The final new show of the season to be previewed is one that I anticipated the most. Ajin, based on the manga of the same name animated by Polygon Pictures.
Ajin is about a version of the modern world where randomly and rarely an individual will appear who does not remain dead. 16 years prior to the series the first Ajin was discovered in Africa and since dozens more have been located around the world. The series protagonist is Kei, a studious teenage who questions the idea that Ajin are not humans. Much to his horror he discovers he is one of them after being hit by a truck. His death and resurrection don't go unnoticed and he decides to flee. Unable to trust anyone for fear of being sold to the government for cruel testing he flees into the woods and calls his only true friend, a delinquent named Kaito. The series is streaming on Netflix in Japan but there is no word yet on who will pick it up in North America...more than likely it will be Netflix as well.
I started reading the manga for Ajin in the early fall when I heard it was going to be made into an anime and have enjoyed it for what it is. The series isn't anything truly new or original but its entertaining is anything. I don't expect much with the anime beyond recalling the manga. The series is slatted to run for 13 episodes with a movie that was released in November and a second movie pending. Having not seen the movie yet, there is a chance that the TV series may just be the movies cut into 20 minute segments. The series focuses on the idea of what makes someone different and how those differences lead to social rejection. In reality its a vehicle for some insane action and lots of combat. As the story progresses the main antagonist, a man named Sato, activates a plan to carve out a nation for Ajin inside of Japan...through force and destruction. The best part of the manga for me is seeing Sato's plans unfold and the lengths he goes to to terrorize.
That said, the first episode doesn't give someone unfamiliar with the manga a good impression of what the story is really about. Its a cat and mouse game between a few individuals who are unable to be killed and how they use their unique abilities to counter each other. It's more akin to Death Note than it is to Attack on Titan.
A lot of people will have problems with the animation which is wire frame cell shade CGI, Polygon Pictures specialty as exhibited in Knights of Sidonia and Ronia the Robbers Daughter. Its unnatural at times and overly saturated with the light and shading techniques. The biggest problem is the characters themselves and their as of yet smooth and fluid motion and facial expressions. In time it will either become more natural or viewers will be used to it and it won't seem as jarring. In the mean time though its a major flaw that is presented and can turn many viewers off. What might be missed though is the high level of detail that exists in the animation, even if it isn't traditional cell shading. The light and shadow work is fantastic as are the small details of the rough edges of daily life.
Its good to see this decent manga getting an anime but I hold my breath for the impending hype and fandom. Kei is a punk of a main character who struggles with his meaningless existence and his new fate as a hunted Ajin. He's not likable but over time I have warmed up to him...we'll see how much story the anime actually covers in this ongoing manga.
Ajin is about a version of the modern world where randomly and rarely an individual will appear who does not remain dead. 16 years prior to the series the first Ajin was discovered in Africa and since dozens more have been located around the world. The series protagonist is Kei, a studious teenage who questions the idea that Ajin are not humans. Much to his horror he discovers he is one of them after being hit by a truck. His death and resurrection don't go unnoticed and he decides to flee. Unable to trust anyone for fear of being sold to the government for cruel testing he flees into the woods and calls his only true friend, a delinquent named Kaito. The series is streaming on Netflix in Japan but there is no word yet on who will pick it up in North America...more than likely it will be Netflix as well.
I started reading the manga for Ajin in the early fall when I heard it was going to be made into an anime and have enjoyed it for what it is. The series isn't anything truly new or original but its entertaining is anything. I don't expect much with the anime beyond recalling the manga. The series is slatted to run for 13 episodes with a movie that was released in November and a second movie pending. Having not seen the movie yet, there is a chance that the TV series may just be the movies cut into 20 minute segments. The series focuses on the idea of what makes someone different and how those differences lead to social rejection. In reality its a vehicle for some insane action and lots of combat. As the story progresses the main antagonist, a man named Sato, activates a plan to carve out a nation for Ajin inside of Japan...through force and destruction. The best part of the manga for me is seeing Sato's plans unfold and the lengths he goes to to terrorize.
That said, the first episode doesn't give someone unfamiliar with the manga a good impression of what the story is really about. Its a cat and mouse game between a few individuals who are unable to be killed and how they use their unique abilities to counter each other. It's more akin to Death Note than it is to Attack on Titan.
A lot of people will have problems with the animation which is wire frame cell shade CGI, Polygon Pictures specialty as exhibited in Knights of Sidonia and Ronia the Robbers Daughter. Its unnatural at times and overly saturated with the light and shading techniques. The biggest problem is the characters themselves and their as of yet smooth and fluid motion and facial expressions. In time it will either become more natural or viewers will be used to it and it won't seem as jarring. In the mean time though its a major flaw that is presented and can turn many viewers off. What might be missed though is the high level of detail that exists in the animation, even if it isn't traditional cell shading. The light and shadow work is fantastic as are the small details of the rough edges of daily life.
Its good to see this decent manga getting an anime but I hold my breath for the impending hype and fandom. Kei is a punk of a main character who struggles with his meaningless existence and his new fate as a hunted Ajin. He's not likable but over time I have warmed up to him...we'll see how much story the anime actually covers in this ongoing manga.
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