B – The Beginning

B: The Beginning (B: ザ・ビギニング, Bī: Za Beginingu) is an original net animation (ONA) anime series created by Production I.G and Kazuto Nakazawa.[4] The series premiered on March 2, 2018, worldwide on Netflix.

B: The Beginning
Main visual
Genre
Created by
Original net animation
Directed by
Produced byRui Kuroki
Written byKatsuya Ishida
Music byYoshihiro Ike
StudioProduction I.G
Licensed by
ReleasedMarch 2, 2018
Runtime25–27 minutes
Episodes12
Original net animation
B: Succession
Directed by
Written by
  • Katsuya Ishida
  • Kazuto Nakazawa
Music byYoshihiro Ike
StudioProduction I.G
Licensed by
ReleasedMarch 18, 2021
Runtime23–25 minutes
Episodes6

A second season, titled B: Succession (B: サクセッション, Bī Sakusesshon), premiered on March 18, 2021.[5]

Premise

In a world powered by advanced technology, crime and violence sweep through the archipelagic nation of Cremona (inspired by the real city of Cremona in Italy, and other cities of Lombardy such as Milan). Chief among the major players is "Killer B", a vigilante serial killer who has thrown the city into chaos. The stories of the protagonist Koku; Keith Flick, a legendary investigator of the Royal Investigation Service (RIS); and a mysterious criminal organization intertwine on the path to reach their objectives.

Koku is a demihuman with the ability to shape-shift parts of his body into wings and blades. Attempting to save his childhood friend Yuna, Keith is attempting to solve the murder of his sister 8 years ago. Both of them are up against the Market Maker, a hidden organization that controls the government of the island to understand the magical powers that Koku has and where they came from.

Voice cast
Character
Japanese[3] English[6]
Keith Kazama Flick Hiroaki Hirata Ray Chase
Koku Yūki Kaji Kyle McCarley
Lily Hoshina Asami Seto Faye Mata
Eric Toga Hiroki Tōchi Jalen K. Cassell
Boris Meier Minoru Inaba Doug Stone
Kaela Yoshinaga Ami Koshimizu Allegra Clark
Brian Brandon Toshiyuki Toyonaga Khoi Dao
Mario Luís Zurita Shintarō Tanaka Patrick Seitz
Jean-Henri Richard Atsushi Goto Keith Osterberg
Gilbert Ross Toshiyuki Morikawa John DeMita
Laica Yu Kitada Xander Mobus
Minatsuki Kaito Ishikawa Johnny Yong Bosch

Production

Netflix announced the series on February 24, 2016,[7] stating that the series would air 12 episodes and debut in 190 countries around the world. It was originally titled Perfect Bones.[8] The title was later revealed to be B: The Beginning.[9] Kazuto Nakazawa directed the series and designed the characters while also serving as key animation supervisor, Yoshinobu Yamakawa also directed the series alongside Nakazawa, Katsuya Ishida wrote the scripts, and Yoshihiro Ike composed the music.[3]

The theme song "The Perfect World" was performed by Marty Friedman in collaboration with Man with a Mission's vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny, bass guitarist KenKen, and Kōji Fujimoto. The series premiered on March 2, 2018.[10]

Anime Limited acquired the series for home video distribution in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[11] It was announced on May 30 in the Anime Matsuri Panel that it'll also see a North American release.[12] Shout! Factory would co-distribute it.[13] It was released on October 2, 2020.[14]

During the 2018 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Netflix announced that a second season is in production.[15] The second season, titled B: Succession, was released on March 18, 2021.[16] Itsuro Kawasaki is directing the series, with Kazuto Nakazawa serving as chief director, and the rest of the staff and cast are reprising their roles.[17]

Episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
112March 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
26March 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)

Season 1: The Beginning (2018)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleStoryboarded byAnimation directionOriginal release date
11"Episode 1"Kazuto Nakazawa, Yoshinobu YamakawaKazuto Nakazawa, Yoshinobu YamakawaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
The Royal Investigation Service (RIS) pursue Killer B for a series of murders of suspected criminals. A survivor of the latest attack is recruited by Quinn, a member of a mysterious organization, to steal a prototype weapon and go on a rampage, luring out Koku. Genius detective Keith Flick sees through the diversion to an even greater theft. Using superhuman powers, Koku and Quinn battle atop a runaway train, the wreck of which is later used to leave the Killer B signature.
22"Episode 2"Yoshinobu YamakawaKen'ichi MatsuzawaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
At a staged Killer B crime scene the RIS find a body killed by a poison gas, which they fear will be released at the mayor's charity gala. While searching the gigantic hotel, the RIS attend undercover and thwart an attack on the mayor. The criminals then take over the building's automation and threaten to release the gas. Lured to the event, Koku follows Izanami to the rooftop.
33"Episode 3"Iwao TeraokaToshiya NiidomeMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Kaela defeats the building lockdown and Minatsuki releases a knockout gas to aid his people in covering their involvement. Keith realizes the meaningless crimes are being used to lure Killer B, and tries to pursue by car as Izanami leads Koku from the rooftop. At Lake Lenan she tries to stir the memories Koku locked away, but he fights and defeats her. She tells him to touch Canopus. Lily has a bad gut feeling about the crimes, but Marco inspires Lily and Bran with their oath of service.
44"Episode 4"Kanta KameiTakahiro KawakoshiMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
In a flashback or dream, Keith sees Erika Kazumi Flick tortured and killed. He and Koku each go to the royal library for research. Lily demands Keith use his genius to explain the mysteries underlying the crimes. Boris accidentally invites the team to a drinks party at Keith's. Bran discovers that the entire precinct is being surveilled, but he is attacked before he can leave the building.
55"Episode 5"Shunsuke TadaYoshiko OkudaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Bran survives the attack but the team are ordered to keep their distance from the investigation which appears to be an inside job. Lily and Koku each pursue Keith for answers. Kaela recovers data from Bran's damaged laptop but the surveillance program is shut down before she can trace it. Keith receives a clue from Bran and sets a trap for his attacker, Jean-Henri, who turns it around by killing himself to frame Keith for his death. Koku snatches Keith away to the rooftop and asks if he is Canopus; Keith acknowledges Koku as Killer B or, rather, 13. Kamui falters as his need for a stabilizing drug increases.
66"Episode 6"Kazuto Nakazawa, Yoshinobu YamakawaKen'ichi MatsuzawaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Koku demands Yuna's location, and Keith realizes Koku's messages were addressed to her. Keith has become a murder suspect and the team look into his past. Keith tells Koku about the Jaula Blanca Institute which tried to recreate winged beings whose fossilized remains were found, to restore gods of the past. The program resulted in malformed and insane people, who were ultimately used as a covert strike team called Market Maker. As a child Keith decoded an inscription which gave vital insight into the structure of the gods, and his father led research toward the institute's original goal. But Market Maker turned on the institute and destroyed it. Yuna appears and attacks Koku. He gains the advantage but his memories return when he sees her eyes and realizes who she is. She stabs him but her memories also return. However, as they accept each other, Minatsuki runs them through with a sword.
77"Episode 7"Kazuchika KiseTakahiro KawakoshiMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Minatsuki takes a wounded Yuna while Market Maker attack an enraged Koku. Kamui keeps Koku occupied, and dozens of harpoons are launched from the airship Moby Dick, impaling them both. Keith fires a shotgun at a gloating Minatsuki, who is shocked to find the wound burning. On Laica's counsel they withdraw to the airship, leaving Keith to tend Koku's injuries. A flashback shows Koku and Yuna as children at the institute, making their secret sign, and being separated when the institute was attacked. Koku's protectors died defending him and he assimilated their body parts, but couldn't live with the guilt and suppressed his memories. The RIS is given 24 hours to find Keith or face disbandment. Minatsuki's left arm is amputated by Regulus, the ringleader who led Market Maker's revolt.
88"Episode 8"Kazuto NakazawaAi YoshimuraMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Lying low, Keith asks Koku about Dead Kyle, said to have killed his sister Erika. Koku explains that he was a Reggie, a superhuman killer released into society when he became unstable, like all the criminals Koku had killed. Keith briefly contacts Eric to let him know it's coming to a conclusion. Examining Keith's notes, Lily feels they are a cry for help and learns about Erika. Eric suspends her, believing she can find Keith and help. Kaela rebuilds a secure system, Nautilus, and tracks Lily but Market Maker also track her. Shortly after Lily finds Keith with Koku, Takeru attacks them.
99"Episode 9"Kazuya NomuraTakashi AndōMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Koku counterattacks and kills Takeru. Kukuri confronts Minatsuki with her loss and is strangled. Keith turns himself in and explains that the madness Market Maker creates has spread within the organisation, and needs to be exposed. Keith claims to have a suspect but no proof. Eric derides Keith for waiting so long to ask for help. Eric admits that the abduction of Dead Kyle to expose the cover-up had been his idea but Keith acted alone; Eric then assembled and trained the best people he could find into a team so they could do what they couldn't before. He puts them at Keith's disposal. Keith suspects Gilbert, a forensics doctor and his childhood friend, who is still obsessed with Erika. Lily provokes him but Gilbert realizes he is being manipulated. He switches places with Kamui and another Reggie who set a trap for Marco and Boris. Lily awakens on a forensics table where Gilbert intends to carve her up before Keith arrives.
1010"Episode 10"Yoshinobu YamakawaItsuro KawasakiMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Yuna awakens, healed, but refuses to cooperate with Minatsuki. Searching for Gilbert and Lily, Keith deduces that Gilbert operates on lookalikes of Erika in a secret lab within the building. Keith and Eric find his trophy room with dozens of preserved bodies, including Gilbert's father, the last chief executive of the institute. Gilbert phones Keith to taunt him, leaving Lily behind to make his escape. Gilbert orders Market Maker to kill everyone associated with them working for the police, but Laica refuses and severs their relationship. Gilbert breaks down at the loss, but quickly suppresses and discards that personality to prepare for a final confrontation with Keith.
1111"Episode 11"Kazuto NakazawaKen'ichi MatsuzawaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Koku uses a powerful uplift to reach the Moby Dick. He fights an insane Minatsuki who turns out to be an expiring Reggie whose memories were altered by the real Minatsuki – Laica, who sets a bomb on the airship. He escapes by helicopter with Yuna and returns to the hill where the fossils and inscription were discovered. Lily awakens in the hospital and realizes that Keith is pursuing Gilbert on his own. Gilbert tells Keith how he proposed and led the attack on the institute, gaining Minatsuki's confidence with a lie. Minatsuki was the original target of the attack, as he could stabilize all the Reggies and give them independence from the military and king. Believing that he is following prophecy, Laica stabs Yuna.
1212"Episode 12"Kazuto Nakazawa, Yoshinobu YamakawaKazuto NakazawaMarch 2, 2018 (2018-03-02)
Though advised by Keith to avoid the Jetblack, which may rob him of his powers, Koku goes there to save Yuna from Laica. Assured of his right and advantage, Laica falls to Izanami's leg. Gilbert explains how he was deeply affected when Keith denounced murder, and how so much of what he did was to win Keith to his way of thinking, by putting him into a situation where he would consciously choose to kill. Keith initially rejects this but when Lily is threatened he shoots Gilbert in the head. Three months later, things begin to return to normal as Koku and Yuna begin to live normal lives. In a post-credits scene, Kirisame, Koku's childhood protector, is shown to be working with the administration that oversees Market Maker and the RIS.

Season 2: Succession (2021)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleStoryboarded byAnimation directionOriginal release date
131"Episode 1"Iwao TeraokaKazuki YokoyamaMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
Koku assaults a small convoy, engaging in non-lethal means and kidnapping the VIP. Flash backs shows Koku approached by Kirisame, a figure from his childhood who he thought was dead. He asks Koku to join him in his fight for a new world order.
142"Episode 2"Koji SawaiTadashi NakamuraMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
Kirisame’s subordinates force Koku into carrying out an act of violence against a senator. Then Koku breaks into the royal palace.
153"Episode 3"Koji SawaiKen'ichi MatsuzawaMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
The royal palace refuses to fully cooperate with the RIS investigation. Lily and Koku head out to get more information on Keith's disappearance.
164"Episode 4"Tomomi KamiyaKatsuya AsanoMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
Keith's friends narrow down possible locations where he's being held, but with Keith already starting to hallucinate from hunger. Within this hallucination, Erica and Gilbert unfolds the tragic past to a remorseful Keith.
175"Episode 5"Takashi IgariTakashi IgariMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
Koku, Izanami and Yuna have to fight off an ambush from Kirisame’s subordinates. Lily gets pulled over while driving with the king in her car.
186"Episode 6"Koji SawaiIroha Mitsuki, Hajime AizuMarch 18, 2021 (2021-03-18)
With the RIS continuing their pursuit of Killer B, Koku goes into hiding, but Kirisame seeks him out for a final confrontation.

Notes
  1. Credited as Chief Director (総監督, Sō Kantoku).

References
  1. Lang, Jamie; Hopewell, John (June 16, 2018). "5 Titles Illustrate Diversity in Annecy's TV Films in Competition". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  2. Chapman, Paul (February 8, 2018). "Mysteries Deepen in New "B: The Beginning" Key Visual". Crunchyroll. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. "Netflix Reveals Staff, Cast, Visuals for B: The Beginning Anime (Updated)". Anime News Network. August 2, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. Komatsu, Mikikazu. "Production I.G's Original Anime "B: The Beginning" Reveals Key Visual and Trailer with Theme Song". Crunchyroll.
  5. Netflix Anime (February 17, 2021). B: Succession | Official Trailer | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. "Exclusive: B: The Beginning Anime's English Dub Cast Revealed". Anime News Network. October 20, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  7. "Netflix Brings New Original Anime Series, Perfect Bones, to Members Worldwide". Netflix Media Center.
  8. "Netflix to Stream Production I.G's Perfect Bones Anime Worldwide". Anime News Network. February 25, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  9. "Production I.G's Perfect Bones Anime Lists New Title, 2018 Launch on Netflix". Anime News Network. June 13, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  10. "B: The Beginning Anime Reveals Trailer, March 2 Worldwide Debut". Anime News Network. November 30, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  11. "Anime Limited News: Angelic Layer Blu-ray Release, B: The Beginning Home Video Announcement, and more". Anime UK News. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  12. "Anime Limited to Also Offer B: The Beginning on Blu-ray in U.S." Anime News Network. August 16, 2023.
  13. "Shout! Factory, Anime Limited Partner to Release B: The Beginning Anime". Anime News Network. August 16, 2023.
  14. "Shout! Factory, Anime Limited Release B: The Beginning Anime on BD/DVD on October 6". Anime News Network. August 16, 2023.
  15. Ressler, Karen (June 12, 2018). "B: The Beginning Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  16. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 17, 2021). "B: The Beginning Season 2's Trailer Reveals More Cast, Staff, March 18 Global Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. Mateo, Alex (October 27, 2020). "B: The Beginning Anime Season 2 Unveils Title, Updated Staff, 2021 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
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