Anime-Review: NieR Automata Ver 1.1a (First Cour)
NieR Automata Ver 1.1a First Cour
(A-1 Pictures, NieR Automata 2023)
The Anime started airing on the 8th January of 2023 and ended on the 21th July of 2023.
After some production issues, A-1 Pictures was finally able to release all remaining episodes for the first cour* of the NieR Automata Anime (4 episodes total).
The release date for the 2nd cour is still TBA, which will also be consisting of 12 episodes for a total of 24 episodes. The Anime is based on the game NieR Automata, which released in 2017.
I only recently finished the game after taking several breaks inbetween game sessions (over the span of 4 years..).
Not because it is a bad game, but because of certain other games that got in the way (*cough* Destiny 2 *cough*).
After I finished NieR Automata, I even picked up the NieR Replicant remaster (in 2023) and finished it in the same year. So while I'm certainly no NieR expert, I experienced both games as much as I could.
* cour = part
The First Batch (Episode 1-8)
(A-1 Pictures, NieR Automata Ver 1.1a Episode 1)
The first episodes of NieR Automata Ver 1.1a were really interesting if you recently finished the game(s),
because the Anime still surprises you in some ways you wouldn't expect.
While staying true to Yoko Taro's (Game Director and Scenario Writer of the NieR games) story from the games, it still takes a different route in some episodes and throws you off a little bit if you are going into the show expecting certain things to happen. Those episodes didn't alter the story by much, but fleshed out the world of Automata in a unique way and covered the same thematics as the game. I'd call them side missions (or quests) in Anime form.
Another fact that was pretty interesting was the focus on characters that barely had any spotlights in the main game like Jackass, or the introduction of some Anime original characters like Lily, who was originally a character from the NieR Automata Manga.
(A-1 Pictures, NieR Automata, Lily)
While the show had a slow start at first, and a lot of people complained about the CGI used in the first episode, it still had incredible visuals (..and I'm not talking about 2B's assets here).
The use of the game's OST was also superb and always pretty fitting (especially during scenes that were 1:1 from the game) and gave a lot of goosebumps.
The Final Batch (Episodes 9-12)
The final episode before the 3-month long break was peak (Direction, OST, Animation), but because of production issues within A-1 the remaining 4 episodes had to be delayed. The first 8 episodes had some delays as well, but those breaks were usually 1 week in between.
The long wait for the remaining episodes probably killed the hype for a lot of people, with the hardcore fans being the exception.
(A-1 Pictures, NieR Automata, 2B)
So, was it worth it? The long wait? Well.. hard to say.
For the remaining 4 episodes of the first cour the show stays on the same path as the game with some exceptions (which would be massive spoilers, so I'm not going into much detail here).
While I enjoyed the last batch, it sure felt weirdly paced in some ways.
I can only imagine that a lot of first time watcher (with no connection to the games) would be a bit confused, but the game itself can be like that as well and you'll only see the bigger picture if you do the other game routes that have different endings (The Yoko Taro way).
The first cour was more or less the prologue of the complete story and we have to wait a little bit longer to see the full picture..
.. or you simply play the game and experience it for yourself. I'd recommend it.
So, how should I score the show at this point? I enjoyed it, but sometimes it felt like the pacing was off.
I can't say it is a masterpiece, but it delivers the overall feeling of the game and its world very well, so I'd set for a 7,5/10.
Final Score: 7,5 - Not a Masterpiece, but very well done nevertheless
Recommended for:
- Fans of the game(s)
- Fans of JRPGs
- Fans of Sci-Fi
- Fans of Mechas
Not recommended for:
- People looking for an upbeat story
- Fans of Romance
- People with no attention span
Additional Note:
Play the games.
Trailer:
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