Akudama Drive Key Point Review
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Akudama Drive is light on the story, especially at first, but it makes up for some of its weaknesses with the artistry of its designs and animation. The first half of the series has a powerful blend of rustic and worn down cityscapes mixed with vibrant, glowing machines and futuristic technology. If you’re able to enjoy anime for its art, then you should at least watch the first half of Akudama Drive. If you need a strong story all the way through, then this probably isn’t the anime for you. The plot starts out very weak and tries to keep your attention with chaos and senseless violence. Eventually the chaotic vibes die down and story becomes more of a focus, but the shift comes about six or seven episodes in (The season is 12 episodes). I’d say the anime was average overall, but I didn’t feel I wasted my time watching it.
SETTING:
A dystopian version of the Kansai region of Japan.
Mostly a run-down city with sections of vibrant technology mixed in.
STORY:
Lawless criminals are called, “akudama,” and the more powerful ones are sometimes hired to carry out jobs.
Normal female main character who grows in response to events unfolding around her.
A weak main character who is swept up into the chaos of criminal powerhouses trying to accomplish their goals.
Absolutely chaotic at first, but the pace eventually slows down.
Tons of combat and senseless violence.
Good fight scenes.
Blood, severed limbs, and serious injuries, but no visible gore.
Some plot events require a lot of suspension of belief (or just not paying attention to detail) to enjoy.
Horror plot elements at times.
Most plot events are surface level, but there are some layered moments that are well planned.
Story starts out very weak, but does get a little better and deeper over time.
Some character’s abilities are never fully explained, which leads to some inconsistencies later in the plot.
Ending is decent, but does leave key points up to the viewer’s imagination.
CHARACTERS:
The main characters are a diverse group of people ranging from incredibly powerful and versatile to weak and useless. The range of personalities involved does make things interesting.
Most character personalities are surface level, but some eventually gain a little depth.
Many of the character’s back stories and abilities aren’t fully explained, which makes the story a little confusing and inconsistent at times.
Character clothing designs are mostly tropes used to fit the character’s occupation.
Character’s names are extremely unimaginative. Most of the main characters are just called whatever their occupation is.
DIALOGUE AND VOICE ACTING:
Dialogue is average overall. It has a mix of strong points and weak points. Some of weakest dialogue moments come from the main character, while some of the strongest come from characters you’d least expect.
Voice acting is good. There are very few, if any, weak performances from the main characters and supporting characters.
ANIMATION:
Amazingly colorful, especially in the first 6 episodes or so.
There is an artful juxtaposition of worn down elements and vibrant technology, and that alone is worth seeing in the first half of the series.
Many of the fight scenes are animated well.
Interesting comic book-esque panel scenes for some new fighters/ akudama introductions.
MUSIC, OPENINGS, AND ENDINGS:
First opening song: "STEAL!!" by SPARK!!SOUND!!SHOW!! This song is terrible and painful to listen to.
First opening animation: Interesting and decent overall. It is very colorful and displays the characters well. It would be much more enjoyable if the opening theme wasn’t complete garbage.
First ending song: "Ready" by Urashimasakatasen. It’s a decent, laid-back and relaxing song. It’s very short and there’s not much to it other than that.
First ending animation: Not great. It’s a bunch of boring grey still shots of some characters. It does little to add to the series or give the characters more depth.
Photo source/ credit: Funimation / Studio Pierrot
Author username: Marro Danatalle