This review has very minor spoilers.
I've spent some time after I finished exception to really put together my thoughts of this series. This is clearly an anime that has had a lot of time and care put into it, and I want to clearly express my feelings on the show overall.
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STORY
## 7/10
It is in the beginning the typical space horror trope of "they go in space and something spooky happens". However, it is not the typical horror story; it does not
try to scare you after the first episode or two. In fact, it gradually leans away from horror into a more thriller aspect later in the show. For some who don't like horror, this is great! For others who do, this is disappointing. While I am typically a horror fan, I can respect the way they've leaned away from the trope, as the horror itself came from the loss of humanity.
It is not the most unique story, but there were moments where I was actively speculating what was going to happen and what was going on. There were even times I pumped the air in excitement for figuring out what was going on.
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ANIMATION
## 4/10
This is, likely, the big initial reason people won't enjoy this show if they go into it expecting a normally animated show. As a Full CGI, they don't shy away from this aspect and try to fully utilize the medium to show the story of
exception. It's a little rough around the edges, and I can't help but compare the way the animation style is to the much more successful
Arcane in the shading of faces.
It is clear that Yoshitaka Amano had a very clear idea of what the characters were to look like based on the pieces of painted artwork inside the show itself looked like, but it never fully came across correctly. The most egregious, I think, is Mack, who looks.... well, awkward when you compare him to his painted photos.
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CHARACTERS
## 6/10
This is another category where the show.... tapers off a bit in quality. It is clear that we are meant to enjoy these characters and empathize with them, but we only really get snippets of what their (or their original bodies', I suppose) lives were like before going on this mission to Planet X-10. If there was more focus on the characters and their backstories, I would grow more interested in them, but as it stands I wasn't moved by any of them. Nina, Patty, and the Misprint are the most interesting characters of anime.
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MUSIC
## 6/10
The OST was not spectacular, but also wasn't poor. Doesn't draw away from the anime, but it certainly didn't help it.
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VOICE ACTING
## 8/10
I will go into this by stating that I watched the original English over the Japanese dub.
exception is a bit of.... well, an exception when it comes to the voice acting, as it was created by a Japanese animation studio but was designed for an English cast.
I actually thought this cast was very well chosen. None of the characters seemed overtly poorly done, but it does help when you have cast several well known names like Nolan North and Robbie Daymond in there, as well as some well known actors. It's not the most heart wrenching of performances, but there are definitely some scenes where the acting made me feel something.
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OVERALL
exception is not a terrible anime by any stretch of the imagination. What it lacks in animation quality it greatly makes up for in the story and atmosphere it creates. However, it is not the
best anime, and it certainly could have some improvements. If you want something to watch while scrolling through Netflix, it's a fine choice if you are able to ignore the visual aspects.
