From award-winning dramas to kiddie shows, Netflix’s original programming is expanding into just about every category these days. The latest? Anime.

The streaming-service-turned-content-company is launching its first-ever anime series, Knights of Sidonia, on July 4, based on the manga series of the same name. The 12-episode futuristic series has already aired in Japan, and Netflix is the exclusive U.S. outlet, technically making this a “Netflix Original.”

Check out the official synopsis below:

The first Netflix original anime series, Knights of Sidonia, based on the popular manga series of the same name, follows Nagate, a low-born youth in a society of genetically engineered refugees who escaped the destruction of Earth one thousand years earlier and now occupy the massive ship Sidonia. When Nagate's talent as a pilot is revealed he becomes one of Sidonia's elite defenders against the Guana, shapeshifting aliens bent on eliminating humans from existence.

The first trailer for the series has also been released, and it actually looks pretty fantastic. Hey, Netflix is pretty much killing it in every other category — why not anime?

(Via Sploid)