It should come as no surprise that an anime about a singing robot would have music in it, but everything from the title songs to the background music works to unveil more of the story and immerse you deeper. There are even idol anime that don’t utilize music as well as Vivy does and you can literally hear varying levels of humanity in the characters. You’d have no complaints hearing Vivy sing at the beginning of the series. But once you hear an AI who has truly understood her calling through her mission to sing, it sounds beautiful and meaningful in a way that’s hard to describe. You can hear the evolution in Vivy’s voice as she gets closer to understanding her own heart which even her developer said was up to Vivy’s interpretation.

We’re not talking about just bad events happening where you don’t know how they’ll be resolved. We’re talking about the future painting a picture that doesn’t quite resonate with what we’re seeing only to be shown something that surpasses our imagination. Things that seem to point in one direction take a completely different turn and you’re left flabbergasted. But these twists are so fleshed out and previously subtly hinted at that they don’t feel impossible or trying too hard. When Vivy’s own mission becomes a paradox that paralyzes her, it’s shocking in the moment, but understandable having seen the events leading up to it.

The events that Vivy and Matsumoto influence turn out differently than how they play out in the future yet have unforeseen consequences. It’s not uncommon in series with time travel to see characters fail to create meaningful change that deviates from the future they wish to avoid, but it’s the small ways in which things end up spurring humanity towards its tragic end we still don’t fully understand that keep you so engaged.

There are a lot of times you will notice the animation shifting dramatically and this is both a boon and a weak point. The high-tech stages the AI use are often beautiful and create a truly futuristic atmosphere and the Archive Vivy uses has such vibrant colors that it very much feels like a place removed from humanity’s perception. While the AI are simply going through the motions of their code, they’re often less sharp and their movements aren’t so detailed. Once you see moments of unique thinking, oftentimes their eyes will be drawn in extreme detail in a different style, dilating and reflecting the information they’re absorbing.

In more dramatic moments, you can see more of the AI in this realistic, sharp style that lets you know how jarring the situation is. This, however, can cause an unfortunate ‘Spongebob effect’ in which you are not prepared to see a closeup of someone drawn so realistically that it becomes funny. Yet most of it is executed well, letting up on the animation for calmer scenes and saving the details and fluidity for the crazy fight scenes.