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It's good. Trust me, I'm a doctor. Or so I'm told.

The story is supposed to be seen from the perspective of a genius doctor who has lost all memory of his life's work, extensive experience and closest friends. How? Why? No time for that. Follow the rabbit if you want to live.

The Arknights world is heavy in lore, and the experience is supposed to be confusion taking it all in. It's futuristic, magical, dystopian, deadly and uncomfortably real. And like the real world, it's full of characters trying to make the best of this world. Some with idealism, some for a paycheck, some for medical ... care, some just trying to find a place that feels like home.

Arknights the anime is based on Arknights the mobile game. The game follows the leadership of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company slash private military out to save lives by force in a hostile world. But that game is really more a sprawling visual novel and it was begging for an anime adaptation. I've watched some pretty terrible anime adaptations of video games (cough Pokemon cough), and this is not that. This is actually good.

You'll like it for the characters, who have depth and relationships and values constantly on display. Amiya is the bold, adorable, sweet murder machine and CEO. And her supporting cast is a harem of professional killers for justice... or other reasons. The key character you won't have strong feelings about is The Doctor. He or she is supposed to be an enigma for you to project onto. As alluded to by their outfit (with androgynous eyes barely visible), they work hard to remain an enigma. Sex, species, feelings, thoughts... no, that information is not for anyone. They are the stone faced chess player, the chatty ladies with weapons around them are just pawns with pulses. If it wasn't for them expressing support for Amiya's vision, they would just be haunting.

The story is engaging and unpredictable (if you haven't played the game), and focused on combat with an overwhelming foe. Like real-world combat, you start with a plan, it goes out the window as soon as the enemy acts, you make the best new one you can and repeat. The adversaries have the initiative, brains and OPSEC, so don't expect to know their next move. And while you may not realize it, this entire story arc is just a teaser, an introduction to a world that gets so much more complicated.

The art is excellent. While the cast is mostly a harem of badass chicks, don't expect fan service panty shots. These ladies are mostly in streetwear, practical or tactical - you know, like actual women. There's some sensible heels (that aren't sensible in combat) and short skirts that more fashionable than practical, but it comes off more as those characters saying 'I like wearing this' than straight indulging male fantasy.

The voice acting is excellent, as is the music. It has some serious production quality for a spinoff. This was noticeable in the game as well, and the company seems dedicated to high production quality,

One other thing I noticed is the number of anime tropes that never appear. Because this really isn't written by anime writers. The publisher, Yostar, is mainland Chinese. And while the authors definitely appreciate the anime aesthetic, they very different values than the manga otaku crowd. For example, there are governments you probably don't like, but don't expect dissent and do expect a reason to defend them. I wonder why a Chinese story includes that? Hmm...

Anyway, long story short: watch it.