Adapting a game into an anime is a risky strategy for a studio as several have fallen flat off their source material. However in recent years, a few stellar anime have come out like Arcane based on the lore of League of Legends, and Cyberpunk Edgerunners by Studio Trigger set in the world of the Cyberpunk 2077 game by CD Projekt Red.
This year it is the time for A-1 Pictures to adapt NieR:Automata, an action role-playing game (RPG) published by Square Enix, set in the dystopian future in which humans have reached near extinction in the face of a war with alien invaders and their machine lifeforms that they created.
Violence on the Brink of Extinction
Humanity has taken to the moon for refuge in order to organise a counterattack and provide assistance to the remaining human resistance on Earth, under the organisation YoRHa which is led by The Council of Humanity. Android soldiers are used for the majority of the fighting, with 2B and 9S being sent to fight on behalf of mankind.
The action in NieR:Automata is amazing, seeing 2B and 9S brought to life in animated form in their fight against the machines fits so well for the medium. Sticking mainly to the original plot of the game within the first episode, episode two branches out into an anime original narrative that places more emphasis on the Resistance giving fans of the game a new insight into the NieR world beyond what a regular play-through would give fans. A key to this is the Resistance’s most vocal character so far, the android Lily whom manga readers will recognise, likely to be a big feature in diverging the story from the game’s narrative.
Visually Stunning
The NieR:Automata game is visually stunning in its own right meaning that there were high expectations for A-1 Pictures’ adaptation into an anime, and they definitely delivered within the first three episodes. Seamless animation between fight senses, gorgeous backgrounds, and fluid blending of 2D and 3D art to augment the presentation of the machines means everything looks like it belongs.
The same can be said for the action scenes, as you get to watch 2B swirl around with her sword against the hordes of machines smashing them to pieces with some incredible explosion effects being used when taking down a bridge in episode 2 to save the Resistance.
Final Thoughts
NieR:Automata’s adaptation into the medium of anime has begun well with a fresh look into the world’s lore as the story branches past that of the game, and A-1 Pictures have done a fantastic job at bringing 2B and 9S to the silver screen. We hope to see the anime go even further into the story of the fight for humanity’s survival. What have you thought of this anime so far? Let us know in the comments!
Author: Lewis Williamson
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