The latest offering in the small but mighty indie anime series, which follows Xavier, a teen with OCD and a traumatic past who discovers he has the power to enter and manipulate people’s dreams, is now streaming on YouTube.
Creator Patrick Pedraza has announced the highly anticipated third episode of Akari Dark is now streaming on YouTube.
Produced and funded by Pedraza (voice actor on Genshin Impact), the anime series follows Xavier, a teen with OCD and a traumatic past who discovers he has the power to enter and manipulate people’s dreams. When he draws the attention of Tezcatlipoca, the vengeful Aztec dream god, Xavier and his friends must uncover their abilities and confront sinister forces within the realm of dreams.
In Episode 3 “Friends In The Dark,” Xavier enters Kimberly’s nightmare for the first time and slays a humanoid creature with a pocket pen.
The small but mighty indie series boasts an impressive voice cast, including Zach Aguilar (Demon Slayer, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), Griffin Burns (Demon Slayer, Genshin Impact), Brittany Cox (Genshin Impact, Pokémon), Pedraza, Ashley Biski (The Nutty Boy, Pokemon Masters), and Brent Allen Hagel. Episode 3 introduces Alejandro Saab (Persona 3 Reload, Dr. Stone).
The series is written by Pedraza and Curt Sell. Color is by Isabelle Selden, with music by Aaron Orbit.
Anahi Ontiveros, a talented animation student, serves as the sole animator. “My animator is only 22 years old,” said Pedraza. “I found her after I saw an amazing animation video on YouTube she did of the character Wanderer I voice in Genshin Impact. I reached out to her because I was moved by her animation.”
Pedraza modeled the series after his own experiences with OCD and intrusive thoughts. “I wanted to write about it as a form of therapy for myself and other people who struggle with similar stuff,” explained Pedraza. “Xavier suffers from this and eventually realizes he can turn it into a super power-entering peoples nightmares, kinda like a younger better looking Freddy Krueger.”
With eight episodes already written, Pedraza aims to move the series onto a larger platform in the future. Fingers crossed!
Check out the Episode 3 teaser now:
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
