SPRIGGAN agent Yu Ominane.
Netflix’s SPRIGGAN gets a solid 4 out of 5.
Overall Spriggan is the total package with great action, animation, soundtrack, and even the dub that would up being pretty good!
I wanted to go 5 out of 5, I really did, but I feel like we didn’t start to get much meat plot-wise until the final 2 episodes.
I really enjoyed what I saw, but Spriggan is definitely an action-forward series. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with that, but I believe fully developed characters, good world-building, and narrative arcs are a must for viewers to generally grab onto a series.
David Production seems to be pretty much clinging to the manga source material, which is why we’re getting a bunch of scenes of Yu in High School and the one-off mission format. I don’t know where the manga goes from here, but I hope Yu the character, and not just the killing machine is further developed, as well as the ARCAM, potentially being the true antagonist plot line.
We just better get more SPRIGGAN! Seriously, that last episode had me craving more.
Check out the dark and weird history of SPRIGGAN’s manga!
