BNA

Alright alright. When I first took a glance at BNA, I felt that it was going to be something pretty cool and awesome. Well, was I wrong, or was I right? I’d say neither. BNA is a show that shows the darker side of the world if beastmen really existed. Firstly, I was pretty shocked to find out that BNA was 12 episodes instead of 24. The setting and everything made it feel like it would have lasted a lot longer than what it actually is. The world-building and everything made you have an easy understanding of what is going on with their world and I honestly appreciate that they used several episodes for that. The story is extremely simple and straightforward, with some things still left unexplained, such as how does Michiru has all these incredibly supernatural powers, even in a supernatural world. I personally enjoyed this show a lot, how you could have never dreamed of such a city being existent in our world. And that the balance between the comedy and the seriousness was of good standards. That dark feeling along with Slice of Life being the jam on top of it created that urban fantasy type of feeling. Even though the story was shown in a straight-forward and simple way as it chooses not to be sophisticated, however, those final few episodes in my honest opinion wasn’t able to push out a darker feeling than I expected it to release. Like I said, Slice of Life is the jam, don’t forget what you’re eating is still the bread. I feel that a darker final few episodes, even if the resolution is still the same, would have impacted many more audiences, myself included. Another thing that got me started on BNA was the pretty unique art style. Nowadays most modern anime (especially isekais) tend to adapt with that pretty generic art style which I don’t mean to be an elitist or anything, I don’t appreciate much. So having this unique curvy, joyful, and dynamic art style is definitely a plus in the art department. As for animation, I don’t have much to say, it’s Trigger. They've always been gorgeous when it comes to their style of animation. If they fail in animation, it’s the same as saying KyoAni produces shitty art—which in contrast, produces the most eye-candy art you'll ever imagine. As for sound goes, I was pretty satisfied. Actually, I was more than satisfied, I was pretty impressed. The OSTs, OP & ED, all had that urban modern society taste imbued into them, along with a bit of a futuristic kind of feeling as well. This led me to really enjoy them and rock to the beat, although that is more of a subjective thing. One OST that impacted me was that song Michiru and Nazuna sang together, it reminded me of how special friends were, and yeah. That’s literally all. The character development for the characters I would say wasn’t the most substantial, but it’s decent for a 12 episode series. Especially Oogami, his character development, backstory, and everything was really well-done and Trigger deserves a thumbs up for that. Michiru like what Nazuna always tells her hasn’t changed much. Well, I suppose that is pretty realistic, humans don’t change much over such a short period of time do they, especially for somebody as stubborn as Michiru. But the characters overall were really enjoyable and I had a really fun time watching them. (Especially my little precious bear Jackie) Overall, I had loads of fun watching BNA, although story-wise it was not even close to what I had wanted, but I got something else that I didn’t ask for: Fun character interaction. Honestly, I’m satisfied with just that. So, you interested in BNA? Sure, go ahead, but don’t expect some crazy complicated storyline that even the great Hououin Kyouma can’t figure out. ;)

Despite my negative comments below, I thoroughly enjoyed BNA, and so should you. Story: 7 As mentioned in some other reviews, the story becomes quite cliché as it moves on. There are so many questions that are left unanswered. BNA is a story that draws parallels between real-world discrimination and discrimination against the beastmen and also how money often drives horrible things that can happen in society. In trying to deliver this message through the story, Trigger did a great job, despite having a plot that is so obvious that it can be seen from a mile away. The story could have been much better fleshed out and become much more comfortable and less rushed if the anime were longer than 12 episodes. I genuinely don't understand why they didn't bother making at least 24 episodes; I really would have liked some more slice-of-life sessions (such as the baseball arc) to break apart the fast-paced storyline, which would also have allowed the side characters to play a larger role in the story (Mink ex machina?). Sometimes I got tired watching the same people do the same things over and over again. The ideas in the story were quite inconsistent, and there were a lot of unexplained power-ups and ex machinas that could have been elaborated on. Art: 8 Trigger has a very specific art style which is different from what we usually expect and pairs well with the lo-fi musical feel. It takes a moment to get used to, although I did tend to enjoy it more as time went on. Sound: 9 Including the fantastic OP, the music has a great feel for the story and I enjoyed the lo-fi vibes even though this kind of music is actually not what I usually enjoy listening to. The voice actors were well-suited to their characters. Character: 6 Although I really enjoyed the characters (especially Michiru, of course) all of them ended up as some stereotype or very close to one. There's nothing that's new or refreshing brought to the table in BNA; they could have done so much more with it. Overall enjoyment: 9 I really did enjoy BNA. While the plot was a little obvious, I enjoyed watching the characters navigate the city and explore the world. The story is indeed obvious, but that's often because it often it's the best way to proceed. I particularly enjoyed Trigger's unusual animation style and the music! While there are some issues with the anime, they are not blatantly visible and are quite easy to miss if one isn't looking for them.

I'm convinced that Trigger has some of the most talented artists in the industry and some of the worst writers. Or pushiest executives. The show is gorgeous, vivid, and genuinely a breath of fresh air compared to some of the art styles of the modern era. The writing, on the other hand, really needs to have some more room to explore what it is its even trying to say. There is such a non committal game being played with the messaging and themes that it makes me believe an original story was had, and was great, but a room full of studio execs pulled it apart until it was such a shadow of itself that it became no longer recognizable. And it truly is a shame. Another victim of selective artistic expression due to a drive to be universally marketable from those who only see art as a commodity.

I am what you can call a huge Trigger fanboy, so I advise you to cautiously take this as enthusiasm, as guidance, or even just as a piece of experience that a viewer had for BNA. BNA is a freaking delight, but for reasons different from my profile picture. If there's one thing that could overcome my furry bias, it is my appreciation for the craft of Trigger studio. That said, I know this anime has evident flaws, and I will be judging it appropriately... after I shower it with praise and love. Story (9/10): I believe there are legitimate grounds for saying that the plot of this anime feels tame. I, for one, felt it too, but perhaps for reasons different than most. Upon the near end of the anime, I began to feel like this is a tamer version of the concept of Kill la Kill. It has been spurred strongly by the nature of identity and self-acceptance that BNA fiercely integrated within its story and very conflict. In hindsight, I think rather than as a flaw, it is more of a Trigger trope at this point. Here is why I am embracing it instead. BNA did not feel pretentious. Much of the acceptance I felt from Kill la Kill (despite being about the strange connection with clothes), was translated very well in the format of beastmen in BNA. I believe this goes with the fact that the utilization of anthropomorphism did not feel like some random choice. It is tied very well with what the anime wanted to portray and wanted to be. BNA would not be complete without the beastmen aspect, much like Kill la Kill would not be striking without its recklessness with its clothes symbolism. It's a classic Trigger kind of exaggeration that feels strangely wholesome. Character (9/10): To relate with the previous aspect, I believe this is where the utilization of the beastmen aspect shines the strongest, particularly the philosophy of the characters and their ways of dealing with conflicts. This comes across especially striking due to the various natures of the character "types" being human, beastmen, hybrids and everything in between. This is where a lot of anime material aiming to be inspiration falls flat. However, BNA makes it so that the characters are grounded with reason and logic, where seeing both flaws and reality in character perceptions are able to be given empathy, but not necessarily agreement. This makes for compelling character dynamic, no matter how frustrating it gets. That said, I am sure this will be a point of conflict for other viewers, because it does come to a point where it seems horribly cliche in nature. For me, going back, I think people underestimate the effectiveness of using tropes. People see it as an unnecessary format, but rarely see it as an effective means to convey story and build up in a more convenient way. This is especially important for BNA due to its short runtime, where much of the main characters main frameworks are quickly explained for efficiency, while still leaving room for the parts of mysteries and plot developments. Plus, Michiru is simply too memorable. Sound (9/10): Absolutely love the energy here! It goes very well with the Trigger dynamic, so the chemistry is strong and it is very infectious! I wish there could have been stronger song themes for the tamer parts of the anime, but this is enough for the wild pacing and setup of the anime! Art (8/10): If I have to pick one anime to introduce people to Trigger, this will be it. For the nth time of mentioning, Kill la Kill is obviously not for the faint of heart. BNA, on the other hand, will be holding a special kind of fondness in my heart, and probably even for other people. It's the now typical Trigger stylization, but somehow remarkably defined well with its integration of animal characteristics. It feels like a legitimate and respectful take on anthropomorphism without appearing as pandering (the fanservice in this anime is very mild). While not for every episode, there are some strong visuals here and there. I would have to criticize the studio for placing some obvious budget cuts over some particular frames (not necessarily animation itself, but it counts for an art critique), especially for a short anime that needed the most it can get. Overall (9/10), I fully acknowledge and embrace my bias. Despite a good amount of flaws, my enjoyment far outweighs my sentiments for negativity over the material. I see BNA as a more family-friendly way of playing around with the theme of acceptance, as opposed to the aggressive take of Kill la Kill. But surprisingly, I don't think I will endorse this anime due to its "furry" aspects (Beastars, on the other hand...). I think it is a disservice to the anime to advertise this as merely that. It is a Trigger delight, much like the rest. It is a wild ride, and I will always be appreciative of anime that takes on the lesser uniform approach. I hope that more people will be involved with and look forward to more of their projects. They certainly delivered with this one!

*COMPLETE REVIEW OF EPISODES 1-12* First off, I want to mention that BNA is my first Trigger show, and I intend to share my thoughts on the show based on its own merits without this infamous studio’s work in mind. That being said, I’m definitely looking forward to exploring Trigger’s catalogue further. One more thing, this first bit is going be spoiler-free, but I’ll include some specific details at the end, so read at your own risk. Brand New Animal (BNA) brought up plenty of discussion among the community when the project first got announced. An anime-original story, backed with a Netflix release? That’s just unheard of!* Jokes aside, news about the show and its premise did pique my interest. Was I pumped for the show? Yes. Did I have a good time? Sure did. Was the hype warranted in the end? …Not quite, IMO. Let’s get this out of the way: BNA absolutely nails its presentation. The art mixes overall vibrance with moments highlighting individual color tones, keeping the scenes looking anything but mundane. Animation here is free-flowing and complemented with careful shot composition, which makes the action and pivotal confrontations stand out. The sound design is great, and the score is really well implemented. The OP slaps, and I can never bring myself to skip the ED. Overall, these elements are executed incredibly well, making for a fun show that I can easily recommend. With all that being said, I have a few problems with BNA regarding its writing and series structure. BNA’s premise is a big draw for the series, but unfortunately I never got the feeling that the show fully delivered on its potential. The broad issue I have is that the show’s overarching plot is too thin and stretched out, leaving little room for tension and only having a couple of compelling story beats. This certainly isn’t helped by the show’s unusual release schedule. BNA is essentially split in half and premiered the first 6 episodes back in March. I watched the show in-line with the Netflix broadcast, and it had this disjointing effect, with mostly inconsequential “filler” episodes frontloaded and more exposition-heavy material in the latter half. Note I say “filler” loosely (there’s only one egregious case)**, in the sense that the show raised some interesting ideas that didn’t really mean anything or arrive at a meaningful conclusion in the end. Our protagonist Michiru meets the indestructible badass Shirou and spend the initial episodes exploring the crime syndicate known as The Family. Through these experiences, Michiru comes to gain a grasp of the nature of Beastmen. That one tangent alone would have been sufficient to service a whole cour of the show, balancing that buddy cop relationship and character introspection for Michiru, the human-turned-beast. That was the show I was expecting, but then the show just leaves that thread hanging. Instead, the show chooses to shoehorn in new characters, giving the show a looser feel and lessening the impact of potentially strong material. While that in itself is not an issue, I feel that BNA is a bit of a tease for only briefly hinting at these ideas without committing to them. This lack of narrative focus may be less of problem if you’re binging the show and is mostly dealt with two-thirds into its run, so make of this mini-rant what you will. Now, to quickly address a few specific problems, mostly having to do with the points mentioned above. The worldbuilding in the show varies quite a bit, as good ideas can get tossed in one episode while the next may see Beastmen doing human things the exact same way humans would. Conflict within the characters in the show seem inconsequential unless fangs are bared, with one exception coming at the end of episode 6. The characters themselves are fine and serviceable, not exactly bland but not interesting either. TL;DR: What do I think of BNA? Although I’ve attempted to give this show a good bashing, that’s only because of what I thought it could have been. And I believe I’m not alone in thinking that BNA could have been so much more. Story threads that weren’t given enough room to grow, themes that weren’t comprehensively explored, and a world not fully realised hold BNA back from making much of an impact. That being said, solid production from a renowned studio and genuinely fun moments keep things engaging. BNA might not be a beast in contention for AOTY or anything, but it’s certainly fine for what it is. Trigger could have done a lot worse here, and there is always a place in the anime landscape for this level of creativity. BNA, for what it’s worth, is a fun ride, and I think in these times we could all use a little light in our lives. 6/10~ STRAY RAMBLINGS (SPOILERS): - *that is, unheard of for roughly two seasons. The comparisons between this show and Carole and Tuesday run deeper than Netflix and the release schedule; C&T also has the pattern of episodic romps in the first half and a more plot-oriented second. However, with C&T the tone shift was more nonsensical, and it tried to go from Folk Tik Tok songs to… a discussion on immigration? Still trying to wrap my head around that one. - **my GOD I hate the baseball episode, why does it exist - I want to punt Jackie across a room, why does it exist - Said it once and I’ll say it again, “NIGHT RUNNING” deserves to be put on loop. Spotify, we’re waiting. - The Nirvasyl flashback sequence in Episode 8 was really good. Great idea to switch up the art style, there was a frame or two in there reminiscent of Genndy Tartakovsky’s best work. - Best Girl: If I had to choose, probably Nazuna. Her interpreting being the face of a cult to her aspirations of becoming an idol is probably the most interesting idea in the show. - In A Nutshell: Zootopia meets the Powerpuff Girls (with a dash of Major 2nd**) - Greetings Internet! Just a small-time anime fan here, I’m trying out some stuff in this community and sharing my ill-informed opinions. This is my first review and at the moment I’m satisfied with it, although I have a feeling I’ll regret this whole idea a week from now. Looking forward to doing more of these reviews here and there, I don’t watch a ton of shows seasonally though. In any case I hope you enjoyed this piece and that it gave you something to chew on. I do want to get better at this, so if you have any feedback feel free to let me know, peace!

People in the furry community has non-stopped talking about this show and saying it it's the best anime of 2020. So I watched it for myself and all I can say is this show...was not good, like, I don't see how is this good? And as a furry, I am insulted how this show went. Here's my full review: Story: Honestly, from how it started, the story was actually decent. The world was segregated by 2 races: the humans and the beastmen, and the humans that turned into beastmen goes to a city called Animacity where people can be beastmen however they like and the backstory explained the world. However, this is where the downfall is. The show has a lot of plot holes like, how is the female MC able to turn invisible or gain super sense with no experience, there's couple of filler episodes, and the emphasis on racism wasn't tackled too heavily, the same situation on RWBY season 5 where we didn't get tackled nor see any hints of racism and just put it there for no reason. Like, how are we going to feel sympathy for either of these races of racism wasn't tackled too heavily in the story. That's kinda like a cop-out if you ask me. And even the ending feels rushed that they should've reworked it. Characters: I wanted to like these characters, I really do. But I really, REALLY, hate the characters in this show; the side characters, the minor characters, or even the main protagonist in the show. The female MC is one of the most annoying, obnoxious, and unlikable character I've ever seen. Shirou, the male MC, is one of the most boring, one-dimensional, no personality, stoic, unlikable, Edgy Emo Legoshi + Cloud Strife-like character, even his tiny backstory couldn't make it up for it. Most of the side characters have no purpose nor contribute anything to the plot. But not only the protagonist, the antagonist (who I'm not gonna spoil) is terrible too. No backstory, no reason to be evil, and one of the most generic motive in the show, even his own idea comes to bite him back in the arse. Such a terrible villain. Animation/Art/Design: I like anime, and I like art, I really do. But this has to be the WORST animated show that I've ever seen. It's like a child drew most of the season. Like, wtf? Disproportioned limbs, facial expressions, and character design, like, jesus did they not think this through? Shirou, given the clothes they chose, he looks like child predator when you give him a trench coat and black gloves. And you know why he keeps the female MC with him. And iirc, isn't she a minor? Speaking of which, I REALLY hate how they give Shirou in his clotheless furry form an ugly look up to the point that it rectifies his design that he was given while he was wearing clothes. Before I get to the overall points, I want to point this out. not ALL furries enjoys this show because there's furries in it, and I'm the prior example of this. I HATED this show. I've already listed the problems what's going on with it and yet the furry fandom are defending it because of Shirou. I DON'T like Shirou. Not only him, but characters outside of BNA who has the same boring personality like Mercenary/Yohei & Legoshi. Those characters I really hate and do you know why? They have the same personality and yet people are defending them because they're furries. Stop it, just stop it. I've seen other furry characters like, my main husbando/best waifu, Ricardo Welkin, Wolfy from Legendz, and Hound Dog from MHA have outgoing, charming, and BETTER personalities then those cardboard cutouts. But no, they like them because they're edgy and emo. Just stop with it, please. What's wrong with your like? Overall: What I think of it? I hate it to death. I've never watched a single Studio Trigger and I hate those shows as well because I'm not a perverted SJWs like most people are. Why the studio, who is not well known, never defunct in the 1st place and is still going despite that they never made a single good anime in their life? There are other well known like UFOtable, J.C, White Fox, Mappa, A1, Madhouse, Bones, and Pierrot? All of you need to stop with the closed-minded idea of "if it's made by Trigger, it's a 10/10." because that excuse isn't gonna work. What do I rated? A 3/10.

I want to base this on what the anime IS rather than what it could have been. That said, I really enjoyed BNA. The characters were compelling, the universe was intriguing, the art was stunning, and while the anime didn't accomplish anything particularly revolutionary, I thoroughly enjoyed every episode. It was a good concept with some parts that could have been elaborated on or explored more, but in 12 episodes, I still got a good sense of the world at large, the challenges characters faced, and the overarching themes. For a 12-episode anime, the plot was really well-done with a good amount of build and a satisfying (although some might say lackluster) resolution. Character design was 10/10 with diverse body types and a stunning lack of hyper-sexualization. Music was very good. Art and animation, incredible, especially during the scenes with more action. Some heavy topics such as prejudice, discrimination, and eugenics, but they didn't feel glossed over or heavy-handed which was refreshing. This review is pretty scattered, but in short, certainly not the best anime in the world but definitely worth watching.

*spoilers for like everything* I think I would have given BNA a 6 if it had stayed light-hearted and didn't take itself too seriously using it's highly broken world and logic, because who doesn't like watching an overpowered wolfman beat things up? But it devolves into such an unsalvageable mess in the last 3-4 episodes I just spent the whole time rolling my eyes and half-staring at the ceiling while making spit bubbles with my tongue because it had gotten SO stupid, filled with childish super made up and lame surprises, while still also being extremely predictable. Some reviewers claim it's some magnificent and deep treatise on the sociology of a beastman state and that the writers were just pressured into butchering it down to 12 episodes. That's a lie. It never had teeth to begin with. Most of the time they are either fooling around or have the realism and credibility of a looney tunes cartoon with falling anvils and dynamite. You probably already know the premise from reading a blurb or watching a trailer but here it goes anyway. The world is filled with beastmen that have lived in conflict with humans for time immemorial. They gain civil rights but are still persecuted in human society. A sanctuary city for beastmen is created called Animacity, right off the shore of glorious NIPPON. Our main protagonist, Tanuki girl, tries to escape to this city while being chased by beast hunters and gets some help from some smugglers. Why do you need to secretly smuggle into a city deliberately created for your kind? Because we need bad guys chasing you and action sequences, people. Tanuki girl arrives at Animacity, meets superhero wolfman detective, and learns the lay of the land. It's a seedy city, full of crime, violence, and deceit. And yet, wolfman yabbers on and on about the evil humans, how they can't be trusted, because they lie, deceive, and manipulate. Hello? What city have you been living in the past ten years? And he is in human form 90% of the time. All the other beastmen are in human form 90% of the time. We don't look like humans, act like humans, think like humans, or speak like humans, they cry! Except, you do. Nonstop. And it's amazing how such a seedy city run by the mafia and gangs have any sort of law and order or semblance of security. Disputes are settled with brute force, even inside government establishments, because might makes right, apparently. And yet somehow there is a police force that can label you a criminal at the plot's whim even though they ignore every other crime imaginable? Is this supposed to be a civilized city or not? And these are basically all just standard human problems. How any building is still left standing after all these years is beyond me. There is also this shady medical center/research facility smack dab in the middle of the city. Drug traffickers, bombers, cultists, high tech killing robots with bullets, and all manner of questionable things come from or are linked to it. But everyone plays naive and ignores any and all transgressions there. The CEO comes to take charge of his facility. He meets the mayor, a longtime acquaintance, and wolfman, who he magically has never seen before even though wolfman has been there since the inception of the city and is always next to the mayor or the police chief or at every crime scene and knows anything and everything. He's also the 1000 year old immortal god the beastmen worship and the only wolf in the city, as if the parallels weren't pushed hard enough from the very first episode. Tanuki girl learns she is unique and even though she is originally human and has the DNA of a human, she can mutate her body at will into many beast forms. Wolfman warns her again and again and again to not reveal her true identity or use her powers lest she destroy both human and beast society by her mere existence. NOPE! Let's whack balls with gorilla arms, speed through the city with cheetah legs, or hop into the skies with eagle wings in front of thousands of spectators. There are no consequences after all. And let's COMPLETELY make up a beastmen syndrome near the end of the anime that causes them to go wild and self destruct! It's a rip-off of Zootopia without the need for fancy injections, or the complicated prey/predator dynamic. Thousands of years of history and not a single account of this syndrome that causes STRESSED beastmen to quadruple their size and go on rampages. Not a single shred of proof that wasn't obviously tampered with or not connected with an evil lab. Not a single incident in the 10 years of the city's history until now. Yet the mayor who built it all up is so ready to tear it all back down, blaming the STRESS caused by inner city living, because the shady CEO of a research facility said so. Even Tanuki girl's super smart friend can be duped into revealing that she is a human, to relieve stress levels of the adoring crowd at her concert the evil CEO says! Beastmen hate humans. Let me tell them I'm a human and have been lying to them all along! That will reduce their ENTROPY! All this ridiculous amount of stupid is so the evil CEO can complete his scheme to eradicate the beastmen by turning them all into humans. Why does he need to make them STRESS and turn into hulking beasts in order to administer the deactivation serum? Why not just give it to them in their regular form? Because we need the action, drama, and suspense! Let's just toss in at the last moment that Tanuki girl's blood can turn them all back to normal while keeping them as beastmen, because why not? And the quickest phlebotomy session in anime history. And the coup de grace! The evil CEO is actually a PURE beast, a veritable god, there to eradicate all the impure half-human beasts so he can go back to controlling the human race without distractions. A LASER BATTLE ensues. Giant wolfheads blasting at each other like a Star Wars movie. And like with any Disney owned franchise, the villain gets off scot-free, without so much as a stern warning. They really missed the ball by not revealing that the PURE beast was actually a mass of life fibers from outer space.

If you’re watching this show for deep nuanced story about politics, racism, and furry rights you’re going to be deeply disappointed. This is a trigger show, and one written by Kazuki Nakashima (the mind behind kill la kill, promare and most of gurren lagann) nonetheless, so if you came here for the raw energy inherent to shows like Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann, Inferno cop etc this is going to suit you just fine. Story & writing: As stated in a plethora of other reviews the story is a bit cliché and the characters are a bit generic. But it is a means to an end, the story purpose is to string together a bunch of amazing looking set pieces together in a somewhat coherent manner. The rule of cool runs through the core of this show a dictate everything happening on screen. But this is nothing new, trigger shows are built upon this concept. The show makes just enough logical sense for the writing of the story and characters to take a back seat because as I said before strong writing isn’t the point of this show. Art: The art style is very similar to yoh yoshinari’s previous work little witch academia. The backgrounds pop and feel incredibly vibrant all the while employing a vaporwave-esque colour palette. Everything animated moves incredibly smooth while maintaining the trigger flare which the company is known for. But there are only so many ways I can say that this show is a visual treat. Sound: The intro and outro songs are downright addictive, although the show does seem a bit fond of its outro, not to the point that it is overused but it is in a fair few scenes. Enjoyment: While the cast are generic and the story predictable everything “bad” about this show is good enough while the everything “good” about this show is excellent. Your enjoyment from this show while vary depending on what you want from this show.

Out of 100 Nobles watching… 69 were impressed 15 had absolutely no stake in the plot 8 had grievances with the world and immersion issues 8 were expecting trigger quality animation and didn’t get it BNA is a new original series created by Trigger that has further cemented my growing disappointment with the studio. There are certainly bits to be enjoyed in BNA and I’ll give it some credit, but the show ultimately joins the rapidly growing list of post Zootopia furry IP’s that will never have as believable and immersive a universe as the series they are so desperately aping. BNA is about a world where there are beast-men and humans living on the same earth. The story follows a human girl Michiru who becomes a beastman herself which in this universe is not really a thing so she thinks she has some sort of disease. I’d say the story covers Michiru’s mystery of how she became a beastman, but that’d be disingenuous. I’ll say right now the show didn’t know what it wanted its plot to be. Some episodes of BNA were about human-beastman relations, others were beastman-beastman relations. More than halfway through the series there’s a disease plot ala “going feral” from Zootopia. There’s a religious cult, a shady medicine man, a baseball episode about racism, a human trafficking episode, a holocaust episode, and more. It really was a pretty chaotic affaire and if the show had picked one or two of the social issues they wanted to talk about they could have really took the time to do something solid, but really the show covered nothing and just “Triggered” all over the place the last 2 episodes. As a massive furry myself I liked the designs of the characters for the most part. Characters beast forms weren’t the weird half measures of Killing Bites, and they weren’t the uncanny monstrosities of Beast Stars. They were well designed anthropomorphic characters. There WERE about two or three horrible Deviantart-tier characters who were definitely someone on the Trigger teams fursona which had me cringing pretty hard but for the most part the show creators weren’t tipping their hand too much. I was pretty disappointed with the animation in this series and I am continuing to see a decline from Trigger. I loved the style of the series and a lot of parts look quite good, however there was some real sloppy work this time around. Very noticeable drag and drop “PowerPoint” style movement done in non-stylized scenes and a particularly egregious scene where projectiles at one point just fade into the shot like I was watching a product made in Windows Movie Maker. These moments really took me out of the show and left me worried about Triggers talent. BNA was a decent watch, but ultimately disappointing from a Studio I used to want a lot from, but now I have come to expect them to make the same show with a new coat of paint. If you want a show that makes any sort of meaningful statement than this isn’t it, but does provide some entertaining furry fun. -------SPOILERS PAST HERE------- There were some glaring issues with the world Trigger presented in BNA that left me struggling to immerse myself in their story and appreciate the stakes they were apparently trying to establish. The show had an opportunity to base its plot around the prejudice of humans towards beastmen. Beastmen are portrayed as having tempers and animalistic tendencies and you are initially left thinking “oh I see so the story is going to be about how beastmen are like every one else and racism is bad”, but then the show outright says that beastmen are actually slaves to their animalistic tendencies. They’re gullible and easily fooled, and need to be controlled by the government because they’re a danger to themselves and others… not a good look Japan though pretty funny at how awkward it is. Tonal problems are best highlighted in the baseball episode. The episode opens almost immediately with the statement that “dodo beastmen as a species have gone extinct playing baseball” which is a pretty funny line as a throwaway joke, but the story proceeds to double down on this canon. In Beastman City baseball is a death game where beastmen literally kill each other playing baseball and fans bet in an underground gambling ring on games. Characters are killed on screen, and the mayor of the city is launching an investigation… into the illegal gambling. We are presented with a world where beastmen commit murder in a stadium live on tv, but the concern of the government is people are betting on it. The episode briefly shows a flashback of the baseball team coach of Michiru’s team who was the first beastman pro baseball player in an all human league. This is a clear parallel to Jackie Robinson who was the real life first African American pro baseball player… except the insults and prejudice the beastman character experiences in the story leads him to flip the hell out and murder everyone on both teams ending their career. What the hell is the message that this episode was trying to convey other than a negative racist narrative about Beastmen’s inherent nature. The show could have just been a wacky baseball episode with cartoon Trigger style violence to represent the dirty gambling team was cheating, but by acknowledging character death playing baseball and establishing it as a norm the narrative completely falls apart.

Seriously competent but essentially pointless. I don't normally care for Anime studios. My tastes lie in stories, not frames. It's for this reason, though, that Trigger is one of the few I've come to follow, what with the vast majority of their productions being originals. While they have a track record of nearly all of these being excellent, I cannot say BNA fits the trend. There's a sort of permeating indecisiveness all throughout. Stakes come and go, scale fluctuates wildly, and whether or not the characters even address the plot from episode to episode is anyone's guess. All this aside though, I can point to a fair few good aspects, mostly in design and tone work, as well as a degree of intrigue in the story, when of course the show remembers it has one. ---- BNA is a bit confusing when it comes to plot. Michiru, the protagonist, along with her friend Nazuna, have the bulk of the story, but in the second half a new major plot emerges. Since the link between these two storylines is tenuous at best, it rather feels like a large chunk of possible material was cut from the middle. That being said, I can point to both of these plots having reasonable intrigue, and if integrated better could have been pretty good. As for the numerous self-contained plots of single episodes present in the first half, they're all acceptable, and their coming back into play again later in the series works to the advantage of the show. The characters, or at least the main few, are not the best. Michiru and Shirou, the main duo, I wouldn't at all call stock, but their archetypes and dynamic have been done before. Strangely, the less integral to the plot, the more interesting the characters become. Tertiary characters are more interesting than secondary characters, and recurring minor roles are the most fun and memorable. I don't really have anything positive to say about the villain at all, and especially not without passing spoilers, but the final reveal is sort of nonsensical if given a bit of thought. ---- The animation and art is BNA's strongest suite. The show itself looks fairly unique, due to its particular colour palette, and the animation allows for characters who move a lot more and can emote better, something that the writing aspect is lacking a little in. While the OP is excellent, the ED is merely average, and does not have re-listening potential. Coupled with BNA's choice to have it exist in-universe and be played as an Insert nearly once every two episodes, it gets very grating. The lore of the Beastmen, revealed in the latter portion of BNA, is a huge missed opportunity, as very little is done with it. Michiru becomes something of a macguffin at this same time, and ends up being so suddenly important in the finale it borders on chosen one territory. I wouldn't say that said finale is all bad, as it does have a pretty exciting conclusion, but there again is an issue that it doesn't really fit with the established tone of the show. If there had been more done to establish such a possibility previously, it would probably have worked much better as a climax. ---- BNA is rife for improvement. I'd point to a somewhat major rework of central characters and maybe adding a few more episodes before its third act so as not to jump ahead in the story as it did, and maybe explore more of the history elements introduced at that point. For as much as there are issues, it's not without merit. The show itself is pretty enjoyable all the way through, and I can point to a multitude of scenes I like. However, since it will always be kept at a comparison to its preceding projects, BNA currently stands as a bit of a disappointment.

This might contain some spoilers, if you give a flip about not knowing I suggest you don't read this. It's a furry anime, the animals looked good as far I could tell. The first two episodes were the high-point for me. it wasn't revolutionary plotline wise, and when her hands started stretching I went "oh gods". And downhill from there it went. The story was never anything new from the get-go. Outcast flees to outcast city to live there. I could predict every plot that happened before it happened, maybe the most astounding thing that happened, and that says very little, was in the baseball episode where they lost the baseball championship. And that wasn't very impressive either, I would feel rather more annoyed if they had won. I've already mentioned the plot so let me mention it some more, it's filled with cliche after cliche. Able to predict the plot from beginning to end. It brushes over important things like inequity among beast-men, how living in such close quarters with each other causes them extreme built up stresses that aren't relieved which causes them to go into a "rampage" in other words kill all on sight. Instead of dealing with that on a real basis, they made it into an "it's the humans' fault" which was spotted long before it happened. Granted "it's the humans' fault" also turned into "I'm THE purebred wolf, and I'm the ruler, nay god of humanity." It ticked all the boxes of cliches, one by one. In many ways, it was quite stressful to watch because of the sheer stupidity of it all. I'll say this for the show, it had potential, it did pour it down the toilet, set it on fire and flushed it out and then exploded the pipelines, but it did have potential in the very beginning. The "I was human" could have been more interesting. The way they represented scent, in the beginning, was interesting, but they dropped that as well. I wish they had gone more with the socioeconomic route of this show, exploring in a more natural way how the city works, its upsides and downsides. How living with so many different species in one place affects them. They really didn't address how there were carnivores living with herbivores and omnivores, and so on. It was really just "we're actually humans who look different. We'll only have animal traits (not talking about physical characteristics) when it suits the plot). I'll confess I haven't watch beastars which I believe is a good comparison, not because I think the show is bad, but because the show is so good that it puts me through a lot of emotional stress which is very hard to deal with. Basically it hits too close to home, and they're far too human, which means very likely it's a fantastic show.

Trigger made a fantastic story again! I really enjoyed watching it and I love everything about this show : Music,Animation,Art,Voices. Michiru’s Seiyuu voice is something brand new! Despite of new animal theme, it was a real classic trigger series. You see, here we have : 0.Rocking Opening 1.Genki/Clumsy/sometimes sad main female character who doesn’t understand many things at the start, but in the end she finally gets everything and grows up. 2.Funny animation 3.Difficult relationships between main characters 4.Crazy,confusing plot twist in the final episodes. 5.Amazing soundtracks 6.Relaxing/melancholic Ending I like to compare Michiru with Ryuuko and Atsuko/Luluco. Jackie and other poor bears are something similar to Mako Mankanshoku or her family. The only bad and at the same time great thing about trigger shows is they never have second season because they don’t need them, they are full stories with out understatement.

Haha, I'm no furry but... Well Brand New Animal (BNA) is already the second quite successful anime of the year. BNA was very Trigger-esque but also not. I liked it and I did not. This was due to misplaces expectations and good plot twists. Art: The art is fairly simple but lively. You can expect the good Trigger stars to pop up, but what was a disappointment was that there were to many still frames to my liking. I guess all the budget was burned up on Promare. The fighting scenes however were done very good. Smooth crisp battles and of course over the top punches. The animation is what you want from Trigger, but with a downgrade on some scenes. Overall very good. There are some cameo crossovers like that from Inferno Cop, but it is fun to look for them. Sound: The intro and ed were totally slapping. Voice acting felt a bit stiff from the cast other than from Michiru. As far as music and sounds go, they often goes unnoticed, but they add a lot to the scenes, from hyping you to pumping up the tension. It was sad there was not a wide variety of sound effects but it got the job done Characters A mc with a strong personality is by now a standard at studio Trigger. Michiru and the rest of the cast in no different. I think the representation of the characters is done more subtle than previous Trigger works, and that did fit very well in the "cite life" experience. Michiru is your everyday Tanuki. She is vibrant, colored, wild, loud, cute, totally Trigger. With her thick skull there won't come much logic in our out, but she is a girl with a genuinely good heart. She is typically a character with more tail than brain. Shirou; does he looked depressed? tired? i guess both. This bad ass wolf seem to have a "im a emo dude" aura, but you'll see soon enough he is more bite than bark. Nazuna is exactly a character i wanted to see more off. Her actions and reactions all make sense in the last episode. She is much more nuanced and she uses her brain. Lovely, pink, fluffy. As i can say about the rest of the cast, without spoiling, the police is just there, don't expect much, side characters are side characters, the villain is charming and turn out well balanced in his actions. Story: Oh boy, I love it and I hate it. The anime starts off quite relaxed to go to 100 real quick in the end. The plot is well built and have a certain coherency, making the plot reveal satisfying and "ooooh thats why!!". Characters feel more realistic as you get more and more sucked in the story. There are some bold twists both character wise and plot wise. The story itself touches some multiple aspects, from unfair game bets to racism in a multi cultural society. Because there is not much attention to the overall message of these themes, it feels a bit messy at times, but it is still enjoyable. edit: i now know why this story felt so alienated from the classic Trigger works, there is no clear enemy to fight off. While the humans are presented as a problem, the aren't the REAL problem. It was just the antagonist puppeteer the rest of the humans instead of Michiru having fight off real threads. Enjoyment As a Trigger made anime i definitely enjoyed it and loved it. There were some disappointments as I had high hopes for BNA but it surprised me in other aspects. All in all im extremely disappointed in that beastmen weren't aliens and that Michiru didn't fight in space, but we can't have it all. If you love furries and a relaxed plot with a lot of vibrant colors and vibes, this is your go to.

First off, lets get the elephant in the room out of the way. Each episode can be its own season almost, espescially the baseball league episode. For those who are not accustomed to Studio Trigger, their story pacing is probably the worst out of the anime studios, but their art style is one of the best. Their story telling once you get accustomed to it is alright and downright good, but they need to stop trying to fit four to five seasons into 12 episodes. BNA is one of those victims sadly, its best to rewatch it a few times before putting a solid opinion on it. Personally, I say its a good watch if you seen Little Witch Academia and got to used to how Studio Trigger does their shows and how they use words to describe objects or things like Beastmanitus , or in Little Witch Academia, "The Shiny Rod". Majority of the characters are likable to a fault and want to cheer them on or root against them if they being antagonistic. The art style is a Studio Trigger classic all the way. The flat colors they use in BNA is outstanding and fits the aesthetics to a tea. Now like I said at the beginning , their is probably 120 episodes squeezed tightly into 12 episodes probably to fit budget constraints. I will fault Studio Trigger on their story pacing, Netflix will gladly fund a lot of seasons to continue it. For now we are forever spoiled as Netflix hasn't confirmed or denied a production of a new season.

My general belief in anime is that for something to be fundamentally entertaining, it needs to do 2 things: look good, and be fun to watch. I cannot think of another studio that fulfils these categories better than studio Trigger. I'll start off with the "look good" part. Brand New Animal (and all Trigger projects for that matter) doesn't have the kind of fluid perfection of something like Demon Slayer, but that doesn't seem to be Trigger's objective. Trigger really soars in its artistic style, whether it be the exceptional use of colors and over-the-top action and expressions to make sequences simultaneously hilarious and intense. The use of color especially shines in BNA, and when it comes to both dramatic action scenes and solemn shots of the Anima City or the protagonist Michiru simply talking with a friend, I was consistently impressed. Moving on to the "fun to watch part." I'm not going to try and make it seem like BNA is the peak of fictional storytelling here, the main story doesn't really kick in until more than halfway through, the villain is pretty stupid and feels a lot like a Kill La Kill rip-off, and many of the events that take place don't always make sense or match up with the precedents set by previous interactions. The world of beastmen and humans also feels a little underdeveloped. For example, there is a whole episode about baseball in which BNA seemed to be presenting some kind of weird Dorohedoro-esque, murdery version of baseball, but a lot of the darker elements are pretty much ignored for the sake of Michiru interacting with some weird (annoying) bears and an uninspired Jackie Robinson story. From what I've said so far, it probably doesn't sound like a very good show right? Wrong. With all of its flaws, this show is still absurdly fun to watch. People ultimately watch tv to be entertained right? When it comes to a show like this, where the overarching story is not really the main focus, and is cast aside in favor of fun character interactions and Trigger's unique action scenes, I don't really care if the story is lacking in some aspects. After every episode of this I was consistently excited to watch the next one. Everyone's favorite Tanuki-girl Michiru is awesome to watch on screen, and the supporting cast is just as great. Ogami the edgy wolf-man, for instance, is all anyone could hope for in an edgy wolf-man! Overall, if you are looking for a deep, story-rich experience, this show probably isn't for you. But, if you are looking for an visually impressive, easygoing adventure with Japan's favorite furries (with some damn good music by the way) and some cool action scenes, then I highly recommend BNA.

This started off well enough, with some pretty interesting points - like an anime Zootopia of sorts. It's well throughout the first 5 or 6 episodes, but hot damn does the ending really suck. super predictable, super bland, super basic. Not at all worth the watch unless you're purely appreciating the art because it is the only redeeming quality. the plot is scatter brained, the characters aren't all that unique or interesting and I wish I had spent those 12 episodes on something decent. Abysmal, don't watch this under any circumstances because it is not enjoyable, this is something that I would have ended up quitting anime over, the predictable plot and scatter brained developments are mind numbingly painful. Not to mention the main character is an absolute dumbass who cannot remotely understand that people can change for the worst because any evidence she gets to the contrary results in her just saying "NO! THEY'RE NOT LIKE THAT!" when they CLEARLY are like that. You'd be getting a better story out of SAO and that is reaaaallly saying something

I don't usually watch Trigger shows.  But when I do, I hear that they're really good for the niche audience that's a fan of the style and presentation.  But kind of...average for anyone outside of that sphere.  I can see why that is now. Story: Beastmen.  As the name implies, they are a race of human/animal hybrids that biologically are a separate species to human due to the fact that host the 'beast factor', a gene in their DNA that both lets them transform into the animal of their DNA and gain similar abilities.  But humans have essentially driven them out of places to be because they're 'different', and so, the city of Animacity was born, acting as the safe haven for the beastmen to live in and thrive.  Michiru is an unfortunate girl who was turned into a beastman due to an unknown circumstance.  And now in Animacity, she searches to know the reason why she was turned into a tanuki-girl and learns about the recluse society that exists within the walls of the Beastmen society. Conceptually, the story had grounds to be interesting mostly in part to its setting and potential to expand outwards from the series's innate conflict of humans vs. beastmen.  As well as its potential to create an entirely unique culture based on the different Beastmen and the difference that each species might have from one to another since creatures like dolphins, MINKS (this will make sense later), wolves, various birds, and different kinds of bears are all present in the series and display a variety of different traits as per what their species are capable of when given out as a kind of superpower to a population.  Unfortunately none of this really holds much ground because the show struggles with even knowing what it's supposed to be, sporting so many different plot threads that I'm almost certain the ending didn't wrap up some of them by the time we were done with this. The first half of this show for one thing is episodic.  The main focus here was to build up Animacity and give Michiru a taste of the new place she's found herself in (fish out of water, basically) without really giving much thought to continuity once we got past that point in the runtime.  Most if not all of the show's plot threads here are little more than tiny occurrences in an attempt to world build, but almost none of it matters in the end since the most that the show does to refer back to these early episodes is to do a cute little roll call at the end to showcase 'the friends we made along the way'.  The second half is comparatively more fluent, as it sports a vaguely more cohesive arc, but it still suffers from a lot of problems since exposition is dumped left and right, and makes the viewer feel a lot less invested in the show since things just HAPPEN to work out in the protagonists' favor, and the ending feels significantly less earned because it ends up resolving the conflict with numerous amounts of deus ex machinas coming into play. On top of that, the thematic of the show wavers between an allegory of racism between humans and beastmen, and the morally gray area of keeping the peace/doing what's right with sides conflicting with each other due to having different interests.  Actions that characters take can be wildly out of character sometimes, and the plot can escalate to the point that things just don't make sense within the span of a twenty minute episode, which makes the viewer lost and confused because WHY ARE THEY SUDDENLY FIRING BEAMS?!  It's because of this that the story of BNA essentially stumbles to the end, tripping over the weight of its densely detailed yet messy narrative that leaves certain side threads in the dust since the only thought I had coming out of the show was the word "Ok" since the last two episodes are the most egregious showing of the show's flaws, rushing to the end with crazy visual spectacles that only mean something because there was exposition just five minutes ago to explain it. As a result, BNA's story is one that was unable to reach its own potential.  Things like baseball gambling and the selling of children mean absolutely nothing because those were just worldbuilding episodes that mattered little else beyond that since the show wants to focus on 'Big Pharma' and the whole religion of Ginrou, both of which are talking points that only rose up in significance because they started to get heavily talked about once we reached the middle of the series.  Which means you only have half of your runtime to explain it all, give us a proper climax, and an ending to the whole thing.  Totally doable without pacing or worldbuilding problems. Characters: Michiru as the show's main human girl turned tanuki sports a very divisive role in the series.  Her character follows a predictable path of wanting to save/help the greater picture instead of only saving herself from this biological curse with the added annoyance of wanting to impart her infinite, bullheaded wisdom into everything because she doesn't understand why the city doesn't function by her rules, and gets upset whenever someone else has any ulterior motives not similar to her own.  It's an irritating character trait since because she gets too active a role in the story, the story isn't allowed to flow naturally and let the world unfold without her interjection.  It gets so bad that one of the other characters in the series ends up calling her out on her bullshit without it having so much an impact on her character in the end since Michiru doesn't really change that much anyway due to her being the protagonist and 'always right' in a sense.  Her skillset is also way more OP than it has any right to be, but hey, if you're making an animal-based protagonist, might as well make her ALL of them, eh? Shirou is the show's secondary character, having the more reserved and experienced character traits to contrast Michiru's character of being more young and innocent.  For the most part, Shirou's character is really only there to save Michiru or participate in the plot as the beastman that hates humans for reasons that're explained much later in the series.  Which adds a majority of the show's later conflict because oh yeah this show has a racial allegory as a part of its narrative.  He's that grumbly character that changes only because of the fresh new blood in his life, which is fine, but not very unique or stands out that much since the show follows a pretty predictable path all things considering. The final character to talk about is Nazuna, a girl who shows up only halfway into the series and serves a friendly contrast to Michiru, being more calm and thoughtful in most situations instead of our protagonist's usual loud and abrasive personality.  Her character is primarily internal rather than external, and slowly loses presence in the series due to her role being a character that the plot needs her to be at "X" in order for the story to progress.  She loses a lot of autonomy and her character starts to make less sense the further we get into the series since the plot ends up taking over and the rest of the characters are along for the ride.  Conceptually she had a lot of potential.  In execution though...she's little more than a headpiece for the show to tote around for exposition reasons.  (Much like her actual role in the show, unfortunately.) Other characters fall on the spectrum of side characters with varying interests that only become convenient during any given time in the series.  The mayor just wants to protect the city so she shows up in her little sky office whenever anything regarding the government shows up.  Jackie and the bears show up because the show needs a side cast to show you how shitty life can be and that class divide still exists in an animal/human hybrid society.  The Sylvasta corp. exists to pose a threat but possibly not a threat to everything because everyone's 'morally gray'; there's no antagonist whatsoever.  And the mink is there to remind you that she's not a weasel or …

Fuck. Okay, so I think we can all agree furries are degenerates and we don't need them fucking up our weeb shit too. And now our prodigal child has been lead astray. I hate to do this, but you need some background. Studio Trigger is a "young" studio. It started as some employees of Gainax breaking off to start their own studio. THIS MEANS THE EXPECTATION OF QUALITY IS HIGH, SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ADAPTED GURREN, FLCL, EVANGELION, PANTY AND FUCKING STOCKING. This isn't a studio that just gave us smash hits like Inferno Cop and Kill la Kill, this is a young studio full of veteran animators. So, Trigger started out with Inferno Cop, which is the best anime ever made. It's animation quality alone puts everything else to shame and has never been topped since. Then they made a bunch of flops until Kill la Kill. KLK basically shows their animation style at it's best, lots of skip-frames, over-emphasized movement, overall a fun look. It's what made FLCL great, it's what made Gurren great. It's good. So, now that you know who made this piece of shit, let's get started. I'ma get this out of the way first. STORY: 0. Nah, I'll give it a 3, but it's still dogshit. That said there's no source material, and I've yet to be impressed by an entirely sourceless anime. Not even Mappa's attempt recently with listeners worked as a story, and Mappa can do no wrong. It's rushed, it's predictable, it's a mess. Story's bad, I'm done thinking about it. That said, the art's a 9/10, the sound's a solid 10, and the characters are a respectable 7. The art's good. If Trigger made a bad looking show I'm pretty sure hell would have frozen over first. But yeah, it's good because of their style that feels unique to Trigger and some of their previous work with Gainax. I went over why it's good in the pre-face. SOUND. FUCK. These people made me listen to japanese rock/pop, and even lo-fi, AND I LISTENED LIKE A FILTHY ANIMAL. It bops. The soundtrack carries this anime, sets the tone, and sounds incredibly good. If you want to know why the story's a 3, even though it should be a 1, it's because the anime sets a tone incredibly well and creates a fun atmosphere which props the child's attempt at a story up on some crutches. As far as non-music sounds go, it's good. Some voice acting sounds pretty cringy but I'm not gonna let that force me into a 9/10 despite that soundtrack. Characters are flat, one-dimensional, they don't have development they just have revelations for the audience. That said, they also have chemistry and the interesting mix along with the non-serious atmosphere of the work allows for one-dimensional characters to play their part. Trigger basically gives every character a role, instead of going too in-depth on just one or two of them. In a more serious show this would be a bad thing. Here it's not. Overall I enjoyed it very much. I'd still say Trigger should stick to adapting works for a while though, 2020 is not the year that animation studios finally learn how to write their own source material.

I remember seeing promotional trailers for BNA. I was very excited. I'm a sucker for shows with animals, since I'm a furry, so seeing stylish action show with animals as the leads? Sign me up is what I said! I absolutely love Beastars, so stories with animals as the main characters can work. However, BNA is not an example of this. Let's start off with the positives. The show is gorgeous. Studio Trigger did an amazing job with the world of BNA. Animacity is full of parodies of real life fast food chains which is something that I heavily appreciated while watching. The voice acting was fine for the most part. All the voices fit the characters, so I can't complain about that. The show really shines in action scenes. There's so much style in the animation. Everything is slick and nice to look at. When a character gets hit, the animation makes the impact feel powerful. The animation of the show, at least for me, is the highlight of the show. It's just so well done. Now, it's time for the negatives. Oh boy. Personally, I prefer anime series to be short. However, I understand when a series need more episodes to complete its story. BNA's biggest problem for me was its short length and pacing. BNA is too short and fast-paced. Since the show is going at such a fast pace with only 12 episodes to work with, we get so many plot-conveniences and plot-holes. This show needed more than 12 episodes. The main character, Michiru, is able to just get out of any bad situation she's in because she can just randomly stretch her arms out, or get cheetah legs to run really fast, or can grow wings to fly like a bird, or whatever. If this isn't a plot-convenience, I don't know what is. It's never explained how or why Michiru is able to do this; it just happens. It only happens because the plot needs it to happen. Shirou is super fast and super strong. He's basically the BNA version of Superman, but unlike Superman, he literally has no weakness. He never loses. He can't lose. He's overpowered. Why is he overpowered? I dunno; I assume the writers just needed him to be OP so the plot could progress. While this doesn't ruin the action scenes from being flashy, it ruins, at least for me, the personal stakes of the scenes. When I watched Shirou get impaled in the chest, leaving a huge hole in the middle of his body, I felt nothing because I knew that he would just recover in a few minutes. When I see Michiru fight an opponent, I felt nothing because I know she could just randomly make her arms really big to defeat her foes. When Michiru and Shirou need to stop a bird beastman for committing a terrorist attack, all tension is removed when you see that Michiru can just randomly grow bird wings. So many convenient events occur which take away all tension and stakes from all of the action scenes. The reason for Michiru becoming a beastman is just... so... dumb. BNA has so many plot holes that it's ridiculous. Why does Michiru claim that she hates Beastmen in one episode, then in the next episode, she is perfectly a-okay? The villain, who I will not say in order to avoid spoilers, is a Beastman who is also immortal with three heads. Why is that? I dunno, it's not explained. What's a hybrid Beastman? Why is this villain also immortal? Why is the weasel- err I mean mink- always trying to make money off of people? Why is Michiru so confused about everything? Does Michiru miss her family? So many questions that could've been solved if the show wasn't so rushed. Since I'm on that topic, let's talk about characters. Or the lack there of. Oh, there are characters in BNA, but they really don't have dynamic personalities. Michiru is the spunky female main character that rushes into situations without thinking in the name of justice. Shirou is the edgy, moody, stoic, cool guy who is basically the no-fun police. Mari is a mink. Not a weasel, a mink. She will let you know that she is a mink. Every. Single. Time. The main villain is evil just for the sake of being evil. All the other characters just exist. No one feels developed. We get barely any time to learn about these characters personally. No one develops. I'm not asking that we get development from the chicken guy that Michiru lives with, but we should be able to identify these characters' personalities. I'm also disappointed in the fact that Michiru and Shirou barely, if at all, develop. Seeing Shirou smile more at the end of episode 12 isn't character development. In fact, I think Shirou is the worst character is the show. He's so boring. He dampens the mood of any scene he is in just to appear serious. Well, while he does appear serious, he's really just no fun. Michiru and Shirou do not have any chemistry whatsoever. When Shirou brings Michiru on missions, it doesn't feel that he brings her because he trusts her or believes her; it feels as if he's forced to bring her, like a parent making you bring your younger sibling to your friend's birthday party. These characters do not bounce off of each other and as a result, they can't develop from each other based off of their interactions. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil the show. As I said before, I wanted to love this show, but this show is just too short for its own good. BNA feels rushed. It's a mess. I haven't watch much of what Trigger has made, but I have seen Space Patrol Luluco and that show was really good, so I know this studio is capable of making greatness. BNA had so much potential and it was all wasted.