What They Say:
Raishin Akabane, an exchange student from Japan, arrives at the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart with a goal: use his beautiful automaton Yaya to become the world’s most powerful mage, gain access to the forbidden arts, and use them to kill a man.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Adapted from the ongoing manga series by Reiji Kaitou, Unbreakable Machine-Doll is one of the new series simulcast by FUNimation that comes at the same time as their site relaunch. We’ll be covering the site relaunch separately from this, but we’ll say that playback itself certainly feels like it works a bit better here. With twelve light novels and several manga series going on for this property, studio Lerche certainly has more than enough material to work with for this twelve episode esries. And with the setting for it, which we get introduced to nicely here at the start with coal powered engines and a sort of old school feel to it with some great looking character designs, there’s an appeal for those like me who continue to enjoy that a number of Japanese creators still have a passion for old style trains.
The series introduces us to the pairing of Raishan, a generally handsome young man, and his doll, Yaya, who is a pretty impressive and lifelike automaton. The pair have traveled by train to the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart and run into a bit of trouble towards the end, which allows them to save the day and stop the train from crashing into the station. This gives us a clue of how well the pair work together, which is solid, but also the general strength and temperament of Yaya, as well as some of her lack of social graces in saying how she serves Raishin in all ways, including the bedroom. Thankfully, the two are generally fairly calm when dealing with others and most in public, so at the academy they handle being different well, coming from Japan and not looking like the other people there, and getting a good introduction to things from one of the professors there named Kimberly. All of it showcases some really nice designs and a solid look about it overall while also cluing us in to what it is that Raishin is there for.
Raishin’s goals are kept simple but clear here, which sets the foundations well, as we see how he intends to gain power through magic to kill someone. That works well enough for a motivation and lets us settle into the setting well, especially as we see him connect with an attractive blonde girl named Charlotte who has a cold shoulder towards him. With her position, challenging her is one of his quickest ways to move forward, especially since she’s confident if not cocky. It’s pretty fun to watch the fight that gets underway, letting us see the powers that they have available and the style of combat that exists, giving it a very old school classic fantasy approach with swords, dragons and the like, but also a touch of Victorian style to it as well.
In Summary:
Unbreakable Machine-Doll sets up the basics here well enough with what we get and we largely get a chance to connect with the two leads more than anyone else. The show also makes sure to include Charlotte for a good bit in the second half to spice things up and add a little tension to it all, but it also serves to show us how the action and fights work in this world, at least in regards to the school. Raishin isn’t a terribly deep male lead at the moment, but he’s at least not another wuss and we’re not just thrown into things without a clue here. Yaya is a bit more of a stereotype in a lot of ways, but there’s potential to work there as well. Charlotte is what wins the episode for me since she has some good style and a confidence that’s welcome to see in going up against Raishin when he challenges here. It’s not a standout episode, though it has potential, but the designs work for me and it does leave me curious as to how well it can explore its larger picture.
Grade: B
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
