Bleep

Press Release

Three years in the making, Netflix’s Yasuke is a six-episode anime series created by Bronx-bred and Japan-based television animation creator, producer, and director LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, Children of Ether, The Boondocks) and starring actor / executive producer LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Sorry To Bother You) as the voice of the title character. Yasuke tells the story of a samurai warrior of African descent in a fantastical alternate universe version of feudal Japan full of magic, mechs, and of course, swordplay.

A dream project for the producer, Flying Lotus consulted on the story, working alongside renowned anime creators MAPPA Studios as an executive producer on the project. His creativity in this role was driven by an opportunity to communicate from a unique and necessary perspective --

"[LeSean] and I talked about being outsiders in anime,” he says. "I was like, ‘Why aren't more Black kids trying to do this? Why is it so out of the ordinary?' He was saying that it's because they don't have examples.”