My Review of "The Darwin Incident"!
You make me wonder!
Story
Charlie was born as a Humanzee- a hybrid of a human and chimpanzee. He was taken in by his adoptive human parents after the facility he was born at was raided by the ALA- a terrorist group promoting animal rights and veganism. Now that he's 15 and starting high school, Charlie is faced with a lot more problems in his life. He meets Lucy, a loner that becomes Charlie’s first friend, who helps him adjust to school life. However, this school life is taken away from him when the ALA returns to try to kidnap and convince Charlie to join their group. The ALA will do this by any means necessary, and it is shown through what they do in the anime.
The Good
This show was good. It reminded me a lot of another anime, LAZARUS, with the character designs and the serious plot it had. The story was serious and it handled the serious topics really well in my opinion. It didn’t really glorify the issues it brought up and Charlie and Lucy’s perspectives on the situation really helped show a unique perspective on those problems. I liked how Charlie’s behavior sort of shifted and developed throughout the anime, with certain events really driving those changes to happen. The villains were really entertaining too for me. There was just something that they had that made me actually enjoy their appearances and involvement in Charlie’s daily life. Of course, they’re villains, but their personalities- especially Rivera’s- was fun for me. The dynamic between Charlie, Rivera, and Lucy was interesting too and I loved whenever all three of them interacted with each other. I must also say that Official HIGE DANdism went insane for the OP of this song. I added that song to my playlist and it’s such a vibe. Although it might not be the best song to match the vibes of this show, I cannot deny how amazing it sounds and how hyped it’d get me for each episode. I have to also address that twist of an ending. I think this show needs a season 2. The fact that there’s still so much more to explore between Charlie and the ALA as well as his past is just too big to ignore. If it was a standalone show, it wouldn’t hit as hard. I need that S2 and I need to know more.
The Bad
I think this show is good and all, but I feel like as the show progressed, a few scenes felt a bit… awkward to watch. I’m talking about that scene between Lucy and Charlie. Now, I understand that they explained that development in Charlie earlier in the episode, but to pop that same question in that same episode felt a bit sudden and kind of rushed. I know that Charlie isn’t as accustomed to human standards as Lucy is, but still, it was certainly a weird watch for me. Another minor complaint I have is how the OP doesn’t really sound like an OP for this type of show. I love the song, but it feels so positive and upbeat and it doesn’t fit the serious tone of the show.
The Downright Ugly
Nothing downright ugly about this show!
Is It Worth The Watch?
It may not be for everyone, but this show was worth the watch for me. It’s quite a serious show tackling a few serious topics and modern issues such as animal rights and terrorism. I think the way they handled these topics was fair and good. I was entertained all the way throughout these episodes and despite a few awkward scenes, I enjoyed this show a lot. That OP is going in my playlist too. It’s just so damn catchy. I’m looking forward to Season 2 because they still have a lot more to explain with that ending.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope this helped you with your decision on whether to watch this anime or not! If you already have watched it, I hope that you can agree with me with some of the points I made. If you enjoyed this review, I would greatly appreciate a follow too! ^^
