Akudama Drive

First off: that ending shook me. (Okay onto the review)

At first glance this show looks somewhat generic, I had my doubts in the beginning. It starts off with not a very clear story line with much mystery as to where it is going, but you soon see it is something else. The characters are each unique in there own way, all of them mostly follow a basic anime character trope (but without spoiling anything) they all change as the show changes. At the end of each episode I find myself on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next and how everything will be resolved. The character development is outstanding on a select few of the cast. It's gripping story line leaves me wanting the next episode every single time.

In addition the art is beautiful (I myself love art and seeing this series makes my happy so I may be biased) the animation is wonderful and includes well choreographed and animated fight scenes.

In conclusion, akudama drive has much more to it than what you think (around episode 5-6 is when the plot twists start coming). Some episodes leave me absolutely speechless (I'm talking about you episodes 9 and 10). The ending concludes the series in a shocking way that leave you wondering, what happens now? I definitely recommend giving this one a try, it will not disappoint.

It is available on Funimation and Hulu as of 2020

Watch only if you like Anime in general. Though it has great visuals and interesting story Akudama drive is filled with regular anime tropes.

9/10

The story starts simply with the recruitment of criminals (known as Akudama) for a mission. The mission involves rescuing a killer and attacking the police station. As the Akudamas attack the police station, a normal girl gets involved with the fight between the police and the Akudamas.

We see the story unfold through the eyes of the swindler, a normal girl who accidently got involved with the Akudamas. The journey of the swindler and her development as a character is one core part of the story. All seven Akudamas are wildly entertaining, each has such a unique character design and a distinctive persona. I liked some more than the others.

The animation is gorgeous and a feast for the eyes. The fight scenes are so well made. I loved the action scenes and there are a lot of it. The story becomes compelling as the episode progresses and there are one or two twist that one might not see coming. Akudama drive do not shy away from violence. There are lot of bloods and bodies. And few characters do die in the fight. On the negative side one of the protagonists has thick plot armor and after the first 7 episodes the story do drag a bit but the finale is worth going through those episodes.

This is one of the best anime of 2020. Akudama drive is entertaining from the first episode. The first 6 episodes are a blast. The artwork is absolutely pristine, the action scenes are gorgeous. Mind-blowing action, cool artwork and bright color is a feast for the eyes. What truly sets Akudama drive apart is its entertainment value. Recommended for action anime fans.

I binge watched it.

Like the first Suicide Squad It ended up being just an average 1 viewing show. It started off really good but then turned into a netflixer.

What kind of ending was that? "That's your clue".

A 5 just an average 5.

Akudama Drive caught my attention due to it's vivid animation and the cyberpunk setting with some great music. An original anime with 12 episodes seemed interesting.

The plot was decent, and was executed properly in the first 7-8 episodes. However, around 10th episode, the momentum shifted gears out of nowhere and the story was super rushed. The 2 characters, Swindler and Doctor were the most annoying ones with no development whatsoever.

Although the animation was superb by Studio Peirrot, the story felt short towards the latter episodes and clocking the climax within 12 episodes resulted in a bit of disappointment. I would give high marks for the animation and the funky music throughout the anime, however the story was decent with unsatisfactory execution.

Pros : Amazing animation by Studio Peirrot Cyberpunk setting and the music used was good

Cons : The climax felt short of maintaining the momentum, which was built in first 8 episodes Rushed ending with no strong development of couple of lead characters There was too much chaos in the last 2 episodes which didn't felt connecting with the main storyline.

My Rating : 6/10.

It's pretty promising and it's going to get better