Levius (anime)

**Levius** (レビウス, *Rebiusu*) is a Japanese anime series based on the Levius manga by NAKATA Haruhisa.

The series was released worldwide on Netflix on November 28, 2019.

## Plot

As society rises from the ashes of war, cybernetically augmented arena fighters battle for fame and fortune... or die trying.

It's the 19th century, and the world has entered the Era of Rebirth, recovering from the devastating flames of war. The sport of mechanical martial arts has galvanized the nations. Cybernetically augmented fighters turn their blood into steam and their bodies into brutal fighting—and killing—machines.

Young Levius is one of those arena battlers, hell-bent on winning in order to simply survive.

## Staff

* **Original Work:** Nakata Haruhisa
* **Chief Direction:** Seshita Hiroyuki
* **Direction:** Ide Keisuke
* **Series Composition:** Seko Hiroshi
* **Character Design:** Moriyama Yuuki
* **Production Design:** Ferdinando Patulli, Tanaka Naoya
* **Music:** Kanno Yuugo
* **Sound Direction:** Iwanami Yoshikazu
* **Art Direction:** Hatakeyama Yuuki
* **Colour Design:** Noji Hironori
* **Photographic Direction:** Kataama Mitsunori
* **Animation Work:** Polygon Pictures
* **Production:** Polygon Pictures

## English Staff

* **Voice Director**: Todd Haberkorn
* **Script Adaptation**: Shane Gotcher & Todd Haberkorn
* **Sound Engineers**: Calvin Pfeffer & Edgar Maldonaldo
* **Mixer**: Oscar Garcia
* **Dubbing Studio**: VSI Los Angeles

## Cast

* Shimazaki Nobunaga and Zach Aguilar as Levius Cromwell
* Suwabe Jun`ichi and Sean Burgos as Zacks Cromwell
* Hayami Saori and Christine Marie Cabanos as A.J. Langdon
* Sakurai Takahiro and Todd Haberkorn as Bill Weinberg
* Sakura Ayane and Julia McIlvaine as Natalia Garnet
* Ootsuka Houchuu and Neil Kaplan as Malcom Eden
* Ono Daisuke and Jamieson Price as Hugo Stratus
* Miyano Mamoru and Trevor Duvall as Dr. Clown

## Anime & Manga Differences

**Spoilers:** *Manga fights, story and character deaths, READ with caution!*
The anime and manga tell overall same story, but the anime story is heavily changed/altered and toned down in violence and one-two nude scenes removed. The difference is too big to list in detail everything for dialogues and situations, but the major things will be mentioned. The anime covered Levius part of the manga.

* **Design**: The manga uses a coliseum-like arena, while anime uses a normal boxing ring. Character designs for mechanical parts are altered and simplified. AJ armor and Dr. Clown appearances are completely changed.
* **Add/removal of Characters**: Natalia Garnet was a character that appeared in the sequel and was incorporated in lots of filler moments in the anime. The appearance of Christopher Elphinstone, one of the Grand 13th was completely removed in the anime.
* **Story**: Anime starts earlier, but still uses moments from the manga, although heavily changed. It features 2 filler fights (the opening one and vs Floyd) and a lot of other filler moments. It completely removed and added some characters past. AJ could not talk in the manga, followed mindlessly orders and was forced to fight as Dr. Clown hold her brother and brutally tortured to death her father for extensive period of time. Death of characters were removed (see "Fights" section), first encounter of Levius and Hugo was altered, first encounter with Levius group and Dr. Clown was heavily changed due to AJ personality and past change in the anime. Zacks eye disease and ability was not used/revealed as vs AJ fight was heavily changed. Since Christopher was removed in the anime, Levius was the only one dealing with Dr. Clown at the end of the AJ fight and his grand plan for start of a new war was not used.
* **Power levels**: Most fights power levels were toned down in the anime and with almost removed scales of destruction between the fights. Levius was Grade II fighter, while in the anime he was Grade III. The fight between him and AJ was for promotion to Grade I and becoming one of the Grand 13th. The fight was treated as a war in the manga with calling Christopher to prevent it by killing couple thousand of Dr. Clown soldiers and neutralizing his bomb explosion.
* **Fights**:
	+ Malcolm fight was extended and he was given a daughter. In the manga, he didn't had much lines and requested Levius to kill him and he did so brutally.
	+ Hugo and AJ fight scale of violence & destruction was toned down heavily in the anime. In the manga, Hugo received a hole in the chest and lost an arm, while AJ lost an arm between the rounds. Levius ended in a hospital and Hugo to survive his organs (eyes, brain, liver, etc) were put on separate jars and a machine was keeping him alive. He died during AJ vs Levius fight, but in the anime he was still alive.
	+ Levius vs AJ in the manga was for the Grade I spot and was far more destructive and violent, with bigger power levels from both characters. In the manga Zacks used his eye to locate AJ's hearts and Levius destroyed all with final piercing her head. Her survival was not revealed until the sequel manga Levius/est.