Takt Op. Destiny First Impressions - A Breath-taking Musical Sci-fi Anime That's Out of this World

Madhouse and MAPPA are back with an absolute blast of a series, Takt Op. Destiny. This ambitious project uses an unusual premise: Humanity is attacked by aliens, the D2s, whenever music is played. To avoid disaster striking again, the US has decided to prohibit music, and this rule is still in place in 2047. In this world without music, we meet a ragtag “family” of three, two sisters, Anna and Destiny, and one young man, Takt, an amazing pianist. Takt and Destiny become Conductor and Musicart, a chosen pair that can fight and eliminate D2s.

We’ve got—obviously—a beautiful soundtrack, crisp animation, top-notch fight scenes, and emotion in Takt Op. Destiny so far. Let’s take a look into this wonderful mix.

The Premise Is a Bit Out There

The premise of the story is one of the strongest points of Takt Op. Destiny. In a season full to the brim with new series, and with several good sci-fi shows out there, Takt Op. Destiny starts off with a completely absurd idea, that of an invasive species that reacts to music. When we first read the plot of this upcoming show, we thought it could easily be a hit or miss. However, Takt Op. Destiny makes, in its own strange way, a lot of sense. The universe where it is set, the impact a lack of music has on people’s lives, the destructive impact of D2s, the apocalyptic scenes after Destiny attacks full force, Takt’s passion for music, all come through and, combined, create a strong experience that stands out.

Emotions Run High

Takt-op.Destiny-dvd-355x500 Takt Op. Destiny First Impressions - A Breath-taking Musical Sci-fi Anime That's Out of this World

Takt Op. Destiny is an emotional story with passionate characters, who have experienced a lot of pain in their lives and make it work with what they have. Takt has lost his family after the biggest D2 attack in history, the Boston Tragedy, including his father, a famous composer. Anna lost her own sister, Cosette, after another D2 attack that awakened Takt’s music powers as a Conductor and revived/transformed Cosette into Destiny, a special Musicart who feeds off her Conductor’s life force.

Anna, Takt, and Destiny drive through the desert to reach New York City and their journey gives us road trip movie vibes, somehow reminding us of Michiko to Hatchin, another well-executed hit set in America (even though that one lacked fantastical elements). We love that Takt Op. Destiny is not just an action anime, but it really takes its time to establish the backstory, the characters, and their struggles.

Musical References

There are several well-researched musical references throughout the narrative, with the title being the strongest example. Takt means tempo, a beat in music, while Op. stands for Opus, meaning “work” in music. Destiny’s name comes from Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5 in C minor Op.67", a music piece that has been described as the sonar manifestation of “fate knocking on the door”. We also have to praise that the animation is accurate when we see Takt playing the piano, with his hands placed correctly and his fingers moving exactly like a real-life pianist’s. These details are so important for an anime with its whole premise based on the power of music—it would have felt like a sham if these details were off.

The Animation Rocks

The animation quality is one of the top-selling points of Takt Op. Destiny. The fight scenes are superbly orchestrated, with bonus aesthetic points for Destiny’s outfit, giving a flowy vibe. There is a shiny, glimmering quality both in action scenes and the calmer, slice-of-life-like moments between Anna, the musical duo, and the people they meet in their journey, which reminds us of Vanitas no Carte from last season, in Summer 2021. It’s not a surprise that the animation is amazing, coming from MAPPA and Madhouse, and we have to note that Takt Op. Destiny is also a mixed media project that will include a game in the future, which we expect to look great as well.


Final Thoughts

We are really excited about Takt Op. Destiny so far! It has a very interesting way to tell its story, with flashbacks and diversions as part of the plot to help us understand this musicless universe, it has excellent animation quality, and it’s full of raw emotion. Let’s hope this promising anime series continues to deliver. But, what do you think about Anna, Destiny, and Takt’s adventures so far? Let us know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Takt-op.Destiny-dvd-355x500 Takt Op. Destiny First Impressions - A Breath-taking Musical Sci-fi Anime That's Out of this World

Writer

Author: Andromache Kokkinou

This is Andromache, nice to meet you! I am a writer, editor, and zinester. I have a knack for research and making connections between anime, so I love writing anime recommendations and top 10 lists! Yes, I do look like my avatar and yes, I base my style off Ami Mizuno aka Sailor Mercury. An Evangelion and Utena fanatic, talk to me about depressed teen heroes and handsome princesses. Avatar by @crazyspacecats

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