I honestly don't get why when Netflix airs a certain anime, they would claim it as an original series, implying it's a Netflix production when it never was. They just happen to have the license to air it on their service. It's done before with the first two seasons of Knights of Sidonia, and now they're doing it again with Ajin: Demi-Human.
Ajin is based on the ongoing manga of the same name by Gamon Sakurai and is about the global manhunt of the Ajin - humans who are immortal and can summon beings known as 'Black Ghosts'. Teenager Kei Nagai is one such Ajin after he is killed in a truck accident, and is on the run from numerous factions who want the Ajin for various types of research from medicine to weaponization - all at the expense of the Ajin themselves.
Besides Kei Nagai, there is Yuu Tosaki, who plans to capture the Ajin by any means necessary for research purposes. We are also introduced to Sato, an old man who publically announces himself as an Ajin in a campaign to expose the Japanese government of their cruel experimentations towards the Ajin and fighting for Ajin rights. Sato, however, has a much more sinister goal in mind.....
Ajin combines elements of the supernatural and make it part of an action-thriller. Indeed, Kei continues to be hunted down by the various factions that want him for their own purposes. At the same time, we have Sato who goes after his goal in the most violent, yet ingenious way possible. And then we have Tosaki, who is pressured to capture these Ajins by whatever the cost. And it's not like Kei's a good guy either, as he's a sociopath with a cool and calculating demeanor. He can be compared to Code Geass's Lelouch Lamperouge as they both wish to attain their goals by any means necessary, even if it means collateral damage to everyone around them.
The only thing that bums me with Ajin is the fact that the first season ends in a cliffhanger. Now the original manga is available to check out on Crunchyroll, but the manga drives the plot much differently from the anime. So in a way it's kind of like how AMC handles The Walking Dead and how the show differentiates itself from the comics, while retaining a number of elements at the same time. So if you're planning to read the manga version of Ajin, it's best to start from the very beginning rather than the chapter where the anime left off.
Animation-wise, Polygon Pictures, the studio behind Ajin, makes it done in full CG, similar to what they did in Knights of Sidonia. Quite noticeably, the English voice cast for Ajin also come from Knights of Sidonia, so you may wonder if there was a connection at first. I personally prefer the original Japanese dialogue over the dub, however. Kudos to flumpool for the OP theme "Can You Sleep at Night?" as it is quite catchy and worth getting it if you can.
Ajin is a great action thriller that makes you wonder who you're going to cheer on. While the cliffhanger ending is very upsetting, a continuation is in the works and we can expect it to be available later this year or sometime in 2017. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give "Ajin: Demi-Human", the first season, a 4 out of 5.
The anime series is currently available on Netflix, while the English version of the manga is available on Crunchyroll.
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