Night Head 2041

In the year 2041, World War III has wiped out two-thirds of the human population, and in the newfound structure, the belief in any god or beyond-human entity is considered a preposterous notion. In order to prevent citizens from bearing possibly incriminating thoughts, the government has assembled a Special Weapon Enforcement division to capture and rehabilitate such believers.

The Kirihara brothers, Naoya and Naoto—who were hidden away from society by their captors for years to conceal their psychic abilities—were promised freedom once the world was ready to face their existence. Now, wandering in the appalling new societal climate where psychics are not welcome, the brothers find themselves on the run from the Enforcement's devoted operatives, Yuuya and Takuya Kuroki.

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Alternative version:	Night Head Genesis
Other:	Baten Kaitos

Hirota, Kousei
Japanese

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Staff

Mori, Akitoshi

Producer

Hirakawa, Takamitsu

Director

Aketagawa, Jin

Sound Director

Iida, George

Script, Original Character Design, Series Composition

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Opening Theme

"Icy Ivy" by Who-ya Extended

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Ending Theme

"Shion (シオン)" by Myuk

Reviews

Sep 29, 2021

robert788

Recommended

Night Head 2041 (2021)

What a show, inspired me to watch the original show now.

Things of note:

Episode 4 has a real nice siren sound use that really makes you feel the effect of the emergency.

The OST is spectacular especially the piece Sacrifice. Has the real classical emphasis on it.

...

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Apr 2, 2023

ecargmura

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler

As a whole, I feel like this anime is underrated. It gives a good message of people having roles in life and how it can influence those around them. Though, it does have its weak points.

I feel like this anime was mainly showing off the capabilities that 3D animation could do; the animation was clearly the show’s strongest suit. The animation quality amazing and it’s such a shame that people look down on this anime because of its animation. I feel like it’s really the best 3D anime so far.

The anime’s weakest aspect is the story. There were many instances where the story was confusing ... or not very consistent like with the sudden drop that everyone has psychic powers and the craziness that was episode 7. I know it’s hard to condense a long story into a seasonal show and there should’ve been a lot of consistency to explain everything, but I feel like George Iida didn’t really do that in this iteration of Night Head.

The characters were either enjoyable or not. I enjoyed watching the Kirihara brothers trying to find a place in the world only to realize that the world they live in isn’t theirs. Their connection with the Kuroki brothers made the mystery very engaging. Naoto and Naoya’s bond is very wholesome to look at. Takuya and Yuya were enjoyable to watch towards the end of the show, but they were very frustrating in the beginning, especially Takuya. Fortunately, the Kuroki brothers were redeemable by the end.

The mystery behind Shoko Futami was also very intriguing. I wanted to know what role she played in all of this every time she appeared and her end was a very satisfactory one as she finally did fulfill that role.

The side characters are divisive to me. On one hand, the side characters that aren’t a part of the SWE are fun to watch while the ones in the SWE were a bore. Characters like Miki, Masayuki, Yui and Kazama were all interesting to watch given their role in their story whether it be their connection with Shoko, their being an anomaly to society or how the depravity of the world twisted them. It really gives off the core themes of the story well.

The losers from the SWE, on the other hand, are such a bore to watch. Michio and Reika are not very developed and not very interesting. They just exist to be the Kuroki brothers’ allies. Michio’s rivalry with Takuya felt one-noted and his desire for power was very hypocritical with how he’s persecuting his own people. Reika was like the snarker to Michio’s antics, but the way she suddenly becomes chummy with Takuya and calls him “Taku-nii” like he’s her brother felt kind of weird. I know it’s out of friendly affection, but it really has no importance, as Reika and Takuya’s relationship isn’t really fleshed out.

Heck, the villains of the anime aren’t that compelling either. We’ve got Honda who was suspicious from the get-go, but turned out to be a disappointing villain. Kimie, who was ambiguous, ultimately held back on being a threat. Okuhara suddenly showed up as the prophet and decided to destroy the brothers felt out of place as the story never foreshadowed having a prophet. Kazama was the most interesting “villain” of the show and he dipped out after two episodes. Imagine being less interesting than a character that dies in two episodes.

Heck, I feel like the main villains of this story are Misaki and Mikuriya for they were the ones that made Naoto and Naoya take on a role they never asked for or wanted. The fact that they had to accept this fate really did seem as if Misaki was the true “villain” as he got his way in the end and overcame Okuhara.

The soundtrack and the voice acting were amazing, however. The chemistry between the voice actors is top-notch. I’d love to see Daisuke Ono and Nobunaga Shimazaki play brothers in another anime show, same with Takahiro Sakurai and Kensho Ono. The show had a lot of well-known voice actors play supporting roles, and I felt like they did a great job. Some of the characters had voice actors that are not as well-known in the industry like Shoko’s but I think they deserve praise. Everyone played their roles to the upmost potential and it felt like they were alive.

The anime is pretty and all and if one were to rewatch it, it’d be for the graphics and character designs and not the story. It’s not a bad thing to watch an anime for those aspects, however. The anime was creative, however, with it being one that didn’t stick to a norm.

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Sep 29, 2021

LoveLetter100

Not Recommended

I expected another Ex-arm
Instead I got Akira that was just way too much on the nose.
(And worse in every other aspect as well)

At first I thought it would be a political story considering the genre, but then it suprised me when the show started inclining towards more religious route. In the second half it went back and connected it with the political aspect.

Don't get me wrong. In it's core the idea is decent enough to follow and expand upon. The problem lies with its terrible execution and abysmal handling of its own characters. If you can even call them that.

Show started in ... a rather mysterious way with too much exposition. Exposition that will keep on not only repeating but also multiplying. I mean, why would you even relay an information to your brother that he has already been well aware of for MANY years ? Like he gets it. The water is wet and our parents are sacks of shit. Shocker.

Instead of slowly explaining the themes and meanings of the show, the story just drops everything on you in one episode out of utterly nowhere. Up until that you could have interpreted it in couple of ways and theorize about your own possible interpretations.. But worry not ! There is no longer any need for using any percentage of your brain power. It could have been handled so much better. The entire thing was just couple of dudes sitting in a room and explaining what the story is about. What an easy way out of good writing.
The other thing that really grinds my gears is the Noah's ark bit.
Ark, rapture, dying for sins of humanity, return of Christ, crusifixion and all the other good christian stuff can be found in here. But Noah's ark showcases a big problem with the show. Instead of remaining as a painting in the big exposition scene, the show later draws attention to its own symbolism and that just makes me role my eyes. Don't tell me. I get it. I get the meaning. Why do you have a need to explaing everything ? Just shut up you. Leave something to my imagination. I know this feels like a minor thing but like I said. Its like this the entire time.

Of course its capitalism that gets the most amount of shit. I was suprised that the word capitalism wasn't actually mentioned. Words like competition, equality and new version of the word materialism get mentioned all the time. And its pretty obvious on whose side the story is considering what religious figures represent each side. I liked it more when there were subtle mentions of war in middle east (that is still going on in 2041(cringe) ) and ways how China and Usa distabilize those regions. Not that I disagree with criticism of capitalism but it could have been handled better. Just because I agree with some of its messages that doesn't mean it makes for a good show. For a while I also got the feeling as if atheism was getting blasted as well but I don't actually think its atheism itself. More like the act of not believing in utterly anything. Neither God/s nor reincarnation or not even something like nature. More than atheism it was criticising Nihilism. Some of its better ideas felt like an afterthought. I actually really like the ending to the Prophet character.

Overall it was as if the author thought of ideas and messages they wanted to put into their story and instead of actually making a story they made a numbered list of why this and this is good or bad.

The characters are utterly laughable. Well I would laugh if there was something to actually laugh at. They don't exist. There is not a single thing I can tell you about them other than the brothers like each other. And even those very strong bonds are showcased to us by the brothers calling each others names from a long distance. But trust me. They have like really strong bonds. But you don't wanna know about it here. It's something really special. They're not your usual brothers. They care about each other.
With that said. I still ship the blue haired brother with the brother of the pink haired guy. You know ? The black haired guy. I thought they were about to kiss at some point and like a droplet of blood actually started pumping through my veins only to have been wasted on nothing.

Also the designs. I know that rule of cool stands but since I am already at it I might as well mention it. An authoritarian world that supresses not only religion but also fiction and music has no absolutely no reason to allow its poster boys to wear such punk inspired clothing. Punk has always been going hand in hand with anarchism. Which is absolute opposite of what the government wants. Because you know....they want to keep on existing.
Also why do the soldier uniforms glow in the dark in such vibrant colors. Or why make them glowy at all ?!

Art is fun to look at. Might take a second to get an used to. But once you do its pretty ok. I actually like it. Reminds me of Dorohedoro. Sad thing is that it is so forgettable because of its lack of important and memorable character moments.

I really love the voice acting. Its filled with well known voice actors. Feels like home right away if you are familiar with them which you probably are. Too bad they had such terrible script to work with.
The dialogue is bad. Very bad. I refuse to elaborate.

Night Head 2041 was many things. But let it be know that it was not boring. I had fun. Wasn't enjoying myself. But I had fun. If you are going to watch it remember that it DOES NOT care about its own characters. But only themes and messages. Which they also don't really do a good job of presenting. They do this coming full circle at the end but its just not earned at all.
At least I learned something about how not to write a story.

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Poll: Night Head 2041 Episode 12 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 29, 2021	23 replies	by littlefrank103 »» Mar 22, 10:21 PM
Poll: Night Head 2041 Episode 11 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 22, 2021	10 replies	by littlefrank103 »» Mar 22, 9:39 PM
Poll: Night Head 2041 Episode 10 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 15, 2021	7 replies	by littlefrank103 »» Mar 22, 9:15 PM
Poll: Night Head 2041 Episode 9 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 8, 2021	14 replies	by littlefrank103 »» Mar 22, 8:20 PM
Poll: Night Head 2041 Episode 8 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 1, 2021	13 replies	by littlefrank103 »» Mar 16, 10:17 PM

Night Head 2041

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Kirihara, Naoto

Kirihara, Naoya

Kuroki, Takuya

Kuroki, Yuuya

Kobayashi, Kimie

Misaki

Futami, Shouko

Kazama, Kouji

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