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Netflix Announces December Premiere Dates for Baki, Sirius the Jaeger, Hi Score Girl Anime (Updated)

Netflix U.S. announced on Tuesday that it will premiere Baki on December 18, Sirius the Jaeger and the second part of Last Hope on December 21, and Hi Score Girl on December 24. All four are labelled as Netflix Original anime.

Other previously revealed anime premiering on Netflix in December include Hero Mask (December 3), Neo Yokio Pink Christmas (December 7), and Back Street Girls: Gokudols (December 12). The eighth and final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender will premiere on December 14. Netflix also announced that it will add Astro Boy (the U.S. CG film from 2009) on December 1.

Baki, the new anime of Keisuke Itagaki's Baki (New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero) manga, premiered on Netflix in Japan on June 25, and the second cours (quarter of a year) debuted on Netflix on September 24.

Netflix describes the story:

The protagonist, Baki Hanma, trains with an intense focus to become strong enough to surpass his father, Yujiro Hanma, the strongest fighter in the world. Five of the world's most violent and brutal death row inmates are gathering to face Baki. Their objective is to taste defeat -- their unmatched strength and skill have led them to grow bored of life itself, and they now seek out Baki in the hopes that he can overwhelm and utterly crush them. In this crisis, other underground martial art warriors gather to fight by Baki's side: Kaoru Hanayama, Gouki Shibukawa, Retsu Kaioh, and Doppo Orochi. An epic showdown between violent death row inmates and Baki and his friends begins!

Toshiki Hirano (Rayearth, Dangaioh, Magic Kaito: Kid the Phantom Thief) is directing the anime at TMS Entertainment (Lupin III, ReLIFE). Fujio Suzuki (Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo, 009-1, New Getter Robo) is designing the characters. Tatsuhiko Urahata (DNA², Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Tsuredure Children) is in charge of series composition.

Netflix began exclusively streaming Last Hope (Jūshinki Pandora) in Japan on March 29 and the first part debuted September 14 outside of Japan.

Netflix describes the story:

After causing the near extinction of mankind seven years ago, genius scientist Leon Lau must now fight the ecological disaster he unwittingly created.

Hidekazu Sato (Basquash!, Nobunaga the Fool, Aquarion Logos) directed the anime at the studio Satelight. Toshizo Nemoto (Log Horizon, Macross Delta) was in charge of the scripts, and Risa Ebata (Macross Frontier, AKB0048) drafted the original character designs. Kawamori himself is credited for the original work (with Satelight), for the Jūshinki mechanical designs, and as chief director.

P.A. Works' original television anime project Sirius the Jaeger premiered on July 12 in Japan.

The official English website for the series describes the story:

Imperial Capital, 1930.
A strange group of people carrying musical instrument cases landed on Tokyo station.
They are called the “Jaegers”, who came to hunt vampires.
Amongst them, there stood a young man with striking serenity and unusual aura.
His name is Yuliy, a werewolf whose home village was destroyed by vampires.
Yuliy and the Jaegers engage in deadly battle over a mysterious holy arc only known as “The Arc of Sirius”.
What truth awaits them at the end…?
With eternal affinity and spiral of conspiracy entwine, the highly anticipated action-thriller anime begins!

Project SIRIUS is credited with the original work. Masahiro Ando (Sword of the Stranger, Snow White with the Red Hair, Under the Dog) directed the series at P.A. Works. Kinu Nishimura was the original character designer. Mai Matsuura (Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma) and Souichirou Sako (Magi: Adventure of Sinbad) were the animation character designers and chief animation directors. Keigo Koyanagi (Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars, The Rising of The Shield Hero) handled the series composition. Masaru Yokoyama (Your Lie in April, Love and Lies, Fate/Apocrypha) composed the music, and Infinite produced the series.

The television anime adaptation of Rensuke Oshikiri's Hi Score Girl manga premiered in Japan on July 13.

The story of the "90s arcade romantic comedy" manga begins in 1991, during the heyday of the 2D fighting game boom. Sixth-grader Haruo spends practically his entire day at an arcade in the seedy part of town, oblivious to the world around him. However, one day at his usual arcade, he encounters Akira, his female classmate with good grades and money. She may look out of place at the arcade, but she is actually a top-class gamer. Akira completely outmatches Haruo in one Street Fighter II round after another, and their relationship develops from this unlikely encounter.

Yoshiki Yamakawa (Hells, Kill Me Baby, Little Busters!) directed the anime at J.C. Staff. Tatsuhiko Urahata (Hajime no Ippo, Saki, Tsuredure Children) was in charge of series composition. Michiru Kuwabata (Penguin no Mondai, Danchi Tomoo) drew the character designs. Yūsuke Suzuki was the CG director. Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II, Final Fight, Final Fantasy XV, Napping Princess) composed the music. Yuji Matsukura is credited for animation supervision. Tomoyasu Sakakibara (Monster Strike The Movie, Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic) is credited as CGI producer, and Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment is credited for CGI.

Update: The Astro Boy project released on Netflix on December 1 is the Astro Boy U.S. CG film from 2009 starring Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy.

Source: Press release