Not That Guy - Watchlist - Fractale ~ Freak and Nitro TV!

The anime Fractale produced by A1 Pictures (Aka Sony's Aniplex) is tied with Gosick for my next favorite anime of the winter 2011 season.

It isn't apparent in the first few episodes but Fractale is a dystopian sci-fi. The story takes place in the near future in an area that I feel resembles the Brittish Isles, steep chalk cliffs, few trees, green fields, in other words very pastoral. (Update: wikipedia the source of all knowledge claims the anime takes place in Ireland. Go figure). The main character Clain runs into a young lady who leaves him with an doppel, an electronic representation of a person, of unusual character named Nessa. At the urging of his parents and out of curiosity Clain decides to seek out the lady and return to her the doppel. Clains travels are abruptly interrupted when Nessa and himself are kidnapped by the terrorist group (freedom fighters?) New Millennium. From there his understanding of the world he lives in and the Fractal system is challenged.

I found myself captured quite quickly by this anime. Certainly, it has mastered the art of the cliff hanger. Its episodes my not necessarily be the best ones of the week but curiously it is the anime I wait most impatiently for in between episodes. I recommend it as a good anime to place on the follow list this season.

My Rant about Fractale
(Potential Spoilers?)
I am adding the heading potential spoilers out of caution, but the nature of the spoilers is a bit unusual from my perspective. Upon reflection the first episodes do not really conform with anime overall. They start by highlighting the tensions in the relationship between Clain and his parents. The introduction of Phyne and her doppel along with the group New Millennium could be interpreted as plot device to explore and develop a more complete relationship with his family. Instead the anime focuses on the tyranny of the Fractale system (a sort of government / planetary data system). The parents and their relationship with Clain is essentially abandoned completely by episode 4.

The characters are misrepresented as well. Phyne is presented as an innocent but competent Priestest of the Fractal church being unfairly targeted and pursued by the New Millennium forces. Certainly the revelation that she is more complex that initially presented is a fair plot device. However the most prominent misrepresentation is a bit of stretch. I am referring to the dramatic change in the characters of the New Millenium forces. Its reasonable to have them represented at first as the antagonist and then slowly transform into the protagonist as plot details are revealed. Classic the world isn't as it seems plot. However, having them transform from moronic one dimensional characters who are disorganized and unskilled into an elite fighting force with an organized support system and incredible fighting skills is a bit much. By the midpoint of the anime the most prominent characters of New Millennium impassioned, skillful and inspiring. I am not saying it does not represent an improvement, the anime is better for it. In fact the point at which I could no longer stop watching Fractale and the point where the New Millennium characters undergo their reinvention coincide perfectly. I just do not understand the point of presenting them as complete incompetents at the beginning only to have them transform part way through into the extreme fighting force that they become.

Lastly on the topic of anime OP's. This one drives me crazy. When it first starts, it gets me every time. I think, "Yeah this is sounding and looking awesome". Eight seconds later (I've measured it) I am led to complete disappointed as the character of the music completely changes (to crap) and I realize that the entire OP is composed of spiraling geometric patterns. I rather suspect they called the anime Fractale simply so they could save money on the OP by having actual fractales spin around on screen for one and a half minutes.

NTG

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