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SPOILERS for Akudama Drive below!_

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ProductionAnimation was really great, I was honestly surprised by how well the CGI blended with the 2d animation throughout the show, although CGI was only used sparingly. Animators did a great job of bringing the cyberpunk city aesthetic to life with a healthy dose of vivid neon colors, detailed and busy city backgrounds, and a sharp artistic vision that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. Combat/action scenes were also very well animated with great camera movement, pacing, and some decent hand to hand choreography to top it off.

Soundtrack was good, I thought some song choices were a little odd for what was happening on screen but nothing too damning. I loved the sound design of the gunfire/explosions, overall I'd say the sound design just lent itself really well to what was happening on screen, more intense scenes were met with an equally chaotic soundtrack that really helped bring some of the most important action sequences to the next level.

Plot & Characters:Unfortunately I think the underlying story/characters don't hold up to how awesome the production for this anime is. Pretty much the entire cast of characters here is just so underwhelming, we really don't learn anything about these characters at all beyond a surface level, and it really makes it hard to get attached to them in a meaningful way. I think this is especially true for the main character Swindler, by the time the show ends you know just as much about her as when you started. Swindler adapts to being a part of the Akudama crew way too quickly, so much so that it makes her less believable as a character. Any regret or remorse she has is shown through only a few scenes which consist of her just sitting away from the rest of the group staring longingly at the ground, we don't get any insight into her thought process really, and I think this presents to be a problem for the show as a whole.

One of the biggest tools an author can make use of to better develop a character is internal monologue, showing how characters all react differently to events/things around them, showing characters different thoughts on their current situation, so many ways a characters own thought process can help show their motivations and morals and yet throughout the entirety of Akudama Drive this is something that is pretty much wholly absent. Characters like Courier and Swindler just do as they are told, even when Courier does refuse to do something it only takes the bare minimum amount of convincing for him to comply, his thought process on the matter not showcased at all, making his character fall flat. This lack of thought process and reasoning behind any of the characters actions makes them feel forced, and it becomes hard to feel anything for these characters during emotional moments like Brawlers death. Similar to Swindler, the side cast as a whole barely get any backstory at all. What is provided is really just the bare minimum information needed for the character, and some characters don't even get that. Characters like Hacker, Brawler, Hoodlum, and Doctor are the worst offenders when it comes to this. Apprentice had great potential to be an awesome character, but the show ends before her arc really completes properly. In the second half of the show she is seen struggling with her beliefs and even sympathizing with the Akudama at one point, all culminating in a scene in the final episode where a little girl asks her why the executioners killed her parents, only for the camera to cut away and not come back to her at all, we don't get to see the result of this interaction in the slightest, a complete fumble of her character by the writers. Despite my criticism, I do think the final episode of the show wrapped things up nicely, and Brother and Sisters arcs were fun to watch.

ConclusionPROS: + Great production and style + Character designs are fantastic + Great action sequences

CONS:

• Plot leaves a lot to be desired
• Characters are barely developed if at all
• Overall lack of depth to story

I think if you are just looking for some well produced, fast-paced action reminiscent of an anime like Cyberpunk Edgerunners, this might satisfy you. Otherwise, if you are looking for a deeper story or characters of any kind, I'd steer clear of this.