Netflix has had an impressive run in the realm of animation, especially with video game adaptations. The genre has had a mainstream curse when it came to live-action/theatrical adaptations, and animation might have finally been revealed as the key to doing the source material justice.
Even outside of gaming, however, there is a solid variety of animated originals by the streamer across several different franchises. There's more surely to come in the coming years, but the catalog available now should be plenty to hold fans over and keep them excited for the future.
Arcane
The recently-released Arcane is one of 2021's biggest animated surprises, as it received resounding critical acclaim despite seemingly minimal promotion for it. Arcane is based on characters from the MOBA game League of Legends, but part of its acclaim came from how seamlessly fans of the video game and complete newcomers could get immersed in the world.
It's set in a fantasy-steampunk universe stacked with dense worldbuilding, emotional character drama, immaculate art style, animation, as well as loaded with an impressive voice cast that included Hailee Steinfeld. This show further proves both animation's viability and gaming adaptations within them, and it even cemented itself as one of Netflix's best TV series from 2021.
Castlevania
Often cited as the first great gaming adaptation, Castlevania debuted to critical praise in 2017 and maintained that reception across four seasons. The series takes inspiration from some of the franchise's best games, including Curse of Darkness and Symphony of the Night. It follows Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard as they set out to kill the vengeful Dracula, but the story expertly expands into different plotlines and characters as seasons go on.
Powerhouse Animation and the cast's work throughout were top-notch for the characters and the irresistibly gothic dark-fantasy world it's set in. Castlevania's fourth season ended things in great fashion overall, and it's already set to have a sequel series as reported by Deadline.
Blood Of Zeus
Also produced by Powerhouse Animation, Blood of Zeus takes things over to a Greek mythological setting. The story revolves around an original character created for the show, Heron, who is the demigod son of Zeus trying to defend both Olympus and Earth.
It may not have received the same high-profile reaction of other Netflix animated originals, but it still earned a strong critical reception and a renewal for a second season. Highlights for Blood of Zeus were for Powerhouse's top-tier anime-inspired art style and animation, along with the striking imagery blended with it to fit the Greek setting.
Dota: Dragon's Blood
South Korean animation studio Studio Mir has been a notable name in the animation medium, as some of their well-received projects include The Legend of Korra. As part of Netflix's endeavor to capitalize on video game IPs, the studio was behind Dota: Dragon's Blood, which recently had its second season release. Dota: Dragon's Blood has a strong cast all around, and also featured some big names in voice acting in the form of Yuri Lowenthal and Troy Baker.
The story revolves around the Dragon Knight Davion getting his soul merged with a Great Dragon and going on a quest to prevent an ancient demon from collecting all dragon souls. As with other game adaptations, the series was applauded for its smooth translation into TV without major baggage.
The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf
The live-action The Witcher series is one of Netflix's best originals, and the streamer is already expanding on the universe elsewhere. Studio Mir animated the Nightmare of the Wolf prequel movie, which centers on Vesemir's origin story. It takes fans through Geralt's mentor's life from his downtrodden childhood to his growth into the bombastic witcher coping with immense loss.
As expected, Studio Mir's take on anime-inspired character design is sleek, and intense action sequences take great advantage of the strengths of animation. Theo James and Graham McTavish (who played Hector and Dracula in Castlevania) are particular standouts as Vesemir and Deglan, respectively.
The Dragon Prince
One of the most acclaimed animated works on Netflix is 2018's The Dragon Prince, animated in a CG style by Bardel Entertainment. Particularly in anime, good CG animation is seen as hard to come by. Even though this series isn't in that exact genre, it stands as a great example of this animation style to match its endearing characters. The series has received three well-received seasons so far, with four more on the way to closing the story as reported by IGN.
The Dragon Prince follows the half-brother princes Callum and Ezran, along with the elf Rayla, who aim to heal the divide between humans and the magical world. Its story and charming characters were also praised, as it balanced exploring more serious themes within its accessible world well.
Great Pretender
Perhaps one of the most underrated anime on Netflix is Great Pretender, animated by the talented Wit Studio (of Attack on Titan seasons 1-3 fame). On top of its exceptional and vibrant visuals, its adventurous heist premise works perfectly in a TV format.
Great Pretender currently has two seasons, and each story arc delivers equal parts exciting heist shenanigans as well some deeply touching character drama and development for the key members of the group. It's also arguably one of the best modern anime most similar to the timeless Cowboy Bebop.
BoJack Horseman
Aside from the animated fantasy originals and Japanese anime, BoJack Horseman is one of the platform's most accomplished projects in adult comedy. The show somewhat recently ended with its sixth season in 2020 and was largely acclaimed throughout its run.
Its first season came off as jarring to some audiences, but it quickly hits the ground running. BoJack Horseman takes its adult themes to heart, as it was lauded in particular for the way it tackled sensitive and controversial subjects like depression, existentialism, and bigotry and wrapped it in clever doses of raunchy dark humor.
Voltron: Legendary Defender
Studio Mir also helmed the fan-favorite Voltron and Beast King GoLion reboot, Voltron: Legendary Defender. The series concluded with 8 seasons, and the show consistently earned high praise across its run. Voltron: Legendary Defender totaled an impressive 76 episodes that did the original series justice while being an excellent jumping-on point for new fans.
Like anyone would expect from a mecha-themed series, the way the action sequences were handled was also a highlight. The way certain character arcs were handled in the finale (LGBT+ characters specifically) received understandable criticism for rushing their arcs, but Voltron: Legendary Defender mostly tied up its overarching plot threads.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
The character came out of the 1980s and was largely overlooked when compared to He-Man, but Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power brings She-Ra and her cast of characters to screen in a modernized yet true-to-spirit rendition. It's a great show for families, especially since this rebooted origin story balances the inherent childlike sense of imagination with tastefully explored social commentary, including LGBT+ topics.
Few animated shows initially targeted toward children can handle real-world themes that can simultaneously draw in audiences of all ages (Batman: The Animated Series is one such standard), but She-Ra and the Princesses of Power's bold risks pay off throughout its 5-season run.