NieR:Automata Ver1.1a - Season 1

NieR anime was a smart marketing move, much like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, aimed at boosting awareness about the game, increasing sales, and reigniting the interest of former players to revisit the original game. Having played the video game version of NieR upon its release, I can attest to feeling a strong urge to reinstall the game while watching the show. However, the production faced significant issues, leading to prolonged interruptions in certain parts of the first season, akin to what happened with Uncle From Another World. This hiatus somewhat dampened the hype surrounding the anime and resulted in my interest cooling off for a while, so i didn't reinstall the game afterall. Now, let's discuss the actual adaptation, which was quite decent. Players will recognize many iconic moments, discover numerous connections, and appreciate the puppet theater segments at the end of each episode featuring various "alternative endings." The animation throughout the series is well-executed, albeit with occasional 3DCG battles against major enemies. While the 3D modeling isn't terrible, it's clear that A-1 Pictures lacks the experience in this area compared to studios like Orange (known for Trigun Stampede and Beastars) or Ufotable. It reminds me of the early 3DCG attempts by MADHOUSE in the first season of Overlord — watchable but certainly no masterpiece. The transfer of characters and their traits from the video game to the anime was fairly faithful, making them easily recognizable for players while still remaining interesting and likable for newcomers. The biggest appeal lies in the setting and its mysteries, which I believe were effectively conveyed and presented. In summary, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a serves as great advertisement, offering a decent adaptation with some original ideas. It's a relatively high-quality anime that I enjoyed watching, and I'm curious about the announced second season in 2024, particularly to see if the anime will continue to carve out its own path. 7.5/10   Anime Nier was a great marketing move, just like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, to raise awareness about the game, boost sales, and reignite the interest of former players to play the original game again. I played the video game version of Nier when it was released, and I can confirm that I felt a strong urge to reinstall the game while watching the anime. Unfortunately, the production of the anime had some major issues, which caused a long interruption in certain parts of the first season, similar to what happened with Uncle From Another World, and it somewhat killed some of the hype that was built around the anime. At least for me, it had certain negative consequences, such as my interest cooling off for a while, and in the end, I didn't install the game... Now, let's talk about the actual adaptation - I find it quite successful. Players will recognize many iconic moments, see plenty of connections, and enjoy the puppet theater at the end of each episode with various "alternative endings." The animation of the series is also very well done, at least until it comes to a battle with a major enemy, which is usually modeled in 3DCG. Although it's not terrible 3D, it's evident that the studio A-1 Pictures doesn't have as much experience in this area as, for example, Orange (Trigun Stampede, Beastars...), or many others (like Ufotable). It reminds me of the early attempts with 3DCG by the studio MADHOUSE in the first season of Overlord, when I thought that it's worth watching, but it's not a masterpiece. The transfer of characters and their traits from the video game to the anime was also fairly faithful, so if you played the game, you shouldn't have any problem recognizing them, and if you didn't play the game, you should still find the characters interesting and likable. The biggest attraction here is the setting and its mysteries, which, in my opinion, are successfully conveyed and presented. In short, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is, for me, a successful advertisement, a decent adaptation that also has some original ideas, a relatively high-quality anime that I enjoyed watching, and I'm curious about the announced second season in 2024, especially to see if the anime will continue to go its own way. 7.5/10 (02/08/2024) (less) (more)