As I watched the first few episodes of the show, the review title was the first thought that came to my mind. What if Hatsune Miku went on a futuristic rescue operation? To an extent, yes, it indeed gave a taste of unoriginality, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the show.
The persona 'Vivy' had a pretty stoic perspective to her objective, 'My mission is to make people happy with my singing', a main character which felt distant in terms of connecting with the viewer. I guess her being an AI could make it relatable. But speaking of characters, it leaves a lot to be desired, considering we have seen typical characters like Vivy (the reserved and stoic android protagonist) or Matsumoto (the annoying know-it-all side-kick). There was much less character development than it could have been done in the show.
Despite having the ideal looks within the female AIs and the perfect body in terms of anime tropes, I'd say most viewers would forget the whole writing.
The script had a lot of dialogues (esp. For Matsumoto), which seemed to brag on about the knowledge the writers had about technology, put into writing the whole thing, instead of actually developing the characters whilst the screen-time given. This was one of the reasons of average writing I felt in the story, added with tawdry sentimentality often times to compensate, to make an average viewer believe the show being a 'masterpiece-of-the-year' or some similar disillusion. The dialogues were at best average, since I couldn't find anything new compared to previous anime in similar genres. It can be said, the writer(s) of the show were academically qualified, but not in artistic sense.
The story as a whole had a simple basis with a long in-story timeline. It did feel distant in the beginning but began to develop over time. There were certain good instances of drama through the show, capable of expressing genuine emotions. But these are few. In a small way, the story felt disconnected through the characters, during shifts between the various timelines. Sometimes the whole thing felt rushed through the action or character sequences, which could have been done better if the creators breathed a moment and redone in a slower progress of story, focusing events and more on characters. Though by the end of Episode 11, I'd say the story has developed well enough to be appreciated by the common viewer.
Animation was top-notch, Wit Studio doing an amazing job. But on contrary, Vivy's overall production reminded of its studio predecessor - Great Pretender. Though not as bad as the latter, Vivy showed similar lines of average writing as to 'Great Pretender', the latter which was a script disaster with poorly written characters, despite the amazing animation and art direction.
The music associated with the show did relate with the protagonist's basis, but seemed too J-Pop for a sci-fi anime aimed at viewers of various locations in the world. Let's say, K-On was an anime about music, being based on real-life Japan. Thus, the music influenced in that show could be understood. As for Vivy, it didn't focus well on the music side, despite it being a co-musical show. The songs they sang sounded like disjointed prose, and instead, the viewer might have been eager to continue the story ahead.
In a nutshell - Anime/manga fans would like the show and it's worth the watch, there's no doubt. But critically speaking, it's an action-based musical anime set in an upcoming dystopia. Seems too much to focus on, I'd say. Not to mention, the run-of-the-mill recurring character types that have plagued anime. Some things need to change hereafter long periods of ignorance, lax structure and abuse of the same in the industry, providing the viewers with stories/shows with great potential and yet substandard executions. A show cannot be deemed great, let alone 'a masterpiece' if this cannot be realised. A thought of concern regarding basic quality.
The persona 'Vivy' had a pretty stoic perspective to her objective, 'My mission is to make people happy with my singing', a main character which felt distant in terms of connecting with the viewer. I guess her being an AI could make it relatable. But speaking of characters, it leaves a lot to be desired, considering we have seen typical characters like Vivy (the reserved and stoic android protagonist) or Matsumoto (the annoying know-it-all side-kick). There was much less character development than it could have been done in the show.
Despite having the ideal looks within the female AIs and the perfect body in terms of anime tropes, I'd say most viewers would forget the whole writing.
The script had a lot of dialogues (esp. For Matsumoto), which seemed to brag on about the knowledge the writers had about technology, put into writing the whole thing, instead of actually developing the characters whilst the screen-time given. This was one of the reasons of average writing I felt in the story, added with tawdry sentimentality often times to compensate, to make an average viewer believe the show being a 'masterpiece-of-the-year' or some similar disillusion. The dialogues were at best average, since I couldn't find anything new compared to previous anime in similar genres. It can be said, the writer(s) of the show were academically qualified, but not in artistic sense.
The story as a whole had a simple basis with a long in-story timeline. It did feel distant in the beginning but began to develop over time. There were certain good instances of drama through the show, capable of expressing genuine emotions. But these are few. In a small way, the story felt disconnected through the characters, during shifts between the various timelines. Sometimes the whole thing felt rushed through the action or character sequences, which could have been done better if the creators breathed a moment and redone in a slower progress of story, focusing events and more on characters. Though by the end of Episode 11, I'd say the story has developed well enough to be appreciated by the common viewer.
Animation was top-notch, Wit Studio doing an amazing job. But on contrary, Vivy's overall production reminded of its studio predecessor - Great Pretender. Though not as bad as the latter, Vivy showed similar lines of average writing as to 'Great Pretender', the latter which was a script disaster with poorly written characters, despite the amazing animation and art direction.
The music associated with the show did relate with the protagonist's basis, but seemed too J-Pop for a sci-fi anime aimed at viewers of various locations in the world. Let's say, K-On was an anime about music, being based on real-life Japan. Thus, the music influenced in that show could be understood. As for Vivy, it didn't focus well on the music side, despite it being a co-musical show. The songs they sang sounded like disjointed prose, and instead, the viewer might have been eager to continue the story ahead.
In a nutshell - Anime/manga fans would like the show and it's worth the watch, there's no doubt. But critically speaking, it's an action-based musical anime set in an upcoming dystopia. Seems too much to focus on, I'd say. Not to mention, the run-of-the-mill recurring character types that have plagued anime. Some things need to change hereafter long periods of ignorance, lax structure and abuse of the same in the industry, providing the viewers with stories/shows with great potential and yet substandard executions. A show cannot be deemed great, let alone 'a masterpiece' if this cannot be realised. A thought of concern regarding basic quality.