In recent years, Netflix has gone through a difficult time. Bad decisions regarding new projects live action inspired by animes, comics, video games or fantasy novels – more or less juvenile – made them lose millions in dollars and subscribers, in addition to leading them to cancel several shows that seemed quite promising.
The failures of titles like October Faction, Jupiter’s Legacy, Cowboy Bebop, The Irregulars either resident Evilas well as the erratic pace of other big bets such as The Witcher either Shadow and Bone, They put the largest streaming platform on the planet in check.
Although at a certain point the situation was worrying, eventually the releases of series like The Sandman, One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, 3 Body Problem as well as the animated Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Castlevania: Nocturne to name some of the successes, confirmed the comeback of the company that, meanwhile, is preparing, among others, new adaptations of Assassin’s Creed and Tomb Raidertwo brands from which they could get a lot of use.
Following that line of thought, we have to refer to the most recent applause achieved by Netflix. Is about Dead Boy Detectiveswhose first season of eight episodes arrived on April 25 and immediately became a proposal celebrated by fans around the world.
Based on the comics created in 1991 by writer Neil Gaiman together with artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III, this story is set in the same television universe that was presented to us two years ago with The Sandmana work also created from an original Gaiman product.
The plot of the story, developed by Steve Yockey, mixes all kinds of supernatural elements and revolves around Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), two boys who died at different times who decided to leave the Beyond and stay. to live? on earth. On this “side”, young people work as paranormal detectives at the service of those spirits in need of their services, either to close pending issues or solve some new problem.
Everything is going well for the duo when they meet Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), a psychic on whom they perform an exorcism. Once that case is concluded, circumstances will take them from London to Port Townsend, a coastal town in the United States from where they have received a spectral call.
In that North American town their problems will really begin: they will have to deal with a witch obsessed with youth, a pair of murderous fairies, bewitched animals, determined officials from the Beyond, and even against Death himself – whom we already met in The Sandman— and even with a lifelong psychopath.
As is normal in this era, the narrative mixes the format of a new case per chapter with a plot line that remains “alive” throughout the season. Towards the end, several conflicts are closed while new ones are left open, in the hope of a renewal that will allow Yockey and his team of writers to continue telling more adventures.
This first batch of episodes has an excellent rhythm that keeps us interested and entertained throughout the eight segments that comprise it. With a fresh youthful tone, the audiovisual uses macabre humor and some dirty jokes to balance the dark and adult nuances that, logically, take advantage of it to slip in many reflections on issues of our present reality.
Through its diverse roles, played with great charisma by a cast that also includes Yuyu Kitamura, Brianna Cuoco, Ruth Connell, Jenn Lyon, Lukas Gage, Michael Beach and Joshua Colley, the series organically deals with current issues that never before It is unnecessary to “strain” a material of this type behind the facade.
Thus, it is used to talk about harassment, bullyingthe discovery of sexuality, acceptance, relationships of emotional dependence, intrafamilial abuse and identity in a broad sense, all recurring themes in contemporary conversations and which on this occasion are perfectly placed to enrich the characters and also to the central argument.
Visually, this spin-off It is a little closer to what we already saw in its predecessor, although in this case the filmmakers allow themselves to play and take more risks with the color palette and use that “magic” that neons provide to give the series some of that vibe. eighties and nineties that is so fashionable right now.
Dead Boy Detectives It is a very fun proposal that dares to mix youth drama with procedural, to give us a kind of “son” of Supernatural with Scooby Doo. The result is a show for those over 16 that never gives up its freshness, despite having much more serious aspirations than it seems. Still waiting for its second season to be confirmed, the recommendation is already made to see it and, of course, to also go to read the delicious comics that originated it.
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