AKUDAMA DRIVE

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGAAkudama Drive

REVIEWS

• 

  lllllllllll

  70/100
  Crazy criminals go on a killing spree to save the owner of a robotic cat, then it all falls apart...

  After the disappointment of Cyberpunk 2077 on the ps4 the anime gods blessed us with Akudama Drive except they only blessed half of it. Akudama Drive gives us amazing animation with cool visuals pact with great action that does not take ages to develop with a nice and unique story set in dystopian future in Kansai. Even though the story does fall a bit off near the end of the series it didn’t stop me enjoying the first half of the series which is the sole reason why I continued watching the series as a whole.

  Plot 7/10

  Akudama Drive is a story about 7 criminals who have sentences of a minimum of 500+ years (basically a life sentence) and they do risky jobs for a large sum of money while being pursued by the police. The show was filled with great and gruesome moments notably in the very first few episodes when they were going to save cutthroat, it was very intriguing to see the main characters mercilessly murder members of the police force with no unnecessary dialog or development needed. The show doesn’t take long to develop and doesn’t keep the viewer at bay and gets straight to the point which I thoroughly enjoy. As a whole, the first half of the series was worth watching and time well wasted as there was a clear development and goal that I wanted to see. however, the same cannot be said for the second half of the series, even though there were clear developments between different characters and the story it was just not progressing the way I hoped it would, the story began to shift from logical and unique standpoints and started to become more like a battle royal with a hint of political rising and mass killings it just didn’t feel right. on top of that, it probably had one of the worst endings I have ever seen in anime a cliché battle against an enemy with zero development.

  Characters 6/10

  Not much can be said about the characters in Akudama Drive because, one the story just went completely south in the latter half of the series and two only a handful of character development really mattered mainly because most of them ended up dead or were missing in action, but the ones that were developed were alright at best, the main character at first was seen as a completely innocent normal human being who has never committed a crime before, however as time went on spending time with criminals and building connections with different characters we saw a change in character and transition from being this innocent human being to becoming a killer who would save their friends when needed to, the writer made it clear that there was this shift in character and personality when he made the main character cut her hair which symbolised a new birth of character. In total it was Pretty generic but that’s pretty much the only character development we really got.

  Art/Animation 8/10

  Akudama Drive brings a Danganronpa theme art style which I see as very unique and pleasant to watch, the art style gave a futuristic look while making scenes that emphasises poor neighbourhoods truly show the struggle some characters face, furthermore the animation was suburb, the fight scenes, the killings, the movement was all smooth with its own unique style, one scene that truly fascinated me was the very first fight between the executioners and Akudama even though there could have been some minor fixtures the fight scenes was amazing, packed with great choreographs fights that flowed amazingly well. Lastly the colours, one thing that Akudama Drive does well is using a mixture of dark and bright colours to make scenes better to watch, it also plays a great part in showing futuristic cities and gives an accurate view of how it might look.

  

  Music 7/10

  The ending and opening were great. They fitted with the style and plot of this show and what I mean by this is the sounds and instruments fitted the sci-fi/futuristic genre they were trying to express, the visuals in the opening and ending were beautifully fused with light and dark colours which amazed me as its rare to see animes with great visual openings and endings. Not much can be said about the ost mainly because the action overshadowed it but as a whole, it was pretty bland and generic.

  Enjoyment 6.5/10

  Well, where do I begin. The show had a lot of potential with a good story pact with amazing visuals however as the episodes went on and the story started to go south my enjoyment started to decrease, it became very difficult to watch the latter half of the series as I just couldn’t see how the story was going to pan out it, fused with bland and generic storylines it just became increasingly difficult to watch, therefore I decided to give a 6.5 mainly because the first half carried the show for me without the first half my enjoyment levels would have probably been a solid 4.

  Overall 7/10

  Overall This show was alright but it did begin to fall off near the end of the series, the plot was unique and was filled with beautiful art pact with great action fight scenes that was starting to form a great series, the latter half of the series well it did start to fall off a bit which did tarnish this series as a whole but the first half was enough for this show to be a 7. If this was a two cour or more the way this series was going it could have easily become a solid 5 or 4 but luckily this was only a one cour series. All in all, I would recommend people to watch this show however only up to episode 8 as that is where the series begins to fall off.

  As always thank you for reading make sure to check out my other reviews on Haikyu. If you want to talk about anime/manga or want to debate about the scoring that I gave in some of my reviews feel free to add me on Anilist or Discord.
  Discord: Chungu5#1753

  
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• 

  CeeJayz

  75/100
  A wild ride from the start, but kind of falls a little by the end

  Akudama Drive is a dystopian, cyberpunk rollercoaster ride of hype, excitement, and edginess that raises its stakes every episode that either adds to the enjoyment or irritation while watching, depending on what kind of entertainment viewers enjoy the most.

  Don’t expect a drama story that sticks with you because of how it deeply impacted your emotions, because the story in this anime is fairly straight-forward. It’s basically what a cyberpunk version of Suicide Squad is, except if Suicide Squad itself was actually a good movie in the first place. You get a bunch of criminals, make them a team whether they like it or not, and assign them a mission that can only be done as a team, forcing them to cooperate with each other through their unique special set of skills. Where this anime kind of diverts from Suicide Squad is with the main character, Swindler, an innocent bystander who is forced to join the team of criminals called the “Akudama.” Along the way, we get to see twists and turns, crazy fights, and high-octane action that is surprisingly decently written for the most part but kind of falls a little when approaching the end, which could be expected from a series that already has a chaotic premise and of course, its crazy cast of characters.

  It is near impossible to talk about this series without talking about its main “driving” point: its characters. If you’re here to expect relatable characters that undergo dramatic character development that turns their lives around, then you, the viewer, might as well be the one to turn around and stay away as you’re not going to find that much substance with the characters here in this anime, as most of the time, they are just characters that start off as one or two-dimensional shells that are unlikeable, which I find to be a double-edged sword in this case. On one hand, they do develop overtime, but not as deep as you might expect. On the other hand, their characters at times kind of feel lacking by the time they get the spotlight in specific episodes. Regarding the villains, they are also just doing “bad guys doing bad guy things” for the most part, except for some that do get some characterization to at least make them stand out. In short, the characters are exactly what you might expect from a series as chaotic as this, which can simultaneously be a good thing and a bad thing.

  While the anime’s characters certainly aren’t all that amazing, I couldn’t say the same for its art. Studio Pierrot, good job on you, as this anime really does capture the vibe of what a cyberpunk dystopia is. Its character design and animation is phenomenal and I feel that Studio Pierrot really outdone themselves with this anime, which makes me ask how do they pull this off while juggling two long-running series at the same time. Its music also does its job well as it helps set up the “aesthetically brutal” world that the characters are in. I’d say the production in this anime is pretty great and if the aim was to create this feeling of a dark, technology-driven world, they certainly pulled it off well.

  In summary, Akudama Drive is surprisingly good for its premise that I would consider to be risky, but it certainly delivered on its strong points while still having flaws that don’t really affect the overall enjoyment of the show. If you want a “turn off your brain while watching (for the most part)” kind of anime, this is definitely it. Otherwise, just skip it. (7.5/10)

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• 

  SunlitSonata

  71/100
  Akudama Drive presents the extent of creating controlled chaos in specialized, self-conscious vision

  When you’ve been in the anime community for long enough, you’ve likely noted the recurrent presence of “edgy anime.” Taking advantage of anime having less restrictions than western animation, there are a couple givens with these shows; a focus on dark lighting with the color red, loads of gratuitous sex/violence, characters constantly mugging the camera for their craziest face, trying desperately to suggest characters have depth by adding a surplus of angst and for bonus points, massive tonal swerves from gritty violent action to happy wacky comedy. All with a lack of tact and putting this shock value before the characters and the message. You’ve probably seen at least one show that’s fallen into some of these traps: Elfen Lied, Gantz, Deadman Wonderland, Another, Mirai Nikki, Akame ga Kill, most of Tokyo Ghoul’s anime, Akuma no Riddle, Ousama Game, Magical Girl Site, the list goes on. However, with every rule, there proves exceptions that can somehow make all of those elements work rather than have them sink the show’s integrity/intentional entertainment, and for the most part, Akudama Drive fits that exception.

  In a dystopian future, Akudama Drive bases itself around some kind of “suicide squad”: outlaws pilfering from the dystopia. As the show goes on, you’ll get to see numerous exciting action cuts, plot twists up the wazoo, lip service to its filmic influences and moments of meaningful character interspersed between the crazy plot.

  Now, if you were to look at the show from an overly critical lens who nitpicks every little detail (ex. ThatAnimeSnob, CinemaSins) you probably won’t enjoy it. There’s plenty of logical leaping and moments that put emotion before logic, but there’s still very contained pacing to its bombast. When watching Akudama Drive, I felt like it was designed specifically to be the length that it was as an original story. When need be, it’s brought forth by anarchic energy, via bikes defying the laws of physics or Doctor having instant healing capabilities that just aren’t there in real life. The show’s open mystery setups provide easy holes to enable more plot twists, whether from the conceit of the heists themselves, the Executioner’s purpose for hunting the Akudama in the first place or the puzzle of the show’s entire setting. The fact that these twists are presented with the gravitas they are is part of the appeal on a week by week basis. Understanding what the show is trying to be, rather than what ultimately inconsequential detail it missed in one scene, I think is the bigger picture. I mentioned before how it, for the most part, works to defy a lot of the pitfalls other “edgy” anime have fallen into, and it’s very much stunning the audience with the power it has in surfing those tidal waves. The amount of time to wallow in angst is limited and the post-punk style shines through all the way. Obviously, its dystopia isn’t developed to the extent of say, Psycho-Pass, but that just makes it more natural when things go hog wild.

  What really helps the show as it goes on is how incredibly self-conscious every character is. Kodaka’s work on Danganronpa proved he could be adept at creating characters with instantaneously recognizable designs and personality traits, and that carries through here as Rui Komatsuzaki’s designs translated to animation. Each one has a very distinctive look that gets their outlook with high expression values. From Doctor’s more slit eyes in conjunction with her lipstick and colored hair, to Brawler’s combo of dreads and vests, Cutthroat’s almost ghostly appearance clad in white, or the ever expressive big eyes of Swindler, there’s a lot to glean from an artistic standpoint to make each character stand out.

  But that self-consciousness for the most part carries to individual writing in the same way. Courier’s on the job mentality remains consistent throughout the whole series as a reflection of how he views the world against the absurdity of his bike, and Hoodlum’s intention to constantly play himself up with the Joker color scheme follows through with his character from beginning to end. Every character is as they are, so it doesn’t feel like depth or comedic asides are obfuscated; they're inherent. The divide between characters that have these insane superpowers and those that lack them is also capitalized on, much to my surprise. Swindler, Hoodlum and Apprentice are barely pieces in a world that moves along without them, and the show realizes that when sprouting its arcs for them while it progresses. Now, this isn’t to say this always works. Cutthroat’s relatively simple masochistic killer schtick works out when he’s paired up with equally big-headed figures, but when he’s isolated in Episode 9, it’s the closest the show ever comes to wiping out on the edge wave in punctuating the shock factor. The last two episodes do stress it a bit with the metaphors it wants to get across in a way that might seem weirdly out of place for the rest of the show’s tone, but ultimately I think its writing works out to its reason. The ultimate fates of the earnestly portrayed characters, the insane pacing and keeping the ball rolling with its plot make it rarely boring moment to moment. I wouldn’t say the insane thinktrain ever hits Baccano’s levels of intricate thought, but it’s damn solid attempt to make a 4-and-a-half-hour blockbuster narrative. The ease of immersion, constant momentum, and the impressive spectacle would help make the experience, even (or perhaps especially) for someone who may be tired of other anime and their meandering pacing problems.

  Although there is a noticeable dip as the show nears its conclusion, for the most part the show’s presentation is to its benefit, which enhances the hype factor. Rarely will scenes be content with flat lighting. Ambient lighting is constant, really making the look pop compared to other anime of its ilk; particular in episodes 1, 4, 6 and 12. Even with how the distinctive color choices enhance the designs of the characters, it’s able to make the environmental lighting give scenes that extra sense of pop-rock. This does mean though that episodes like 3 and 10 with their lighter environments tend to show the weaknesses of duller lighting and CGI pedestrians in different scenes, and the TV censoring can’t show all of the violence in full display. There might be some ruminations on the nature of violence, but you won’t see it stop for the “cursed” cycle of revenge; it’s in service of that “go, go GO” manic energy.

  But on a more positive note, the animation also borrows some techniques from the Danganronpa games to strongly distinctive effect, like the puppet skits to break up the action, and the way its locations are constituted as play sets for scene transitions. It helps make the compositions more artfully crafted than they might have been otherwise and helps establish trademarks of the style, which were ironically mostly absent in Danganronpa’s anime themselves. That playful, toybox feel to the plotting and structure is constituted with these particular transitions, as enhancements of the overall vision.

  “Vision” is what I see in Akudama Drive; a “drive” to perpetuate hype cycles through its wildly self-conscious characters and insane yarn of plot. Its brief 12-episode length helps to alleviate potential tiredness of the style, while its art design and characterization create a strongly distinct feel to spot it within a crowd. Akudama Drive isn’t a show that’ll blow you away with its characterization or satisfy the logical brain of putting everything together in insane theory charts. But it will present the type of exploitation and temptation-fueled balance of style and substance you won’t get outside the medium, and on that level, I can say, you done good.

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