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Fritz the Cat – The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1972, 74/ 1.85:1/ 80, 76 Minutes

Starring Skip Hinnant

Directed by Ralph Bakshi, Robert Taylor

The typical toddler tends to relate more to the cuddly animals in a Disney cartoon than their own flesh and blood playmates. Robert Crumb and his brother Charles were anything but typical toddlers yet the boys were preoccupied with what was known as “funny animal comics”—everything from Bugs Bunny to Pogo. Their fascination took on an obsessive twist; for Robert the material was inspiration for his remarkable future as an artist, for Charles it was a trip down a long, dark rabbit hole. Those who weathered Terry Zwigoff’s harrowing Crumb learned a lot about the bleak side of childhood fantasy but they also learned about Robert’s compulsive work ethic and his focus on a house cat named Fred—a “typical big old...

“Yasuke,” the upcoming Netflix series from creator LeSean Thomas, has released its first trailer ahead of an April 29 release. The streaming giant provided the following synopsis along with key art Monday afternoon.

The tale is set in a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, and the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.

All of that is found within the first trailer as the audience meets Yasuke, voiced by Academy Award nominee Lakeith Stanfield. Yasuke stands up for others despite being an outsider due to his former status as a slave. The animation looks beautiful — a mix of anime and light tones generally...

Lakeith Stanfield brings the legend of Yasuke, the real-life Black samurai in feudal Japan, to screen in the trailer for Netflix and Mapaa’s latest anime series that premieres this week.

The Oscar-nominated Judas and the Black Messiah actor takes on the titular character, a servant-turned-fierce hero in the series created by LeSean Thomas. Set in a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, the series follows the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, who struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyo, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.

The trailer teases Yasuke’s closest circle, his gory past, the series’ big bad and a fresh track from Grammy-nominated music producer Flying Lotus. The voice cast also features Ming-Na Wen,...

Starz announced that “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” will premiere on July 18.

Set in ’90s South Jamaica, Queens and serving as a prequel to the original Power franchise, the series stars Patina Miller, Mekai Curtis, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Joey Bada$$, Tony Sandeman, Shanley Caswell, Lovie Simone and Quincy Brown.

Creator and showrunner Sascha Penn executive produces alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Courtney A. Kemp, Mark Canton, Chris Selak, Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Dates

ABC announced that the special tribute episode of “General Hospital,” which will celebrate actor John Reilly, will air on May 21. The episode features “General Hospital” fan-favorites Kristina Wagner, John J. York, Finola Hughes, Genie Francis and Jon Lindstrom reprising their respective roles as Felicia Scorpio, Malcolm “Mac” Scorpio, Anna Devane, Laura Collins and Kevin Collins. While mourning the death of World Security...