NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

Some shows are virtually inseparable from the narratives surrounding their creation, and for 2023’s *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a*, it had two narratives that it needed to reconcile. The most-obvious of the two was its troubled production life, subjected to delays that finally led to a months-long hiatus before at last returning to remind the anime community that it was, indeed, still a thing. Wondering whether it was actually Covid, or if that was just a convenient excuse to make up for the lack of time, is ultimately not the point. What does matter is that it was plagued with much woe, leaving all involved in the ... ruins of a production to salvage; the long separation equated to something akin to a Game Over, needing to restart from the last save point and do some level grinding before it finally could set itself back on the course to the end.

The other was pertaining to its original source material. Leaving the thematic content aside, *NieR: Automata* is an oddity among hack-and-slash, as its elements are more than simply in the service of telling a story. They have a habit of encroaching themselves on the relation between the player and the game; the game’s menu itself becomes susceptible to manipulation and corruption and the UI tinkers with both space and gameplay, leaving things to unfold in ways that defy common video game convention. Since the whole was envisioned as a game first with this form of presentation inherent to the experience, any adaptation would need to wrestle with trying to transfer these qualities into television format, or revoke them altogether and buckle down purely on television presentation principles instead. Honestly, it’s an undertaking as vast as the environment’s scope and as thick as the plot. It has to find its own mettle and forge a justification to argue why it’s a worthwhile addition to the dystopic science-fiction universe.

As an entity, *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a* could best be thought of as a story that underwent its own character arc over the span of its twelve episodes, and in juxtaposing where it was to where it finished, I cannot help but be pleasantly surprised at the change that resulted. Watching the first episode felt like an insult, a carbon copy of the game both in image and dialogue. Whether it was directly lifting the iconography of the tutorial or using the original game’s soundtrack, it had no blood. Flying down an empty corridor is far more thrilling as a gamer trying to dodge pipes than as a passive observer watching. At the most cynical, it felt as though *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a* was doomed to be an adaptational zombie, simply executing the pre-programmed motions of the whole via autopilot and not having anything to call its own. This was to say nothing of the end of the episode, which took 2B’s famously existential soliloquy and had to transform it into something romance-adjacent to make it more relatable. Perhaps the series was inadvertently utilizing one of the central concepts of the story – the supposition of human culture to fill the lack of culture for machines. All you’d need to do is replace a couple of words in that last sentence and you’d be all set.

Yet little by little, the show found a new foundation to lay itself upon. It seemed that, in the interim between episodes one and two, writer-director Masuyama Ryouji remembered that the world of *NieR: Automata* has too many riches and should not take the shorter approach by casually retelling the story that fans already knew. A new adaptation meant new opportunities, and the anime found them. It comes in the form of both entire plot threads within episodes, or in tiny peppering throughout that add a splash of spice or color to the story the adaptation is naturally obligated to tell. It does not need to be a slave to following 2B and 9S every minute, at times drawing influence from other sources of the *NieR*-verse within the dramaturgy; it affords itself the opportunity to digress away and focus on something else within the narrative that the game simply wasn’t able to do because of the inherent restrictions of its mechanics or otherwise. To perhaps phrase it another way, when *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a* moves past the specter of its “original self,” it manages to cultivate a NEW “original self” synthesized out of its inspirations and into a distinct entity. Even as the adaptation combines the source’s stories [A] and [B] and cannot diverge too far out of necessity, it proves to be as malleable as Pascal’s body, adopting a new form or function. And oftentimes, it is within the quiet, almost-surreal placidness of the world that the series is at its most comfortable, allowing its world to be lived in with its Machines rather than blown up in fiery goodness. Rather than use the word “grower” to refer to it, the series could best be called a “learner.”

To be sure, it can only go so far in this respect. In true spirit of its hack-and-slash origin, *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a* has to bring the action at various points, and the staff’s production woes do make their presence known. The movements come across as smooth, though not with the same sense of freedom and poise that tends to define the best of anime action. 2B and 9S can indeed move through space with fluidity, but the storyboarding or choreography cannot quite give them the full release of spectacle that is being sought. It is far from ideal, but it is not garish or ugly, except when the red-purple orbs appear and call all the more attention to its video game origins (they’re easy to dodge with a controller, but not to watch with the eyes). It ultimately makes for a bit of a mixed blessing. Though maybe it doesn’t matter nearly so much this time around the factory; one could argue that we have been spoiled by sakugafests and that this anime’s general sense of action could never quite hit the full stride, but there is an indelible quality to the sequences that does ring as sincere. The fact that the action sequences are as good as they are is a godsend given the circumstances involved.

That, perhaps, summarizes *NieR: Automata Ver1.1a* better than anything else. At first flush, the anime seemed poised to be pale a shadow of the original, dwarfed in concept, aesthetic, and story underpinning. Somehow, it managed to patch itself and learn in several capacities and touched upon the inherent wonder that lay within. It’s a rarity that an anime (adaptation or otherwise) manages to pick itself up and dust itself off in the same way that this did, though it could only achieve so much given the restrictions involved both in exploration and in manpower. In that vein, it has created in its wake something that is almost *NieR*, but not quite.

You have unlocked ending [A].

_______________

…though, perhaps I’m looking at this the wrong way, so let’s try another angle instead: this is a production that, in more ways than one, should not be what it is. Every sign at the start seemed to hint at an impending implosion, yet through small miracles, it patched itself and learned in an effort to achieve self-actualization. Because it could never understand or explore the totality of it all, it chose instead to be the most “thing” that it could in the time that it had, however imperfectly. In that vein, it might actually be the most-*NieR* thing of all.

You have unlocked ending [B].

Anime adaptations that attempt to capture the essence and depth of the story and characters of a video game nearly always end up failing in doing the source material justice, unfortunately. This is because adapting such an intricate and interactive medium like video games–which typically have multiple branching paths and endings based on player choices and actions as well–into a linear narrative and with the need to condense a lengthy gaming experience into a handful of episodes, may as well be likened to the adversity of defying causality itself. It inevitably leads to a rushed storyline, lack of characterization and cast development, the omission of ... plot points, and a less immersive experience in general. And so, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a–which sought to adapt one of the most acclaimed video games of all time and one that fully utilizes the mechanisms of the complex medium in which it resides–seemed almost predestined to disappoint as yet another disappointing VG-to-anime adaptation. Of course, no one in their right mind was expecting this to parallel the game itself, but it’s regrettable that at its best it wasn’t something more than merely satisfactory; Ver 1.1a is still remarkably superior to most others like it and as a standalone anime, it isn’t even bad.

The anime’s biggest flaw is its inability to create atmosphere, which is conversely one of the game’s biggest strengths complemented by a patient story. This is especially problematic when atmosphere is fundamental to Nier Automata’s compelling, thematically rich and very visual storytelling and how Yoko Taro would funnel a lot of his creative direction through; sometimes powerfully enough to even recontextualize the world he’s concocted. Nier Automata is set in a beautiful post-apocalyptic world where futurism is overrun with greenery, yet the anime never leans into this hauntingly desolate, atmospheric world except for once in episode 2 with the anime-original opening sequence involving the Machines. The pensive sadness of Nier Automata is lost to mere opaqueness because it fails to use silence to tap into the potential of its world for the narrative it wants to tell, which consequently jeopardises the plot and characters as they are not yet interesting enough to stand on their own. This whilst relying on still frames and sometimes exposition dumps leads to the anime underselling otherwise emotional key story beats, and it makes the story feel like it’s preoccupied with moving from plot point A to B despite its commendable efforts to avoid that so it can manage with the handful of episodes it was dealt with in order to condense such expansive content into. In retrospect, the hasty execution of the anime; obviously owing to an atrocious production schedule that was overbearing the staff; was indicative from the quality of the premiere in all its low frame-rate, zero-compositing CGI glory; which was also just a 1:1 adaptation of the prologue devoid of any artistry intent on specializing the content for a 20-minute-length TV format. Let alone the third delay five episodes later which resulted in a four-month hiatus.

However, the art direction and series composition cannot be ignored for their merits. And the score is of course palatial, using OSTs directly from the game. Regardless of the immersion-busting CGI and very average animation, the art direction expressly displays an appreciation for aesthetics with its gorgeous character models and beautiful background art, accompanied by a refined color palette harmonious with the overarching mood of the series. This isn’t all too surprising considering the works of art that were the key visuals for this title. Regarding series composition, Ryouji Masuyama the director intended to leave everything from the source material unchanged before Yoko Taro insisted otherwise, and I believe that change was for the better. It justifies the existence of this adaptation, and the mixing of the game’s story with its scattered supplemental content alongside the subtle–occasionally witty–fanservice is very much appreciated. The anime-original content is nothing to write home about, but it is respectful of the pre-established story’s sensibilities. All of this shows the meritorious effort of this adaptation and it confutes the bystanding impression that this is just another soulless cash-grab. I just wish it had properly put these strengths to use. There are amazing background shots which the anime doesn’t allow to linger and enrich its atmospheric narrative with, the elegant music from the game is only used for 10 seconds between scenes, and the pacing is plagued with inconsistencies where less important plot points drag on with uncomfortable lethargy whilst others are quickly transitioned through or skipped altogether with negligence towards thematic exploration. The direction is chiefly monotonous and this makes the story’s presentation lacklustre.

There are glimpses of excellence in NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, but its faults ultimately make this a somewhat mediocre and forgettable anime as a standalone title. The 2D visuals and the music must be praised, and the efforts in which it takes to be an inoffensive swerving from becoming a pointless 1:1 adaptation as an inferior product is also worthy of that same praise. But aside from needing to have played the game to sincerely appreciate most of the aforementioned merits; even if you have, the direction remains predominantly monotonous for a source material with such artistry and this results in a debilitated presentation of oftentimes dull executions of the powerful themes and world wielded by Nier Automata. Unfortunately, the haemorrhaging production schedule did no favors for the patient narrative either and this anime deserved so much better than having its reputation tarnished by a huge hiatus.

Watch this after you’ve already played the game. The anime being your first exposure to Nier Automata isn’t ideal. But at the same time, this certainly isn’t an offensive disaster of an adaptation enough to leave a bitter aftertaste either. As I said, Ver 1.1a isn’t a bad anime by itself; the story and the art direction are still much better than average. It isn’t a second-rate product to the video game struggling to justify its existence like many VG-to-anime adaptations fall victim to the fate of, and there is evidently charm to it. So you can’t go wrong with picking it up as supplemental content. And seriously, play the video game already if you haven’t… Nier Automata marked a landmark step in video game storytelling because arguably for the first time ever, video games went toe-to-toe with the likes of film and literature in the philosophical arena. It’s a metafictive, nihilistic yet hopeful postmodern masterpiece. Its themes of existentialism, identity, free will and determinism, consciousness and emotion, transcendence and evolution etc are timeless, and they’re explored with sophisticated intricacy. Even if Ver 1.1a was a stellar anime adaptation with industry-setting cinematography, it still wouldn’t completely capture the ethereal beauty of this title because of how extensively it utilizes the complex medium in which it resides.

"NieR:Automata Ver1.1a" is not bad, just DISAPPOINTING. I'm a huge fan of the "NieR" universe and this show made me feel LOST too many times (and not in the good way...) There were some episodes that did GREAT things with the lore (spoiler alert: A2's "origin" and those promising glimpses of Replicant) and THAT IS what this show should've been: a COMPLEMENT to its source material, NOT an intent to tell its story in a WAY shorter and less complex form of media. "Is this for newcomers or veterans?" I wonder, because I can't see myself feeling satisfied as any of them. Art and animation ... are average at best, with a couple moments of brilliancy, but too many of mediocrity (also, those gratuitous butt-shots of 2B are cringy to say the least). The OP song by Aimer is horrendous (and I love Aimer), but at least Amazarashi's ED one doesn't feel that off. Not a negative word for the rest of the OST, though (and voice acting), as it's taken straight from the video game... but sadly misused more than once. In short: this show could've been REALLY "something" if CHANGES were for the sake of a new experience and not for an "easy way out" (and if its overall quality was WAY better). As it is, I can't honestly recommend "Ver1.1a". Want "NieR"? Play the games. That, you won't ever regret.