You really need to check out 'Moonrise', Netflix's awesome new sci-fi anime from the director of 'Attack on Titan'

With the abundance of animated fare on streaming services these days, you might be inclined to write off Netflix's overlooked and underpromoted sci-fi anime series, 'Moonrise', as just another brick in the big red N's content wall. But don’t make that mistake, as 'Moonrise' offers many satisfying rewards for anime and sci-fi fans, even beyond its sterling creative pedigree.

Directed by "Attack on Titan's" Masashi Koizuka and boasting exceptional character designs from "Fullmetal Alchemist" creator Hiromu Arakawa, "Moonrise" unceremoniously first appeared on April 10, 2025, with a full complement of 18 episodes and a compelling Earth versus the Moon setup.

Prior to its official release, a frustrated "Moonrise" producer Ryoma Kawamura even took to social media regarding the anime show's lack of marketing attention from Netflix, stating, "Please do your best to promote it. I can't do it on my own. Seriously please!! It's still buried deep. Red 'N' Company!! It's time to show the world your power!"

"Moonrise's" material is based on a novel from "Psycho-Pass" writer Tou Ubukata, with animation hailing from WIT Studio, the artists who delivered "Attack on Titan" Seasons 1-3, "Spy x Family," "Vinland Saga," and others. The result is breathtaking animation wrapped up inside a sometimes-convoluted tale of AI overdependence, genetics, capitalistic greed, and class inequality.

Its plot is centered around the Earth Army Investigator Jack Shadow, who travels to the Moon to take down a violent lunar revolt and hunt down revolutionaries that caused the death of his family after orbital elevators connecting the two worlds are destroyed by insurgents demanding total independence.

Sapientia, a powerful AI that has balanced world peace, is the target of the discontented terrorists. The Moon's Joint Army unleashes soldiers while an elite commando unit from Earth called VC3 Squad, led by Jack, infiltrates undercover to wipe out the rebel faction known as the Moon Chains.

At times, the overstuffed narrative is stretched to the point of snapping with too many story threads dangling in the vacuum of outer space, but as you hunker down and remain steadfast, dedicated viewers will see the ambitious scope its creators were striving for.

Copernicus City, the show's main operating lunar civilization, is fascinating and well-detailed, as are the impressive spaceships and vehicles inhabiting the filmmakers' vast worldbuilding. Imagine three seasons of an epic anime endeavor all shuffled into one!

With its DNA firmly rooted in hardcore space opera, "Moonrise" has staged some spectacular action sequences that allow you to forget some of its screenwriting deficits, puzzling character motivation, sudden pacing shifts, and more than a couple of plot holes.

If you sip slowly, pay close attention to its erratic time jumps and flashbacks, focus on its gorgeous visuals, technology presentations, and dynamic action sequences, and forgive its all-too-human storytelling flaws, then Moonrise is one of the most interesting sci-fi anime we've seen in years.

"Moonrise" is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.