Anime Reviews: Akudama Drive

Dont worry. Its spoiler free.

Watching Akudama Drive was a three part experience for me:

Part One: This show is awesome.

Part two: Ok, now I’m bored.

Part three: What the hell am I watching?

There is no way to completely summarize this series, without giving any spoilers. To paint the plot with a very broad brush, it is about a woman who gets thrown into the world of “Akudama” (criminals) by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once she becomes part of the Akudama, her life drastically changes.

The visuals in Akudama Drive are amazing. It has a steampunk/future dystopia feel and some of the images reminded me of pop art. It was beautiful and sleek and dark. As for the show in general? I wasn’t precisely sure what I was watching. At times Akudama Drive felt like a political narrative. Is it? Is it a cautionary tale about the dangers of our modern lives? Or is it simply a science fiction series about a distopian society?

Plot Rating: 3/5. I don’t really know what to say, since it felt like I watched three different shows while riding out this short, 12 episode series! Straight out of the gate it was awesome. It began like a heist show, introducing a serial killer, a brawler, a courier, a crazy doctor, a hoodlum and a hacker- all Akudama teaming up to take on an impossible mission. The initial characters are likeable, there is amazing art, humor, explosions, everything you need!

As the plot progresses and the characters began to go their seperate ways, the story became boring, with not enough strong characters to carry the plot in an interesting fashion. When the show came to its conclusion, I was left with a somber, introspective feeling- the kind that leaves you staring at the rolling credits with a blank look on your face.

Character Rating: 4/5. There were great characters. Cutthroat the serial killer? Insane. Wonderfully writen. Courier was brave and interesting. Hacker is innovative and smart. Each character was unique and interesting, except for Sister, who was absolutely insufferable- like the typical squeaky and whiny anime damsel.

Furthermore, I have some questions about the doctor. She had the ability to “heal” herself no matter how grave her injuries are. Is she inhuman? Is she immortal? Does she has superpowers?

Intro/outro: 2/5. The intro was cool and colorful, but the music was absolutely awful. It’s a shame since the visuals of the intro are so good. The outro is nice, peaceful and asthetic.

Genre: Drama, sci-fi, tragedy, comedy- a little mix of everything.

Overall score? 3.5/5. The ending is intersting and introspective. Its not romantic or fun, but it leaves you with a somber feeling. I’m still not sure how i feel about this show, but with the great visuals it is unique and worth the watch.

What do you think? Did you watch Akudama Drive?