May 5, 2021
{CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERS}
Akudama Drive at first glance had really captivating art designs along with the intense and color visuals of a very futuristic Japan. With the vibrant aesthetics, action pack scenery, and chaotic scenes of character display, you would very much expect a well-developed anime with amazing character development, however, it was slightly disappointing to watch.
If you have seen Akame ga Kill and did not like the ending, then I would not recommend watching this. For it has very similar tendencies to kill off every character in a justified manner (I wish I knew that before I got attached to any of the characters). Taking
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on a very cliche plot, it was enjoyable to watch in the first half of the show, but by the second half, it felt as if the whole plot had made a complete 180(I got confused about what the plot had become until after Swindler protected Sister by killing off those bad guys) and how annoying some of the characters came about.
In the beginning, when we are first introduced to our main protagonist, it became very hard for me to come to like Swindler as a character. I found her boring and was a bit disappointed in how her personality was depicted as a "good girl who does good things" while pretending to be a high-ranked Akudama in order to survive. She was too sweet and I was expecting a totally badass female protagonist with great character development that falls under the category of a badass wanted criminal but was instead given the complete opposite of what I expected. What really made me slowly lose interest in this anime was how she came about this forced motherly figure to brother and sister which became, even more, a cliche than before. While there was a lack of character development throughout the entirety of the show, Hoodlum definitely showed some growth, not a lot, but it was enough to make me admire him till the moment of his death. I found his relationship with Brawler to be wholesome, so after witnessing his death I would've loved to see this new switch with Hoodlum and him trying to live on and honor Brawler with every step he takes while maintaining that comedic relief of a character he was when first introduced. But instead, had become the lackey and punching bag of Doctor and it wasn't till his final moments when he finally had that 'oomf' I was looking for.
I will admit, the diversity in characters' personality and traits really balanced the entire crew as a whole, while many of the characters were far different and their own unique quirks, I really enjoyed the dynamic and relationship between each character.
As for the direction of the plot, it started off very promising, as the idea of different criminals coming together to achieve one goal and with a gracious award along with it, it was all in all full of potential. However, the way it had been executed was not at all what I had expected. As it takes place in a cyber-punk aesthetic of Japan, the first half of the series was very interesting and I grew a great fond of each character's introduction as well as their colorful aesthetic. As they come together and kill off every Executioner that stands in their way, you cannot help but love the group and their individuality. However, with the amount of character plot twists and multiple changes of plot, it drifted into an area where I no longer felt like watching anymore.
My big problem with this show was the lack of development in character and with the messy direction in the plot. Overall, the anime can be either a hit or miss depending on how well you take the overwhelming plot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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