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]
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Comentários
GG-WP
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. Interms 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.
Mcsuper
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, butoverall, 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.
ZNoteTaku
*Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* is bleak, a series full of dead people walking. I don’t mean that only in terms of the world around them engaged in warfare, but also in regards to their bodies as living people. From our first long POV shot as the stasis-awakening Doctor, we are thrust immediately into the dreary atmosphere of unpleasant colors, sounds, and implications. The lack of warmth is aided by disorientation as though we ourselves have awoken from stasis and have entered a place that seems to leech the life out of everything around it. But there is one smiling figure to give greetings – thecheerful Amiya, expressing her gratefulness at The Doctor awakening at last. But plagued with amnesia, he does not recognize her nor recognize him/herself, effectively a stranger in a foreign land.
The problems have only just begun, however. As the grounding beneath our feet gradually reasserts itself, we learn more about this world and how longstanding its problems have been. The world has turned thanks to Originium, a precious mineral that unfortunately leads to Oripathy, a disease with a 100% mortality rate. Though there is no correlation between physical contact with a person who has contracted the disease, called “the Infected,” the Infected are nevertheless ostracized and oppressed for fear or Oripathy’s spread. It is a cultural stigma that even those who know better cannot divorce themselves from, as the governments and populace have spent so much time oppressing that changing the system or the culture is too cumbersome. From the Infected come two main groups: Reunion, which seeks to overthrow the world governments for their mistreatment of the Infected, and Rhodes Island, who seek to develop a cure for Oripathy, which The Doctor was researching.
At both a literal and metaphorical glance, there is no reason to hope for anything in this series. Among the earliest flashes of the story proper we see are gunshots and battling in expansive, empty corridors and spaces. Rhodes Island, both here and recurringly throughout the story, constantly find themselves running or on the move from Reunion. Although the factions each fight on behalf of the oppressed Infected, they do not meet eye-to-eye on how to do so. On the immediate level, Reunion is to blame – how could global justice be attained through such apparent violence when they drew first blood? But *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* spends less time trying to convince the viewer which is “more correct” and instead encourages them to appreciate the sheer tragedy of it all, that presumably decades (if not longer) of not heeding the cries of dying people has led to the dying people not be able to agree amongst themselves. When resigned to such a life, what other option is there to believe in?
So, the split naturally arises among the people: the more militant option that might get attention more quickly, or the more peaceful option which requires patience and time? As we spend that time observing both Rhodes Island and Reunion’s methods for getting the Infected people to follow their cause, it becomes clear that Rhodes Island is horribly outmatched. Both groups know that the Infected are dying, and their support not only increases their numbers, but also the morale of their respective goals. Rhodes Island only has a gentle hand and the vague promise of a cure that may never come. In a dark time, the hand of sincerity can seem like a mockery, especially when that hand is, much like you, only given a short window of time left to live.
Reunion’s battling prowess is not merely demonstrated in skirmishes, but also in rhetoric. Horrible as their methods might be, their message is loud and clear – we are strong, we will fight, and we will win. They’ve produced results which have gotten attention, and the Infected who debate which side to consider more worthwhile are thus posed a question: take the short returns now in the hope that they rest of your life-ticking-away days are more comfortable, or take the word and leap of faith that everything will be okay? Even if all of the promises made turn out to be lies, or if civilians die as collateral, most would, I imagine, be hard-pressed to argue that delaying any chance of a better life is the better choice. In the eyes of *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn’s* Infected, they’ll all be dead anyway from Oripathy eventually, so what more do they have to lose by joining the more-militant Reunion? It’s easier to rationalize away the cost of life when your own life has been treated as subhuman, and any notion of life having salvation, even a microscopic amount, has likewise been relentlessly crushed.
(And that’s not even considering Talulah, a mistress of death who seems only too eager to see any violent action through to the end).
Like the overhanging misery of the show’s dilemma, the sun bathes the world in the murkiest tones possible, filling abandoned desolate buildings in white light that only serves to draw more attention to the crumbling walls, discarded syringes on the floor, and signs of the world’s decline. It’s as though the world itself physically is gradually giving up. Why would anyone want to live here? Would it in fact not just be easier to roll over and fade away instead? Such a question is no doubt pessimistic, but given the treatment of the Infected people, the thought doesn’t sound nearly so unpleasant given the active hellscape alternative. *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* imbues pessimism into nearly all of its facets to paint the most-visceral picture possible.
And from that pessimistic state of mind thus presents the main hook that makes Rhodes Island, and the ensuing drama, worth following. In the midst of all this sadness, these are the Infected who choose not to give up to despair and take up the sword of salvation instead of blood. Theirs is a mission not only against the Reunion that actively seeks to kill them, but against the world that would sooner see them out of sight and out of the way. They’re struggling, but not helpless. They know that the dream they cling to is fragile, and that it may be a fantasy they’re chasing after all. I referred before to how their extended hand of sincerity can seem like a mockery, but buried under that assumption is genuineness. Amiya believes in her conviction, and seeks to act upon it by leading her friends and fellow soldiers into the fray. Their combative style (and the animation by extension) may not be the flashiest thing ever seen, but it and the cause keep moving forward, bolstered by a good, sometimes-bass-heavy soundtrack.
I would be remiss if I did not remark that *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* stems from the Arknights video game, and that this adaptation is clearly meant to be more table-setting for future installments as opposed to rounding out a fully-complete story. In that sense, it does stumble in the execution of some of its expository elements and elsewhere. The Doctor is more a setpiece instead of an active player due to his amnesia (though his involvement does improve as the show goes on), some of the introduced characters are given brief moments and then vanish for most of the season—if not the rest of it—and the intrusion of the PRTS is an obvious allusion to an in-game mechanic that the anime replicates when it’s not necessary to do so. It’s an unfortunate circumstance of source material retention that works in a game format and less-well in an anime.
Overriding all of this though was that the immersion ultimately did pan out, that the resigned, crushing tone succeeded. Most of what I described could be labeled as “necessary evils” since the season is meant to be expository, relying on the “Infected Civil War” and the complexities of the overall scenario. The show does not relent for one minute, as even the quiet moments are tinged with melancholic smiles and reminiscence. It has no time for comedy (except for Ezusiai, which never sat well with me both in the moment and in the aftermath), choosing instead to indulge in morose, soul-draining affect. Perhaps for that reason, this series is a bit of a hard sell. In regards to how it stands as an adaptation, I cannot say since I have not played the original *Arknights.*
*Arknights: Prelude to Dawn* insists on knocking its characters and their hopes down every chance it gets. Each fumbled operation, each person who dies, and each time that Reunion and Rhodes Island either ideologically or violently clash reads like another page in a Sisyphean tragedy. No matter how many clashes occur or how many gambles take place, everyone is racing against their own personal clock. Whether it be due to Oripathy slowly killing someone over time, getting The Doctor to safety, or whatever scheme Reunion has cooked up, time is everyone’s greatest enemy. With the overarching dilemmas and quandaries, the show coils itself around its characters tighter and tighter. Yet, the promise that relief awaits still persists. And even if the promise turns out to be nothing more than a pipe dream, it’s a promise worth clinging to.
But then again, in a world like this, promises may be easily broken…
ShinodaChan
Ah yes, superfluous dialogue and a rushed plot: the authentic Arknights experience. Going in, this adaptation was always going to have issues. Not only does it adapt the weakest part of Arknights’ main story, it was produced by Yostar Pictures. On paper, this makes sense: Yostar got burned when they trusted another studio with Azur Lane, and they’ve largely done everything in-house since. The problem is that YP is a small studio, which — lacking enough resources or staff — forced them to outsource to various studios (Studio Palette, Studio Silver, Candy Box etc.) for Episodes 2-6. Add in a first-time director in Yuki Watanabe anda limited budget — Arknights is profitable, but nowhere near the levels of FGO or Genshin Impact — and you have a recipe for disaster. So, given all of these restraints, how did it do?
Visually, the anime is inoffensive. Character close-ups are beautifully drawn, and key moments are clearly denoted by a sharp increase in dynamism and detail. There is some inconsistency present where characters at a distance are either drawn in a more pixelated fashion or animated with CGI, but this is the exception rather than the norm. The problem lies in the stiffness of the animation, particularly in fight scenes. For a game that doesn’t shy away from its dark atmosphere, the action in this adaptation is awfully toothless. Enemies will get shot, slashed, smacked, or stabbed, but in almost every case they’ll end up knocked to the floor at worst; seemingly unscathed. YP’s sporadic usage of blood is especially strange, adding it almost at random in a few moments across the entire cour. Some of this (e.g. characters that are burning to death or have been dismembered) may stem from censorship, but that alone doesn’t explain the strange camera cuts, mediocre choreography, lack of force, and questionable logic that summarize each battle. YP’s full inhouse production of Episodes 7 and 8 results in a significant improvement, leading me to wonder how much of the issue stems from a combination of outsourcing and budget. Either way, the result is a beautiful art style that is held back by lackluster animation for most of the cour. With a bigger budget and more staff I have no doubt that YP could deliver an impressive visual experience, but this adaptation isn’t that.
Of course, I’m not an artist. I’m a writer, and speaking as one: good grief, this storytelling is flawed.
Arknights' in-game story is notorious for having poorly written dialogue. This isn't a localization issue (Chinese players complain about this as well), it's the writers acting like they need to turn every sentence into a paragraph. The anime isn't much better in this regard — unnecessary padding is all over the place — but that isn’t the main problem. In a recent interview with YouTube content creator Dogen, Rafał Jaki — the creator and executive producer of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners — highlighted the importance of ‘the dramatic question’, noting:
“...there is a difference between the story and the plotline. Story being, ‘what happens if a family member dies?’ and the plotline is, ‘somebody is going to the funeral, they go to the city, and they have this adventure’...but without the question it has no substance, it’s just things happening to the character.” (Dogen 22:22-22:46).
Arknights’ earlier chapters are all plot and no story, failing to establish or explore a dramatic question. The closest I’ve seen to one was suggested by Reddit user scot911, phrasing it as “Is it better to work inside the system to reform it through diplomatic means or is it better to violently overthrow the system and start anew?” If this is the case, then Arknights does a terrible job of investigating this. Rhodes Island is implied to be restricted by Lungmen’s authority, but how often does that actually matter? Without getting into spoilers, nothing Lungmen withholds or demands from Rhodes Island hinders their ability to complete their mission. Things would by-and-large have happened the same way even if Rhodes Island had total autonomy, meaning that the penalties of ‘working inside the system’ are more superficial than anything. There isn’t enough ideological conflict between Rhodes Island and Lungmen to create genuine problems in their relationship, and this results in their partnership feeling rather uneventful. Meanwhile, Reunion’s perspective never gets the justification it needs in order to be legitimized. Whereas in Akira it is clearly conveyed that Neo-Tokyo’s government is incompetent and corrupt — needing to be overthrown for change to happen — Lungmen is largely presented as a normal city. This changes in later chapters of the game, but for the purposes of this season the viewer never gets the sense that Lungmen as a city might warrant Reunion’s methods. The discrimination that the government enables is barely explored, as is the police brutality of the L.G.D. Poverty and violence are implied to be issues, but the plot never stops to take a closer look. This is the true issue with Arknights’ earlier chapters: the plot never lets characters investigate the world, much less themselves. The writers attempt to compensate for this with philosophical monologues, but these fall even flatter than they already did when applied to a more visual medium. This results in a rushed, barebones plot that is only slowed down by dialogue-heavy low-points in tension. The sad thing is that even this is vastly better than the in-game story; the bar being that low. The anime incorporates multiple minor changes that contribute more substance to the narrative, and it’s a shame that YP didn’t attempt to push for more. As is the plot is still deeply flawed, which — combined with overwrought dialogue and poorly crafted fight scenes — creates a slow and uninteresting story that never says anything profound.
To note one more thing: characterization suffers because of the aforementioned issues, leaving most characters plain at best and irritating at worst. Amiya’s character development is indiscernible until the end of the season, with any payoff locked away in a second season. Speaking of payoff, it’s hilarious to me how the Doctor claims in Episode 3 that they’ll gradually become more of a character over time…only to be no different by the end of the season. Gacha game protagonists are notorious for this — even FGO’s anime equivalent of Ritsuka is relatively flat — but that’s no excuse for poor writing. If you imply that development will occur, then show it in the short term instead of assuming the viewer will stay engaged for the long term.
That aside, there isn’t much to say. Yuki Hayashi’s soundtrack is ambient and rarely gets a chance to stand out, capturing the lack of tension throughout the story. The OP and ED are nothing special, though admittedly this point is subjective. Voice acting — whether by members new to the cast or reprising their roles from in-game — is generally solid, but it isn’t enough to carry the story.
All in all, Prelude to Dawn is an adaptation with limited style and hollow substance. I brought up the comparison to lukewarm tea in my preliminary review, but I think that describing it as a watered down soda works as well. You can taste the flavor that was meant to pop in your mouth, but only just. It’s too diluted to amount to anything else, but hopefully — should Yostar receive an increased budget — this will be as mundane as it gets.
aurora_aeterna
tl;dr rating if you play arknights: 8 or 9 /10. rating if you don't play arknights: 5/10 at best Surely this show's ratings are inflated by the fans of the game. I mean let's be honest. I play the game and while yes, the game has great story and yes, the game has great voice lines, the anime was without a doubt very slow paced and at times boring. It is practically word-for-word from the source material though so points for staying true there. Like I mentioned above, if you don't play the game you will fall asleep watching this. The gravity of the scenes, the explanationfor the world of Terra, the way the characters interact with each other; all of it would not make sense to a non-fan and the anime does little to try to explain any of it to people who are unfamiliar with the source material already. The pacing is molasses. The character development is also molasses. Both of which are real shames because the Arknights main story is actually quite interesting and at times thought-provoking and challenging. All of that was latent in here in the show, sent to background in favor of what felt like character showcases. I should also mention that Yostar/HG make great PV's and music but we didn't get much of that here. Some cool action sequences, a smattering of music, but it didn't shine.
It really hurts me to say it but I do not recommend this to anyone who didn't play the game. I would recommend the game though. So I guess you could come back to watch this after playing the game some? It is a good game...
Gween_Gween
Arknights Prelude is captivating. It is an anime that does everything it desires. The adaptation displays notoriously beautiful and detailed environments, featuring shot compositions with layered pondering messages and expressive body language that entails consideration for the audience's capacities. The visually impactful presentation carries the emotionally powerful narration, featuring persuasive and well-written climaxes. While the original medium can be smelled from three kilometers away from how the story is devised, Arknights presents a stark contrast to plenty of action anime currently in fashion. For this reason, while this is not the most complex abstract serious metaphorical story, I consider Arknights a show worthy of itsattention. Yes, even if you are wise enough not to play gacha games, like yours truly.
Arknights Prelude presents the perspective of Amiya and Doctor's journey, who are, I suppose, the main characters of the source. These characters are from a paramilitary faction called Rhode Island, which aims to guarantee a better living for the infected. The main antagonist of the season is the Reunion, as their means contradict each other, even though their points have many common grounds. Yes, you can think of it as any civil unrest because those visions always emerge. It is an inherently human conflict. The different ideals and interpretations of the solution to the discrimination are presented through multiple unique characters. These characters are shrouded by the limited time given to each of them and the rather unengaging conversations. While the limited time given to each character seems like a constraint, the reality is that the adaptation does a splendid job of giving each of them their flavor through their manners. They communicate their personality concisely; you can make sense of each character's interaction after just one scene. This is the main strength; the anime is concise and lively because it uses the visual medium correctly.
The concise and respectful exposure of information is the main strength of its development of ideals and motivations. The series knows how to conceal reality, so the viewer can freely interpret what is happening. A fool could think, "This anime is pacifist nonsense because it focuses on the pacifist group." That can't be further from reality. The show comprehensively showcases the burden of responsibility and how the decisions of the vast array of ideas have clashing consequences. The problem is that this is something to be inferred, which deviates from the discourses to the audience. They do not present the villains or protagonists through cognitive and rational closure lenses. No need to excuse a character being cold and grandiloquent because their entire family was assassinated by a demon, and no need to justify a character being scared because her family came from poverty and forced her to a job that she didn't want to. The characters act as if they have the determination to decide how they carry themselves because we grow up with values and these values determine how we behave. You do not become because your dog got eaten by your neighbor; you become vegan because you believe in veganism.
Furthermore, the conflict between the multiple ideals of solving an issue is latent and relevant because that differentiates our course of action. We do not differ just because we think differently about the outcome. We are also different because we think differently about how to get such an outcome. If you show this show to different people, they could side with any side because they believe in divergent means. Some people could call Rhode Island's methods too passive, while others can call the Reunion barbaric. Rhode Island's procedures are not portrayed as the saviors of reality. The show's point is the complete contrary; they are both bound to be flawed. Amiya's suffering comes from the complex decisions, and that pressure is transmitted to the viewer eloquently.
Indeed, the outcome of Amiya and Misha's conflict perfectly encapsulates it. You cannot avoid friction, but you have chosen your path and understand it is YOURS. It is your job to mold it as you believe correctly, and that is life. The story is clever about this crucial point because it doesn't need both sides to be validated by each other. After all, the paths can go both ways and never find an intersection. People don't justify each other on life experiences when they oppose each other; they attack each other based on their ideas, which is essential. We are always on a path. Somehow, many anime watchers feel like an antagonist needs to be explained from a neutral standpoint (Which is, of course, not neutral) to be credible. Otherwise, they are shallow or plain evil. That is not how realism works, and this anime somehow understands it. Misha and Skullshaterer never meet an agreement because, in fact, they would never truly meet it in a real-life situation. If the story weren't grounded on such compromise, then the whole point of it would be for nothing. It is easy to empathize when they give you the complete picture of someone, but Hitler wasn't a good person because of his past, Kanye.
Beyond the story, the structure of the plot and the execution of its action is compelling. The action usually does not overstay its welcome and is focused on giving the exact information instead of flexing frames. This is clearly supported by how consistent the animation is. The anime understands what it can do and chooses the most intelligent path to conceive each scene. The series' progression is sharp because it focuses on visually tying the different elements, so the anime does not need endless dialogues explaining the situation to the viewer. Well, except in the case of the massive infodumps of world-building. The integration of the fantastical elements and the world is understandable, which is critical to establishing a correct foundation. I never left with the idea of missing something that destroyed an immersion. The proficient use of sound and particle effects furtherly enforces immersion. The lighting is fucking majestic.
In the end, Arknights is a decent anime. It tells meaningful messages, has engaging action and respectable world-building, and is casual entertainment that you can put on a decent-sized TV screen. However, sometimes it can get dull because the story moves at a snail's pace. The dialogues between Amiya and Doctor could have been adapted in a way that does not scream videogame adaptation, and overall, the exchanges could be better. Suppose you can read body language and don't drown yourself in your illusions of intellectualism. In that case, this anime is the action anime of the season.
EmperorThor
Half Life 2 with waifus. There is nothing to hate about this show, which is good enough already by current standards. Lots of waifu material girls. Amiya is cute and likable. Exusial is also not too bad. Others can swim someone else's boat more. But they all are chill. The only downside is that they are not as creatively dressed as Dolls Frontline waifus, but these bulky jackets makes them practical enough. I cannot say I dislike their attires, I like them but they could have been better. As I mentioned before world in which it is set has Half Life 2 vibe to it. It is notthe same world and plot is nothing alike, but it looks and feels much the same. Near empty ruined towns, peppered with futuristic installations and several high tech groups fighting using ski-fi tech and flashy beam-like abilities called Arts.
Plot is not too engaging. It just goes somewhere, but never develops into anything of significance. One good trait here is that whatever fractions are doing makes logical sense and you would not feel wft most of the time. Reunion's cause makes most sense to me tbh.
Overall I can recommend it to anyone. It is a good show overall. One regret is that it could have been better.
Argar_
This anime is a great combination of action, fantasy, and sci-fi genres. It has a lot of exciting and action-packed scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but also some emotional and dramatic moments that will tug at your heartstrings. The characters are all charismatic and unique, each with their own personality and backstory. The animation is colorful and smooth, and the voice acting is superb. The opening and ending songs are catchy and fit the mood of the show. I recommend this anime to anyone who likes isekai, tower defense, slice-of-life, and sci-fi genres. It is a fun and entertaining animethat will make you feel good and amazed by the power of Arts. If you are looking for a light-hearted and thrilling anime with a lot of humor and magic, you should definitely watch Arknights Animation: Prelude to Dawn
KuroganeAkira1
As the viewpoint of people who played Arknights for over three years, it might be different from others. STORY: To normal people, who never played the game before, it is quite bland. Because as the title, "Prelude to Dawn" simply the introduction of the series. So long story short, as a adaption, Yostar did a decent job. It's is predictable, just good enough to hold you for a few first ep. But to Arknights player, well... It just acceptable so 6/10. ART: The animation is smooth enough, it describes the dark vibes of whole Terra, meanwhile backgrounds are quite unique. But it's still, mediocre. The side-cast are just bunch ofsolders with very little animation. On the other hand, most of the main character are well-portrayed. But again, it falls short for imagining the "Doctor" if you are familiar with the game and wanted to compare it with your imagination. Solid 7/10.
SOUND:
The VAs did a really good job. Soundtrack is great, too, fits the vibe and the dark mood throughout the story, thanks to MSR. So nothing much to talk about. It's somewhere 8-9/10 for a decent anime.
CHARACTER:
Amiya - the main character besides "Doctor", is developing through series. Amiya, 16, is the head of Rhodes, will experience what is war really like, the matter of war and its consequences. And the "Doctor", nonetheless, is dissatisfaction because he feels... weird like the way he react.
Others are just good enough for their debut on anime. So somewhere 6-7/10.
ENJOYMENT:
For others, I think it will have mixed between them. Honestly, if you are anime lovers, this is quite bland and predictable for you. It's not that memorable, and honestly, re-watching it twice can be stale. Conclusion, if you can skip all that flaws, you can consider this season is just the opening, and wait for the 2nd season. So 6-7/10.
OVERALL: STORYx2 + ART + SOUND + CHARACTERx3 + ENJOYMENTx3 = 12 + 7 + 8.5 + 21 + 19.5 = 68/100.
SomeDudeOverHere
It's good. Trust me, I'm a doctor. Or so I'm told. The story is supposed to be seen from the perspective of a genius doctor who has lost all memory of his life's work, extensive experience and closest friends. How? Why? No time for that. Follow the rabbit if you want to live. The Arknights world is heavy in lore, and the experience is supposed to be confusion taking it all in. It's futuristic, magical, dystopian, deadly and uncomfortably real. And like the real world, it's full of characters trying to make the best of this world. Some with idealism, some for a paycheck, some for medicalcare, some just trying to find a place that feels like home.
Arknights the anime is based on Arknights the mobile game. The game follows the leadership of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company slash private military out to save lives by force in a hostile world. But that game is really more a sprawling visual novel and it was begging for an anime adaptation. I've watched some pretty terrible anime adaptations of video games (cough Pokemon cough), and this is not that. This is actually good.
You'll like it for the characters, who have depth and relationships and values constantly on display. Amiya is the bold, adorable, sweet murder machine and CEO. And her supporting cast is a harem of professional killers for justice... or other reasons. The key character you won't have strong feelings about is The Doctor. He or she is supposed to be an enigma for you to project onto. As alluded to by their outfit (with androgynous eyes barely visible), they work hard to remain an enigma. Sex, species, feelings, thoughts... no, that information is not for anyone. They are the stone faced chess player, the chatty ladies with weapons around them are just pawns with pulses. If it wasn't for them expressing support for Amiya's vision, they would just be haunting.
The story is engaging and unpredictable (if you haven't played the game), and focused on combat with an overwhelming foe. Like real-world combat, you start with a plan, it goes out the window as soon as the enemy acts, you make the best new one you can and repeat. The adversaries have the initiative, brains and OPSEC, so don't expect to know their next move. And while you may not realize it, this entire story arc is just a teaser, an introduction to a world that gets so much more complicated.
The art is excellent. While the cast is mostly a harem of badass chicks, don't expect fan service panty shots. These ladies are mostly in streetwear, practical or tactical - you know, like actual women. There's some sensible heels (that aren't sensible in combat) and short skirts that more fashionable than practical, but it comes off more as those characters saying 'I like wearing this' than straight indulging male fantasy.
The voice acting is excellent, as is the music. It has some serious production quality for a spinoff. This was noticeable in the game as well, and the company seems dedicated to high production quality,
One other thing I noticed is the number of anime tropes that never appear. Because this really isn't written by anime writers. The publisher, Yostar, is mainland Chinese. And while the authors definitely appreciate the anime aesthetic, they very different values than the manga otaku crowd. For example, there are governments you probably don't like, but don't expect dissent and do expect a reason to defend them. I wonder why a Chinese story includes that? Hmm...
Anyway, long story short: watch it.
Alokr
A Missed Opportunity Yet Worth Watching With the background of a popular mobile game, the hype and anticipation of a series that would depict and expand upon the world of Terra was high. However, the anime struggles to tell the game’s narrative and lore. The transition from game to anime often presents an opportunity to retouch the story for dramatic effect. However, the anime remains content with a straightforward translation, neither significantly improving upon the narrative nor offering new insights. It skips the chance to integrate various storylines parallel to the main one, which would have made for a more nuanced and engaging plot. While it payshomage to the game, they could have taken a bolder step to captivate the viewer.
Visuals:
With Yuki Watanabe as director, Prelude to Dawn is visually captivating. But while the visuals can be stunning, the inconsistent quality is noticeable. For each scene, there are instances where the animation falls short of the standard.
At points, the backgrounds lose their quality, feeling less immersive and more generic.
Similarly, character design is a mixed bag. The protagonists enjoy a diverse range, yet the antagonists come across as a monotonous, generic horde, save for the enemy bosses. This stays true to the game design but translates poorly to anime form, reducing each encounter to a quickly forgettable fight.
Sounds and Music:
The anime does offer one of the better auditory experiences, with one of the highlights being the voice acting. The anime kept all the original voice actors from the game.
Other than that, the choice to keep entire scenes without any music struck a nice contrast and added more weight to those scenes.
Final Thoughts:
All in all, the anime manages to depict the story events just right and offers an enjoyable adaptation of the game, which, in itself is enough to make it a decent watch. The odd phasing and inconsistencies can be partially to blame for the 8-episode format.
As a fan of the game, I highly recommend this anime, it proves to be more than just a commercial for the game.
StarAlone
I have really mixed feelings about this one as i am not really sure for who this anime is aimed for. As fellow veteran Arknights player even for my optimistic scoring, the high mark mainly comes from being able to finally see my favourite characters on screen, talking, interacting and stuff... But to be honest i almost feel disappointed. Probably partly it comes from obvious hype over Arknights finally getting so longed teased anime, knowing well what Hypergryph (company behind the game) is able to achive (especially in music industry). Buut no matter how much i was happy to see anything from Arknights and them, i kindof feel it was quite lower of what anyone would expect as although artstyle itself is very good, characters do look sometimes weirdly smooth and... a little off to anyone who saw them hundreds of times in game, especially during some scenes... but as much as fast i got use to it, it didn't change the fact they clearly have a problem with animations, especially special effects like arts because some scenes despite the good art, fighting looks really cheap.
And back to the main problem. We can split people who will/might watch it into 2 groups: those who already played Arknights, and those who didn't.
I am having hard time believing that this anime will make anyone want to try out the game more and actually on the contrary, it might discourage some as above problems i mentioned, for those who are new to the Arknights universum, anime really does not explain much about anything or even who is who and what we got are 8 episodes of cut outs of actual main story of the game. As just another anime title for those people, most likely it will be far from being their favourite title so i have to reconsider if i recommend this to any of my non-Arknights friends.
And for those who do play Arknights, i feel like hype and being exrtremly happy to see characters on screen like Nearl or W or Ace... is the main drive for watching this, because when i make a break and think abouit what i am watching, i do not feel the same level of entertainment as of even in case of some random 12 episode titles we get every season.
8 might be even too much in eyes of some very objective people and i must say i won't be recommending to everyone, but am i happy this anime was created? Yes!
Was it fun? Yes~
Could they do better?
Sadly have to give third Yes
LordSozin
Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is an anime made for people who are already familiar with the series and the franchise, to begin with. It should be noted that the anime is an adaptation of the same game by the same name: Arknights. And as the rest of the anime title implies, the anime is a prologue to what the fans often allude to as an introduction to a much grander narrative filled with plentiful world-building, complex characterizations, and profound mythology. It goes without saying that people who are fans of Arknights and have played the game will have an ecstatic time with Arknights: Prelude toDawn because of their immense knowledge of the game’s narrative and events. Moreover, seeing it all play out in a well-produced animation format will surely satisfy most of the fans. However, speaking for myself, a person who never played the game and couldn’t care less to dive into a gacha game for that matter, don’t have many positives to say about the anime in itself.
I don’t believe this anime adaptation is bad, nor do I believe the anime does anything exceptional or marvelous. It’s a prologue after all. And as a prologue, it’s an introduction to the world of Arknights. One thing to be noted is that the pacing is rather slow this time around. Which, I believe it does works in the series' favor somewhat. The slow introduction to the world of Arknights allows the anime to present the intricacies of its setting and firmly establish the tone and atmosphere of the narrative. And this really is the main appeal of the prologue: the bleakness and hopelessness of Terra—at least on the surface level.
Set in the land of Terra, the world of Arknights has been plunged into conflicts and terror since the occurrence of natural disasters known as “Catastrophy”. The regular occurrence of these catastrophic events brings down hellfire and destruction to humanity and its civilization. However, it doesn’t stop there. Its leftover remnants also radiate an incurable disease known as Oripathy upon the populations, which is the main cause of human conflict in Terra. The central focus of the entire narrative in Arknights: Prelude to Dawn can be pinned down to this internal conflict. Every plot point and event that occur within the anime happens as the result of this continuous phenomenon. Nonetheless, the issue lies in that despite the captivating establishment of its conflict, the factions involved in this conflict are left with a lot to be desired.
In the prologue, there are two main factions within this conflict. And that they exist simply because of their ideological differences. One, the Reunion side, which the series sets up as the main antagonist force of the two, strongly believes in the superiority of the infected people. Their belief, although vaguely presented thus far, stems from their suffering at the hands of oppression and annihilation from governments and their opposing force: Rhode Island. Rhode Island, contrary to Reunion, is a much more coordinated force that heavily serves the role of extension to the supposed existence of governments within the land of Terra in the series. But because many elements in Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is so ambiguous and up in the air, the conflicts that do happen feels dry and devoid of urgency in the narrative. The post-apocalyptical societal commentary that the show intends to portray is lost in the ever distractions of one-off antagonist forces that don’t get fully fleshed out; sub-plots and side missions that don’t contribute much to the narrative other than to serve as some superficial drama and dull action sequences on screen that’s also plagued with conventional anime dialogues that get your eyes rolling over at its corniness, and tire-some ways of conveying to the viewers.
The conflicts that happen in the show feel dry because of the show’s ideological and literal conflicts that are embodied by the Reunion and Rhode Island is plagued with bland characterizations. Throughout the entire run, there’s nothing profound to be revealed about the Reunion’s idealogy and their psychotic devotion to the cause. On the surface, whenever they're on screen, they illuminate the aura of sophisticated groups with personalities. That despite their divided sub-factions, they seem to have the same ideological connections. But when they actually speak and talk, they embody the typical one-off villains that are never to be seen again with corny dialogue and obnoxious voice acting. The anime never once attempted to explore that side of the conflict. Which, by a long shot, is the most interesting of the two main factions. Instead, the time spent on the Reunion side has gotten nothing but vagueness for the entire duration.
Furthermore, with the introduction of a “doctor” who’s all but lost their memories of themselves, the show relies on the supporting cast to remind the “doctor” and by extension, the viewers, that there’s a reason for all the chaos, destruction and rescues without saying much at the same time. It’s the usage of ambiguousness in the introduction of the series that holds back the overall appeal and attention that the show at the same time demands of us. Much of the show is in a state of multiple concurrent moving pieces despite its slower pacing, which prompts itself to never settle down and take a breather to present its ideas through the characters and actually show the viewers of its world’s societal complexities and complications that the series emphasizes. Because of this, over the course of its runtime, there’s nothing to be taken away from this installment. Even if Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is a prologue, there should have been a clear objective of what it wants to achieve, which the show seemingly doesn’t have outside of its visual compartment.
The next section of this review is more of a personal grudge that I have for the series as a whole rather than a universal problem that it has. And I’m well aware that the consensus of likability on this specific aspect of the show obviously varies from person to person. But what I find particularly distracting about Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is the semi-animal-humanoid character designs. For a series that reiterates again and again about its bleakness, a hopeless world where everything is either collapsing or on the brink of collapse, certain characters with cute slim bunny ears or tiny rabbit ears and tails really take me out of the immersion. It’s one thing if, from the onset, there were only these semi-animal-humanoid species on Terra that resembles human-like attributes and they have populated and ingrained themselves into the world. That way, everything would feel organic. But that’s clearly not the case: there are regular humans inhabiting Terra too.
Having semi-animal-humanoid characters in a series is not the problem, the issue lies in the series' deliberate design to make them cute and adorable in contrast to a much dreary tone that constantly overshadows the series. Personally, I’ve historically got a problem with the clash of tones in shows and films—especially the ones like Arknights. Where having the moe, ‘kawaii’ or straight-up fanservice moments ruin the immersion for me. And I see it as nothing but an attempt to be more than what it actually is.
As I have aforementioned, the fans of Arknights will probably be more than thrilled to see an adaptation of this prologue. The expectations and hype surrounding the release were already evident. But no matter how much hype and positivity the fans generate for a show like this, however, the flaws will always seep through in the end. Arknights: Prelude to Dawn is a popcorn flick with flashy visuals and an initial intriguing narrative and themes. With it, the show managed to grab an audience but never did anything with the initial appeal.
Ammeton
WAR CRIME THE ANIME You, child of pestilence who has awoken from a dark dream and come back to life from the depths of death. You, beautiful child who knows nothing of love nor of being loved. Thou art anathema. Thou art anathema! Starting with a long POV sequence, we open our eyes to a cruel world. A civilization built with the energy produced from a crystal called Originium and people who are discriminated against due to the disease caused by the same crystal. The people who believe in their own innocence become cruel in the face of the guilt of others.A good adaptation of a game I've never played.
FosterSon
Arknights: Reimei Zensou is an anime adaptation of the mobile gacha game of the same name. Such adaptations exist, as everyone understands, to advertise and convince people to download the game. What can I say, after 2-3 episodes I also downloaded the game to try it. But I will review the anime without paying attention to the game. But some things intrigued me very much before and during the viewing of this title. History: Before us is considered the future where a catastrophe occurred and the world was divided into two parts, into ordinary people and infected people. As is clear, such a world is not aplace of equality and morality. Before us is a very cruel and dystopian picture of the world, where infected people are oppressed, and different groups of infected people are divided into those who simply want to take their place in the world and those who want to forcibly take away equality in the world. Arknights shows a very interesting concept of the world, perhaps not very original, but one that you want to dive into and understand. Why did this happen? Why is the world divided into several sides of the conflict? How will people come to an understanding? The problem is that the anime has only 8 episodes and its pace is very fast. It does not have time to show some interesting details of the world. Does not allow to sink into the lore.. Everything is told very superficially. If the first season had 12 or even more episodes, then the events would be more interesting to watch.
Rating: 6
Characters:
In Arknights, there are not many characters that influence the story or that could be mentioned. Therefore, I will single out several characters and a few words about secondary characters
Amiya: A very cute rabbit girl who is the leader of the Rhodes organization. Amie has her own ideals that she tries to follow, namely to help all the infected and save everyone. Such characters can be found very often in stories. Therefore, Amiya will go through all the ways of such character development. I think everyone guesses from the plot what exactly will happen and what decision Ami will have to make.
The Doctor: The empty protagonist of the game, who loses his memory early on. Before that, the Doctor tried to invent a cure for the infection. Nothing can be said about him, because he is essentially an empty protagonist of the game, through whom the viewer in the game and anime watches the events around him.
Side Characters: Many characters are playable characters in the game. All of them are very beautiful, cute and impressive. It is impossible to reveal them in such a small amount of screen time. But some of them play a key role in some events. But this is a feature of this title, that it has a lot of bright and beautiful characters that are nice to look at and that I would love to play as in the game. Characters that I liked the most: Texas and Doberman.
Rating: 6
Animation and Graphics:
Not very familiar with other works of Yostar Pictures, but Arknight looks very high quality. Such a cinematic picture caught my eye from the first trailer, after which I immediately became interested in this project and waited for the date of the first episode. I won't say that this is a perfect picture, but it did its job. It's a pleasure to watch. I still want to praise the studio for the excellent work with the visuals, the design of the characters and the world. Everything looks at a high level.
Rating: 8
Action:
It can be said that there were not many action scenes, but in 8 episodes to reveal the plot and show interesting battle scenes... it is very difficult to imagine such a thing. Although we have a future with airplanes, cities that move to avoid being hit by meteorites, but many characters are armed with swords, crossbows, or other types of outdated weapons. Sometimes it looks strange, but you can discount the fact that we have a dystopia after the apocalypse. A stable production of ammunition that constantly armed people is very difficult to imagine in such a world. Only some characters have firearms and it would be interesting to know where they get them and the cartridges for them.
Rating: 4
Audio:
Nothing was remembered from the audio. No background, no ambient sounds, nothing. But I can't say that anything was bad. Nothing annoyed me while watching. I would like to make a special mention of the OP song performed by Reona, I liked it. Not a masterpiece, but a very pleasant opening. Some titles are not capable of such a thing.
Rating: 5
Conclusion:
Arknights is quite an interesting example of a good adaptation of a mobile game. I wouldn't recommend this game to everyone. For fans of the game, this is a must-have title, I think they will not be disappointed. For those who are thinking of starting to play the game, maybe this title will solve all the questions. For everyone else, if you have nothing to watch and want something, then you can pay attention to this title. Although you have nothing to lose if you skip it. From what I heard from fans of the game, this is one of the earliest and not the most interesting stories in the game, so you can wait for the adaptation of more interesting arcs and then dig into this interesting world.
Finity303
I think they should make a survey for the fanbase in-game about what they thought about the anime. I wish that they will improve the doctor's instruction in the battle. The doctor not showing too much that he has a talent in strategies which is kinda upset. They can surely make him talk more and give detailed and fast orders that have real impact meaning, not just " snipers attack the frontline and caster attack the backline" but something like "Snipers focus on some important points to spread out the enemies's formation, vanguard open ways for the defender and guard to further spread the enemiesout and handle every single one of them. While casters focus on the backline try to cover the arrows or arts from their casters or make the ground harder to see through because of sand and the wind is favorable" or something like that. It would impress the players more about how skilled the doctor is with the tactic in real combat.
BimaSylirian
At the first impression, it was "acceptable". By "acceptable", I mean it is watchable, not bad but it's lacking a lot to make it a good anime. It has a somewhat good story concept but the execution is filled with anime logic, which means illogical in real world. Let's start with the first thing that we can see: Animation. For an anime released in 2022, it does not look like one. To be more specific, I watched this right after I finished watching Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Nuee These Sakubou. As a direct comparison in terms of animation only, I feel like I am goingback 15 years in animation quality. When compared to K-ON! from 2009, which is a 13-year-old anime, Arknights still looks more outdated. But I do see they put depth-of-field in the animation to make it look better. Still not impressive for a 2022 anime though.
Then the next thing we see is how the story goes. This is where things get better. The story telling is okay. It doesn't feel rushed but unfortunately, the battle is something that seems to be skipped here. The battle duration is very short and we hardly see every characters' abilities in fight which is a disappointment. The good thing is, it keeps important things in check while skipping the not-so-important things. Still... the lack of cool battle makes this anime uncool.
Then we get into the music. The opening song performed by ReoNa have a gentle melody while the story itself isn't. A kind of weird choice but I guess the studio knows more than me since I don't even pay attention to the meaning of the lyrics. In game music is fine but hardly noticeable because there is no moment that can take a full advantage of the music in the anime. The ending theme performed by Doul gave a different impression but I think it is a quite good song though.
Then we get into the characters. Amiya is somewhat a typical character that anime logic comes right into the play. I mean... Who the hell put an underage girl as a leader of an organization?! Definitely no one in real life would do so, especially when there are many adults that should be more capable as a leader in the organization. Then we see the "Doctor" who has no memories and rarely speaks. We don't even know what kind of person the Doctor is. One thing we know for sure, The Doctor is not capable of fighting. The other character worth mentioning is Ch'en. By far, she is the most logical character in this anime. The other characters that seems logical enough are Dobermann and Liskarm, then the rests are your typical anime characters with colorful personalities.
After characters, comes the voice behind the characters. The seiyuu(s) or voice actors/actresses. Doctor voiced by Kaida Yuki sounds not old enough as man. I wish for a more manly and commanding voice. Kurosawa Tomoyo as Amiya sounds like a girl with sad life which gave me weird impression. The girl who showed up in every life streaming, Ishigami Shizuka as Ch'en actually fits really nice here. A leader with strong and commanding voice. Interestingly, I think the other seiyuus also did very good as their own character.
I have a mixed feelings watching this anime. For those who played the game, this is worth watching and still considered to be a "Good" Anime. For those who don't, just skip this. It simply doesn't worth your time. After seeing how Azure Lane gets anime adaptations, I wish Arknights could be better but that simply isn't the case.
Icarus1488
Honestly solid animation, world building and characters, but it suffers from same thing a lot of anime based on VNs and games do - endless, ceaseless infodumps of the game story right onto the viewers lap in massive, massive chunks. Frankly, I don't care about the story from the game. It can not exist for all I care, but the anime exists to sell you the game (despite it being free) rather than animate it, so endless exposition is a must. I'd much rather just have the anime take an original path with a fresh story that doesn't require infodumps and give me more of theworld building and characters, I don't care about the gacha attached to it so please stop trying to sell it to me.
Would be a low 9 or high 8 but unfortunately the CEASELESS infodumps drag it so much down I give it a 7 and it still feels too high.
The world that the anime paints is nice, in sense that it's not nice; the world is a total dystopian shithole wrecked by cataclysms so badly that humanity (with animal ears?) gave up on living in one place and created massive nomadic cities, on top of that, the cataclysms deposit a mineral that can cause an incurable deadly infectious disease with 100% mortality rate, AND it's a source of energy. Do the math on what makes this world spin and how the mineral is procured by the more morally creative factions.
Protagonists are part of a Big Pharma™ trying to cure the disease, but it doesn't seem like they'll succeed anytime soon because they're being led by an amnesiac. Everyone reveres this amnesiac as the best thing since sliced bread, but that's because it's the player character from the gacha. No personality to speak of and the reason they all love xim is because AAFHSDGHSDFHDSGHF [DATA EXPUNGED] + amnesia whoops! Easily the weakest part of the anime. Stop circlejerking around this character, please.
Aside from the cardboard cutout main character, the characters are rather well written, I chalk this up to them actually having a thought-out backstory from the gacha, unlike most anime characters. The gacha is really a double-edged blade here, isn't it?
You don't see much of the antagonist, but the little you can see is fairly shitty - not much of motivation uncovered here other than sheer butthurt at nothing in particular. Weak.
The best part of the anime is actually when it expands on the scenes from the game (without directly following them) and the player character is not present. The battle in Chernobog against the antagonist was pretty good, but then the second antagonist appears in the Lungmen arc and ruins everything by being incredibly boring and contrived.
Overall, not a bad watch, but I could also think of many other anime that are just straight up better. If you have nothing better to do, give this one a try.
I'm hoping the studio will do its own anime original story set in the Arknights world, as it's the greatest strength of the anime.
i-like-this
Doctor Who? If there's one thing you can say about Arknights Animation: Prelude to Dawn, it’s that its presentation is excellent. Not only is the art and animation stunning, but the use of letterboxing gives the anime a cinematic feel and enhances its apocalyptic setting by giving it a sense of grandeur yet hopelessness. If there is a major positive in Arknight’s favour it’s that it got me to check out the mobile game it’s based on. Although I didn’t spend that much time with it as it’s not my thing, I can’t emphasise enough how much of a strength that is for any anime. Intriguing world-building,magic systems and an interesting story were some things I enjoyed about the show.
Unfortunately, Arknights (the anime) is held back from being a really good eight-episode series by little things, but two major problems are its unsatisfyingly written final two episodes and ironically, the two main protagonists, Aimya and the Doctor… I guess that's four major factors.
Aimya is the leader of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company/militia group researching a cure for Oripathy or “the disease” and her goal is to save as many people as possible. However, she is frustratingly inconstant to watch. At one moment she’s indecisive and timid as a leader which puts her comrades in genuine danger thanks to her inability to make decisions, but for some reason, her comrades will always praise her and reassure her that they’re “with her until the end.” My question is why? Why and how did she become the leader of Rhode Island? Sure she’s good at… talking like a leader(?) I guess? But from what we’re shown in the show I’m surprised there hasn’t been a mutiny.
The second problem is the Doctor who suffers from a storytelling classic, amnesia. In the game, the Doctor is the androgynous, masked-covered player character and a master strategist, but in the show, she/he doesn’t do anything. He/She’s super important enough for Rhode Island to risk members for an extract and rescue mission to save he/her at the beginning of the first episode, but apart from a few moments where he/she contributes to a battle he/she might as well not be there. He/She is only purpose is to tell Amiya how amazing she is when she screws up. That’s it.
Most of the supporting cast are quite likeable. The best character in the show by far is Exusiai although Texas and Franka aren’t far behind, but because this is an advertisement for a mobile game with gotcha waifu’s the show doesn’t linger on any of them for too long before it has to introduce the next one. And if you’re a guy in the show you either wear a mask, cover parts of your face or you’re cartoonishly evil. The sole exception to this rule is Wei, the leader of Lungmen. It’s very transparent in what the show's priorities are when it comes to showcasing characters.
Also, this is just a nitpick of mine, but why is everyone a lycanthrope/animal person? I didn’t get far enough in the game to know if there is a reason for this or if it affects anything, but in the show, it would change nothing if they were just normal humans. Hell, they even refer to themselves as such. It’s a weird, distracting character design choice which doesn’t change the views or perceptions of world inhabitants and I can only assume was a decision made to sell more gotcha waifu’s.
I know I’ve come across as rather negative about Arknights in this review, but it’s only because I was enjoying the show so much at the beginning that this criticism stands out to me. I want to lay into how stupid episodes 7 & 8 were and why (despite their admittedly great action scenes), but that’s spoiler territory which you’d need to watch to understand. If the anime hadn’t dropped the ball so hard by the end it would’ve been a 7 or maybe even an 8/10 in my opinion. But it did… so it’s not. It’s unfortunately another victim of video game adaptations.
At least the Arknights community have been super nice and helpful when answering my questions about the world, the game and the characters in the episode comments. They love it and it’s great that they’ve got an anime they can enjoy… but please don’t hate me too much for this review.
6/10 It’s Okay *Thumbs Up*
