While fans are still waiting to see what Disney does with the X-Men after recovering the rights to the characters, Netflix is busy bringing audiences some classic X-Men content. Back in 2010, anime was beginning to inch closer and closer into the eyes of casual audiences, and Marvel Entertainment wanted to capitalize on the genre. Collaborating with Studio Madhouse, now known forOne Punch ManandHunter x Hunter, the two partners worked on four new anime projects set in the Marvel universe, two of whichare now getting a fresh release on Netflix.
While the collaboration also produced anime takes onIron Man, X-Men, andBlade, one of the more ambitious projects was a series focused onWolverine, easily the most recognizable and beloved character from theX-Menroster. Netflix has a brief synopsis available: “Logan, aka mutant X-Man Wolverine, is on a quest to reclaim the love of his life – whose crime lord father is planning an arranged marriage for her.“While the series had pretty rough reviewswhen it first came out, it may find a better home on Netflix where it can be enjoyed with a slightly more generous perspective due to the lower barrier to entry.
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TheX-Menseries is also coming to Netflix with a similarly short description: “A year after their dissolution, the X-Men are re-assembled by Professor Charles Xavier to investigate the kidnapping of young mutants in Japan.” It also had some harsh reviews, but was overall rated better than theWolverineadaptation. Regardless of whether or not these shows are all time classics, though, it’s nice to see them finally be made available after a long period of being absent from any kind of streaming release. Hardcore fans will likely appreciate getting to see alternate interpretations of their favorite characters, while casual audiences can enjoy it for the simple curiosity factor of seeing familiar characters in a more obscure piece of media.
Curiously, Netflix is listing both releases as “Season 1,” despite the fact that neither show ever continued after their initial debut. Regardless, this likely isn’t a sign of either series getting revived, given the lackluster reviews and the fact thatDisney is no doubt already spinning up its wheelson bringing the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While fans wait for that however, they may enjoy looking back on what the Marvel universe was like before the MCU truly rose up to dominate the media landscape.
