This Anime was on my list just because of the marketing and poster for it. It looked super interesting and futuristic, so I had to give it a shot! Little did I know that it would actually be an adaptation of the real game that came out in 2017! Here's a synopsis provided by the official source, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Official USA Website. Let's get into it.
Anime Synopsis:
The distant future, 5012. The sudden aerial invasion of Earth by Aliens, and their creations, Machine Lifeforms, led mankind to the brink of extinction. The surviving number of humans who took refuge on the moon to organize a counterattack using android soldiers to recapture Earth. However, the war reaches a stalemate as the Machine Lifeforms continue to multiply infinitely. In turn, humanity deploys anew unit of android soldiers as an ultimate weapon: YoRHa, Newly dispatched to Earth (2B) joins 9S, the analyst currently stationed there, where amid their mission, they encounter a myriad of mysterious phenomena...This is the story of these lifeless androids and their endless fight for the sake of mankind.
Let's start with how this anime felt like a video game from the very beginning. We have our first introduction to a character named 2B, a skilled combat android meant to fight the ongoing war. As the Episode progresses with 2B, the viewing experience feels less like a story that will slowly unfold...and more like a video game level being completed. There's not a lot of backstory and exposition given to us for these characters. Just straight to action just like the opening for a video game sequence. During the episode, it feels like 2B is beating bosses and challenges until she works her way to the final boss. There's even a moment where it feels like we've reach the last boss, but really there's a twist that makes the situation bigger than what it seemed to be. Once we've reached that point, it really feels like we are in the video game going against the enemy on hard mode. It really pulls you in and makes the viewing experience feel intense, but entertaining.
The animation was a hit or a miss at times. There are moments where the scenes are cinematic and beautiful. Mainly when it feels more 2D than 3D. The drawing like animations are fluid, incredible, and make those actions scenes great to watch. However, the CGI animations are clunky, feel fake looking, and not the most appealing. Every time a scene like that came on that was using it, I pretty much fell out of the show. Certain movement's don't feel very realistic...which is weird because there is a environment shot where everything looks super realistic. I hoping that type of animation gets better or not used as much as it was this first episode.
Finally, I'm excited for the idea behind this anime. In the last bit of the episode, 2B and the character 9S state that this show will be showing us multiple endings just like the actual game. So there will never be just one resolution for this anime, giving me even more of a reason to watch it! I think NieR: Automata will be a dope anime and I'm looking forward to watching it weekly. If it's really dope, I might even give the game a shot! Have you seen NieR: Automata Episode 1? What did you think of it? Comment and let me know! Thanks for stopping by, peace!
