Calling all tomb raiders! Plenty of us may miss the 2013 times that were marked as “The Year Of Luigi” and a new origin of Lara Croft [12] [14] [26], but we know that there is still more to look forward to in the second half of 2023 and so on, including the tenth-anniversary celebration of Slender: The Arrival this Halloween season [31] [55], the first issue of Deadpool: Seven Slaughters this November [19], Disney’s Wish this Thanksgiving and a new anime series that has just been teased this week [31] [45]. It has been over a year since the announcement of an anime series based on the Tomb Raider franchise coming to Netflix [28] [49] [50]. By the name of “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft”, the upcoming anime series has a lot of potential to bring the intelligent brunette bombshell into a new light for anime admirers, starting with its premiere in Japan [41] [42], aside from how the Japanese versions of the classic games’ consisted of reduced difficulty [9]. Rooting for female empowerment outside of women’s sports [16] [21], I shall bear the intensity of the teaser with you as my soul bears the quite unfortunate yet seemingly reasonable delay of Hazbin Hotel that will be available to watch on Amazon Prime in the beginning of 2024 [2] [4] [20].
I know what some Final Fantasy fighters are thinking. Wouldn’t Lara’s appearance in the anime series be like her appearance in War of the Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius that bewitched us two years ago [34] [46]? I completely understand where they are coming from! But in this case, I am spellbound at how she will look in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft [41]! Her design is heavily based on her appearance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider [8] [33]. The teaser begins with a rather tense moment of a shot of her holding her bow and arrow gradually sharpening [41]. No pun intended. The following moment shows another example of visual ecstasy as the sound of a heart besting drones on. Most impressively, the moment of her standing determinedly with her bow and arrow returns, focusing on her glare, then directly on the edge of her arrow that gets launched. The reason for the enriching visuals is that the production of the anime is by Powerhouse Animation, the same studio that created the animated series loosely based on the Castlevania franchise [24] [42] [47]. Aside from how remarkable the visuals are in the teaser [41], there will be hope for the series’ writing to excel as well, which might be hinted at in the second trailer that may also feature its exact release date.
Aside from some samples of exceptional animation in the teaser, let us reflect on what I have suggested for making the success of a Tomb Raider anime happen back in 2019 and 2021 [49] [50] [51] [52]. Aside from how Lara’s face in the teaser somehow reminds me of Korra from The Legend of Korra [1], I recall stating that her portrayal ought to be a balance of emotional and empowering [51] [52], no matter which dub the series will be watched in [49] [50]. In the teaser, there is a shot of Lara rising near a fire [41], which is a reminder of the memorable moment when she rises from almost drowning in Shadow of the Tomb Raider [33], which is a sign of that balance being taken into consideration in honour of a continuation. Moreover, a closeup of a photograph of her with her friends she holds might be a moment of some character progression as she reflects on her alliances [41]. Further exploration awaits the brains, brawn, and beauty in a forthcoming addition to the Survivor timeline [42]. You do not suspect that there will be a second crossover with Tomb Raider in Fortnite: Battle Royale featuring Lara in either her outfit from Rise of the Tomb Raider or the one from Shadow of the Tomb Raider [54], no?
Currently, not much is known about the overall plot of the series, other than how it is set in the Survivor timeline [42]. Apparently, Croft will go on a road trip and protect those in need, making her the noble explorer we adore. Her design shown in the teaser hints that the anime series is likely to be based on the third chapter of the Survivor timeline with a few differences at first [41], much like how the live-action film starring Alicia Vikander as Lara is based on the events of the other two chapters [40]. However, it was confirmed that the anime will be set after the events of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, potentially unifying the Survivor timeline with some adapted aspects of the other two [42], which is much more necessary to me as there has been some questioning when will the Survivor Lara merge into a “classic” incarnation, as hinted in her participation in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call Of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Call Of Duty: Warzone Mobile [30]. Surely, the next trailer will provide some more detail on the premise set sometime after Shadow of the Tomb Raider, including what awaits her during a road trip [41] [42].
What else is there to say about the anime? Well, it has been confirmed that the anime series will be split into two seasons, starting with the first one [42]. Quite surprisingly, Lara will be voiced by Hayley Atwell in the English dub, who is known for playing the role of Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe [7] [13]. At some point in the anime series, a new incarnation of the character Zip from the original and Legend timelines will play a supporting role [43] [44]. As previously speculated, there might not be a lot of blood and gore in the anime series, considering how the discovery of Miguel’s corpse was edited in the Japanese version of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, along with other depictions of corpses being toned down in the Japanese version of the reboot [8] [9]. Nonetheless, the grittiness of the forthcoming adaption ought to be another sample of anime that is not exactly colourful and cheery, compared to the magical girl vibes of Glitter Force Doki Doki and many of Hatsune Miku’s performances [10] [11]. Surely, some tomb raiders will end up preferring Revisioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series [39], but there is strong hope for Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft being the next big step in Ms. Croft’s legacy that has enticingly reeked of feminism in interactive fiction since 1996 [41] [42] [54].
Hentai would be my least favourite genre of anime, so please do not even think about it [27]! [41] |
Here is the classic incarnation of Lara in an anime style in one of the collaborations she did in honour of the 25thanniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise back in 2021 [34]. [46] |
Eat your heart out, Katniss Everdeen [35] [36] [37] [38]! [41] |
There ought to be some new discoveries throughout Croft’s road trip [42]. This majestically surreal occurrence appears to be one of them. [41] |
It’s gonna be good to have you back, Zip ol’ buddy! Just refrain from stalking ex-girlfriends in a new timeline, okay? [43] |
Another shout-out goes to the independent and determined women who have good hearts [51] [52]! [41] |
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