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.

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.

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 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.