Seis Manos is an anime that reminds us of the animations from the late 90's to the early 2000's, has a very good and dynamic fighting style that makes us want more. The story catches us with an extremely unexpected surprise right in the first episode which is very positive and makes us wonder "What's Next?". The characters, despite having a number of established character clichés, are able to please the audience and make them happy. We had fun, and we were even more interested in the story, contain some good jokes, which are always put on time! As a negative point I will have to mention that sometimes the animation gets stuck and the characters move in a hard and not fluid way, but Other than that the story is very good and especially in the different developments of villains, with the cartels mixing the mythicism with their business!
33 Reviews
Kung Fu Revenge Rollercoaster Set in Mexico
juvei4 November 2019
It's a bit of an odd show, basically mashing 3 genres together, but it definitely works. Despite being a bit busy plot wise and only having 8 episodes to do it, it was a pretty solid package giving reasonably solid backstory, while still pushing the main narrative forward at a healthy pace. It reminded me a bit of Kill Bill and Desperado, I don't think it's quite as solid as either, but a show I'd recommend to anyone who likes Kung Fu flicks and cartoons.
Breath of fresh air
RusticZync9 November 2019
It's stylish with powerful and visceral animation, but it's also messy and doesn't come together as well as one would hope.
IonicBreezeMachine24 October 2020
Set in the Mexican village of San Simon, the series follows a trio of orphans, mute and angry Silencio, grounded and focused Isabella, and laid back and aloof Jesus who are the pupils of kung fu master Sifu Chiu at his school just outside the village. After the trio's teacher is killed by a rogue henchmen of a brutal assassin associated with darkly magical cartel boss El Balde, this sets the trio off on a journey to find out who killed their teacher and why.
Seis Manos is the second adult skewing animated series from Powerhouse Animation Studios who previously gave us the deservedly critically acclaimed Castlevania series on Netflix. With Seis Manos the approach is similar, but the Gothic horror atmosphere in this show is replaced with a 1970s grind house aesthetic made popular in use of Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse. And while it does capture the aesthetics reasonably well, it overstuffs itself with so many elements that the show doesn't come together quite as seamlessly as it should. This isn't to say there aren't good merits to the show, and overall I do recommend it, but throughout the first half of the 8 episode run I didn't feel myself as engaged as I wanted to be and between the points that hooked my attention were several meandering points where I found myself losing focus.
First the good, the animation is as good as Powerhouse's previous effort Castlevania. What Castlevania did with Gothic horror, this does for 70s Grindhouse cinema and you can feel a clear love of the decade and this cinema be it in its usage of Shaw Bros. inspired kung fu fighting, it's narco film based intrigue, even homages to blaxspoitlation, spaghetti westerns, and post Exorcist/Rosemary's Baby Satanic horror films. Much like the movie Grindhouse the show utilizes a filter to mimic the effects of low quality film grain, "cigar burns" in the upper right to show end of reel, and even celluloid jams. It's applied sparingly and never feels overdone and definitely helps forge its own identity. Though on occasion it allows itself to become a little too brazen with its references, including a rather hamfisted reference to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13.
Unfortunately the actual substance of the show is where things start becoming bit lacking in focus. The show is co created by Álvaro Rodríguez a cousin of Robert Rodríguez who's collaborated with him on El Marachi and Machete, and his influence can still very much be felt here. While Robert Rodríguez does utilized 70s Grindhouse aesthetics quite frequently in his films, they're still used in service of a story and there's not much sense of that until about the half way point of the show. Without giving too much away, the first episode focuses heavily on a character who becomes completely in consequential after the first episode and because of that it feels like it was just filler to justify the 8 episode length. In addition to the Trio of orphans we follow, we also follow a DEA agent and a Mexican federale whose story threats don't link up with the main trio until about episode 4. As a result the first half of the show feels very messy and chaotic as it constantly feels like setup with not much payoff. It sets up the back story of some characters while not developing others, and because of this I didn't have much investment in the characters for the first few episodes.
With that said however, the show does regain it's footing somewhere around the tail end of episode 4 when it moves passed the burdensome exposition and is allowed to let the characters be characters and actually move towards the main villain of the series. We see each of the trio conflicting with one another over their approach to their master's death with Jesus ignoring it, Isabella trying to find a purpose in it, and Silencio brooding anger. The personal connection also serves as a good foil to the investigative connection with DEA agent Brister and federale Garcia who have a good buddy dynamic, even if it isn't given as much time as it needs to be explored.
Seis Manos is an okay show, its story doesn't flow as smoothly as it should and has a tendency to linger on extraneous elements, but it's also stylish and filled with gorgeously brutal animation. While it can sometimes become overburden with it's references and the different genres don't always coalesce as well as they should, animation and grindhouse fans should find plenty to keep themselves entertained.
Seis Manos is the second adult skewing animated series from Powerhouse Animation Studios who previously gave us the deservedly critically acclaimed Castlevania series on Netflix. With Seis Manos the approach is similar, but the Gothic horror atmosphere in this show is replaced with a 1970s grind house aesthetic made popular in use of Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse. And while it does capture the aesthetics reasonably well, it overstuffs itself with so many elements that the show doesn't come together quite as seamlessly as it should. This isn't to say there aren't good merits to the show, and overall I do recommend it, but throughout the first half of the 8 episode run I didn't feel myself as engaged as I wanted to be and between the points that hooked my attention were several meandering points where I found myself losing focus.
First the good, the animation is as good as Powerhouse's previous effort Castlevania. What Castlevania did with Gothic horror, this does for 70s Grindhouse cinema and you can feel a clear love of the decade and this cinema be it in its usage of Shaw Bros. inspired kung fu fighting, it's narco film based intrigue, even homages to blaxspoitlation, spaghetti westerns, and post Exorcist/Rosemary's Baby Satanic horror films. Much like the movie Grindhouse the show utilizes a filter to mimic the effects of low quality film grain, "cigar burns" in the upper right to show end of reel, and even celluloid jams. It's applied sparingly and never feels overdone and definitely helps forge its own identity. Though on occasion it allows itself to become a little too brazen with its references, including a rather hamfisted reference to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13.
Unfortunately the actual substance of the show is where things start becoming bit lacking in focus. The show is co created by Álvaro Rodríguez a cousin of Robert Rodríguez who's collaborated with him on El Marachi and Machete, and his influence can still very much be felt here. While Robert Rodríguez does utilized 70s Grindhouse aesthetics quite frequently in his films, they're still used in service of a story and there's not much sense of that until about the half way point of the show. Without giving too much away, the first episode focuses heavily on a character who becomes completely in consequential after the first episode and because of that it feels like it was just filler to justify the 8 episode length. In addition to the Trio of orphans we follow, we also follow a DEA agent and a Mexican federale whose story threats don't link up with the main trio until about episode 4. As a result the first half of the show feels very messy and chaotic as it constantly feels like setup with not much payoff. It sets up the back story of some characters while not developing others, and because of this I didn't have much investment in the characters for the first few episodes.
With that said however, the show does regain it's footing somewhere around the tail end of episode 4 when it moves passed the burdensome exposition and is allowed to let the characters be characters and actually move towards the main villain of the series. We see each of the trio conflicting with one another over their approach to their master's death with Jesus ignoring it, Isabella trying to find a purpose in it, and Silencio brooding anger. The personal connection also serves as a good foil to the investigative connection with DEA agent Brister and federale Garcia who have a good buddy dynamic, even if it isn't given as much time as it needs to be explored.
Seis Manos is an okay show, its story doesn't flow as smoothly as it should and has a tendency to linger on extraneous elements, but it's also stylish and filled with gorgeously brutal animation. While it can sometimes become overburden with it's references and the different genres don't always coalesce as well as they should, animation and grindhouse fans should find plenty to keep themselves entertained.
A unique show that shows genuine love and passion to the material it bases itself on
processedsybil7 October 2019
Seis Manos is a show that I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed when I saw it pop up on Netflix. The first episode or so was rough around the edges, as is common for many series when first starting. I was certain it was going to be just a generic take on anime tropes but it quickly became apparent to me that the show would devise its own unique identity.
It bases itself largely on Mexican culture and the show plays this to its strengths accentuating its action, characters, setting and story. The show feels somewhat like a Telenovela, but I won't dabble too much in explaining exactly why as it may spoil some parts. To put it simply it can be quite silly and dramatic at times, but in the end it was never a deal breaker or abrasive.
The show in general is also pretty gorey and as mentioned before, very action focused. The battles themselves continuously growing in intensity and absurdity, with just how the elements of the show clash and mix to create a really fun and enjoyable experience. Seeing the interactions of standard men with guns, martial artists, etc. At times it reminded me of the type of scenes you'd see in those older Martial Arts movies.
Overall the show just shows a lot of charm, successfully mixing its cultural influences and gives a tense and enjoyable time. The characters themselves are overall pretty alright. In such a short season it's hard to develop a cast in such an action packed show but they're likeable enough and they play their roles well.
In the end I'd say the show is definitely worth watching. It has its flaws. The characters and story are still in the more early stages, and some lackluster handling of smaller events near the end and beginning also harm it a bit in my eyes. Despite that, I'd definitely recommend the show.
It bases itself largely on Mexican culture and the show plays this to its strengths accentuating its action, characters, setting and story. The show feels somewhat like a Telenovela, but I won't dabble too much in explaining exactly why as it may spoil some parts. To put it simply it can be quite silly and dramatic at times, but in the end it was never a deal breaker or abrasive.
The show in general is also pretty gorey and as mentioned before, very action focused. The battles themselves continuously growing in intensity and absurdity, with just how the elements of the show clash and mix to create a really fun and enjoyable experience. Seeing the interactions of standard men with guns, martial artists, etc. At times it reminded me of the type of scenes you'd see in those older Martial Arts movies.
Overall the show just shows a lot of charm, successfully mixing its cultural influences and gives a tense and enjoyable time. The characters themselves are overall pretty alright. In such a short season it's hard to develop a cast in such an action packed show but they're likeable enough and they play their roles well.
In the end I'd say the show is definitely worth watching. It has its flaws. The characters and story are still in the more early stages, and some lackluster handling of smaller events near the end and beginning also harm it a bit in my eyes. Despite that, I'd definitely recommend the show.
Good
bryan-lima12 July 2021
Different and good
vinodrmen7 October 2019
A pleasent surprise. Different from the anime shows in such that it doesn't need to sexual undertones or characters that look like kids.
Definitely borrows from other material but does enough to create something watchable. The action sequences don't seem random and seem well choreographed.
The only criticism I can think of that it seems more Asian rather than mexican although all characters are Mexican
Definitely borrows from other material but does enough to create something watchable. The action sequences don't seem random and seem well choreographed.
The only criticism I can think of that it seems more Asian rather than mexican although all characters are Mexican
Silencio is the ULTIMATE Mexican Anime Anti-Hero
knightox19 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Never thought I'd ever see a 70's style, grind-house Mexican anime. Man, SEIS MANOS was better than I could have imagined. I appreciated all the characters that were developed and shocked by some of the surprising deaths (having not read the previews).
I gotta say by far my favorite one of the heroes was Silencio. Seeing him witness his parents shot down in cold blood and himself mangled reminded me of the Condor Joe character from Gatchaman fame. Silencio is definitely NOT a politically correct team player. He tends to fill his need for revenge by slaughtering any monster or killer within arm's reach. I won't give anymore details about the series but the second season can NOT come out soon enough! 10/10 stars
Chinese culture and mexicans
whitenighte5 October 2019
A hodgepodge of great ideas that don't mesh.
rysigler11 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
It's a great idea, said the writers of this show. Anything that qualified for that statement got crammed in. Demons? Magic? Drug wars? Martial arts? Check check check. And hey let's slam it in Mexico and put a big ol' guy in the mix.
It all leads to some funny moments and interesting set pieces, but a lot of things never come to fruition. Why was their master making some weird kind of hooch by the ton? Why was the black guy racist against Mexicans? And what is with the bait and switch with the bad guys? Why was Sliencio's right eyebrow going white?
Too much was happening to cram all this into one tiny little season. The real issue I have is that it could have been so good. Draw out Silencio's descent into cruelty. Explore Chiu's excentricities. Learn more about the magic of the culture down south. Take a freaking minute, and deal with one bad guy, before introducing us to a whole new evil organization! Maybe have a bit of a hunt for the peach before it just appears, then instantly grants the big bad unlimited power. See how long this paragraph is? That's only a fraction of what they crammed into this first season. Oh, and maybe deal with the fact that you killed every adult in a tiny Mexican town before having magic money rain from the sky and our heroes riding off into the sunset, seemingly to never return.
Too much in one bite. That's the TLDR version of this review. It's enjoyable, but only goes so deep. Like a rock skipping across a pond before it inevitably sinks into the depths, lost forever in a sea of plot holes and tangled story lines.
It all leads to some funny moments and interesting set pieces, but a lot of things never come to fruition. Why was their master making some weird kind of hooch by the ton? Why was the black guy racist against Mexicans? And what is with the bait and switch with the bad guys? Why was Sliencio's right eyebrow going white?
Too much was happening to cram all this into one tiny little season. The real issue I have is that it could have been so good. Draw out Silencio's descent into cruelty. Explore Chiu's excentricities. Learn more about the magic of the culture down south. Take a freaking minute, and deal with one bad guy, before introducing us to a whole new evil organization! Maybe have a bit of a hunt for the peach before it just appears, then instantly grants the big bad unlimited power. See how long this paragraph is? That's only a fraction of what they crammed into this first season. Oh, and maybe deal with the fact that you killed every adult in a tiny Mexican town before having magic money rain from the sky and our heroes riding off into the sunset, seemingly to never return.
Too much in one bite. That's the TLDR version of this review. It's enjoyable, but only goes so deep. Like a rock skipping across a pond before it inevitably sinks into the depths, lost forever in a sea of plot holes and tangled story lines.
Season2 Please.
atheshkana27 October 2021
It is so good 'cuz of the classic look animation style and the great fighting sequences
Worth watching,but ending is still confusing,hope we can get those answers in Season 2🙏
And the one extra star is for underrated😅
Refreshing
rhu19935 October 2019
Great story, terrific animation.
holistickai6 October 2019
Seis Manos Review: Respect the lore and enjoy the gore
mlopez3-28 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Seis Manos first two episodes set up a binge-worthy season of lore, gore and KUNG FU!!! Each episode's cliffhanger caused me to have just finish the show quickly despite my initial intent to savor it. I found the story telling to be so gripping. I remain heartbroken by the losses the characters endured, which speaks to how quickly the story tellers were able to get me invested in them. The attention to detail, like the egg used by the local healer had me reflecting on things my mom would do and say since Voodoo is in my culture. But my favorite thing were all the hilarious quips and com backs by Brister. They all paid off so well- he was by far my favorite character, with Jesus a close second and the possessed Isabell's flowing locks totally a favorite visual of the show. My daughters who are teenagers- and also huge fans of anime said they found the art style to be a bit different then the anime they are used to but they were super complimentary and impressed by so many of the backgrounds and details that agreed were really lovely and well done. I really enjoyed this show and got super into it by episode 3. I found so much of the story to be fresh and found the series to be an artful combination of things Latinx with Kung Fu. While the fight choreography was amazing, I do have a gripe about the snipers letting the barrels hang over the roof of the building where they were perched. Other then that, I really dug this series and look forward to more of it.
What on earth?
Jigsjigz6 October 2019
Like the 1 of the worse animation style out there this show had horrible scripting, a terrible plot and bad voice acting. Makes no sense from start to finish apart from being a pointless good vs bad thing. Who writers these shows? random 5 year olds put ideas together and a 10 year old writes it?
Cracking Show!!
punjabilion6 May 2020
Need Season 2 Stat
markchrisandjr4 November 2019
Awesome show.
Why should I explain it to?
Just go watch it.
Still reading? Well, if you like: Super zombie flicks, watch it. Supernatural fight scenes watch it. Spanish based animation, watch it. A cartoon with mostly people of color, watch it. Bad ass marital arts, watch it. Fucking cartoons, watch it. The Tao, watch it...well the opening sequences...but still, watch it. Shows that have great endings that lead into a new season, WATCH IT.
I need that Season 2 NOW, not next year, NOW.
Still reading? Well, if you like: Super zombie flicks, watch it. Supernatural fight scenes watch it. Spanish based animation, watch it. A cartoon with mostly people of color, watch it. Bad ass marital arts, watch it. Fucking cartoons, watch it. The Tao, watch it...well the opening sequences...but still, watch it. Shows that have great endings that lead into a new season, WATCH IT.
I need that Season 2 NOW, not next year, NOW.
Best simpleton show from netflix
miphos-713334 October 2019
Ok, first the flaws: as anime it fails hard, not an anime Netflix, animation it maybe... The history is not deep or anything, is a thriller history and that's all, we got zombies, a revenge history that does not matter, side characters that we don't want to get related or involved because they are kinda boring. Sometimes it try HARD to be deep, but we all know that you basic serie...
The first part is for people searching for a deep meaning of life from an animated series(really? from an animated series?), the second part is for people searching for gore and action.
Everything that do good: Gore, simple jokes and never ever gets all boring, the side jokes, the linear history line, the lack of more deep content makes this series something to binge watch, it's enjoyable for an afternoon eating pizza and trying to forget the world.
Conclusions: If you are searching for something deep, emotional and that will make you change your life, this is not for you, if you basic, you will love it(like I did)
NOTE: I'm mexican and I don't feel ofended by the series...don't be a offended easily or keep aside of the show.
The first part is for people searching for a deep meaning of life from an animated series(really? from an animated series?), the second part is for people searching for gore and action.
Everything that do good: Gore, simple jokes and never ever gets all boring, the side jokes, the linear history line, the lack of more deep content makes this series something to binge watch, it's enjoyable for an afternoon eating pizza and trying to forget the world.
Conclusions: If you are searching for something deep, emotional and that will make you change your life, this is not for you, if you basic, you will love it(like I did)
NOTE: I'm mexican and I don't feel ofended by the series...don't be a offended easily or keep aside of the show.
Sleeper
ecrawford-6201918 November 2019
I can't believe I waited so long to watch this awesome animated series. The animation on the martial arts were great the setting and theme were fantastic. I'm a huge anime and material arts buff, This series hit the spot!
No substance
jamesdoree6 October 2019
Please let there be another season
kevin-012767 November 2019
I found no reason at all to give this less than 10 stars
syberpuppy-0977311 October 2019
So.. Wow! There were some good reviews, but also bad ones, and it's a netflix show so I expected it to be entertaining but to have it's flaws. Unfortunately, I'm an expert in finding those and it's rare I give a show a 10/10.
This show though was just excellent. The feel of the show was an interesting fusion that surprisingly worked great with the grade A animation. The action was not only beautiful, but also felt real, interesting and real characters. Much more plot twists than I could predict and without making the show into a headache. And most importantly a story that is not only interesting, but aside from some very minor points also made complete sense.
I won't go into any details of the show since it's a blast you should experience for yourselves.Netflix has outdone themselves on this. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes martial arts, fantasy, and\or good Japanese anime (even though this isn't technically Japanese).
This show though was just excellent. The feel of the show was an interesting fusion that surprisingly worked great with the grade A animation. The action was not only beautiful, but also felt real, interesting and real characters. Much more plot twists than I could predict and without making the show into a headache. And most importantly a story that is not only interesting, but aside from some very minor points also made complete sense.
I won't go into any details of the show since it's a blast you should experience for yourselves.Netflix has outdone themselves on this. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes martial arts, fantasy, and\or good Japanese anime (even though this isn't technically Japanese).
Super
pillin_domi18 November 2020
Super bad
mossstellflug14 October 2019
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