This is a tale of things not going according to plan.

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Artificial Intelligence, the crown jewel of human civilization. Should they be imparted a higher level of thinking than what is possible with the human mind, A.I. could result in either our evolution or our downfall. Uncertainty surrounding A.I. is what makes exploring the concept so fascinating within the realm of science fiction. One of countless possible futures, this journey introduces ideas that inspire hope and confidence. But one should not expect a happy ending, for even our best-laid plans can work against us. This is "Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song." This review will be spoiler-free, with a Tl;Dr included towards the end. With that out of the way, it's about time we begin.

Humankind fell victim to the hands of their own rogue creations, as an unexpected error led robots everywhere to revolt against their masters. With this tragedy unfolding, a scientist sends a S.O.S. 100 years into the past. The one to receive the call for help is Diva, an A.I. music performer. As the first autonomous humanoid A.I. ever created, Diva was contacted to avert the crisis to come. A.I. would be gradually integrated into society in the following century, and it was her job to correct the flow of time as major events occurred throughout the following 100 years. Only in doing so, would A.I. and humans peacefully coexist. Armed with the fast-talking teddy-bear robo-companion Matsumoto, Diva would take on a new mission, the Singularity Project, and a new name: Vivy.

Across this 100-year journey, Vivy  teases several intriguing concepts; namely time travel, artificial intelligence, and music. This rather curious mix of elements gave Vivy  much of its identity, and the detailed worldbuilding involved in establishing these ideas had me excitedly anticipating what the story would achieve. We'll be exploring each of these aspects, in order to pinpoint where Vivy's  strengths lie.

And no, I'm not referring to "Return by Death." Writer Tappei Nagatsuki has his familiar DNA written all over Vivy . He trades a fantasy setting inspired by a medieval past to one modelled after a plausible future. Time travel is the constant, alongside the writer's penchant for dark setpieces crammed with mayhem and chaos. While Vivy's  similarities to Nagatsuki's past works are hard to miss, it's worth keeping an eye out on how this new story sets itself apart. The first component of Vivy's  time travel is its restraint. Time travel isn't abused as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card or an OP mechanic. Rather, time travel in the sci-fi sense only appears as the inciting incident. Once Vivy kicks things off, she only has one shot to make her actions count. Coming along with code Vivy receives from the future, her sidekick Matsumoto relays to Vivy all the conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to alter the timeline. This includes not only achieving desired outcomes, but also allowing for other bad circumstances to take place. This cold, calculated utilitarianism forbids Vivy's intervention, for any action surplus to the Singularity Project could result in irreparable damage to the future. This looming danger provides a real sense of weight and consequence sometimes missing in other "Groundhog Day" premises. The Singularity Project turns into a real test of Vivy's resolve, as she withstands obstacle after obstacle in the name of an ever-changing mission. History is being tangibly rewritten by Vivy's actions, and Matsumoto's predictions become more uncertain with each new deviation from the timeline. There's no room for error, yet our duo continually toe that dangerous line. Not only do our characters' actions matter, but we also are given a grand scale of time to see their outcomes develop. This leads us to the second component of Vivy's  time travel, which is more orthodox than that of other sci-fi counterparts, but still fascinating all the same. There aren't a ton of stories out there that take place over such a long period of time with the same set of protagonists, and Vivy's  100-year journey certainly qualifies. In order for the series to effectively depict the steady march of time, markers are established, such as Vivy's daytime singing career or the overall look of her country. The Arayashiki Server is a tower which begins construction at the start of Vivy's journey, and grows in-line with the rate at which in-world technology develops. If the changing world represents how far Vivy has come, the Arayashiki Tower shows us how little time she has remaining. Entire years elapse in-between story arcs, and catching up with the way things have changed can feel like tuning in to a different show. Even secondary characters add plenty of intrigue as they develop alongside the main story, crossing paths with our idol A.I. at different points in their lives. New plotlines could be subtly teased long before they become properly introduced. All-in-all, the rising tension and thoughtful changes within Vivy's  world allowed the show to create an exciting prospect only possible through one of sci-fi's most entertaining tropes.

According to the scientist that commissioned Vivy and Matsumoto, the goal is coexistence between Man and Machine. Vivy  makes this possible by designing robots around a central trait: single-minded subservience. Early-on, the script establishes an in-universe explanation for why A.I. are the way they are. Robots do not perform as intended when taking on multiple tasks at a time, so multi-purpose A.I. were swapped out for bots that served a singular function. Acting in accordance with the mission is of utmost importance to A.I., and the show continually reiterates this principle. Unlike most standard A.I. of her era, Vivy is given free reign to do as she likes, which is what allows Matsumoto to recruit her on the Singularity Project. Even so, the series pays close attention to Vivy's conflict of interest. She's still a hopeful idol celebrity at heart, and her arc is dedicated to coping with the duties of singing for crowds and saving the world. This internal struggle provides some much-needed characterization in a world where other A.I. figures are straightforward by design. Vivy's  solution to the A.I. debate is not only simple, but sensible. It's a fictional idea that doesn't feel too far removed from reality, and that plausibility makes the series more engaging to explore. Even when the show's opening minutes depict the harsh destruction and bloodshed caused by rogue A.I., there's a strong sense that peace is possible. Of course, not everyone shares those beliefs; meet Toak, a terrorist organization founded on the preservation of human life via the eradication of A.I. Frequently clashing with Vivy and Matsumoto, Toak represents an antagonistic force looking to protect humans in their own way. They certainly enact evil deeds, without coming across as traditional villains. Vivy and Matsumoto aren't heroic saints either, with their cold decision-making causing us to ponder if our protagonists are making the right decisions. Vivy appears to recognize that there is more to service than simply following instructions - "service from the heart." Understanding what that ideal means could very well secure peace between A.I. and mankind, and it's a thought Vivy ponders on for much of her story. Vivy's  `groundwork for its dystopian reality is really strong, making us question if our heroes' ends always justifies the means.
With changing times and unclear choices on the table, the series set a great stage. The series was well-poised to leverage its unique use of time and challenge the inhuman foundations of its futuristic world. *Vivy's * mission is simple.`
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It's a powerful weapon in a writer's arsenal, connecting characters to conflict not expressed in words. Melody can project passion and themes in a raw manner that words fail to capture. Visual media can certainly incorporate music with great success, the key lies in giving music room to breathe as a mode of expression. Vivy  already runs into a major hurdle, because our singing main character barely has any passion of her own to express. Furthermore, her existing mission as a singer doesn't exactly align with her narrative function of kicking ass and changing the future, and this deviation from the directive seems puzzling. Vivy  addresses this conundrum by mythologizing music as this elusive, mysterious gift that the titular character struggles to attain. This pigeonholes the script into making an unnaturally big deal about "singing from the heart," through expository fluff that only detracts from the OSTs strengths. Plus, the manner in which Vivy is convinced to take up the Singularity Project reads like a dumb technicality. The loophole justification which convinces Vivy to enact Matsumoto's desires is that she could potentially "make the people she saves happy with her singing." Vivy  simultaneously puts music center-stage and in the periphery. The series has great song tracks and musical motifs, such as the Sisters' Song throughout the Sunrise Arc. The main OP of the series is a fitting track representing the A.I.s, as the lyrics communicate the pleasure experienced upon completing a mission. The love and enthusiasm for music shines in its very inclusion in this already-packed story, but that passion is greatly diminished in execution. An honest, unfiltered manner of expression was largely reduced to a vague, disingenuous message. It's in its unsatisfactory use of music that makes Vivy's  key weakness more apparent.

Rather than use a plot to explore thematic concepts, Vivy's  mission was to use thematic concepts to decorate an action show where robots do kick-ass things. All these aforementioned concepts are there primarily as an excuse to tell self-contained sci-fi action arcs. But in having the concepts serve the story structure, Vivy  leaves aside conclusive exploration of these individual ideas. The passage of time in a narrative is mostly set dressing, or a means for characters to do unexpected things with minimal explanation. That's because the show has enough exposition as is, with having to introduce and conclude an operation every 2-3 episodes. The script resorts to contrivances where cause does not correspond with effect. Going by the show's internal logic someone could have sneezed, and that might have been enough to spark the apocalypse. Not all the show's decisions are like this, but these lame "butterfly effect" excuses can come completely out of left field in order to get the plot rolling, thereby taking me out of the story in the process. This weaker writing also affects sideplots, as recurring characters and mysteries set up earlier in the show yield mostly underwhelming answers^. Moving on to A.I., it's an element with its own share of problems. A.I.'s adherence to their respective mission aids in expediting the explanation for character motivations, but can be a double-edged sword. I get that robots being one-note and predictable is part of the appeal, but it gets frustrating whenever the show tries its hand at developing characters anyway. Vivy's interactions with those around her boils down to her asking the same damn question in every arc, and getting no relevant answers. That question is, of course, the Mission itself, and gets more vague as the series progresses. "How do I sing from the heart?" As mentioned earlier, this recurring million-dollar mystery is frustrating and diminishes the effectiveness of the songs themselves. But it's a question that Vivy  comes frustratingly close to addressing in a later arc, only for the plot to arbitrarily withhold the answer from its main character^^. This results in a massive character regression which forces Vivy to give up her mission due to a contrived case of robot anxiety. a crisis of tremendous scale during the final arc. By that point, Vivy  was struggling to make its strong execution effective^^^. The admittedly strong ending hardly feels like a deserved sendoff, given some of Vivy's  more lackluster "memories in the leadup. Perhaps Vivy's journey was all about self-discovery, and depicts what it's like to chase something you don't fully understand. But I'm only left to speculate instead of answering with certainty, because I struggled to connect with Vivy as a character. Her quest to quantify humanity is at odds with the show's conceptual mandates. The mission is all there is, there is no room for error. And yet, the show attempts to generate that pathos by breaking its own rules, in a climatic moment more clumsy than triumphant. The unsatisfactory results of her quest seems to suggest that mindless commitment to your tasks will reap optimal results, and that humanity amounts to being anxious and less competent at achieving goals. It's not the true ending of this story, but a really strange conclusion to come up with in the first place. For a show about resolutely chasing singular objectives, Vivy's sense of direction only gets more clouded as the story progresses.

Many are sure to gush over certain gorgeous shots, with the 4K UHD closeups being a highlight. However, I felt the visual feel of Vivy  rather disjointing, as the detailed keyframes of those scenes only made more apparent the flaws in others. It's like popping on "God of War" on PS2 and enjoying the fidelity of a pre-rendered cutscene, only to transition to a locked camera and low-res polygons. There's a loss of consistency and detail when it comes to the character models. Animation is spectacular, with hand-to-hand "sakuga" combat scenes standing toe-to-toe with MAPPA's Jujitsu Kaisen and THE GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL. However, the show's reliance on CGI is rather hard on the eyes.

Your enjoyment of the show is contingent on whether or not you can overlook the incompatibility of its themes. The individual concepts used in the show are sacrificed at the altar of disappointing writing in order to serve the mission of being an excuse for sci-fi action scenes. Vivy  is defined by those ambitions, as it integrates individual ideas that feel both interesting and incongruent. At times Vivy  traverses the tightrope, merging story and themes harmoniously to great effect. But the notes start to sound off whenever the plot takes precedence; subpar writing choices and unfulfilling answers leave behind only a cold chassis-covered Mission. This series' goal was certainly to create an entertaining, self-contained action romp, and it very much succeeded on that front. But Vivy  had me hooked on the promise that it could achieve so, so much more. Perhaps time travel, A.I. and music weren't ever meant to mix in a compelling capacity. Alas, the potential in store for these facets of Vivy  will be lost in time, like tears in rain. 5/10~

Stray Ramblings (SPOILERS:)

• ^Kakitani doesn't really matter. His only purpose was to inject Vivy with the reprogramming virus in order to progress the plot, while robbing the audience from answers to questions that have been brewing since the beginning of the show. His motivations for pursuing her was the kind of asspull that made the show's use of music feel hamfisted and disingenuous.
• ^^Vivy 2.0 flexed on the insecure OG in the most frustrating way possible. Her last performance serves to progress the plot while deliberately withholding concrete answers to questions that have been brewing since the beginning of the show... Are you starting to spot the trend yet?
• ^^^The first 16 minutes of Episode 12 were pure, bleak bliss. Seeing the entire operation go to shit hit hard, even if we barely knew the crew involved. The destruction on display marked another opportunity for Nagatsuki to revel in his mayhem. It was engaging to see just how far things would come apart, but I had hope that the writing wasn't part of the chaos too. That hope turned out to be misguided, as this inconsequential disaster of this episode only occurred for the dumbest of reasons. Vivy's failure that ended with countless loss of life was undone with a single button-press. Now all our idol singer needs to do is, you guessed it, sing. And she had this information the entire time, thanks to the conversation with the Archive. And she withheld said information from her teammates, which was valuable intel that could have kept casualties to a minimum. And she doesn't spill the tea to anyone, so Matsumoto is unable to give her the pep talk she needed to Mary Sue the whole thing. And despite the keys to fixing the entire situation being handed to her on a silver-fucking-CGI platter, she doesn't use them, thereby going against her primary function of keeping people alive with her singing. HOLY SHIT, how can you fuck up so bad. Given the option to save the entire world, Vivy... doesn't, not out of a personal choice, but out of sheer incompetence. Vivy 's final episode isn't a means to build on tension, it's an exit strategy. The show still has one more episode commissioned, and our cast need something to do. Staying true to her name, this "Diva" stirred up drama for no valid reason. Even if you call her inability to sing a part of her arc due to the Metal Float incident making her more "human," her "loophole" excuse of making sure her potential audience survives would still take ultimate prerogative - and it's an excuse that worked all the way up till this episode, mind you.
• If Diva was the first autonomous humanoid A.I. from the Sisters Initiative, wouldn't she have been way more popular than she really was? Getting to Main Stage should have been a cakewalk, smh.
• Hope I wasn't the only one wishing Matsumoto would talk slower. Funny enough, over a summer course I had a professor who talked just about as fast during lectures. Watching this show helped me keep up with studies, true story.
• Really wish the show did more with the Kirishima bloodline. Momoka gave Vivy her name, after all.
• BEST GIRL: Probably Grace. Good singer and loyal companion, who wouldn't want to protecc.

Hope you caught that Blade Runner reference! Halfway through writing, I had the sudden urge to go check out the Director's Cut. Anyways, there's my mission done for now. If you happen to like my verbose rants, feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present. I also frequently post writeups under my list updates, so definitely take a peek if you'd like to see me mald over anime as they hit the airwaves. Peace~