ANIME REVIEW: SYNDUALITY - NOIR

3.5/5

Tokyo 2242 Drift.

12 Episodes. Starring: Takeo Otsuka, Aoi Koga, Nagisa Aoyama, Yasuke Kobayashi, Fumiho Komatsu, Yoshi Inagaki, Ayaka Ohashi, Taito Saka & M.A.O. Director: Yusuke Yamamoto. On: Disney +.

Take the edge off the running computer game inspired 'Cyberpunk' anime on Netflix. Add 'The Black' of the 'Pacific Rim' rock 'em, sock' em Kaiju K.O. human controlled robots. And sync them with the Major avatars of the iconic 'Ghost On The Shell' Japanese anime, from the outstanding original to the cinema ready 'SAC_2045'. And you'll have the 'Synduality: Noir' of a brand-new anime on the most successful streaming service's rival Disney + (Star+ and Hulu). One based on the Bandai game from Namco Filmworks. Animated by Eight Bit, but looking nothing like those nostalgic 80s video games on a brand new CG anime that still looks authentic, next to the Godzilla plodding likes of the great new 'Gamera's' grand design, missing a few tried and tested tricks. Directed by Yusuke Yamamoto and scripted by Takashi Aoshima, Hajime Kamoshida's story draft and Kenichirō Katsura's character design come to life and score high behind Masato Nakayama's stunning soundtrack for your riding out battle music cries. 

Stereo Dive Foundation's opening 'Raytracer' theme keeps this show racing, all the way to the 'Eureka' of a Arcana Project finish line. Now waking up this 'Synduality' after its September end, those green with envy for a day they can arm up again only need to wait until January. A second cour has been announced at Synduality Project TGS Special Stage event at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show. Drifting through coffins and DAISYOGRE flower planting, widow making set-pieces, behind the mask you'll see cooler face coverings than your best pair of sunglasses, Ray. Even if they won't really keep you safe in this day and age. But once the dice is cast on this mixed-media project with an elite 'Ellie' manga and light novel, this pure dream of a relentlessly kinetic animated series will stay rolling and shooting like the first people of its 'Echo Of Ada' video game. 'Ahsoka' tying everything together like 'Star Wars' in the connected 'Kaleido' novel in this all-encompassing scope. Set in 2242, 20 years after the game (literally), Kanata (voiced by Takeo Otsuka) becomes a drifter with Noir (Aoi Koga), a Magus who has lost her memories after being left in museum ruins (and just wait until she exhibits them). All for the best one-two punch since the cameo post-credits of Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099 and his A.I. assist pointed us across this year's Spider-Verse. 

Ciel's diva (Nagisa Aoyama) sings like a South Korean CL with punchy popularity. Whilst the Rock Town Vegas sins of Tokio (Yusuke Kobayashi) will show you this show that gambles more than playing Pachinko slot with the change from your UFO catcher is not suitable for children busting out of puberty. But at least it's not on the edge of 'Cyberpunk's' epic, explicit glory. His Magus Mouton (Shiho Komatsu) could even put Batman's Alfred to shame. Kanata's childhood friend Ellie (voiced by Yoshi Inagaki) her Magus (Ayaka Ohashi as Angers), the Mahat Black Mask of Yasuto Saka and M.A.O's Schnee (the Mask's Magus) complete the army of a cast ready to go to battalion battle. Surfing through a Silver Storm in a storm of A.I. All in an amazing artillery of action and vivid video sequences that feel like a dream...let alone the awe-inspiring world building of the gaming genre. Get in sync with 'Synduality' and the neo world of this noir matrix will show you it's the one like those that got away. Despite its duality to many animes that have computer generated their way onto screens before it, 'Synduality' still has its own individuality as it fades to noir. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', 'Pacific Rim: The Black', 'Ghost In The Shell: SAC_2045'.