Production I.G and streaming giant Netflix collaborate on their first Netflix Original Anime, entitled B: The Beginning. The 12-episode series is directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, who is also credited as character designer and animation supervisor. One of Japan's top animators, Nakazawa is globally renowned as the director of the much praised animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1. The series features the theme song, The Perfect World composed by former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman and performed by vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny of Man with a Mission fame. The hauntingly beautiful music score is composed by Japan Academy Film Prize winner Yoshihiro Ike (Blood: The Last Vampire).
B: The Beginning was released worldwide from March 2, 2018 on Netflix.

A second season, entitled B: The Beginning Succession was released in 2021. Read more about it here.

Watch the English-subbed trailer here.

Story
In the northeast of the Chrono Archipelago lies the constitutional monarchy of Cremona. But this tiny and apparently peaceful country, where medieval heritage buildings coexist with advanced technology, has been recently shocked by a string of gruesome murders. As only vicious killers are being targeted, and from an enigmatic mark left at each crime scene, people call this mysterious executioner, "Killer B".

When former detective Keith Kazama Flick is called back on duty after an eight-year-long hiatus, a new team assembles at the Royal Investigation Service with the purpose of putting an end to the bloodshed. But Flick appears burdened by too many ghosts from his past. And as a much greater and ominous scheme starts emerging, he will need to come to terms with them all.

About Kazuto Nakazawa
Nakazawa was born in Niigata Prefecture on March 4, 1968. A natural talent, he starts drawing as a child under the influence of his grandfather, a classic Japanese painting artist. After graduating from the Tokyo Animator Gakuin, he moves from a studio to another following the artists he feels most respect for. World fame comes when he is called by studio Production I.G to direct the animated sequences in Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), followed the next year by Shinichiro Watanabe's cult classic TV series, Samurai Champloo (2004) for which Nakazawa contributes character designs and animation supervising duties. A vividly imaginative mind capable of working at astounding speed, Nakazawa has often proved his best in short films and TV series opening films, where his outstanding skills are given higher degree of freedom. This is confirmed by his personal award history, that includes Linkin Park's video clip Breaking the Habit (2004, MTV VMA Viewer's Choice Award 2004), the 2005 commercial film Kirin Lemon Black: Monster Blacks Fights Back (Best Commercial Film at the 11th Holland Animated Film Festival 2006), and the gorgeous Asience: Fairy Tale (2007), a 60-second commissioned film visually inspired by XVIII century painter Ito Jakuchu, which screens in competition at the Annecy, Stuttgart and Ottawa film festivals, and becomes Gold Winner at the 22nd London International Awards. From 2012 he puts his signatures on the action-packed opening films for the world-hit series Kuroko's Basketball, and in 2014 he collaborates again with director Shinichiro Watanabe contributing character designs and animations to the thought-provoking TV series, Terror in Resonance. While describing himself as an "animator", in recent years he has developed more interest in directing roles, with the Netflix original B: The Beginning marking his directorial debut in a serial project.
Witty and only apparently offhand, he once declared, "I wasn't particularly interested in drawing. I was just fairly good at it". He is considered one of Japan's top animators.

Netflix Debut: March 2, 2018
Format: 12 x 25'

© Kazuto Nakazawa / Production I.G