M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: M3: Sono Kuroki Tetsu, M3 The Dark Metal, Mortal Metal Memories

Japanese: M3～ソノ黒キ鋼～

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 24

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 22, 2014 to Sep 30, 2014

Premiered: Spring 2014

Broadcast: Tuesdays at 01:35 (JST)

Producers: Sotsu, Magic Capsule, flying DOG, C2C, Happinet Pictures, Bandai Namco Games, Mobcast

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Satelight

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Themes: Mecha, Psychological

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 6.58¹ (scored by 18,480 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #6180²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2704

Members: 55,685

Favorites: 81

Available At

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Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

In a dark void known as the Lightless Realm, a group of children meet and bond, but are then separated and returned to their own dimension. Years later, these children reunite to fight "Admonitions," monsters that originate from the same void, using robots known as "Vess." However, their efforts only slow the ever-encroaching and expanding Lightless Realm from infecting their world.

Their lives take a drastic turn when a new foe appears in the form of a "Corpse," whose song is rumored to kill any who hear it within nine days. The "Corpse Song" is heard by the group, and with this, they each begin to pull away and become caught up in their own personal problems—ultimately threatening the fate of humanity.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane
Summary:	M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane Recap

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Isaku, Heito

Main

Murase, Ayumu
Japanese

Hazaki, Emiru

Main

Hikasa, Youko
Japanese

Saginuma, Akashi

Main

Inoue, Marina
Japanese

Izuriha, Sasame

Main

Koiwai, Kotori
Japanese

Yuzuki, Mahmu

Main

Fukuen, Misato
Japanese

Maki, Minashi

Main

Kakihara, Tetsuya
Japanese

Kasumi, Raika

Main

Yahagi, Sayuri
Japanese

Namito, Iwato

Main

Satou, Rina
Japanese

Izuriha, Tsugumi

Supporting

Koiwai, Kotori
Japanese

Natsuiri, Sadami

Supporting

Tobita, Nobuo
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Satou, Junichi

Director

Hamano, Takatoshi

Sound Director

Itou, Tatsufumi

Episode Director, Storyboard, Assistant Animation Director, Key Animation

Kanbara, Toshiaki

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

	1: "Re:REMEMBER" by May'n (eps 1-13)
	2: "Replica (レプリカ)" by Maaya Sakamoto (eps 14-23)

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Ending Theme

	1: "ego-izm" by la la larks (eps 1-13)
	2: "SABLE" by nano (eps 14-23)
	3: "Replica (レプリカ)" by Maaya Sakamoto (eps 24)

More reviews

Reviews

Oct 7, 2014

novahyou

Recommended

First of all, I'd like to say that the key to truly enjoying M3 is having an interest in a series that not only showcases sci-fi/fantasy elements but also has the tendency to go deep into the characters' psyche, exploring their personalities and how they came to be like that. I'd go beyond that and say it's not so much about the story but the journey these people go through and the very simple yet effective and truthful message it’s trying to convey about what connecting with others truly means.

Story 8/10

It starts really slow and sligthly confusing. I'd say this is the main downfall ... for the series, for those that do not find something about it that makes them want to stick with it. The first ten or so episodes are the weakest ones, but they ARE indeed important to develop the background and offer a starting point to the characters. At the end everything comes together nicely.

Art 7/10

I personally found the character designs appealing and distinctive enough. It handles its (I'm guessing) low budget well enough, but it lacks dynamic action, fluid animation or a visually captivating direction. But it gets the job done.

Sound 6/10

The music is good, not spectacular. Voice acting is very good, though you could find a particular character hamming it up from time to time.

Character 9/10

This is where the series shines. It's quite likely that you won't like some characters from the beginning, but them being initially unlikable really works positively for the series since their evolution and reasons for being how they are makes sense in a satisfying way.
Not all of them are particularly interesting, but the crucial ones are. By the end of it, they're people you want to cheer for.

Enjoyment 8/10

This is a very subjective area; I personally found myself enjoying the series more as it went on. It started pretty mediocre and confusing but as the episodes went by it found the right balance. In the end, the good taste left by the second half overcame the bitterness of the first one.

Overall 8/10

I'm a huge fan of sci-fi in many areas: books, movies and anime. In this last form of media in particular, I have enjoyed wildly different stuff, from Gundam to Getter Robo, with series like Votoms or Dougram in the middle. M3 has little resemblance to the real or super robot genre: it's definitely in line with what most of Evangelion talks about, but developed in a much simpler, easier to grasp manner. It's more akin to mystery series in which the characters' motives are the center, such as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

It was a pleasant surprise and I'm sad to discover most people did not find it appealing enough to stick with it until its final episode. What's more it was not commercially successful at all. While it clearly had flaws (slow start; mediocre production values; excessive use of flashbacks; an underdeveloped character), the positives outweigh the negatives and it offers a satisfying story with a clear finale and a more thoughtful focus.

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Oct 3, 2014

Nasty001

Mixed Feelings

Ok, so I've just finish watching this 24 episode anime and quite frankly I have mixed feelings about it, so I'm gonna cut to the chase and just present my ratings for this anime:

Story: Decent 4.

The problem with the story was that it has too much in it that the plot and the story-line itself wasn't easily understood, especially when it has a mixture of sci-fi mixed with supernatural, in my opinion the two genres are like oil and water that don't mix, it also has a combinations of "SOMEWHATS" and SOME SORTS"and I do mean "SOMEWHATS." First of all there is that somewhat of ... a harem combine with a some sort of yaoi, there is that somewhat supernatural beings represented by "Corpse" vs the some sort of sci-fi which was represented by the MA-Vess. There was also that somewhat of melodrama combine with some sort of action. Also the plot was obviously a recycle of "Guilty Crown" and "Black Bullet" which was given a little bit of a tweaking to make it look like it was different, but even so the story is still decent enough.

Art: Very Good 8.

I really like the CGI that was incorporated into the anime especially when it involves that Corpse thing and the MA_Vess, very fancy but very good indeed.

Sound: Mediocre 5.

Ok, as far as I'm concern, I just don't have any comment about the voice actors who did the voices of the characters here, as for the opening and closing, I really don't have much to comment about it, sorry.

Characters: Good 7.

At first it was one of those high-schooler who would be doing jobs that should be done by grown ups, but then again, as the anime progresses, you would forget that the pilots of those so called "MA-Vess'" were high-school kids, but what really prompt me to give this section a 7 was the intensity of them character's portrayal as they not only struggle to do their jobs to protect the population outside the "Lightless Realm" but also the conflict they encounter and their own personal feelings and fears that they themselves will end up as LIM's. But the one who really impacted me was Natsuiri, yes, it was that antagonist that really impacted me, not because I admire him, but rather, he is the kind of character that I really wanna see get turned into a necrometal, and seeing his demise is what convinces me to give this section its score.

Enjoyment and Overall: Fair 6.

For this anime to be 24 episode long was really very long, in fact nearly half of it was created to serve as a mere cliffhanger, ok, I really do enjoy watching it but only barely since my enjoyment stems for my desire to see how Natsuiri will have his demise also, we're left with other questions such as to how on earth did a small village where Tsugumi, Sasame and Minashi lived where able to obtain that "Corpse" thingy? Also, anime director Junichi Sato forgot to mention as to what "LIM" stands for ok so we know it is a kind of dark metal that powers the MA-Vess' and produces a sort of resonances with the pilot, but what was the science behind it? Also, how did Tsugumi survive in the 'Light-less Realm" for too long and didn't even bother to look for his friend and her sister Sasame while she is has that so called Corpse in her command, also why did she stayed in the "Light-less Realm." These question alone form a plot hole that basically kept me from giving this anime's enjoyment and overall a high score, so opinion wise, I just limit it to a 6 and I think that's fair enough.

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Feb 10, 2015

BaptizED

Recommended

I do not know why people dislike this anime, or the amount of hate I get from people watching this, maybe because this is pretty slow-paced, so most watchers didn't continue to bother watching this series. First of all I'd like to say that watching this anime episode by episode will only bore us, and that's why I think most people dropped this show. Maybe they don't find it appealing enough, or because of the slow start, forgettable characters, and the mediocre animation. So I advise everybody who plans to watch this anime : WATCH THIS STRAIGHT.

The story is good, the synopsis explains that ... this anime has potential, and the plot itself is indeed interesting. This anime has VERY slow pacing, you will find quite boring for the first few episodes(boring until episode 12 I guess?), but you will get hooked by it. One thing that I didn't like in the story was the concept of mechas being used, it didn't fit really well with the story. This anime also brings deep messages to its viewers, but it doesn't convey well straight to the point and can't connect its meanings to the viewers completely. With some deep messages it brings, this anime has psychological undertones and contains some explicit scenes which may not please others.

The characters were really good, we can see leaps of character developments as we go on with the show. At first they seem pretty forgettable, but they kinda grows within you. That feeling when your first impression on a character changes, you will like them and eventually root for them. Some supporting characters may be dull, one-dimensional, and their actions do not make sense, but you can see their developments as the show goes on. Also, one thing that I also find it interesting is that this anime isn't afraid of losing its characters, characters that didn't stand out at first evolved and developed pretty well(especially Mhamu), character interactions, some characters were just so crazy and insane(the mad scientist LOL) but their presence is really essential for the plot.

The art, for a 2014 anime, was quite cheap and a little bad. Maybe the studio were on a tight budget for producing a 24-episode anime or something, but it still fits the atmosphere of the show. The use of dark colors really sets the dark mood of the show. Character designs were fine, the mecha is also good I think, having consistent animations and distinctive designs. CGIs were satisfying enough to entertain our eyes throughout the show.

For the sound, which includes its music and sound effects, were pretty good. I really find the openings catchy, the first one "Re:Remember" by May'n fits with the sad tone of the show and reminds us of a beautiful sorrow, the second opening was "Replica" by Sakamoto Maaya, was really catchy, giving us hints of how the series will end but the animation of the anime spoils its viewers.
"Ego-izm" by lalalarks is not that appealing for me...at first. But eventually the song, piano keys, and its music gets stucked in your head. The second ending song "SABLE" by nano was my favorite, it really conveys the action genre of the series. There is only a small set of soundtrack, but it still gets the job done. Character voice acting were just average, they didn't stand out.

As for my personal enjoyment, the first few episodes are not that good, to the point of being boring or even bad, but I assure you watching the episodes continuously can at least change on your point of view to this anime. For an action anime this has less action, but more on character interactions for summing up the plot, but it's still good. For those who dropped this, give this a chance.

Overall, I give this anime a 9. It think it deserves some praise, the show was pretty successful itself in terms of adaptation, it's really sad, as the anime itself didn't do anything bad to be hated, that people dropped this, this isn't even worse than other mecha animes out there, so give this a shot.

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Similarities with Sidonia no Kishi regarding monsters & Spear Aragusuku - Mar 27	1 replies	by Azriel-san »» Mar 27, 11:24 PM
Poll: M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 29, 2014	73 replies	by Ninojoe »» Jul 27, 2022 3:03 PM
Poll: M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane Episode 16 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 4, 2014	48 replies	by syncrogazer »» Jan 25, 2021 5:39 PM
Poll: M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Jul 7, 2014	44 replies	by syncrogazer »» Jan 24, 2021 5:39 PM
Poll: M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 16, 2014	56 replies	by josueuler »» Oct 19, 2019 3:31 AM

M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane

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M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane

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Synopsis

Background

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Staff

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