Tamal Kundu
Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Kazushi Hagiwara, ‘Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-’ or ‘Bastard!! Ankoku no Hakaishin’ is a dark fantasy action-adventure ONA with plenty of ecchi elements. The story revolves around Dark Schneider, a powerful evil wizard who nearly conquered the entire world. However, he was ultimately defeated, and his spirit was sealed inside the body of a young boy named Lucien Renlen. In the following 15 years, Lucien grew up alongside Tia Noto Yoko, the daughter of Head Priest Geo Noto, who played a pivotal role in Dark Schneider’s magical imprisonment. Geo believed that someday the humans would need Dark Schneider and told his daughter that she would need to remain a virgin maiden for the rest of her life so she could kiss Lucien and break the seal.
In the present time, four former disciples of Dark Schneider and their Dark Rebel Army wage a violent war against the four human kingdoms to free Anthrasax, the most powerful of all the demon gods. When the Dark Rebel Army attacks her kingdom in the absence of her father and the king, Yoko has no choice but to unleash Dark Schneider back into the world. Following its premiere, ‘Bastard’ received positive reviews, with critics praising its animation and action sequences. If you are wondering whether there will be a second season of ‘Bastard,’ we got you covered.
Bastard Season 2 Release Date
‘Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-’ season 1 premiered on June 30, 2022, on Netflix. It comprises 13 episodes of 25-26-minute runtime. As for season 2, this is what we know,
Studio Liden Films has developed 24 episodes of the ONA in total. A split-cour anime, the first cour, comprising the first 13 episodes, was released on June 30. The second cour, containing the remaining 12 episodes, will be released at a later date.
Japanese broadcasters traditionally maintain a three-month gap between the two parts of a split cour. Netflix largely seems to adhere to this system. Previously, they released the first cour (episodes 1 to 12) of the ONA ‘Sword Gai’ on March 23, 2018. The second cour (episodes 13 to 24) came out on July 30, 2018. If the streaming giant continues to follow the same pattern, ‘Bastard’ season 2 will likely come out in October 2022.
Bastard Season 2 Plot: What Can It Be About?
Both the ONA ‘Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-’ and its source material are full of references to heavy metal — from names of the characters, groups, and locations to the title itself. Although ‘Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-’ is technically an ongoing manga series; there hasn’t been a new chapter published since 2012. However, the first season or first cour has left out much of the material already there. The first season covers until about volume 5, chapter 40 of the first arc of the series, titled ‘The Dark Rebel Armies.’
In the season 1 finale, titled ‘Wavering,’ the fight between Dark Schneider and Arshes Nei comes to an end. Both cast the powerful Helloween spell. Just as Dark Schneider’s spell is about to overwhelm Arshes, Lucien informs him that Arshes doesn’t want to kill him, nor does she want to die. This makes Dark Schneider realize that Abigail has placed an Accused spell on Arshes. He redirects the Helloween spell before ripping his heart out to free Arshes of the Accused spell in the end-credits scene.
In season 2, we might see Dark Schneider’s resurrection. Arshes can rejoin him, and they can take down the Dark Rebel Army together. Meanwhile, Abigail and Kall-Su can succeed in waking up Anthrasax, setting up a grand battle between the ancient entity and Dark Schneider. If Dark Schneider loses, he can potentially go to hell.
