The anime adaptation of the popular Supernatural series comes out this July, but it won’t be shown on television.
Supernatural is in its sixth season, and is continuing to gain popularity for its creative storytelling, and dynamic characters, and while it may seem like the characters die and return one too many times for a good narrative to function, it seems to all tie together well for the fans of the series.
Over the last few seasons, the show has picked in popularity internationally, especially in Japan. That overseas popularity is the inspiration for this adaptation, which has been produced by Warner Home Video Japan and Madhouse animation studio.
Supernatural: The Anime Series is 22 episodes, which cover the story of Sam and Dean Winchester through the first two seasons of the live-action show.
There is no word as to more episodes being produced, but the press release makes it sound as if, for now, this is all that’s planned.
Fortunately, the studio managed to secure Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles (who play Sam and Dean respectively on the television show) as vocal performers. Oddly, the release states that, while Padalecki will be in every episode, Ackles will only be in select episodes.
Whether that means that the character of Dean Winchester will not be in every episode or that a differnt actor will be voicing the character occasionally is unclear, but it’s strange either way.
For viewers that pick-up the DVD or Blu-ray set, Padalecki and Ackles will also make a brief appearance before each episode to give a short introduction to the events. There will also be behind the scenes footage, and interviews with cast and crew, including original series creator Eric Kripke.
From the press release:
“Supernatural: The Anime Series revisits the Winchester brothers’ journey down the backroads of America as they search for clues to their father’s disappearance, hunt down the supernatural in all its unearthly forms, and enter into the unexpected mystery of their destinies.
The Supernatural anime episodes mirror the story arc of the series’ first two seasons, providing supplemental stories ranging from prequels and spin-offs to untold tales that fit within the Supernatural mythology.”
The DVD and Blu-ray sets will be available July 26th. The series will also be available for download and On Demand.
