Akudama Drive

Akudama drive is simply a masterpiece. Akudama drive was an anime that came out in a time where many people did not know what they were going to do, their livelihoods had been taken and family members lost. Akudama drive fixes none of this however it brought many people who watched it joy through the time it was running.

Akudama drive seamlessly ties together cyberpunk fantasy, action, and heart-throbbing moments that touched us all. The main character is sagishi (swindler). It's a very minor spoiler however swindler gets her name from her first crime put into the akudama database (buying a food product but not paying with the stolen yen she had). Swindler for many people is not the favorite character however the contrast between her and the group of akudama she ends up working with is vast. We are directly shown throughout the series how swindler slowly turns from being a regular girl to becoming a true super S rank akudama.

The story takes place in two main regions, Kansai and Kanto. For most of the story, our main and side characters are in Kansai however towards the end of the story they journey to Kanto. We are thoroughly explained through short bursts of dialogue in the story (the short clips of the cartoon shark and rabbit) that Kanto is widely seen to the general masses as a higher power of which reigns over the region of Kansai. Without any spoilers, we learn later in the story that Kanto is widely not all that it's cracked up to be (ahem).

One of the most wonderful parts of akudama drive is the world and setting. The world the story takes place in is heavily fleshed out and though the exposition we receive from the shark and rabbit clips can be detrimental to the action-heavy plot for some people, I personally believe that having the main exposition in short bursts was better for people who may not have been paying as close attention. This is my opinion and if you believe that the shark and rabbit clips were detrimental to the overall vibe the show gave off, I can totally understand your point and perspective. In almost every scene we can see you can see the heavily cyberpunked' world. From neon colors to cybernetic arms the world pulls out all the stops to make sure the viewer is heavily engaged in the world they're watching.

(minor) The way we meet all our characters makes the first episode one of my favorites throughout the entire show. We meet all the characters doing their respective poison, all receiving a message from an unknown source giving them a job paying out mass amounts of cash. However, the thing I thoroughly enjoyed in these meetings was seeing each character "calling card" This calling card featured the character in a near perfect art style for the theme of the show. The calling card featured the exact amount of information it should have, showing the person's "calling" I.E. swindler, brawler, courier ETC. These cards didn't talk your ear off nor be there for no reason either.

The last thing I will be talking about is the emotions portrayed in the show and how wonderfully they were done considering this is mainly a show about super-criminals and heists. The emotions we see from each character are extremely raw and from both standpoints of the villain and victim, you can see their respective ideologies and understand both sides making it extremely painful for the viewer to see the two tear into each other while the heavy rain pours down upon them(if you've seen the show you should know exactly what fight I'm talking about). Throughout most of the story, we see a desperate girls' attempts to try and protect two children who are caught up in a scheme more than we could ever imagine at the start of the show. We see the raw emotions as she gives her all to protecting these children and throughout the show, we see just how much she sacrifices just to let these two have a happy ending. I am not going to talk about the ending of the show because it makes me wanna tear up all over again--. But just know that the show handles this ending thoroughly well and will leave you heartbroken for the ones lost along the way but hopeful for a better future.

(extra notes) CAN WE JUST SAY HOW AMAZING THE SOUNDTRACK WAS? Like that soundtrack went hard especially in moments of tense struggles between characters in the show. And my personal best boy (courier) swinging around the city on his spooder man bike was just glorious to the eyes.

In conclusion... I want that spooder bike with a stupid op railgun attached to it for my birthday, "he's making a list he's checkin it twice, he's gonna know if you got that spooder bike".