Fractale

This show would be my vote for most underrated anime show on this web site. Based on both votes and popularity, it is at the bottom on my "Best Of" list. In some ways its understandable and in other ways its not.

I'll start with it's obvious issues that I also second. A lot of its sci fi concepts don't get fully fleshed out, are half baked, and don't make a major impact to the plot. There are typical dumb anime moments seen in most shows that are cringe worthy. Some plot threads go nowhere and should've been developed more.

Now here is where I think despite ... all that, It has plenty good to offer and made my watching experience overall positive.

It has above average hand drawn animation that I miss in current anime. The action moments have some style and enhance the scenes. Great orchestral score that I still listen to. Characters you are interested in. Fast pace with constantly changing settings and plots.

The thing that won me over was the finale. Throughout the show it threw out unexplained sci fi concepts and plots that at first are head scratching. Then in the last two episodes, without spoiling, created twists and revelations that were both riveting and unpredictable. Its one of the few times my jaw dropped at a scene solely based on what was happening story wise. It catapulted this show from a slightly above average show to one of my favorites. Even to this day few animes I've watched have reached that emotional height.

I still look back on this show with fond memories of it even several years later. I don't look back on this show as some masterpiece or visual triumph. However, I remember it as one of the first sci-fis that got me both interested in the genre but also anime in general. For A lot of animes I first watched that I at the time enjoyed, I have changed my opinion on them significantly and in some cases outright dislike them now. Not for this show.

With all that said, I still understand the frustrations people had and I can see how the negatives will be too much to ignore. So please take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Fractale is a bizarre title. For better or for worse, it is utterly unique in a lot of ways, big and small, and there's no better way to illustrate this than by simply getting into the review. Beginning with the story, it is built upon some really impressive worldbuilding, with a creative concept blending tech with organized religion and wrapping the whole thing up in pervasive Celtic, specifically Irish, themes. I'll get into this some more later, but this is one of the only anime I've seen which takes place in Ireland, which makes for a distinctive blend of narrative ... themes. The story itself gets off to a pretty strong start, and provides solid grounding for a memorable adventure. While it delivers on this for the most part, there are a lot of issues that I have to address here that really hold Fractale back in its entirety. Firstly, i must address the show's various themes, or at least what they seem to be. Fractale covers the significance of human experience, and how escapism through technology and hedonism is a life that is missing the essential things that make life life. It covers how something like Fractale, the global VR and Augmented Reality system which permeates the reality of the world, proposes that it's giving everything to humanity when really it is taking bits and pieces of mankind's very essence. The value of hard work, the value of struggle, and even pain. This is a noble message, but my problem comes in when these themes are left to flutter in the wind, unresolved, unrealized. It seems to double back on its own message, and leave a lazy vagueness for the viewer to parse through themselves. This makes the rushed final episode distinctly unsatisfying, and almost like a betrayal. I'm not sure what they were going for here, but I can only guess that it was some attempt at an intellectual statement, trying to present the viewer with a complicated, muddled, grey morality when all it really does is hollow out its powerful, life-affirming message for the purposes of impressing every potential viewer by saying nothing of substance at all. If it stayed the course, and delivered a strong finishing episode that reflected the things the story was saying all along, then this anime would have a higher score indeed. Secondary problems I have with Fractale's story have to do with the issues it has with comedic framing and emotional atmosphere. Throughout the show it slips from its high, adventurous spirit to a contrived sense of angst, and peppers tone-deaf sex jokes throughout, at the very moments when they don't make any sense at all, proving to be nothing more than jarring tonal breaks. To put it simply, the story has a problem with consistency- from scene to scene it is inconsistent in its tone, its messaging, and even its quality of dialogue, and it is this inconsistency which is Fractale's major sin.

The art is where Fractale really shines, however, and is this anime's strongest aspect. The viewer is presented with a glittering, magical world, blending Irish culture with dystopian high-tech elements that seem almost indistinguishable from magic. Fractale is a gorgeous, and at moments breathtaking, work of visual media. The fluidity of animation, the lively use of color, and the compelling character designs all come together to make for an experience which highlights anime's capacity as a true art form. However, even this isn't perfect. There were a few oversights, namely in the show's instances of written English. For example, in a particular library scene, all the books read "Pictures of English" along their spines. This is only one of many small mistakes which, when considered as a whole, speak to a lack of attention to detail, or even a kind of laziness.

The sound is good, meeting all the standards of quality that should be expected from an anime, but not necessarily excelling in any respect. I watched the dub, since Fractale takes place in Ireland, but it's broadly unremarkable, and the voices are poorly mixed when compared with the sound effects, coming out way too quiet. The music is perhaps more notable, but not by much. One exception here is the ED, which is the first song I've yet heard that was sung in English with a simultaneous Irish and Japanese accent. A bizarre experience, to be sure.

The characters are good, again meeting all the standards that they should, but not really standing out as anything especially above the norm. Of them, my favorites are Enri and Sunda, Enri for her multifaceted role within the story between comedic relief and genuine friend, and Sunda for his more grounded, realistic take on the conflict he's fighting, while still being a determined and inspirational leader. Overall, Fractale is a fractured vision of something which could have been really quite good. What we are left with is an anime which is by no means awful, but one which clearly hasn't lived up to its potential.

Hello bullitbaby with hopefully another down to earth review

Ya know, I REALLY WANTED to like this anime. But in the end It's IMPOSSIBLE for me to like due to so many mortal flaws .....except for ONE thing...the actual animation.

Simply put, this animation STRONGLY RESEMBLES GHIBLI STYLE. If your a fan of Ghibli animation you should feel the similarity almost immediately. The very idea of mixing technology blimplike flying machines etc but maintaining a small town classic style county architecture is also very Ghibli if you've watched any of his stuff.

Anyway, so bottom line, if you choose to watch ... this anime, you'll likely enjoy the animation cleanliness, flow, style etc, ....you won't enjoy much else as the conflicts in the story build rather quickly. The improper character development shows starkly and ohhhh the endless unanswered questions......

you will notice yourself feeling more and more questions than answers, lots more, none of which will be answered sufficiently or for that matter even hinted at answering....cuz there are no answers.

Some examples:
---its revealed in the first 10 minutes the FRACTALE system is a super AI made up of 22nd century technology of basically a gazillion processor thinking machine (which Clain refers to as "old antique tech" in an offhanded remark. This super AI is to provide everyone equal resources, opportunity, food and basically a war conflict free life full of enjoyment peace harmony et al.

So why in the same first 10 min do the COPS show up at a local swap meet. COPS in a PERFECT FUTURE SOCIETY?
---also what century is it actually, I never found mention of it although 22nd century is considered old by Clains measure. Maybe it 24th or so. Who knows.
---where do the cops take offenders, jail? Are there courts? Is there laws? If so what are they in this future perfect world.
---if a gazillion processors can create DOPPELS (another name for avatars) as holograms you interact with, why not just create ones that look like the people rather something COMPLETELY ridiculous like a water cooler bubble head "dad" and a pink lampshade with giant red LIPS no less as "mom" to CLAIN.
---you also find out that FREEDOM in the perfect society means abandoning your children and living anywhere you want as long as your pink lampshade avatar can speak to your child.
---why does the family unit have to be destroyed just because your every PHYSICAL need is met. Every EMOTIONAL one is not and can't be without family.

These are just a FEW questions from episode 1 that are never answered. If you watch this, you'll think of more, trust me.

Want more questions....HEREGOESNOTHIN....

---why was phryne so QUICK, like a couple hours time to strip full frontal to Clain and then conveniently fall asleep on him in like 5 seconds flat with no top on (bless producer for not showing nipple or I woulda thot this was toned down high school DxD). Just more fanservice to hook people that need that muck I guess in episode 1.

---why is the soon to be tsundere character phryne so quick to trust Clain with precious NESSA that she risked life an limb to smuggle from the temple. Only to hand her off to him an vanish to somewhere for no known reason.
---phryne suddenly becomes a MUCH more typical tsundere by declaring to Clain that NOONE can love her EVER as she tries to abandon him again later. She remains staunchly TSUNDERE to the VERY END before in final episode warms up.

A little late folks.

---why is Clain shocked to meet a REAL girl. Don't they have dating in perfectworld or REAL girls you date and marry and procreate.
---why are there outcast lost millennium societies in PERFECTWORLD or as we discover PERFECTGLOBE all planet.
---where are the cops which we NEVER see again.
---why in episode 1 was phryne being shot at by the lost millennium group who LATER say they must CAPTURE ALIVE the KEY (which phryne is the KEY) to overthrow FRACTAL.

Pure nonsense....no worse than nonsense.

Eventually....as you ask yourself endless questions you'll ask THESE TASTEFUL QUERIES

---why must GOD be 10 to be PURE and receive Gods soul.
---Why must God be 16 to be the KEY.
---why just Gods soul of age 10 must be unified with Gods body age 16 to be a proper created KEY.
---why GOD WHY!!!...must the 16 year old KEY body between ages of 10 and 16 be DEFILED SEXUALLY (as the anime calls it, not me) while in clinical stirrups by a perverted guy named Barrot who likes the way Phyrne smells. This is cringy.

---why is Barrot evil and where did he come from.
---why is he in charge of everything even the head priestess we find out. You will NEVER know. Just another token evil character with no purpose or origin or backstory.

---why does FRACTAL need a TEMPLE OF OVERLORDS to operate perfectglobe.
---why can't 22, 23, 24th whatever CENTURY it is tech update the logs of it's citizens without them praying in the direction of the temple (like a Muslim 5 times a day). Just plain weird that one. Why mimic Muslims. No clue. Like hey writer...does my cell phone pray in the direction of the tower 5 times daily to update. My God it 22nd or higher century tech - how STUPID can this plot get!!!

---why must perfectglobe be rebooted to save itself every 200 years even tho it's perfect.
---since FRACTAL runs The entire GLOBE we find out, what would a few billion people scrambling for resources look like once the system was collapsed by Lost Millenium....yeah the APOCQLYPSE is right.

This very obvious fact doesn't stop lost millennium rebel group tho who intends to Do just that chips fall where they may all so mankind can experience true FREEDOM or ......what we call TOTAL ANARCHY, AND TRIBAL WAR GLOBEWIDE. But nevermind that bit of logic or details.

---why is there a city megaplex called XANADU that resembles modern Tokyo on steroids for the aNEON factor that only the UBER RICH can live in. Awfully stratified populous for perfectglobe don't ya think.
---why doesn't NESSA who has the soul and clearly the POWER of God use that power to save Clain whose been shot ....she NUKES electronics for like maybe 10 square miles devastating Xanadu with her power....and all she did was THINK Clain was in danger. Yet ALLLLLLL other times he's in danger.....NADA, ZILCH, NOTHING...not even to the VERY END does she exercise this GODLIKE Nuclear Explosion power. Only once. Utter silliness. Absurdity. Toxic wasteland of dumb dumbness.

Enough WHYning about WHYS.

FINAL QUESTION
-WHY are you gonna watch this...DONT. I did so you don't have to.

Thanks formreading and I hope this helps you save some anime time in your future viewing. Cheers.