For many years, Viz Media has been at the forefront of the anime and manga industry. With its connections to such Japanese companies as Shueisha, it’s understandable why their translations of such high-profile properties as One Piece and My Hero Academia have done well for them. Though, in addition to their work in manga, they have dabbled in live-action with movies like Edge of Tomorrow, Death Note, and Detective Pikachu.
Now, they are venturing into the world of original animation with Seis Manos, co-produced by Powerhouse Animation, who made the Castlevania series). Here’s what we were able to find out about the Danny Trejo and Mike Colter-starring show, thanks to their panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
It’s Set In Mexico In The 1970s
Seis Manos is something of a period piece. As stated above, it’s set in Mexico in the 1970s, an era when it first became legal for women to join the police force. As such, it makes sense that one of the characters, Garcia, is a woman on the force, working hard to try and prove her worth.
This setting also helps give it an extra bit of Latinx flavor, which is sorely missing in the world of American animation. As such, it helps to give this show a very unique feel, despite the fact that it incorporates other cultural elements like kung fu.
It Promises Plenty Of Violence And Gore
We saw a couple extended clips from the show, and if violence and gore ain’t up your alley, this may not be up your alley. However, if you DO like to see dismembered hands and exposed brains, you’ll be plenty happy. The show features some zombie-like creatures on the prowl, so gore is quite the inevitability, and add in the martial arts aspect, and you have a real twofer.
It’s Action Scenes Are Hard-Hitting And Fun
Action scenes in animation can be really hit or miss. It very much depends on the amount of emphasis the creators want to put on the action itself, and Seis Manos doesn’t disappoint. Sure, there’s a bit of a jerkiness to the animation, but the martial arts moves they pull off in fights have a look of authenticity to them, making it clear that the creators put a lot of stock in the overall choreography.
But that wasn’t all. They used some legit sound effects for the hits, so when they hit, they hit HARD. Add into that a camera vibration effect for the big hits, and you have fight scenes with real impact. Whereas many other animated shows feel a bit floaty, it gives an added grounded element.
Finally, one of the action pieces we saw was set to a kickass song in Spanish, and added a sort of stylistic flair to it. I’ve noticed that a lot of American animations don’t care too much to set action set pieces to songs, so this was a nice change of pace that made the fight scene that much more memorable. I only hope it’s not the only fight scene to feature this.
The Title Makes A Lot Of Sense
Given that we are a Latinx-run site, it may not surprise many of you to know that the words “seis manos” means six hands (and if you didn’t know that, that’s cool too). But what do the six hands refer to? Well, it refers to the three main martial artists in the show: Silencio, Isabela, and Jesus.
Each of the fighters are trained in a unique martial arts form, and together, they have (wait for it) six hands!
The creators of the show joked that if they get future seasons, they’ll start having the main cast lose limbs so that Season 2 would be called Cinco Manos, Season 4 would be called Cuatro Manos, and so on and so forth. I really want to hold them to that!
It Features A Diverse Cast
When you have a show called Seis Manos, it’s a pretty good bet that you’ll be having a Latinx-centered show. And it is! But fret not. They won’t be the only ones represented here. In addition to cast members like Jonny Cruz, Angelica Vale, and Danny Trejo, they also have Luke Cage’s Mike Colter as Brister and Vic Chao as Chiu.
Check out the official profiles down below!
It Hits Netflix This Fall
Yup, you won’t have long to wait. And if you’re hungry for an official synopsis, we have you covered.
“Seis Manos centers on three orphaned martial arts warriors who join forces with a DEA agent and a Mexican Federale to battle for justice after their beloved mentor is murdered on the streets of their tiny border town.
“A swell of cartel violence rips through the border town of San Simon, where a Chinese immigrant long on the run from his past, Chiu Lee Man, has carved out a quiet existence for himself. Years ago, he took in three children orphaned by the violence and began tutoring them in the martial arts.
“When he is murdered in a spree of cartel brutality, the now-grown warriors-in-training must hunt down their mentor’s killers and battle for justice, even if it means facing the drug lords head-on and discovering that Chiu’s assassins may have ties to the infamous White Lotus clan back in his native China.
“The three fighters, Silencio, Isabela, and Jesus – each trained in a unique form of martial arts, must form an uneasy alliance with Brister, a no-nonsense Houston DEA agent, and Garcia, a seasoned Mexican Federale, in order to track down and destroy the cartels that killed their mentor and father figure and has torn their home into drug-infested, bullet-ridden shreds.”
What do you think of the series described by its creators as Machete meets Kill Bill on the set of Coco? Will you be adding that to your animation diet in the near future? Let us know your thoughts down below!
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