FreakAngels - What We Know So Far

It's not every day that Crunchyroll makes an anime that isn't an anime. Usually the streaming service is known for hosting the purest of the pure when it comes to Japanese animation. An upcoming Crunchyroll Original series, however, is not. For starters, it's not even based on Japanese source material like many other anime: Instead, "FreakAngels" is based on the graphic novel series by British author Warren Ellis. It simply uses anime-style animation to adapt the original story.

This certainly makes "FreakAngels" stand out amongst Crunchyroll's usual host of purely Japanese content. However, that doesn't make it worth skipping, even for the most die-hard anime fan. At the very least, Crunchyroll thinks it is something that anime fans can certainly get invested in, and they would know. And with an established release window, an intriguing cast of characters, and a unique plot, "FreakAngels" certainly has potential. Here is what we know so far about the upcoming series.

According to Crunchyroll, "FreakAngels" already has a premiere date set. With four of Crunchyroll's seven original series already airing or aired, "FreakAngels" looks to continue that line further once it debuts sometime in 2022. Unfortunately, Crunchyroll did not provide a specific date.

However, this is good news on the whole for those interested in the "FreakAngels" adaptation. The series' only trailer so far shows some promisingly polished animation and voice acting, meaning that a 2022 release date is certainly not out of the question. A delay at this stage is extremely unlikely.

What is likely, though, is that western fans won't have to worry about localization. Perhaps this wouldn't make it a true anime in the eyes of some fans, but as a British-made story, "FreakAngels" will actually be released with English voice acting as the default. This will hardly affect the quality of the story, but it is incredibly unique as far as anime properties go.

While we already know of, and have seen, many of the core characters in "FreakAngels," we actually know very little about them at this point in time. The eponymous Freak Angels, as the story refers to them, are a group of 12 young adults from Whitechapel, England who were born with extraordinary psychic powers. The group protects Whitechapel, which remains just barely functional following a massive apocalyptic event.

Beyond that, we know almost nothing about the Freak Angels. Crunchyroll hasn't revealed their names, their voice actors, and has only revealed what they look like through the series' trailer. Of course, their mysteries will be unraveled once "FreakAngels" is finally available for streaming. However, it would be exciting if Crunchyroll clued us in on who these characters are, leading up to that inevitable release date. Until then, fans will have to be sold on "FreakAngels" just based on the overall concept and plot.

Much of the known plot of "FreakAngels," at this time of writing, can be derived from what we know about the characters: 12 young psychics protect what remains of the world from all manner of apocalyptic disasters by manifesting a protective dome around Whitechapel. Things, of course, aren't easy in this protected section of London. Most, if not all, of the known world — other than Whitechapel — has been destroyed, so that certainly puts a damper on things.

Even so, people are still getting by, six years after the apocalypse hits. That tenuous harmony is about to be disrupted, though, as Whitechapel will soon be faced by threats from both the outside and inside. Meanwhile, the Freak Angels struggle to band together and create a better world. That will likely be easier said than done, considering that the return of an exile from Whitechapel brings light to a host of interpersonal conflicts within the super group.