Written by Daryn Kirscht
The new Netflix anime series, Blood of Zeus, from showrunners Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides (Immortals), is a game-changer.
The violent, fantasy anime series stars Derek Phillips (Friday Night Lights), Jessica Henwick (Marvel’s Iron Fist), Jason O’Mara (Batman: Hush), and Elias Toufexis (The Expanse), and follows the character of Heron, a commoner living in ancient Greece who discovers he is the son of Zeus and must save the world from a demonic army.
The first thing that stands out the most about Blood of Zeus are the visuals. The director of all eight episodes, Shaunt Nigoghossian, has an extensive history as a storyboard artist on other acclaimed animated shows like Teen Titans, Justice League Unlimited, and Danny Phantom, in addition to working on Batman: The Killing Joke, Transformers Prime, and Justice League Action. That history in the genre is on full display in here. Every shot is gorgeously crafted and visually striking. The show embraces the dark and violent nature to its fullest extent. The color palette is utilized tremendously well and feels fresh despite the detail in the animation itself feeling slightly dated – likely an artistic choice.
The writers of the series, Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, also deserve recognition for their incredibly nuanced, character-driven approach. Every episode feels like turning the page in a book filled with Greek mythology folklore. There is a lot of exposition and flashbacks to explain past events, but it is done in a natural way that progresses the flow of the story. The most impressive aspect is how every single character is three-dimensional and has an arc. Nobody is perfect and everyone is given an opportunity to reveal their strengths, weaknesses, and motivation. There are moments of intense action with softer, heartfelt character beats in between.
The epic, Joseph Campbellian “hero’s journey” style of storytelling featured in Blood of Zeus captivates the viewer and embraces the Netflix binge urge by leaving enticing cliffhangers at the end of every episode. The music composed by Paul Edward-Francis (Howl) also succeeds in bringing the epic feel of the series to life.
All of these elements come together to help make Blood of Zeus another strong entry into Netflix’s rapidly growing anime catalogue which also features such gems as Violet Evergarden and Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, makes a strong statement for high quality content both in the present and moving forward.
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