Arknights: Reimei Zensou

The discovery of a black crystalline mineral known as Originium has accelerated technological advancement in the world of Terra, with its high energy yield allowing people to demonstrate abilities akin to magic called Arts. Large veins of Originium can naturally be found at the sites of Catastrophes, various forms of natural disasters caused by the mineral itself.

However, the usage of Originium comes at a price, as there is a high risk of getting infected with Oripathy—an incurable and highly contagious disease. Because nations subject the infected to harsh discrimination, the oppressed begin a dissident movement. Calling themselves Reunion, the rebel faction mercilessly destroys cities, further contributing to the already calamitous nature of Catastrophes.

Rhodes Island, committed to treating the infected and uninfected as equals, is a paramilitary pharmaceutical organization believed to be the most advanced in its research for the Oripathy cure. Unfortunately, the person spearheading the project—an enigmatic figure known only as the Doctor—suffers from amnesia, effectively impeding what might be the only hope for the infected to break free from their chains of despair.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Amiya Main

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Doctor Main

Kaida, Yuki Japanese

W Supporting

Taketatsu, Ayana Japanese

Texas Supporting

Tadokoro, Azusa Japanese

Exusiai Supporting

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Kal'tsit Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Ch'en Supporting

Ishigami, Shizuka Japanese

FrostNova Supporting

Takagaki, Ayahi Japanese

Nearl Supporting

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Hoshiguma Supporting

Yasuno, Kiyono Japanese

Watanabe, Yuuki Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director, 2nd Key Animation, Key Animation

Yokouchi, Kazuki Episode Director

Mizuki, Aki Script

ReoNa Theme Song Performance, Theme Song Lyrics

Reviews

Dec 16, 2022

Mcsuper

Recommended

Game adaptations or game advertisement anime have always been a mixed bag. Whether it’s terrible plot writing, boring worlds, or obvious pandering, game adaptations always are met with skepticism. However, Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is an example of one done with passion and love for the source material. I haven’t played Arknights myself, but I would imagine many Arknights players would be satisfied with this adaptation and loved how their favourite characters came to life. Of course, that isn’t to say that the entire eight episode run was flawless, as I did find a few parts rather heavy on exposition and a bit boring, but ... overall, it was quite a treat to watch, and one of the better shows to come out this season, in my opinion.

STORY:

The story wasn’t particularly unique, as these types of dystopian stories with diseases ravaging the population isn’t anything new. We see these stories in Hollywood movies all the time. That said, the world in Arknights is decently built, with different organizations having different morals surrounding Oripathy, and the treatment of the Infected. It would have done even better with just a bit more exposition, but what we got was quite sufficient. Obviously, this part of the story was probably the weakest part of the game, if I was to venture a guess, and that makes me all the more excited for what’s to come, if there are future seasons in the works.

ART:

It has a very cinematic feel, especially at the start. It felt vastly different to the anime I was used to watching, but slowly eased its way back to a more “anime style”. I really enjoyed the backgrounds and some of the fight scenes, and I thought the overall production was quite solid. Props to Yostar Pictures for doing quite the phenomenal job here.

MUSIC:

The OP and ED are quite fitting for the show and its darker themes, and the soundtrack itself is decent, but the music doesn’t get overplayed that it covers the eerieness of some of the scenes.

CHARACTERS:

The overall setup of the characters and their respective organizations was good, and some of the characters do stand out quite a bit. Amiya is your typical protagonist that tries to keep peace between the organizations, the doctor is a very good leader in battle, not necessarily someone I’d see as a self-insert, especially with how he/she is portrayed.

ENJOYMENT:

My thoughts for this was pretty consistently positive, with just one episode that was a bit underwhelming. I enjoyed it for the most part for sure. The production was good, and the world building was quite intriguing to see.

THEMATIC EXECUTION:

The dark themes were actually done quite well, along with the whole idea of discriminating against the Infected, along with the moral ambiguity. You feel for each side to a certain extent, which was certainly the goal here.

OVERALL:

A solid job by Yostar Pictures, and an adaptation that inspires hope if there are indeed future seasons of this, which I would wholeheartedly want to see. It was a good starting point that has some interesting ideas going for it. I’d love to know how Arknights players thought of this, but even as someone who knew nothing about this game beforehand, I can definitely say that I’m intrigued now.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 16, 2022

GG-WP

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

A game adaptation that stayed true to its source material. To the average person, this show may appear boring and will not pique their interest in the game. While to someone who plays Arknights, this show was a pretty good adaptation and overall an enjoyable ride, especially seeing their in-game waifus get the screentime they deserved.

As the title suggests, this season is simply introducing the audience to Rhodes Island and Terra's current state, problems, and so on. Unfortunately, since it is an introduction, it is bound to bore many people. But it serves its purpose admirably, hence the "Prelude to Dawn" in the title. In ... terms of execution, the chapters adapted by the show were boring to read in-game, so Arknights players may be surprised that the adaptation turned out well while remaining true to the source material. In that regard, the writers have done an outstanding job.

In terms of art, the backgrounds are well-made, with the architecture of Lungmen and Chernobog being unique. The art style for nonhuman objects is generally good, and the same face syndrome in character art isn't too bad, but it still exists. Doktah is my main source of dissatisfaction because its figure's stature is sometimes off and feels weird in the show, but the art is otherwise above average. In terms of animation, there is little action, so there isn't much to say, and nothing particularly noteworthy. But the few action scenes, especially Ace's, were pretty cool. Otherwise, the animation is mediocre. Still images are boring. Background characters are unchanging. Their decision to use CGI for Reunion soldiers is probably good for budgeting.

The OP is ok, nothing special, but the contrast between its calm atmosphere and the dark theme is pretty good and fits the mood of the show. The ED, in my opinion, is the superior of the two, and it, once again, matches the mood and vibe of the show. The accompanying art in the ED is also very pleasing to the eyes. In terms of sound, the VAs did an excellent job of portraying the characters they play. The viewers can tell who is who. When the VA speaks, their emotions and feelings are properly captured. Ch'en is an example of this, as her VA's voice acting perfectly portrays the character.

This show has elicited a wide range of reactions. One may or may not enjoy it. Those who play Arknights will undoubtedly have the edge in terms of investment and enjoyment of the show. Coming from someone who has no knowledge of Arknights, I'd say it was pretty boring, but it was still a good adaptation that stayed true to its lore. The show did well for its role as a crash course to the Arknights game. It is worth watching for those who want to learn more about Arknights' world. People looking for a one-time stop, on the other hand, would be disappointed since the chapters adapted are only a small part of the Reunion arc. It will take more than one season to complete.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 16, 2022

Gsarthotegga

Not Recommended

In a lot of ways, we've come pretty far from the kind of abominable video game adaptations that were common in past decades, and many newer attempts at least have bigger budgets, a smoother flow, or sometimes even have a loftier vision than b-movie schlock like Masami Oobari's endless string of adaptations or live action Street Fighter or whatever. Arknights is a gacha game adaptation with a slick cinematic appeal and an ostensibly more ambitious story due to the pretensions of its ambiance and overwrought dialogue, but, in reality, there's not a whole lot there beneath the surface.

The world essentially looks like a lazy ... merging of Final Fantasy 12 with Half-Life 2, meaning it's a dystopia with vague and slow trickle-down storytelling, and the main character, along with the viewers, is thrust into the immediate immersion of POV shots and amnesia. The mix of high-tech and low-tech is not always very convincing: you have aircraft and mobile cities, but almost everyone is using swords and crossbows? Obviously, magic arts shakeup the dynamic a bit, but the core of the combat feels off and, indeed, gamey. There doesn't appear to be any justification for its lopsidedness, other than it being "cool."

It doesn't really help that the infection plot line basically boils down to the bunny-eared Rhodes Island representative pointing to all governments as mean because they discriminate against the infected, while painting the Reunion baddies as the polar opposite, only meaner, and insisting anyone who sides with them is "buying into illusions and false hope," which just sounds like random people on Twitter complaining about the not-nice political party de jour. Whereas Rhodes Island is like "Can't we all just get along? The non-infected should lick the infected until we're all infected, while my team of cute fox and cat girl scientists pretend to be making a cure. Yay! Vote Rhodes Island!"

There's also ridiculous, cliched, and forced drama injected into the story because Rhodes Island is so goody two-shoes they—and their most adorable allies—pretty much don't take the lives of their Reunion foes—seemingly ever! You know those pivotal moments in fiction where a character has a mental breakdown from taking a life during a battle, even though it was the only way to stop that character from killing an ally? Meanwhile, another character sees this and will be upset and hold a grudge against said character, when they would have otherwise been allies? Yep, Arknights does this, and it's just as floppy and sloppy as the set of ears on a dog girl. Are we dealing with actual soldiers or kids who still eat Captain Crunch and Fruit Roll-Ups? Mommy Amiya: "We do battle to help the infected, and we must stop the meanie Reunion mask people! Oh, and make sure you don't hurt them too badly, even when they're coming at you with swords or hurling magic projectiles and grenades at you. If you seriously hurt anyone, you're going to get time out! And don't even get me started if you kill anyone, which better never ever happen!"

Almost all of the characters are cute high school girls with rotated-out animal ears—panda, bunny, cat, and whatever other ears, or horns, or tails, etc. It's a zootopian menagerie of copypasta cuteness, and there's a little fetish content here for even the most obscure of aesthetes! All presented with the utmost seriousness, of course, yet it's hard to take this seriously, so it instead becomes laughable. The characters are about as tropey and generic as you'd expect from looking at them, and their moebits are just about all that define them as characters. The writers attempt to intimate depth out of these bland personalities through oftentimes vague or occasionally pseudo-profound lines, when we're not bombarded by non-stop exposition, as that's almost all we have time for with only 8 episodes.

The only person who seems even close to a character is probably Amiya, who is like the overly empathetic "I have a big heart, and I'll be anyone's mommy" kind of character. I'm sure she's great at kissing boo boos (and much better at causing them), but would anyone ever believe she is the leader? It's like they intentionally made her an incompetent emotional wreck, because they were conflicted between having her be a leader and a simulation of a high school crush for your avatar.

Most of the men, in comparison, never take their masks off (actually, this was probably for the best, as I was laughing when I saw the generic men—panda men—with panda ears in Lungmen—why don't we just call the city Pandamen?), making them feel disposable. Aside from the ultra-generic Ace and a few psychopaths with exaggerated voice acting that would make even Re:Zero blush. It almost has this weird, grimy, POV harem feel or that of a hentai where a bunch of faceless men are garishly lit, and they circle around crying animal girls, and after wolf-whistling, they're like "What's a bunny girl like you doing around these parts? Heh heh heh..." It doesn't present itself in a way that feels like an organic world.

Doctor also remains masked and is meant to be one of those blank slate, near-wordless and obscure stand-ins for the viewer, which probably works fine for a GAME, but it's simply awkward in a series, and it just doesn't work out. As with many of these wish-fulfillment characters, the vibe meant to be given is "I just woke up, and the first thing I see is the face of my little angel looking down at me. I don't know anything about the world, but I'm a fast learner, and mom tells me I'm really smart, so, like, I've got this, and I'm coming up with all these good plans before my avatar does, and, you know, his plans are good enough, but mine are better. Imagine if I were the actual main character! Give me a chance, please... and these anime girls with these adorable animal ears keep telling me how amazing I am UwU." Yet we're passive observers, and it's easy to forget Doctor is around at all, avatar or not!

I think you could do a whole course on this series alone for understanding wish-fulfillment protagonist and anime girl body language and psychology, as many of these anime studios have worked this stuff down to a scummy science. It feels as if all of the stinkiest pandering is on full display here. I really hate certain moments in the OP especially. Like, the girls will do this kind of moebait schtick where they'll be looking directly into your eyes via a POV shot, and they'll do this cutesy thing where they squeeze their eyes shut and smile like they're so happy to see you, and it just screams: "Ungh! You're so handsome and smart, anon. Buy my new PVC figurine for $19.99. The clothes are removable, and you can switch my ears out so I'll look more like your pet dog ;)." Speaking of this, there's also an enormous amount of plot armor because this show is about your favorite flavor of waifu, and killing any of them off might hurt figurine sales.

While the series manages to be visually striking at times, especially with some of the urban backdrops and flashy effects, you can definitely see a pattern where they're using a lot of editing and directorial trickery to stretch out a relatively thin animation budget. Cute girls will flash their moebits while delivering exposition dumps in drawn-out scenes with either no movement, stiff movement, or flapping mouths. The action scenes are often simply not there or truncated, often to confusing effect. Characters randomly appear to do battle with each other and kind of just disappear from the fray, with the viewer only really seeing the aftermath. Most of what happened with Ace, for example, made almost no sense. To be fair, it does get a little better in the second half.

It's pretty wallpaper when the staff puts the time into it, but Arknights seems to function as little more than an exposition-heavy example of the game's world: and what I've taken from that realization is a handful of vapid characters wandering around a grid-based map on fetch quests to dystopic cities that are all more or less the same, just mimicking the visuals of different real-world cultures, and the "people" of those cities consist of different races of girls, the only difference being which animal ears we swap out from one of your pets or more exotic moebits from the zoo for them to flaunt.

Here's the thing: some series and genres rely on cuteness more than others. If you're watching a high school drama/romance/coming of age, then they will focus on attractive characters, a cute crush, etc. High school is not far removed from the word cute, as it's filled with young people goofing around. But this is war. What does cuteness have to do with war? Is war cute? Could you imagine anyone liking this if they replaced all the cute girls with far fewer cute girls or not-very-cute girls or men? No, you couldn't, because Arknights has very little to offer other than its cuteness. Take the cuteness away, and you realize it's nothing but a hollowed-out stump in the ground.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Non Arknights players? _Aokii - Oct 29, 2022	23 replies	by Nimo127 »» May 27, 7:38 AM
	Poll: Arknights: Reimei Zensou Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) deg - Dec 16, 2022	94 replies	by ChitOKun »» May 15, 8:15 AM
	Is it canon that the doctor is a caucasian? Papa_Scorch - Apr 23, 2023	6 replies	by ChitOKun »» May 15, 8:13 AM
	Poll: Arknights: Reimei Zensou Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Boazanian - Oct 28, 2022	232 replies	by bushman66 »» Feb 27, 7:49 PM
	Poll: Arknights: Reimei Zensou Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Mcsuper - Nov 18, 2022	57 replies	by soupeatinger »» Jan 14, 5:29 AM