Netflix’s new anime series, Bass x Machina, finds Brian Tyree Henry voicing the legendary Bass Reeves in a steampunked, Reconstruction Era United States. Working as a bounty hunter, Reeves is offered to become the country’s first Black U.S. Marshal in exchange for rescuing a missing scientist. On this mission, the Civil War veteran faces his own demons due to what the past stole from him.
Episode 1, “Until Then…I’m Bass Reeves,” quickly introduces our protagonist in an exquisite action sequence. Reeves chases a train absconded by outlaws and his next target. With dynamite, he infiltrates the caboose, facing off against hoodlums in search of their leader. Under fire, we witness Reeves utilize his mechanical appendage, firing ammunition from what should be his right arm. To defend himself and innocents, he terminates the target.
After retrieving his bounty, the hunter is called to Fort Hope and offered one last job. He must retrieve a Dr. Eugene Starr who went missing a month ago. Despite being away from his wife, Glory, and two sons, Reeves accepts the bounty in hopes of freeing himself from past trauma.
Reeves begins his investigation at Starr Hardware, meeting Eugene’s niece, Dana. The aspiring engineer — who questioned her uncle’s whereabouts — confirms Reeves’ suspicions about Starr wandering into Indian Country, aka the Badlands. Reeves asks about a bulletproof metal, the Aianhil, that only Choctaw blacksmiths can melt. The same material used for his robotic arm. This leads Reeves, and now his juvenile sidekick, to a saloon where Starr was reportedly last seen.
Ignoring the “No Negros Allowed” sign, Reeves enters the bar and questions the Black woman singer. She tells him to meet her upstairs in five, but secretly lets his presence known to a nearby white man. Once upstairs, Reeves walks into a setup as armed men burst into the woman’s dressing room. Dana soon crashes the party, maneuvering the robotic staff into a personal artillery, leaving their adversaries defenseless. Finally, the woman admits that Starr was there with a man named Bully Shaw.
As he sets to leave for the Badlands, he allows Dana to tag along, but she must not interfere in his investigation. As the two stroll off into the distance, our scene changes to a man being chased by a river on a cliff. Next, we see lightning strike the very ground he walks on. The man appears to be Eugene, being chased by three Native people controlling the elements.
In defiance, Eugene leaps off the cliff only to be returned in a gust of wind. He says he doesn’t want to go back and awaken an evil. One of his Native captors cruelly remarks, “Evil is already here.”
Episode 1 of Bass x Machina meets expectations for anime fans, especially those familiar with executive producer LeSean Thomas’ work. The animation is sleek, yet rustic, accurately meshing the technological advancements with the historical time period. The voice talent is strong, with the likes of Janelle Monae and Tati Gabrielle voicing Reeves’ wife and Dana Starr, respectively. The performances and scenes are boosted with a solid soundtrack centered in hip-hop.
The compelling story delicately strings the supernatural with the very real tale of an African American hero. That realness is solidified in its depiction of racism, and the terror alluded to in Reeves past, simply because he was born Black in America.
Overall, a solid introduction welcomed from an underappreciated creator (Thomas) and underrated actor (Henry).
Rating: 7.5/10