Marvel's Old Frankenstein Anime Is Coming to 4K

When it comes to Marvel’s animated history, everyone’s quick to list off the hits like X-Men, the 90s Spider-Man, and Iron Man. But some of these are a bit lost to time, and one of them will soon find new life, and maybe a bigger audience. That’d be Kyoufu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein, a 1981 TV film from Toei Animation. (Or Frankenstein: Legend of Terror, if you’re in the west.) Later this year, the distribution company Deaf Crocodile will put out a 4K restoration in Japanese with English subtitles. It’ll be the anime’s first release since it came to VHS in 1984, and is part of a 12-movie lineup coming to Deaf Crocodile’s subscription service for July-December 2026. Legend of Terror is loosely based on the Mary Shelley novel, and as Deaf Crocodile notes, is a “surprisingly violent and R-rated” movie. Directed by Vampire Hunter D and Cyborg 009 alum Toyoo Ashida, the 98-minute film takes a similarly sympathetic view of Frankenstein’s Monster as other media—and, like Guillermo del Toro’s recent version, takes some creative liberties with the book that may make for an interesting compare and contrast when viewed together. Deaf Croc Jul – Dec 2026 subscription title reveal: FRANKENSTE