.png)
2 hours ago
6
First announced in 2021, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is gearing up for an October release. The animated series will bring back the iconic Lara Croft as she embarks on a new adventure. A new trailer of the series was dropped recently and it features exciting action sequences. Fans are excited to see the return of their favorite series in a new form.
However, some fans are quite skeptical about the future of the series and the quality of the end product. These doubts will only be answered once the series gets released. In the meantime, there’s another problem that arises from the misconception that the Netflix project is an ‘anime’.
New Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Trailer Dropped
Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider Animation | Credits: NetflixTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft animated series is scheduled to be released this October. The series bridges the gap between the original game series and the reboot trilogy. A new trailer for the Netflix series was dropped recently. The trailer is getting mixed reactions from fans, including excitement and substantial doubt. Some fans are reserving their judgment until the final product is released on Netflix.
The series is being animated by Powerhouse Animation Studio, a studio based in the United States, which makes it an American animation project. However, the trailer’s release has once again fueled the age-old debate, as the animation project gets mistakenly labeled as anime. At first glance, it becomes pretty clear that the animation style in the new Tomb Raider animation is anime-inspired. Because of that, many people are referring to it as a Tomb Raider anime.
Tomb Raider Animation Isn’t An Anime and There’s No Need For it to be Labeled As Such
A still form the new trailer | Credits: NetflixTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is not an anime, and it doesn’t have to be. At this point, it has become common knowledge that for something to be labeled as anime, it has to originate from Japan. The cultural aspect plays a huge role in this distinction. With how popular anime has become and its widespread demand, anything that gets labeled as such is bound to attract attention. Even more so, given the legacy of the Tomb Raider video game.
For this reason, a lot of animated projects either get labeled as anime or take inspiration from it. This leads to identical appearances, which helps in appealing to the pre-existing anime fandom. Its important to mention that all the trailer releases of the Netflix Tomb Raider project and other promotional bits don’t refer to the project as an anime.
The project is being called an ‘animation’ by Netflix and this article is referring to the appearance of the project solely. However, as a result of the anime-esque appearance, it’s being referred to as anime by many fans. Plus, the trailer was posted on the Netflix anime X handle which also adds to the confusion.
Lara Croft can be seen driving a car in the trailer | Credits: Netflix This is somewhat disingenuous, as production companies are monetizing the popularity of anime for their own gain; without acknowledging the history of anime and how it became so popular over the years. From being looked down upon as weird to becoming a mainstream phenomenon, there have been a lot of stages in this whole journey of anime. These steps are conveniently skipped to reap the final benefits, dismissing the cultural nuances and other intricacies.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will be released on Netflix on October 10th, 2024.
Bengali (BD) · 
English (US) ·