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French animated series Wakfu is to see its first official English language screening via Netflix, launching on the streaming platform in less than a week. The cult series will be available in five countries, before reaching new territories as the platform launches in more regions later in 2014.

The first 26-episode season will be available to subscribers in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, US, Canada, and "most Scandinavian countries" from 14 September. The announcement comes in the wake of one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns in the crowdfunding site's history.


Roubaix-based studio Ankama Games had originally asked for $80,000 CAD (£45,110) to produce an English dub for the first season, which backers would receive on Blu-ray. By the time the pledge drive ended on 19 February, it had attracted $483,524 CAD (£272,639), 604 percent of its initial target, and smashed through stretch goals allowing for the dubbing of both existing seasons, the English release of Wakfu manga as digital comics, and the production of entirely new episodes.

Read the WIRED guide to the best anime series and movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime

The most impressive part is that this was an entirely fan-driven result. In its home country, Wakfu has become a domestic sensation, with a dedicated convention and rafts of merchandise.


But its official presence outside of France is currently minimal at best. The animated series was first broadcast in 2008, and developed in conjunction with an MMORPG of the same name.

Although the game, eventually released in 2011, has been localised into English, the series itself was not, bar a test dub of the first two episodes circulated to potential traditional investors or broadcasters in 2010. Instead, fans took to subtitling the 52-episode series into other languages themselves, and positive word-of-mouth led to popular webcomics such as Penny Arcade picking up on its world.

Despite being animated in Flash, Wakfu is one of the most visually impressive animated series you'll see, with a surprisingly mature, arc-based narrative. The first season follows Yugo, a 12-year old boy who discovers his natural ability to teleport using strange energies, and his band of allies as they battle the evil Nox while searching for Yugo's true origins. The second covers a hunt for legendary cursed weapons, while three special episodes have attracted noted animators from Japan and South Korea. The full cast of voice actors for the series can be found here.