Ingress: The Animation

I started the series because I played Ingres back in the days. The show captures the feeling quite well and has a good "old-school" drawing style (akin to Ghost in the Shell, Akira, ...). The music is quite good and the first couple of episode are interesting and push you to watch more. And here comes the but: As the show progresses I got the feeling of watching an ad for Ingress and Android Phones at some point. The characters where just not written well enough (the good youngster, his powerful damsel-in-distress love interest, the tough support, the sadistic antagonist) to maintain an innovative story line and thus it got quite linear and predictable. Overall a series to watch if there is nothing else to watch. But otherwise again a Netflix production which overpromises. If you are looking for a good anime series on Netflix, watch Castlevania instead.

The tale has been told many times before, and much better. I won't get into spoilers (although doing so would make this review much easier). Suffice to say the animation is mediocre, the story line done and done before, a basic "hero needs to save the world from evil overlord" type scenario (however that is accomplished). I found myself yawning halfway through, and still yawning at the end. Ho hum, yet another good guys vs bad guys gun battle-- and another-- and another. Throw in some mysticism hokum just for kicks along with some global-scale explosions. People with super powers yada yada.

Suffice to say there's nothing new here, move along, move along. Thus the "mediocre" 5-star rating. People who give such animations 10 stars are either associated with the film or don't have a clue about rating cinema. Just so it's said: 10 stars is best of the best, astounding film making. 1 star is gutter trash Z-class no-redeeming-factors slop. The extremists need to learn there are rating stars in between-- and need to learn how to better judge where a film belongs in that 10-star range. Giving this level of film 9 & 10 stars is the same as saying, "I don't have a clue how to properly examine and review a film."

In short, it was an unimpressive presentation throughout. Even adrenaline junkies likely will be giving this one a thumbs down.

As a fervent player of Pokémon Go, my interest in Ingress: The Animation was piqued by the knowledge that the map used in Pokémon Go was originally created for the Ingress game. This connection promised a deeper dive into the lore and universe that subtly underpins one of the most popular mobile games today.

Ingress: The Animation manages to provide a fairly accessible and engaging series, even for those unfamiliar with its gaming origins. The narrative does a decent job of introducing viewers to the complex world of Ingress, laying out its mythos and mechanics with reasonable clarity. The story is centered around a clandestine struggle involving secretive factions vying for control of a mysterious energy source, which makes for a moderately compelling backdrop.

The characters, while not extraordinarily deep, are well-developed enough to maintain interest. Their motivations and backgrounds are explored in a way that feels mostly organic. Nonetheless, viewers are likely to become sufficiently invested in their journeys and conflicts.

Pacing is handled competently. The story unfolds at a pace that generally keeps things moving without feeling too rushed. Action sequences are balanced with moments of introspection and dialogue, although some episodes may feel a bit slow for those seeking constant excitement.

Moreover, the series is commendably concise. With a limited number of episodes, each with a suitable runtime, Ingress: The Animation avoids the bloat that plagues many modern shows. This tight narrative structure ensures that every episode serves a purpose, though some may find the overall arc lacking in depth.

In conclusion, Ingress: The Animation is a reasonably entertaining series that succeeds in providing a basic introduction to the Ingress universe and delivering a moderately engaging story. Its character development, effective pacing, and concise storytelling make it a serviceable addition to the realm of game-adapted media. Whether you're a seasoned player of Niantic's games or a newcomer to the franchise, this series offers a passable viewing experience.

I really enjoyed this series. I am not familiar with the game it is based on and it seems that you don't really need any previous knowledge of the game to enjoy the show.

The animation, story, characters, world-building, are all solid. It's an easy to follow story that focuses on just a handful of main characters. I've noticed a trend of recent Anime series focusing on dozens of main characters without much focus (e.g. Seven Deadly Sins) and it felt good to focus on about half a dozen characters, each with their own story arcs and character development. All of the main characters are well-rounded with motivations that make sense and some possible plot holes are explained and fixed as the series progresses and gives the viewer more information, which I think is a nice touch. While it isn't necessarily groundbreaking, it is a great series that hits the mark more often than not and is another solid addiction to the Netflix Anime collection.

The plot is generic urine. Same as characters. Visually it has a lot of annoying colorful particle diarrhea.

I did like the sound effects and music selection though. Honestly sound is the only part about this show that doesnt suck.