"Thunderbolt Fantasy", volume 1. It's unlike any anime series you might have seen before, and it's great.
It's unlike anything else, unless you are from Taiwan, where this type of puppetry art form is well known and instantly recognizable. Just the nostalgic value of these puppet shows is enough to get me to preorder volume 1 without having seen any broadcasted episodes at all. And I was very pleased -- it had all the fluid motions and fast paced action scenes that made this art special, plus modern embellishments such as CG effects and more dynamic camera movements. Despite all the glorious new visuals, they still kept the poetic over-the-top character introductions narrated in Taiwanese. It was everything I expected, and more.
Other than the puppet bits, the rest of the production staff and cast are the usual names found in the anime scene. In particular, Urobuchi Gen is credited as the scriptwriter and original concept, so there might be an interesting but tragic story ahead. Though mostly I think he deserves credit just for making this collaboration happen at all, and in bringing this art to a wider audience. The staff definitely has shown great respect in the long traditions that went into puppetry, and the resulting work feels familiar yet fresh.
After missing these puppet shows for decades, I am so glad that this series is being made today.
http://www.thunderboltfantasy.com/
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