Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai (Unbreakable Machine-Doll)

The Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart was founded alongside the development of "Machinart," machine magic capable of giving life and intelligence to mechanical dolls subsequently called as "automaton." Its aim: train skilled puppeteers to control the automatons, as militaries across the globe have begun incorporating Machinart into their armies.

After miserably failing the academy's entrance exams, Raishin Akabane and his humanoid automaton Yaya must defeat one of the top one hundred students to earn the right to take part in the Evening Party, a fight for supremacy between puppeteers using their automatons. The last one standing is bestowed the title of "Wiseman" and granted access to the powerful forbidden arts.

Thus, Raishin challenges Charlotte Belew and her automaton Sigmund to a duel, but before they even begin, Sigmund is attacked by other students. After saving his opponents from their assaulters, Raishin cancels the duel but is forced to search for a new way to gain access to the Party. Driven by the tragedies of his past, Raishin fights alongside Yaya to rise to the top and claim the title of Wiseman.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai adapts the first three volumes of Reiji Kaitou's light novel series of the same title.

Episode Videos

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Adaptation:	Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai
Side story:	Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai Specials

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Yaya

Main

Harada, Hitomi
Japanese

Akabane, Raishin

Main

Shimono, Hiro
Japanese

Frey

Supporting

Asumi, Kana
Japanese

Belew, Charlotte

Supporting

Takamoto, Megumi
Japanese

Irori

Supporting

Kayano, Ai
Japanese

Karyuusai, Shouko

Supporting

Yukana
Japanese

Loki

Supporting

Okamoto, Nobuhiko
Japanese

Sigmund

Supporting

Nakata, Jouji
Japanese

Komurasaki

Supporting

Ogura, Yui
Japanese

Hotaru

Supporting

Hanazawa, Kana
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Kananiwa, Kozue

Producer

Tanaka, Shou

Producer

Usui, Hisato

Producer

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Opening Theme

"Anicca" by Hitomi Harada

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Ending Theme

	1: "Anicca" by Hitomi Harada (eps 1,7)
	2: "Maware! Setsugetsuka (回レ！雪月花)" by Hitomi Harada, Ai Kayano, and Yui Ogura (eps 2-6, 8-12)

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Reviews

May 4, 2014

Ikuaya

Recommended

So I just finished this show today, and I am going to give you guys (and girls) a rating for each aspect of the show, and then I will give an overall review at the bottom.

Story: 8
The story was quite enticing, and it always left me wondering what would happen next, and it always stayed true to the main character's goal, Raishin, fighting along side his partner, Yaya. There were really no filler episodes, as each episode had some sort of meaning or foreshadowing that led into future episodes. There was also a lot of action, and the fighting scenes were very well done and ... portrayed Raishin's abilities very well.

Art: 9
Not much to say here, I just loved the art in the show. It looked very new and refined, the colors were very good, but the only issue I would have is that the "3D" look of the dragon, Sigmund, got a little funky sometimes, but it wasn't a huge issue. Very good, better than expected and looked very new.

Sound: 8
The sounds were amazing in this show. It had it's own effect for each puppet/character, and it gave the show and the characters a really unique feel. Sometimes there would be parts in fights where there was minimal sound with a lot going on, but it was made up for with lots of other fighting sounds in other fighting scenes, along with regular sounds in just normal scenes.

Character: 8
Mainly all of the characters were very well developed, and each character had their own unique sense to display who they really were. We got a lot of backstory on all of the main characters like Charl, Frey, Henri, partly Yaya, and a good amount of Raishin. My only complaint would be that I wish there was more backstory on Raishin, because even though his background DOES affect the plot quite a bit, I wish we got to see more about it other than this one specific scene that happens a few times over. Not a major thing though, as it still made his character very well developed. I won't go into too much detail about each character as I don't want to risk spoiling or ruining the experience for anyone. However, I CAN say that it is a someone romance/harem kind of aspect a good amount of the times that aren't during fights. It doesn't ruin the show for me, honestly, because it is made up with the main character not wanting to be a part of a harem, and also with all the fighting scenes and the main characters insane brains to get himself out of any situation.

Enjoyment: 8
I really enjoyed watching every episode. There were no fillers, so you can watch each episode with reassurance that at least SOMETHING that happens will eventually be brought up in the next episode. I really loved all the characters, especially Yaya, and they just made the show that much funnier and more action packed.

Overall: 8
Overall, this show was a very fun show to watch. Every episode had some meaning to the plot, it always had lots of funny moments, but it knew how to transition to action and more serious scenes quite well. The show really stood out to me, as it was quite different from other shows I've seen, and it really was a blast to watch. I loved watching each character interact with each other, some jealous, some more Tsundere, along with all the plot and development. In the end, it all came together for an amazing show that I REALLY hope will turn into a season 2. Fantastic show, I would definitely recommend watching it if you are into: A powerful main character (not OP), a romance/harem (not what the story is mainly about, but still present quite often), a whole bunch of unique characters, and comedy that happens all over the place.

**Thank you for reading my review, and let me know if there was anything I could have done better, this is my very first review!

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Jan 4, 2014

Zelot

Recommended

I'm a benevolent and tolerant guy, but there are three things I simply can't stand...
People who order me around
People who oppose me, and...
A complicated plot that is in need of more explanation!

Story: 5
The main character, Raishin, is on a quest to revenge his family and kill the person who wiped out his clan. We join him as he enters a school of some sort and his adventures as he helps out fellow students in trouble.

The problem with the story is that they left out small details that either would have helped explained certain plot holes (Such as why Yaya had to ... turn off her invisibility) or complicated arcs such as the Loki and Frey arc. Both Cher's arc and the Loki and Frey arc both involved types of politics and relationships that weren't fully explained and left me clueless on why Raishin was helping. The pacing for the series was also fast, the time frame of what was a couple of days to what was a couple of minutes are never shown right, and when combined with the lack of knowledge led this story into a train wreck.

Art: 8
The art was very good. The scenery looked nice along with character designs. I loved how the characters would look when they faced left or right. The use of CG for this series allowed for smooth animation on almost everything, except for certain action scenes (This is the opposite of what Ars Nova did with CG)

Action scenes weren't bad, but there were times in where character movement and animation did not look as well as other parts of fight scenes. A great example would be the fight with Loki, as certain scenes had Yaya and Cheribum looking epic, but other scenes were very confusing. If they slowed down the fight scene and didn't use as many different angles when showing the fight scene, this problem would be solved.

Sound: 10+
Anicca, the OP is a great set up for the series. The song has a very soft start and leads to a metal guitar riff. What more could help set up the plot where puppeteers use puppets to fight each other, since most puppets are machine like. The ED is by far the best ED to come from the fall season, Maware! Setsugetsuka. It may be because I have a soft spot for traditional Asian themed songs, but this song is cheerful with a very catchy beat. The ED alone awarded this series a 10 in sound.

Background music was there to fit the mood, no complaints.

Character: 9
A place where this anime shines is in the characters. All the characters looked amazing as well as had interesting personalities. One of the few things I did get from the story was enough history for each character to have them be memorable. Some of the best characters include; Yaya, the comedic yandere, Loki, the rival who hates more than three things, Frey, the girl with a small personality but a set of big brea... I'll stop. These characters were very humorous and enjoyable to watch.

What about character development? There is none that I noticed in the series, maybe small amounts when it comes to Frey and Loki, but nothing involving the main characters. Is this a problem? I will answer with another question, why change characters that were excellent to begin with? Raishin and Yaya are blessed to be amazing characters from the very start and did not need character development.

Enjoyment: 6
Although the sound and characters were amazing, the story left me so clueless that I was partially bored during all the serious scenes and most of the action scenes.

Also, what was Raishin's power involving Yaya? Were they all different buffs or allowed different abilities involving Yaya? I wish they had explained that, as it would have led to less confusing during the fight scenes. Being ignorant of ones ability that is used a lot doesn't make for great fight scenes.

Overall: 7
This anime had my head do what the ED's chorus says, maware (Spin). With such great sound and art, even great characters, the story was too poorly put together to enjoy all the other things this series did right. Hopeful for a great season two.

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Dec 23, 2013

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

You know what makes someone the best? Wearing a crown and calling themselves a ‘king’ doesn’t make someone the best. No. What makes someone the best is to prove themselves in front of the whole world through hard work, determination, skill, intellect, guts, and earn the respect from their peers. At rank #1235, Rashin Akabane is far from the best. In fact, he’s close to the bottom pit of the fall outs. But for him, there’s nothing more he’d like than obtain the title “Wiseman”. Such a pretentious title is equivalent to those of a king and is the ultimate goal of a puppeteer.

Machine-Doll wa ... Kizutsukanai (aka Unbreakable Machine Dolls) is an animated series based on the light novel of the same name written by Reiji Kaito. The series takes place in the early 20th century in an industrial-like world. Rather than producing cannons and gunpowder though, there exists an emergence of a power known as Machinart – a fusion of magic and technology applications. The series follows Rashin and his automaton Yaya as they go on a journey of both endurance and vengeance.

Kinji Yoshimoto is the director where he previously had experience with fantasy theme series such as Quee;ns Blade and Dog Days. Here, he is in charge of a fantasy theme series that molds the themes of magic and science. Upon first impressions, it’s easy to tell this show would fall under the typical fantasy/battle shounen style with the tournaments to prove one’s worth; and you’re not wrong if you think so because the show does depicts itself that way. However, a primary motivation for Rashin to become Wiseman is more than simply be the best. He is also on a quest for vengeance because of his tragic childhood.

Growing up as an orphan, Rashin can be best described as a brash and hotheaded young man. He joins Walpurgis Machinart Academy to not only make a name for himself but to also find the culprit behind his family’s murders. It ventures into the mystery zone on a variety of occasions as Rashin also plays the role of an anti-hero. His sidekick is the all adorable and automaton Yaya. Unlike most automaton, Yaya looks like a human in a variety of ways. This is likely because of Rashin’s past where his childhood has a strikingly resemblance to her.

Yaya portrays the role of an automaton, a weapon of war but also surprisingly shows many human emotions. This is usually evidenced by her aggressive behavior towards Rashin that borders on obsessiveness. For Yaya, Rashin is her raison d'etre for existence. Throughout the series, it’s shown that her feelings for Rashin is genuine. Whenever his life is put into danger, Yaya would rush into the front lines of danger disregarding her own safety. Of course, this doesn’t always end well because the threats that their opponents pose. And as a normal human, Rashin has to work his way up. Unlike some of the other characters in the series such as Loki, he must prove to others that even a failure can surpass a natural genius. This puts himself on a frustration scale as we witness his struggles. On many occasions, he questions himself if he is worthy of being Yaya’s puppeteer or even a student at the academy. He hopes to not repeat his mistakes and become a master worthy of his partner. And because Rashin is not the typical Gary Stu character with plot armor, he isn’t invincible nor a superman.

Despite the duo’s seemingly good relationship, there’s a variety of problems between them. Most of this is presented in a comical form as Yaya takes the role of an overly obsessive character. While not technically a yandere, she is infused with jealousy whenever a girl even comes into contact with Rashin. Regardless of age or appearance, Yaya simply cannot stand Rashin ever becoming acquainted with another member of the opposite sex. A seemingly flaw of this series shows that Yaya lacks a real personality in this way because of her one sided admiration and love for Rashin. The latter treats her affections with disgust and reluctantly tolerates her advances on rare occasions.

The themes of magic and technology is a prominent aspect that is explored. The mechanics behind Machinart is explored on occasions although some parts are left in unexplored territories. Instead of telling though, the series presents them with other puppeteers in action. Among some of these including 2nd year Charlotte Belew, the clumsy Frey, the prodigy Loki, and mysterious Magnus. Throughout the series, each of them demonstrate abilities of a puppeteer at various skill levels. Most of them seems to have some sort of objective as to why they are also at the academy while others lacks a true motive. At the apex of its story, we witness an event that is motivated by a grim threat targeted to one of the puppeteers. Although the mystery is not a genre of this show, there come times when the academy becomes entrenched with suspicions that touches on cases of murder. It becomes intriguing to watch because of the standards involving red herring comes into play with false leads and suspects. It’s not as predictable as some might think as viewers will be able to indulge on the movement of the story.

Unfortunately, the series’ story pacing feels peculiar on various occasions that looks typically rushed. There’s a lack of characterization involving its cast including Rashin. His past is only briefly glanced upon on various occasions but rarely discussed in full details. While supporting characters such as Charlotte gets more of their past unraveled, Rashin’s backgrounds are vague and is only motivated by vengeance. Thus, characterization feels a bit shallow in this series. Most of the main supporting characters only get some spotlight while others are colored with generics such as the constant apologizing or androphobia. They lack personalities such as Charlotte, Frey, and Yaya. Even more so, there are characters that are introduced on particular episodes with little depth explored on them as well. Being a one cour show, character development suffers on various degrees. There’s just little emphasis on most of them. While the series avoids the breather episode (onsen, beach, etc), there’s bits of fan service that seems out of place. Yaya plays the central role of this as she showers Rashin with affections and attempts to act like his “wife”. The result is usually a scolding on the receiving end with neither party getting satisfaction. Rashin is just one of those guys that are too focused on their goals to care about pity ideas such as love. In fact, the romance of this series is blend and hollow. Don’t expect any development in the romance territory at all. This isn’t a love story of a hero trying to save their princess.

The art style of this series is peculiar. It may take a bit to get used to because of its lavish brightness and mechanical like coloring. Most characters in the series are generic in particular Yaya and Charlotte. Other characters such as Shouko and Frey reveals more cleavage than should. Thankfully, most of the automatons have diversity. None of them look similar but instead gives off a unique appearance that can be noticeable. However, the action scenes sometimes seems out of space with its usage of CGI and special effects. On the other hand, backgrounds fits the setting well for its time era with its stylish architectures giving off its old English look.

Soundtrack wise, the series is tolerable and at times stands out above others. However, some of the voice actors and actresses’ role as the characters can be a bit frustrating to endure. Yaya’s VA Hitomi Harada plays her role well but it’s a hardship to deal with her obsessive nature. Charlotte’s tsundere like voice can also be frustrating while most of the other characters’ tones hardly stands out. The OST achieves satisfaction with its pacing and matches its tones well, in particular action scenes. The OP and ED songs conveys its theme well. More noticeable is the ED song however that has garnered attention with its catchy tone of ‘Maware, Maware, Maware’.

This series might seem like an odd ball in the mix but it can hold itself together on occasions. However, don’t expect deep character development or a linear plot of progression. The show sets up itself with arcs but only focuses on its plot points with little emphasis on friendship, romance, or other significant themes of morality. Some stories seems a bit rushed because of its episodes pacing as well. The way to enjoy the show is to probably focus on Rashin’s motives whether it’s his quest for vengeance or goal to become Wiseman. It does portrays its premise well in technical aspects with the mechanics and setting. The tournament itself is not a pivotal factor of this show however. This is because the series also feels obligatory on occasions to pull out clichés with fan service scenes or meaningless dialogues. If it was designed as a comedy, this show would work out magnificently. But since it does have a serious plot, there’s a less reasoning for that. The way Unbreakable Machine Dolls almost is crafted will leave different impressions for everyone.

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Poll: Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) tsubasalover - Nov 25, 2013	96 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» May 22, 2:07 PM
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Yaya

Akabane, Raishin

Frey

Belew, Charlotte

Irori

Karyuusai, Shouko

Loki

Sigmund

Komurasaki

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Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai

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