Bass X Machina Review: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Bass X Machina is a stylish, thoughtful animated western with great action and a moving lead performance. Six short episodes leave a few characters underdeveloped, but the story stays with you.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Animated Steampunk Western
Language: English
Executive Producers: LeSean Thomas, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Wiley-Moxley, Chad Handley
Voice Cast: Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, Tati Gabrielle, Cree Summer, Chaske Spencer
Episodes: 6
Westerns have been told in many ways, but few look like this one. Bass X Machina takes the legend of Bass Reeves and drops him into a steampunk version of America after the Civil War. The six-episode animated series is streaming now on Netflix, and it is made with care.
Brian Tyree Henry voices Bass, a bounty hunter, husband, and father with another child on the way. The land around him is lawless. Outlaws, machines, and strange supernatural dangers roam freely, and Bass often has to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
He knows that every act of justice could cost him the very people he wants to protect. Then an old enemy from his painful past returns, and Bass sets out on one last mission to secure his family’s future.
The first thing you notice is the look. Studio Mir has done lovely work here. The fights mix old-fashioned western shootouts with steampunk tech, and the animation grows even more exciting when mechs enter the scene.
Bass fights with a steam-powered arm that also works as a gun and gives him special abilities. The backgrounds are just as good, from dusty deserts and deep canyons to busy steam cities and green forests. The music suits the world perfectly, and the opening and ending credits are worth watching instead of skipping.
What lifts the series above simple action is its heart. The show uses real history, including the Civil War and the Trail of Tears, to ground its fantasy world. Even with robot servants and amazing machines, the old prejudices have not gone away.
Bass is judged harder because of his arm, even by some in his own community. He never chose it. It was forced on him in a cruel experiment, much like how Black bodies have been used for progress in real history. That idea hits hard.
Dana, voiced by Tati Gabrielle, adds another layer. She is a young engineer who can pass as white but hides her biracial roots in a time when such a family could be put in danger. Her journey toward accepting who she is feels honest and warm.
The voice cast is excellent. Henry gives Bass a tired, lived-in voice that still carries love and kindness. Cree Summer and Chaske Spencer speak the Choctaw language, Chahta anumpa, and it adds real meaning and care. Janelle Monáe also joins the cast as Glory.
The story also has a thoughtful look at right and wrong. The villain Rivenbark, a former Confederate general, lets his grief turn into a wish to burn the whole world. Bass lost his first wife and child too, yet he chooses to help others. Still, he is not a perfect hero. His thirst for revenge keeps testing the code he lives by, and the show is brave enough to let him be flawed.
The main weakness is the short run. Six episodes pack in a lot, but some characters feel rushed. Ahni, one of the Holy People, deserves far more time, and a second season could fix that.
If you are building a watchlist, our Dead-End Job review covers a Korean horror series with deadly night shifts, while our Rudravanam PS review looks at a Telugu cop thriller with a headless body mystery.
Bass X Machina is bold, beautiful, and full of feeling. It leaves you wanting more.
Bass X Machina is now streaming on Netflix.