Akudama Drive

The bustling metropolis of Kansai, where cybernetic screens litter the neon landscape, may seem like a technological utopia at first glance. But in the dark alleys around the brightly-lit buildings, an unforgiving criminal underbelly still exists in the form of fugitives known as "Akudama."

No stranger to these individuals, Kansai police begin the countdown to the public execution of an infamous Akudama "Cutthroat," guilty of killing 999 people. However, a mysterious message is sent to several elite Akudama, enlisting them to free Cutthroat for a substantial amount of money. An invisible hand seeks to gather these dangerous personas in one place, ensuring that the execution is well underway to becoming a full-blown bloodbath.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Cutthroat Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Ordinary Person Main

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Courier Main

Umehara, Yuuichirou Japanese

Hacker Main

Horie, Shun Japanese

Brawler Main

Takeuchi, Shunsuke Japanese

Doctor Main

Ogata, Megumi Japanese

Hoodlum Main

Kimura, Subaru Japanese

Execution Division Master Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Execution Division Apprentice Supporting

Hanamori, Yumiri Japanese

Black Cat Supporting

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Tominaga, Yoshihiko Producer

Danno, Yoshito Producer

Takahashi, Kazuaki Producer

Reviews

Oct 4, 2024

Dompa112

Recommended

An extremely visually pleasing anime. The style, animation art. Straight away from episode one i felt this was gonna be good. Overall id say stylish edgy action anime not to take to seriously just enjoy the action and good looks. Overall an inreresting and fun cast of characters with their own quirks and powers. It never really excels at something but its always enjoying to watch.

Music was ok. But not anything that stood out. Especially the Op and Ed.

Asfar as original animes or more short action packed and fastpaced shows go you cant go wrong with Akudama drive. If not for anything else ... a treat for your eyes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 26, 2024

AikoNeko7

Mixed Feelings

Akudama Drive takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride through a futuristic sci-fi world, where each episode unfolds with surprising twists. While I was initially hesitant about its scattered storyline, I found the ending particularly touching, leaving a lasting impact despite the ups and downs of the journey.

Story in unique in term of it sets in a future where everything is controlled by computers and the most powerful is the "Executioners" who are the police of this town whose only job is to safeguad the city against the 'Akudama". I liked the set up but I found the story too be too scatter poltted. Though the ... story does have unique flavour, the ending had me smile more. The visual art was very much stunning.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 26, 2023

Sukamii

Not Recommended

For lack of a better simile, Akudama drive is like eating rock candy- at first seeming incredibly interesting, an interesting appearance with an enticing texture, it tastes sweet but isn't much more. Like liquid sugar, Akudama Drive doesn't really make for much more than a temporary sugar rush.
Like flashes of lightning, the series always presents something that is enticing, ideas that come off as interesting, characters that you *could* grow attached to- but they exist within their boxes of tropes and don't become more than characters on the screen. For their initial presentations, most of the characters exist as incredibly edgy and egotistical characters ... that I could easily become interested in as the story unfolds (barring Doctor, as I dislike near everything about her character, except her VAs performance)- but they don't exist as anything more. They have predictable fates, stories that unfold in a blase manner. It's really a shame.
For the first five episodes it feels exceedingly generic, the "plot twists" and advancement of the story don't feel like anything special, and after getting past the fifth episode; I felt as if it had wasted my time telling a story that could easily be condensed. Even after the halfway marker and the show becomes "interesting", it's only due to clever moments of design where before you flashes entertainment. But its embedded in a genre (and medium) that does it but better in every way. The characters are by far the worst offenders of this, I don't think there was a single one I came away from thinking they told an exciting story worth remembering. The tropes are solid, the animation is good, and the plot is exceedingly average. It's going to be forgotten to time, created to sell and nothing more.
I won't waste my breath doing an in depth analysis of the themes, ideas, or story on the whole of the series. What you see the the first episode is what you get the entire run time, sometimes a little bit more- but by and large its exactly what it is. Defying its own sense of logic and reason, stretching suspension of disbelief so far that it frays and snaps under its own existence.
I usually don't continue to watch series I actively dislike, but even more than that I hate dropping something unless it's so painfully egregious that I feel like my life force is being siphoned away as I watch. At times, Akudama Drive felt like an art vampire- but what's even worse is that I definitely enjoyed it. After all, I wouldn't have picked it up and watched all the way through if I wasn't at least having fun. Its not so terrible that you'll feel your eyes roll into the back of your skull during viewing, but it gets close. Just when your souls close to its desperate escape from your flesh it'll do something clever- a nice use of doubles, an enticing action sequence, or a genuinely heartfelt moment that convinces me to watch another episode.
I wouldn't recommend Akudama Drive for any reason other than understanding what makes Anime tick, in good ways and bad; to experience how good tropes can go to die when the characters they inhabit become nothing more than the tropes themselves, and when the story gives up on being worth your time. There are plenty of anime that are genuinely worth your time, exploring ideas in genuinely meaningful and artistic ways. I'm absolutely against saying "go watch this show instead of x", but with very little effort you'll be able to find works in this genre that do everything Akudama Drive wants to do with some fraction of grace and fidelity.

But if you REALLY want to watch this mess, nothing in this world should stop you. It's not a good time, but at the very least its a fun ride.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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