The Supernatural Adventure Anime Netflix Subscribers Can't Stop Binging

Part supernatural action-adventure romp, part tournament saga, "Shaman King" is a new Netflix anime offering that will have fans of "Death Note" and "Trese" rushing to hit play.

Like so many anime series before it, "Shaman King" is about a young man on an extraordinary mission. Yoh Asakura is a shaman, a human with a special connection to the spirits of the other world, who wants to become the ultimate Shaman King. Every 500 years a tournament is held where shamans from around the world do supernatural battle to try and claim the title. This time around, Yoh is determined to best all the others. He has help from fellow human companion Manta Oyamada, his determined and exacting fiance Anna, and the soul of a samurai named Amidamaru.

The show is based on a popular manga series of the same name that also got an anime adaptation way back in 2001. However, 2021's "Shaman King" promises to give viewers something the original series couldn't: a proper conclusion. While the original anime diverged from the story of the manga, which had not yet been finished when the series was airing, this new adaptation promises to be a more faithful retelling. The first 13 episodes are currently available and, according to What's On Netflix, fans should expect the next installment to drop by the end of the year.

So, how does this new version stack up against the 2001 original? Anime fans on Reddit have been weighing in.

In a Reddit discussion thread about the new "Shaman King" adaptation, longtime fans of the series have been offering their opinions on how the 2021 series fares in comparison to other efforts. The general consensus seems to be that while the new show is faithful to the manga, the ultra-fast pacing of the first few episodes flattens the story and characters. However, there are plenty of fans who have been enjoying it for what it is.

User u/OshoV wrote, "As far as how is it going and from my point of view; I think that it's pretty good ..." They did acknowledge the pacing issues, writing, "it is going so dmn fast," but also noted that, to them, it felt like a conscious choice to make sure the series had enough time to tell the full story. "They might be aiming to reach the part from where the original anime separated from the manga so they can tell the story as it should have been," they posited.

For u/sabel00, having watched the 2001 adaptation has given them a deeper appreciation for this new version. "Honestly, I really love it!" they said. "As someone who watched the 2001 version growing up, I find the pacing for the first episodes generally good since it skips all the fillers."

And u/JohnnyJL96 not only didn't mind the super-fast pace, but they were also a fan. They wrote, "Amazing!! I love how fast paced it is and it's never boring."

The first 13 episodes of "Shaman King" are currently streaming on Netflix.