AI no Idenshi

In the near future, 10 percent of the population will consist of Humanoids—machines with advanced functions and artificial intelligence resembling human personalities, easily recognized by their sideways pupils. These specialized patients likewise require a special doctor. By day, Dr. Hikaru Sudou runs a medical clinic for Humanoids; by night, under the moniker of Moggadeet, he performs illegal procedures and gathers information about his lost mother.

Hikaru encounters patients with varying problems unique to this society: a Humanoid struggling with the question of whether she and the source of her backup data are the same person, a teenage Humanoid who cannot improve athletically, and even a robot teddy bear with memories of multiple owners. As the world's technology constantly evolves, newer and more complex questions surrounding humanity arise. With each new advance, it becomes more difficult to define what truly makes one human or Humanoid.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sudou, Hikaru Main

Ootsuka, Takeo Japanese

Higuchi, Risa Main

Miyamoto, Yume Japanese

Mari Supporting

Fujita, Mami Japanese

Jay Supporting

Iwanaka, Mutsuki Japanese

Yuuki Supporting

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Perm Supporting

Kobayashi, Yumiko Japanese

Poppo Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Kaoru Supporting

Takamori, Natsumi Japanese

MICHI Supporting

Terasaki, Yuka Japanese

Masa Supporting

Fukamachi, Toshinari Japanese

Kamei, Hiroshi Producer

Satou, Shinya Producer

Fukui, Norio Producer

Yoshitake, Shintarou Producer, Publicity

Reviews

Sep 29, 2023

Marinate1016

Recommended

Ai no Idenshi is perhaps one of the most relevant anime to be released in recent memory. In an era of ever evolving technology and artificial intelligence, AI no Idenshi raises many complicated questions such as “how far is too far with technology” and “what does it mean to be human” Both are morally ambiguous and divisive, and what I like about this show is that it frames these topics in a neutral manner. It doesn’t shove an answer down your throat, but forces you to consider your positions on the matter. It’s a really interesting and thought provoking show that deserves much more love. ... If you’re a sci-fi fan or just curious about what the future of humanity could look like, this is one for you.

Ai no Idenshi is set up in an episodic manner. It follows various individuals and their conflicts, usually related to some aspect of technology. That’s to say that most episodes are not related to some grand plot, but are designed to teach lessons. For example, wanting your memories or personality altered, removing emotions, robots attending schools with humans, teaching in human classrooms, learning human jobs, etc. There is an overarching plot involving the protagonist and his mother, but unfortunately, it only got focused on for like 3 episodes before the finale. Which is a shame, because it’s actually really interesting.

For the vast majority of the series, we see characters in a variety of difficult situations that have morally gray solutions. What I like most about the episodic nature is that many of these cases feel real. They don’t feel so far-fetched that you just write it off as fantasy, instead they feel like inevitabilities given humanity’s rapid AI advancement. Sentient A.I, robots and androids walking alongside us, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that within our lifetimes we’ll see stuff like that. With those developments, though, comes new challenges that we will have to overcome. If these creations act like, look like and think like humans, what’s the difference? What will we do then? We haven’t seen many anime that tackle these themes, so I really had a lot of fun watching this. The near future setting as opposed to some distant future also made it a lot more enjoyable.

The biggest gripe(s) I have with Ai no Idenshi are the animation, which is quite bad at times, frankly, and the fact the main story got neglected so much. I mean, I really did like the short stories. They’re meaningful and realistic, but there was a massive plotline teased at the beginning with the MC and his mom going missing, and then it doesn’t get touched on for like two months until the last 2 episodes or so. It was a really big missed opportunity in my opinion. I have not read the manga yet(I will), so I’m not sure if this is how things are there, but for the anime medium I think you need to start connecting those dots sooner. Maybe doing half episodic and half actual plot per episode? I’m not sure how you’d improve it, but it’s definitely the most glaring issue here.

In terms of mainstays character wise there aren’t many besides Sudo and Risa, the rest of the cast is kind of a revolving door based on whatever situation we’re dealing with. They could be hit or miss, but the main cast was really good.


Despite its issues, I still loved Ai no Idenshi and its best mini-arcs were up there with some of the best episodes of any seasonal this season. I loved Sudo as an MC, Risa was a nice supporting character and the character development she got later on was really solid. If you’re a Sci-Fi fan it goes without saying that you need to check this one out. It’s real, it’s relevant and it’s an eye opening watch. I know I had my ideas questioned several times throughout this one and I think you will too.

Ai no Idenshi gets 8 out of 10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 29, 2023

KANLen09

Mixed Feelings

DNA-focused anime, ID:Invaded, Plastic Memories...what has become of this barren land of science fiction that's not much focused in the world of AniManga? Is it that authors have a burning desire to share with the world the possibilities of AI, or are unwilling to cash in on a niche product that'll not catch on?

This season, there was one show that's more than enough to take on the premise of the world at large and its studies on AI, and that's mangaka Kyuuri Yamada's AI no Idenshi a.k.a The Gene of AI, a manga that lasted 87 chapters within 8 volumes, serialised between November 2015 and ... August 2017. But the anime, which is only announced 5 years later and finally aired this Summer season, is just sad to say that any appeal that the manga had that was heavily exclusive to Japan, did not catch on in the West, not just for anyone trying to translate the already completed manga series, but its social traffic is not the best either, despite obtaining the Excellence Award in the manga division of the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2018.

Similar to American medical profession drama shows like House, M.D. and Grey's Anatomy, AI no Idenshi focuses on a world where AI has taken over much of its processes, split into regular humans and android-like Humanoids, who need maintenance as and when it is necessary. And one place where the Humanoids go to receive their checkups is at this unassuming clinic called the Sudo Novo Medical Clinic, headed by its sole doctor, Hikaru "Mogadeet" Sudo and his AI assistant, Jay, alongside his assistant Risa Higuchi. For the most part, it's an episodic nature of discovering and discussing what makes Humanoids tick, ranging from personal areas like family and friends to scenarios of how they would react to love and romance. In essence, Humanoids aren't that different from humans, and the thought processes that arise from this do make for interesting plot narratives about the importance of AI driving the future of mankind, either into prosperity or destruction.

That said, the one narrative that get you head-scratching is on the side of humans wanting to implement Humanoid-like features. And one example of it is the copy-exact nature of real humans into humanoids, so much so that they are indistinguishable from each other. This can especially be detrimental if reflected on a familial scale, and Sudo's life is not a purely blank state either, because he was once a victim of the measures that certain people will take as a way to gloss over that these practices "will improve" his life, only to suffer heavy consequences later on. Not all Humanoids are good, and neither will humans want to push the available technology, even if the scientific progressions are proven or not, just to prove that "AI is the future, and we should all embrace its judgements upon humanity, regardless of whether they're correct or not."

If there is one thing you should know about this show, it is that the production is not its swan song, and neither is the direction that the anime took, that ultimately feels like the show is a chore to watch, being very sluggish. Partly because of storyboarder-cum-director Yuzo Sato, whose directorial duties include the most recent work of Winter 2022's Hakozume: Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu a.k.a Police in a Pod, it feels like the production committee had a false start of wanting someone reputable to direct a show (you know, considering it's Madhouse), but that they could not find a suitable one, so Yuzo Sato had to be called in for the job, doing the bare minimum that he could. And looking at his biography, it seems as if Yuzo Sato had been the 3rd-rate director that was always given the "last resort" call, simply because he has not been doing much within the last 40 years of work in the anime industry, even from the time that he was brought into Madhouse since the early 2000s to be trained to become a competent director. But in the near 20 years since, I'd reckon that Yuzo Sato lost his touch, and that unfortunately, speaks volumes about this show's adaptation, which could've been better in almost every possible way.

Also, this is a bit of a transition period for Madhouse, as they're trying to get back to their former grand slam state (which is set to return with Sousou no Frieren a.k.a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End next season) after the setback since the early 2020s, producing shows that for the most part, have been on a never-ending tick-tock cycle of good and bad in-between seasons. But if you are to only focus on this show, it feels like the production team never had any confidence in the anime, opting to animate the bare minimum while showcasing low quality visuals that while fits the dark and gloomy vibes of the anime, it wasn't the same Madhouse that we've come to expect from.

The music aspect is interesting at best. While Aile The Shota's OP song perfectly fits as the "futuristic" centerpiece for the anime, it's the visuals, of which some are created by Unreal Engine. It's definitely unique in that regard; I'll give it that. GReeeeN's ED song is a mellow song that has all the characteristics of a song that speaks volumes to all. Overall, cool songs that each have a distinction of their very own.

The problem is, niche topics like AI and the future of mankind are accompanied by the far and few in-between, and despite AI no Idenshi being a standout show just for its themes, it really isn't enough to justify a show that's produced as it is this way. I appreciate that shows like this are brought out to break the usual Isekai, fantasy, romance molds that always finds its way into each and every season, but they need to double down on what makes them stand out, which sadly, this show doesn't do the original source material justice.

Skip this show if it doesn't intrigue you, but it doesn't pay to at least watch a single episode of this, yeah...?

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Aug 20, 2023

Lucius_Blades

Not Recommended

Preliminary (7/12 eps)

Spoiler

Look, I came here for the ideas it brought in the first episode, a hard sci-fi about the nature of thinking machines and how they would be treated by a society who already treats humans badly. Instead of focusing on the interesting ideas of "what is the legal status of AI people" and "how does a society treat a new class of people" it wants to go through what ifs and not develop them.
The show has one or two good ideas that I really liked, the episode where a dude makes an AI version of his high school crush for sexual reasons is a ... good idea, but is not taken to the terrifying extent that "the most extreme version of revenge porn" could be. I feel this is an apt metaphor for the show, some good ideas without the ability to engage with them.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: AI no Idenshi Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 15, 2023	28 replies	by SaadMarjani »» Nov 11, 9:48 AM
	Poll: AI no Idenshi Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 8, 2023	54 replies	by SaadMarjani »» Nov 11, 9:41 AM
	Poll: AI no Idenshi Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jul 28, 2023	53 replies	by SaadMarjani »» Nov 10, 12:16 PM
	Poll: AI no Idenshi Episode 5 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 4, 2023	29 replies	by xADONIS »» Aug 31, 6:22 AM
	Poll: AI no Idenshi Episode 7 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 18, 2023	33 replies	by Rob7 »» Jul 13, 1:23 PM