Vivy: Redefining the Role of AI
In a year where there has been anime of a high caliber all around for each season that starts or finishes, Vivy does not fall short of reaching this nominal title.
--Spoiler Free Section--
Quick synopsis:
Diva (eventually Vivy) is tasked with
...
the sole mission of singing to bring joy to those whose hearts she touches with her vocals. However, she suddenly needs to save the future of humans who face a tragedy at the hands of AI a hundred years from now. Now, with her fairly obnoxious partner, Matsumoto, they seek to change the future timeline by altering important events that accelerated or fortified the development of AI and, ultimately, the Archive, which stores all the data received in a given time period. You follow them in action-packed and very thought-provoking missions that question your own humanity--seriously. Each and every single of the AI and humans that you learn about in the major events of the timeline all have a deep and poignant story that brings you to sympathize with them. Finally, the end of this journey full-heartedly completes the major arcs of the protagonists, Vivy and Matsumoto.
Animation and Art:
First of all, the art style is clean. The character designs are special and refreshing, for the most part. The smooth outlines and colors for the characters are surprisingly pleasant. Moving forward, the choreography is insane; I've never seen this much consistent and fluid motion in action sequences apart from Attack On Titan, which, of course, makes sense since WIT Studio is behind the direction of this department; however, in terms of hand-to-hand combat, it is certainly the best I've seen. You'll just be left in awe with every single fight scene. I must note, however, that I found the whole thing where all of a sudden the characters will be given a stunning facial detail a bit too drastic and disturbing at first, but I quickly began to appreciate the effort to provide more detail.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is great, and this is a given since this is essentially an idol anime. The songs are predominantly driven by strong and, at the same time, emotional breaths that whisper or sometimes shout whenever it is needed to complement the scene in question. The songs never disappoint and are always a spectacle. Both the OP and ED and are amazing, and they are unskippable!
Characters:
I loved the character development of most of the characters, especially Vivy. For an AI, she goes through stellar development; each moment she had to grow her character felt so deserved and realistic given the context of the moment. Her struggles were down-to-earth and human, ironic as it is because this is an AI centered around reaching the end of her goal, nothing more. Overall, her arc is very consummate. You even see a change in Matsumoto, from being so calculative and loquacious, he slowly becomes more open to Vivy's strategies and way of handling situations along with toning down the speed of his speech when it is necessary; he does become more likable towards the end, to those who weren't entirely fond of his robotic and annoying behavior.
Final thoughts for the spoiler-free section: I found every episode exciting; they never failed to reach my expectations, and, more often than not, they would surpass them. The show in all its glory reveals the meaning of what it means to pour your heart into something, which I found intriguing. This was one of the big questions that the show was dealing with for a long time until the final few episodes; all the arguments provided by side characters to tackle this powerful statement were not enough to satisfy her inquiry. She faced any form of danger to discover this answer, and it was certainly fulfilling. I urge you to join their incredible quest in altering the future by changing the past, and in them, they meet memorable AI and humans alike that add more moral and spiritual depth (as weird as it may sound)--AI and souls? What?
P.S. The ending is top-tier; you better like it.
----Spoiler Section----
Alright, you've made it this far. I'll quickly discuss the meaning that I procured from the amazing journey of Matsumoto and Vivy along with the idea of pouring your heart.
First, I want to talk about the importance of the choice of making this an idol-centered anime, rather than some random AI, and how this enriches the purpose of the story. Early on, Vivy is presented with the notion of putting your heart into it; perplexed by it, she investigates what that means and asks anyone she meets, getting their own two cents on the manner. What's so fascinating and crucial about that question being presented to her, and her only, is that she really is the only AI that can fully express this idea, and here is why: she sings which is a very instrumental part of how we have evolved in music and, therefore, in our arts and creativity, things that are particularly unique to being human. From the classical ages of opera to the current state of pop, singing and the human voice have played a prominent role in driving meaning across. We can feel depressed by the slow and soft melody, and we can feel energetic when the tempo is increased and the voice is more uplifting. We have learned to carry meaning from this form of art, but it is even harder distributing that meaning in a tangible way for the listener to understand, which in this case is Vivy's struggle. That missing piece which we humans can create, she lacks, or does she? Again, it is pivotal that we understand that there is a particular reason as to why VIvy was specifically being chosen to answer this question since she is virtually one of the few AI tasked with the vocation of singing, which is a unique trait to being human. We develop meaning in our songs through the memories of our past that make us who we are today; this includes all the unpleasant moments along with the enjoyable ones. Through them, we can derive meaning that can be placed into the lyrics. Memory obviously plays a major role in this. AI probably have a more efficient way of storing memory than we could possibly ever achieve ourselves; however, what we do differently is that we use those past events to establish some sort of meaningful realization that shapes who we are. In the show, the AI really can't do this. Even Vivy herself, until she understood and realized the importance of accepting those past memories and decided to find the significance within them to create the first AI-made song. When Dr. Matsumoto tells her what he finds meaningful in his life and the importance of the influence we leave behind on others, she understood that the past cannot be revoked from the future, it shapes it. So, she finally sings with her heart in the last episode with this realization--looking back at past events that shaped her future, to present something meaningful to the people who listen, for them to learn. This is when the AI and human condition gracefully touch. The importance of her being a singer makes sense now: singing is something entirely unique to humans and if it can be replicated on the same basis on which it was created, then that "thing" has the potential to coming close to being considered "human" in that regard. With that, I'll come to a close. Maybe someday we will walk side by side with AI, who knows.
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