Metallic Rouge

There is a distinct difference between something working out in theory versus it working out in practice. If you were to visually lay out or list everything within *Metallic Rouge* in terms of its characters, places, and concepts, you’d be able to have a pretty firm grasp on what’s going on. In part because it is deliberately drawing such heavy influence from other cyberpunk or science-fiction media before it (with Ridley Scott’s *Blade Runner* being the most overt), the pieces to put everything together are indeed there, even if you don’t happen to know of its inspirations. However, the anime’s sense of revealing this information is to have revelations or twists come in rapid succession, proposing a whole slew of questions for each one it answers, and bloviating the world to be so all-encompassing that one could be easily forgiven for getting confused or lost in the wash. It is true that it is the viewer’s responsibility to be able to grasp what a piece of media is doing and try to meet it halfway, but that doesn’t mean *Metallic Rouge* is freed from the fault of its haphazard storytelling. With so much “stuff” that is explained and only thirteen episodes to get it all done, the parsed-out result is not a project that is poorly conceived, but one that struggles as a realized product to find its stable grounding. And there is plenty to work with, too. As an oppressed synthetic population within the world, Neans are essentially shackled to the Asimov Code—itself named after science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who coined “the three laws of robotics” in the 1940s—which means they cannot harm humans both directly or by inaction or indecision. Coupled with their dependence on a substance called Nectar, Neans are robbed of any real sense of self-signification, clearly positioning them as a population both within society and metaphysically to be pitied by the audience. Within the Neans is the so-called “Immortal Nine,” proto-Neans that can exercise free will beyond the Asimov Code and take matters into their own hands, violently if needs be. Enlisted to stop them are Rouge Redstar, a Nean who isn’t particularly bright but can punch really hard, and Naomi Orthmann, the brains and tech-wizard who seems more relaxed. For all the players involved, *Metallic Rouge* poorly orients how they all factor into the grand scheme (or, to use a framing device that the anime loves to employ with Puppetmaster, roles to play). If the series opted to have the two main characters as the main force walking through the narrative, it doesn’t succeed at this. A pair of characters embodying a tried-and-true “buddy cop-esque” dynamic is not poor by itself, though in terms of what makes Rouge and Naomi tick, there’s surprisingly little that feels distinct. The early interactions are occasionally tinged with remarks that border on yuri-adjacent signifiers, or turns of phrase that are meant to be endearing, particularly from Naomi. Yet, it assumes that tiny touches like these are substitutes for actual meat, rather than the potato chips or chocolate that our heroines like to indulge in. Given especially how much of the show Naomi and Rouge hardly see eye to eye, if not just being uncommunicative, dishonest, or not even within the same proximity of each other, it’s hard to care about them as a binding tether within *Metallic Rouge’s* story. The Immortal Nine, despite being for the notion of Nean freedom and actualization, take actions that are bizarrely counterintuitive to their goals. Part of the reason for this is the wide disparity between its members; some of the Immortal Nine are docile and just want to live peacefully. Others are quick to violence, even if it means that some of their own fellow regular Neans—the group that they are ostensibly trying to help—die because of their actions. In making the Immortal Nine ununified and having both extremes as operating ideologies within them, *Metallic Rouge* unintentionally undercuts the very issue of Nean independence that it is proposing via the Immortal Nine’s stance. It is difficult to care about an oppressed class when the group most representative of them has characters killing “for fun” or murdering their own kin. This is not a case of “a few bad apples spoiling the barrel,” as the old saying goes since there’s only nine of them. When half your apples are spoiled, it’s a sign that you’re a poor farmer. Because Rouge and Naomi as the protagonists cannot be positioned as antithetical to Nean freedom (because that would presume the series is advocating slavery is a better option, which…uhh…), the narrative thus puts them at odds not with Nean freedom, but rather against the Immortal Nine. And since the Immortal Nine possess personalities or cause actions so cartoonishly outlandish or evil to give the “good guys” and the audience a force to understand but not sympathize with, *Metallic Rouge* cannot elicit any meaningful introspection. The complexity of the Nean Freedom issue is relegated to battles with easily identifiable antagonists, defeated / killed in tokusatsu fashion in favor of gradual integration of Nean rights into human civilization to prevent “chaos.” The result is a civil war narrative in which even if both sides are simultaneously right (the investigator Ash even says this outright just in case you missed it), the actual sense of exhilaration to see the conflict play through to the end just isn’t there because there is not a good enough reason to care. This, of course, does not discount the idea of the Asimov Code still restricting their options for self-defense or self-preservation at human hands. Part of what magnifies this uncaring is the mis-prioritization of what transpires within these thirteen episodes. The Neans themselves as a larger collective seem strangely out to dry. While there is a visit to a Nean settlement for a short while, and the first episode involves watching a Nean suffer Nectar withdrawal and die as a result when no one offers to help (itself a good moment of worldbuilding), most of the interactions within the story don’t involve the Neans themselves as communicating bodies. The latter half of the show has so few Neans featured within it that further opportunities to see their interactions within the world are rather nonexistent. The Immortal Nine, in essence, speak on behalf of virtually all the Neans, and given their own wildly contrasting personalities, it’s a shame that they are the primary representation this population has within *Metallic Rouge.* For non-proto-Neans, Noid is the only one who has any kind of longstanding presence within the show, and that’s mostly as Ash’s subordinate. The show instead more heavily focuses on the interpersonal—and familial—drama and having so many revelations or actions come one after another for the sake of shock or worldbuilding / expositing. It makes the mistake of thinking that the intrigue of Rouge’s contemplations, the Immortal Nine’s ideology, Naomi’s quips, etc. can map onto or substitute itself for the Neans. For supposedly being about creating revolution, the people who would most benefit from it are barely anywhere to be found. It is perhaps the irony of ironies that the oppressed Nean class within *Metallic Rouge* is so underrepresented in their own longing for freedom, shoved to the side for those proto-Neans and other humans that are not slaves to the Asimov Code that imprisons everyone else. For all the things within the anime, it feels so hollow in the end. I do not doubt that Bones wanted *Metallic Rouge* to be their next big showstopper and a massive celebration for their 25th anniversary of bringing joy in anime to millions. Part four of the 25th anniversary documentary on Crunchyroll is essentially a giant ad for it. But perhaps in their efforts to make it the “most thing” that it could become, they didn’t realize until it was too late that it had become so large that there was no way that it could be as fully developed or rea…

It's going to be hard to explain why I'm never going to be recommending a show that I thoroughly enjoyed, consider fairly solid, and believe exceeds in a lot of areas where most anime fail. Metallic Rouge has all the makings of an incredible show, it is in theory a love letter to all sci-fi fans. This is the type of show that casually drops a reference to a short sci-fi story written in the 50s called "The Cold Equations" and expects you to get it. Any other show would see that as an absurdly niche thing to reference, but there is a fundamental love for sci-fi that lives and breaths in every corner of this show. It isn't just a sci-fi, it's one that was specifically made for the fans of the genre. From the designs, the clearly extremely well thoughts out world, to it's debates of morality, to the good ol tale of robots having free will and questioning the fundamental nature of the three robot laws in a world where those said robots feel, look, and act like humans. The soundtrack is as of this moment what I consider to be the best this year, with it even having a track reminiscent of the soundtack of the Nier games , and on top of that the animation is somewhere between good-bloody amazing through out the entire show. The settings are fleshed out and the backgrounds alone tell you so much about the world. A world that isn't just the present, it also has a history. Every character has a memorable design that tells you a lot about them, but doesn't go over board for the sake of making them stand out. And there are a TON of characters all with different arcs, motives, and roles. The character interactions are playful, and enduring, and the overall dialogue while not anything mind blowing is pretty solid. Hell, even the story is great when you look at the overall narrative. I can sit here and praise every single aspect of the show.... because every single aspect of the show is great in theory.... What you need to understand about Metallic Rouge, is that it's a 13 episode long show. That may sound like a none factor, until you think for a second about the sheer number of things I just mentioned this show does, and the fact that it's a completed story. and it does not cut any corners when it comes to any of them.... and that creates some pretty big problems. Problems that despite the show being great in every way on paper, made it be somewhere between bad-just ok for the vast majority of the people who watched it. For one the plot is so extremely dense, that there is a good amount of expositions through out of it. They aren't here because they are the best way to tell the story, they are here because actually showing the things being explained would take more time. more time that this show does not have. That applies to the world building, to the character motives, to the plot that is unravelling, to pretty much everything. Mix that with the fact that most of the character arcs and plot points are only kept to their very essential elements, and you'll start to see why none of those developments or many twists and turns can leave a true impact. Pretty much anything and everything in this show lacks enough build up to hit as hard as it can. And even after all that, they ran out of time by the end, and the twist villain's final battle ends up being an after credit scene that basically just tells you "it happened, you won't exactly see it, or the result of it, but it happened". but that alone wouldn't earn the show this low of a reputation. That is why I, The massive sci-fi fan consider it to be only "good" and not "great". but there is a second bigger reason for why most other people dislike the show. Metallic Rouge is a story that expects you to pay attention. It starts you in the middle of the story, and drops you in a completely new world with history, rules, new terminologies, multiple different parties, planets, a massive cast etc and expects you to pay full attention and slowly catch up to all of these, just to understand wtf is even happening. And if you don't have at least a decent grasp by the half way point, it's going to get even harder to catch up, with the show dropping twist after plot development after twist. It's by no means an easy watch, and you need to make an active effort to catch up to speed before the major plot developments start to happen. It is worth mentioning that this issue is even more damaging for watching the show weekly, since forgetting information is the last thing you want to do here. Now mix that with the show cramming what could have been 24-48 episodes worth of stuff into a 13 episode long show, along with the plot structure being hard to follow to begin with, and you can see why your average casual fan would say "fuck this shit" sooner or later. Metallic rouge is a "good" show. But it's a show that only someone who truly loves the sci-fi genre would be able to get enough enjoyment out of for it to be worth watching. Considering how it has a pretty big barrier of entry to begin with, being only "good" just doesn't cut it. There is a world where metallic rouge is a modern sci-fi classic that ran for 50 episodes with slightly better writing and blew everyone's mind. This is not that world. In this world it's a 6-7/10 show that most people are going find boring and confusing, and the few that appreciate it, only get a "good" experience out of it. I liked Metallic Rouge. I consider it to be a good show. But I would probably never recommend it.

Up front, I'm only saying this as a recommendation because of how much it gets me thinking about the themes & narrative structure. I'm not saying it's bad in a bait and switch manner, but it is definitely a unique series that would open a bit of discussion. This series has a lot going for it while also a lot of confusing content that may or may not hinder the viewing experience. Pros: The characters are very well written. The world is very interesting and carries a bit of a social commentary with it that is hit or miss depending on the circumstances in questions. The biggest issue with this series comes down to a mix of things. The series is very high-concept. It tackles a lot of topics and this is where a bit of it comes back in its face. A lot of the times when it comes to high-concept series, they need more time to develop for the audience to latch onto. It also comes into confliction when you factor how the characters play out which can either make them seem fleshed out or plot puppets, which is quite literally for this series at the very end, which is where the confusion comes into play. This is not easy to explain. This is one of those watches where you can kind of need a second viewing just to see if it is really well written or trying to push too much into a tiny hole. One argument you could make is that this series needed to be longer to flesh out some of its elements, but it could also stand that in order to see the twists coming, a second watch would make you better appreciate them. At the core of the series is the titular Rouge who acts as the main perspective for the viewers. She carries a naive, innocent air that makes the surprise plot twists feel like they came out of nowhere feel warrant as though she has been used, which plays into the whole overarching idea of the series. At the least, Naomi is best girl. That scene in Episode 10. I wonder who had more fun, the voice actress or the animator?

This is not an anime, it's an animated sci-fi show. It does not conform to typical anime tropes and exposition is sparse and almost non-existent the first episodes, you need to pay attention to designs, environments and conversations to piece it all together. Metallic Rouge's universe seems well built with a lot of coherence and internal logic that's not broken so far (something very rare in anime, typically protagonists break all rules). Sure the protagonist here is "special" but far from unique. She's as unique as the F-22 Raptor compared to a measly Cessna two seater, and that's as spoiler-y as I'll get. This show does follow a lot of sci-fi tropes and is heavily inspired by the classics. From Firefly to Blade Runner you can feel the inheritance here. If my anime list was about science fiction shows, this would get a 9. It's not perfect and it's a bit rough, but it's fun, entertaining and makes you think, specially at the beginning. If you're here expecting pretty animation and anime tropes, look elsewhere. If you're here for well built science fiction universe and characters, let's stay for the ride. I think the average anime enjoyer will have a hard time with Metallic Rouge, and that's ok. That's why I will mark this as Mixed feelings. But if you love sci-fi in general and not only anime, then you'll probably love this. I think there are some pacing issues, specially with them wanting to go fast, then slowing the pace at the end. At the very least you will get a cool action sequence every episode and the universe's coherence is never broken, which goes against anime conventions. Unfortunately, based on the ending alone, it seems a season 2 is unlikely but we'll have to see. I would love to see an episodice adventure buddies season based on this universe. This is not anime. It's an animated sci-fi show.

Metallic Rogue feels like an Anime made by people who only really know about it, through clips on twitter. People who don't really care for Anime. As if they desperatly wanted to make some money, while failing to understand this medium, that we love. This feels closer to an advertising Anime-Run, than even most Mobile-Game cashgrabs, we've seen. Everything it focuses on could be taken straight out of a business meeting, discussing how to market these silly cartoons, made for us nerds: -It's georgous looking. // "That's the most important thing", they think. So the budget is huge and every episode has a banger explosion-scene. -Make it cyberpunk // "That's all over the media. It's trending!", their surveys approve. But in the end it's your copy and paste dystopian big city stuff, again. -It needs a cute but cool and strong hottie as a heroin // "Yeah, these otakus love their waifus", they giggle. "That's marketable" Meanwhile Rogue's character design is the only good quality of an otherwise blank slate, with little personality. -They throw in some dark politics. Not quite surface level, but easy to understand with no controversy, at all. // "Good, we don't want moral ambiguity. No shitstorms." So it's boring and not at all as complicated/serious as the Anime makes the setting out to be. It's simple black and white. --- Just think of the most stereotypical, safe and bland story-telling devices, in every situation, and watch Metallic Rogue using them ALL. The detective is a middle aged man, wearing a trench coat, sipping on a hip flask. The reporter is a tall, blond, free spirit with an oldschool camera. Every soldier is a mean ruffian. Every Kid is a sweet, innoccent soul, in a dark world. Opressed AI, faceless Mercenaries, corporate power and surveillance - you name it. They're the most basic ideas and characters you can imagine. We don't need our cyberpunk to be overly unique, really. But we need something. Something we haven't seen yet. Or, at least, we need it to do the things that worked in the past well enough for us to overlook it's lack of creativity. This feels like the clishee Version of every entry to the genre, ever. It's shallow. And there's no reason to watch this, in a world where Ghost in the Shell already exists. Apart from the fantastic Animation and some great designs there's not much to enjoy here. This is a Bones-Original. This was meant to be awesome. But it's just a very pretty, empty shell.

Metallic Rouge captivates viewers with its intriguing premise, stunning visual beauty, and high-quality animation. The frequent action scenes stand out, surpassing mere visual spectacles, as its intelligent and complex narrative offers a gratifying experience for those seeking depth beyond mere adrenaline. Additionally, the scenes are detailed, consistent, and fluid, challenging the usual standards of computer graphics. In addition to the electrifying action, Metallic Rouge delves into a variety of profound themes, from the role of machines to existential questions such as the fragility of life, eternity, and the pursuit of freedom. The protagonist, Rouge, is a singular and counterpoint figure, grappling with challenges that defy her own nature. However, it is important to acknowledge that Metallic Rouge may not please all audiences. The choice of female protagonists playing typically male roles may be divisive for some viewers, as well as the Martian environment, prevalent in most episodes, which may not be as engaging for contemporary audiences, representing a saturated, antiquated, and implausible idea. Furthermore, the absence of romance, a common feature in many anime, may disappoint those expecting this element in the stories. Lastly, the presence of hints of a progressive ideology in the series may generate controversies. However, it is important to note that not always a work with this ideology is necessarily bad. Despite some stumbles, such as occasional clichés and implausibilities in the plot, Metallic Rouge compensates with a skillfully crafted plot that hides intriguing mysteries, revealed through captivating twists. The series challenges audience expectations, keeping them in the dark as it gradually unveils the secrets of the universe it inhabits. Ultimately, "Metallic Rouge" is an exciting and rewarding journey, recommended for anime fans who appreciate a well-crafted narrative and visually stunning animation. Despite its controversies, the series leaves a lasting impression thanks to its ability to entertain and provoke reflection with a narrative full of thrilling twists.

Metallic Rouge – A Forgone Failure Something I always do before watching an anime, specially an original one not based on a source material, is seeing the previous works from its director, as that’s usually a good sign of what you’re getting into. Motonobu Hori being the name at the helm of this anime was an instant red flag, as he had previously helmed 2 shows (Carole and Tuesday, Super Crooks) that are very bad, and Metallic Rouge ends up unsurprisingly suffering from many problems. Its attempts at a story are slow paced, but not because it can actually set anything of substance, but because it feels like it has no idea what it truly wants to be, between the CGDCT-type protagonists that feel straight from a Lycoris Recoil rip-off, cyberpunk world that’s the millionth take on the long used “robots can dream” plot, mystery story with no actual driving question, this show feels like a mismatch of ideas that never truly gel together. Aside from its aimless plot, the characters have no chemistry, the attempts at making them feel like friends being incredibly forced, while the animation is bog standard from the Bones staff, and the scenes they seem to actually care about (the fight parts) just feel so bland, I literally stare at them with a blank expression as none of them make me feel anything. Even worse, the series suffers from a major case of what’s known as narrative gaslighting. It tells you things, but these things don’t match up with what’s actually happening, and it refuses to accept it’s wrong and instead convince you it’s right. Neans are treated as these poor little things that are always suffering… when we see that the reason they’re like this is because they’re very clearly a danger to people, they seek to attack humans and only don’t because they were wise enough to put restrainers on them, the ones we see entering fights are clearly the type who’d kill a person the second they got a chance, with Rouge’s clearly violent behavior from not having these restrains being the best example. Neans are supposed to be seen as victims, when they very much either a) shouldn’t have issue with being unable to attack people given they literally exist for labor and thus should carry no desire to fight or b) are a restrain away from becoming dangerous criminals, so it feels very rational for them to not be allowed to become murderers. At the end of the day, the biggest sin of this series is that it’s just so empty. I scrambled to even write what to say here as this show is just so lacking in terms of substance, it’s hard to critique something in a constructive manner when I can basically sum up every single issue with this show by saying “every part of it sucks”, as it’s really just a bunch of bad writing that doesn’t have anything to make it stand out. Metallic Rouge is simply a fundamentally flawed series to its very core, with barely any aspect of it that doesn’t suck, so a project so blatantly doomed to fail as this one is painful to see, because it was a forgone failure from its inception. Thank you for reading

Not sure why so much negative reviews, but the show isn't bad, sure, it is no masterpiece, and that might be the point, people that comes to the show expecting a refined plot may be disappointed. It is a simple premise, a young girl arriving on mars on a secret mission, from there, the viewer will learn more about the world the girl live, her mission and her. While it starts off pretty mysterious, about half way the anime most of the missing plot can be de deducted, which is not enterily bad, nor it is good :) . It aimed at an adult audience, but delivered a more easily digested and not so harsh storyline, even though the world that houses our cast seems to be very hostile. Visually it is quite good, most of the time the frames are consistent and the battles are nice, I like the whole armor theme too, for some reason I kept thinking about Lies of P throught the show :P OST is good, nothing noteworthy here, except that piano track that plays all the time lol, some might find it annoying The show could have been better? Definitely, but that is true for almost all TV shows. But, is it worth watching? It is. It isn't a long show, it is very easy to follow the story and even though is not that deep of a plot, it does bring some good reflections now and then.

the Good: - Brilliant Art Design - Memorable OST that fits the overall presentation. Great opening/ending. - Enjoyable and interesting main characters - Interesting lore and premise of the story - Quality of animation, frame compositions and action sequences look great The Bad: - Although interesting premise, it's a remix of all Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi tropes that we have seen before - Too many supporting characters who drag throughout the episodes, making the plot difficult to catch up The Ugly: - The storytelling is a total mess. It is caused by enormous shortcuts to compress the story in 13 episodes. This result in large amount of important information delivered to the viewer in form of exposition heavy dialogues between characters. - And then followed by many logically flawed events. - Plot twists are extensively used to push the story conveniently further, therefore they lack any emotional baggage and become exhausting over time. - Presentation of supporting characters is chaotic. They jump in and out between episodes. Their actions doesn’t seem to have sense until explained later. - Atmosphere is spoiled due to fast pace and frequent jumps between locations. Conclusion: It is heavily frustrating to see Metallic Rouge doing so many things right and yet falling apart on the most important aspect: delivering a good story. If you ignore plot shortcuts, chaotic pacing, missing blanks and pay attention to the story, you will enjoy a fantastic world with coherent presentation that stands out in nowadays underrepresented Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi genre. For anyone who is not a fan of this genre, watching it will feel like a chore.

Studio Bones’s Metallic Rouge can best be described as the anime equivalent of Disney’s Wish. If I had a nickel for every time a renowned animation studio released an animated project that was meant to celebrate the anniversary of their studio’s founding only for it to end up as a critical disappointment in critic and/or fan reception, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right? Comparing Studio Bones and Disney in terms of their impact on animation and the production libraries they boast would normally elicit a positive analogy based on how influential they were for creating so many beloved works that still hold up today. It really goes without saying that Studio Bones might just be one of the most iconic and important animation studios that is as significant to the world as Disney itself. The likes of Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100, and so many other classic Studio Bones anime are as industry-defining towards Japanese anime as a good chunk of Disney Renaissance and Disney Revival films are towards animation in cinema and in general. Disney has been around for over 100 years and Studio Bones has been around for a quarter of that time. So, of course both studios would have cranked out a vast majority of masterpieces with a few bombs here and there, right? Enter Disney’s Wish and Studio Bones’s Metallic Rouge. Admittedly, I haven’t seen Wish myself (at the time of this writing), but I can definitely attest that I kept up with Metallic Rouge weekly all the way to the end of its 13-episode run. Regardless, the similarities between these two distinctly different works becomes eerily clear when you analyze how they were marketed and how they were received critically. To reiterate, both Wish and Metallic Rouge were promoted as highly anticipated anniversary milestone celebrations that would harken back to the roots of what put their respective studios on the map. For Disney, it was making 2-D animated film adaptations with sing-along musical numbers and classic love-to-hate evil villains. For Studio Bones, it was pumping out thought-provoking and action-packed science fiction TV anime. Wish and Metallic Rouge were poised to become modern crowd-pleasers that would call back to the good old days of their respective studios while also appealing to newer generations in the same vein that previous ones had once experienced the joys of… Until they weren’t. Both Wish and Metallic Rouge ended up suffering from a lack of proper marketing hype following their initial announcements and were met with a public opinion of either indifference at best or disappointment at worst. In Wish’s case, it tried so desperately to recapture the magic of what made Disney’s films so great that it ended up recapturing how soulless corporate Disney is nowadays. As for Metallic Rouge, the promotional push by Crunchyroll with Bones 25: Dreaming Forward was probably just about the only care given to the series by Studio Bones outside of the obligatory trailers and PV’s. Otherwise, Metallic Rouge got barely any attention within the anime community for all the unfortunately right reasons. Metallic Rouge is a science fiction mecha show about two female protagonists, an android named Rouge Redstar and a government agent named Naomi Orthmann, who travel across the solar system on a mission to eliminate the Immortal Nine, a group of prototype androids who are allegedly plotting against the government in an attempt to liberate the android race known as “Neans” from their human oppressors. Pretty much, Metallic Rouge does indeed fit the bill of a science fiction series as it focuses on themes of freedom and self-determination that drive both Rouge’s goals of maintaining peace among humans and Neans and struggles of what it means to live and be human. Said themes also play a pivotal role in showcasing how dystopian the lives of Neans are as they are at the mercy of their human masters who distribute the fuel known as “Nectar” that powers their life force. They also serve as core motivations for various factions of Neans who are operating to change their dysfunctional coexistence with humans for their own social uplift. All in all, a pretty decent setup that, while not entirely original, has a lot of potential to put Metallic Rouge on a level of greatness comparable not just towards Studio Bones’s anime like RahXephon or Eureka Seven, but perhaps even something like Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, or Gurren Lagann. So how did Metallic Rouge turn out? “That’s not what he wanted to cook!” - Patrick Star “No, I think he burnt whatever he was cooking!” - Some random NFL commentator I don’t know the name of Never have I seen such an abysmally depressing score for an anime series produced by Studio Bones since Soul Eater Not!. I fell into the camp of people who felt that Metallic Rouge’s starting score in the low-to-middle range of 7 was unwarranted when I first started watching this series. Going into this series, I was expecting this to be a certified 8/9 out of 10 banger that truly lived up to its status as an anniversary title for Studio Bones. The first episode, while not perfect, did show a lot of promise with what direction Metallic Rouge could take. Yet, each episode following it was either a hit or miss in the overall narrative that the show was aiming for. I desperately clung to the belief that Metallic Rouge would get better as it progressed. Yet, not only did the final episode put my score out of the 8-9 scoring range, but any and all goodwill I had towards this series was drained out of me by the series’s end harder than Dan Schneider’s set-silencing child star abuse completely and utterly capsizing Nickelodeon’s PR. Let’s go over the general aspects of Metallic Rouge before finalizing my verdict: Story: Like I said earlier, the first episode, while not without its flaws, was still a worthy show opener of what to expect in Metallic Rouge. The first few seconds of Metallic Rouge introducing Naomi really had me gravitating towards her for her confident and spunky demeanor. A beautiful woman of color setting out on her mission against the backdrop of an expansive Mars settlement really set the exciting tone for the premiere. But then there’s Rouge, who actually doesn’t have much personality in her debut. She just takes on her first target for the episode and that’s that. However, Rouge does get slightly better in characterization through gradually understanding the society she is fighting for and how it influences her decisions. Otherwise, the first episode did indeed start the show off with a banger as we peer into how Asimov’s Law dictates the actions of our main characters and the targets they are pursuing. As for the rest of the series, it is, once again, hit or miss. Not just episode by episode, but within each episode themselves. Metallic Rouge mainly caught my eye whenever there was some badass tokusatsu mecha battle commencing or the character interactions were funny and witty. Some of my favorite episodes of Metallic Rouge are the second episode where Rouge and Naomi get lost in a forest and eventually fight their way through enemy robots that involves riding an armored bus across the desert and the sixth episode where the stakes are raised when a murder plot arises aboard a spaceship Rouge and Naomi are staying at. From what I can remember, what I considered the best parts of Metallic Rouge made up at most 50% of the general quality of the anime. The other 50% may as well be expository info dumps that require astute memory retention and a heavy passion towards Metallic Rouge’s universe to even recall what each of them entailed. Now in the first episode, Metallic Rouge seemed to want to take a “show, don’t tell” approach when presenting its characters and the world they lived in. That approach does kind of still apply to certain scenes that do implement visual storytelling in later episodes, but more than ha…

Well hello Cyberpunk my old friend. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it. This is a hard one to review. Modern cyberpunk anime are hard to come by. Especially in this isekai hell we seem to be stuck in these days… Think one of the last ones I watched was DimensionW somewhere in the mid-2010s, Metallic Rouge introduces itself with a bedroom wall poster that immediately captivates. The style of the whole anime is a welcome departure from generic-fantasy world or spaceship/sky 2d background. It has a misty, industrial and concrete aesthetic with lots of warm hues, and at least in the first half was not so over-articulated as to assault the eyes, but has a pleasing and soft sheen, like the first thing that came to mind was Tinsel City in Bubblegum Crisis- which itself was strongly inspired by Blade Runner… there are lots of callbacks to classic cyberpunk and in the first episode the lead character transforms into what looks for all the world like a Hardsuit. YES- This is the real deal! I was so excited… The music fits the world perfectly, it has a really good soundtrack. The opener to this is very early-90s in style, but my personal favorite is the entire ending. The 4 fps animation and the song together just make a great music video. This is one of those anime where I actually look forward to the ending more than the show itself. About that…. well; bear with me. The characters got on my nerves at first, especially Naomi- and her American voice-over really added to that impression- but the two leads grew on my over time and even though their roles in the story were often confusing, all the characters in this were likeable- even that Vash-looking villain, I actually loved that guy and wished he had more of a role. Every single English VA did a superb job- this is one of the best simuldubs I’ve ever heard, literally ever- it has some of the best voices in the biz and sounds just as pro and polished as the soundtrack sounds and the visuals look. So you’d think I would have given this all a pretty high recommendation; it’s cyberpunk, it hits all the nostalgia points dead on, it looks good, sounds great, has attractive characters and great music, so what’s not to love huh…. well what about the story? And that dear viewer, is where this thing falls flat on its face. In that same first episode a big fight leads to a death that- being in the very first episode and among all the polish and flash should have been very impactful, but even though it looked terrific there just wasn’t anything that made the fight feel moving. And this was a constant problem throughout. They spend the first several episodes setting up a world where people (humans) are using (and abusing) these androids called Naeans (which are recharged by a cerum injection or they die) and throw a bunch of concepts at us- but most of it is delivered through verbal exposition. And a LOT of it. I got sick of the terms they kept tossing around… “Immortal nine”, “Nectar”. “Asimov Code”… using the dreaded Tell Not Show method of world building. Even if you always knew what the Asimov Code was, and its implications for androids, it should still be a major plot-point of the story. And it sort of is in one episode, before the show just wanders away from it and never makes it an issue again. After the halfway point we don’t even see the ordinary Naeans again. It seemed like someone died in every episode, but they would usually be someone we met at the beginning of the episode or who never had a major role. So their departure leaves no feeling at all. Or they ended up doing something so mind-blowingly stupid you can’t feel bad for them. There’s bullets whizzing around all over the place you idiot! Get down! Oh, see, that’s what happens! THAT kind of stupid. Eventually it tried to weave an origin story for the Naeans that resembles prettymuch every single Mad-Scientist-Dad-Doing-Experiments+Creepyweird-wife-also-scientist-he-murdered plot you’ve ever seen before and every bit as cheesy. It ruined the anime. But even when it wasn’t pulling inexplicable rabbits out of hats or making some convoluted reveal, most of the time it just felt totally lost and nonsensical. By about episode 9 I gave up trying to understand anything that was happening, and probably enjoyed the show more as a result. Forget trying to like or understand the story, just watch the shiny hardsuit fights (it never explained what those transformations are or why they can do them) and enjoy the pretty pictures and music. Don’t ask any questions you’ll just get more confused. That was my experience of the whole anime. I don’t even know what to make of it. Was it bad? No. Was it good? Not really. Was it interesting? Well it depends on how you look at it. Should you watch it? ….I’ll leave that up to you.

Those who have been following me a while might be surprised that I finished something I rated a 4/10 and can't recommend. However, like a lot of things I didn't enjoy that I've finished, this started out really promising, the characters endeared themselves to me, and then something went horribly wrong with the narrative. When this anime began, there was something really nostalgic about it to me. It had a vibe to it that drew me in and seemed really familiar. The first few episodes were pretty good and then came time for the narrative to start moving to where it wanted to go, and unfortunately where it wanted to go became a big mess. Threads that reminded me of Outlaw Star (Why was I made? What am I?) and reminded me of The Big O (What am I? How do I fit into this world?) could not hold up to the anime they reminded me of because the execution became confusing and convoluted as the anime entered its second half. I stuck with it, because I was curious if it was just a convoluted reveal, if the ending might recover itself enough to be a 5/10, but the ending was rushed, again, couldn't hold up to what it reminded me of, and did not feel satisfying in the least. The thing about the anime I stick with to the end and then give a 5/10 to is that they become boring and/or go nowhere. This went places but I wish whoever wrote it thought about the places and structured it better. This could have been a good anime with the same themes and characters if the second half was cleaner and clearer. I cannot recommend this anime, however, if you like girls doing mecha things and you don't mind convoluted scifi, then you might like this anime. If you're looking for something that isn't going to feel like you're wandering through a muddy bog about half way through, then please try something else.

In a future where humans have faced life from other stars and developed human like androids, is a possible rebellion rising. Metallic Rouge is about Rouge and Naomi, who is tasked with dealing with leaders of a possible android rebelion. We then see them traveling across worlds to hopefully accomplish their goal, and conquer the challenges on their way. The plot of the show is very different from most animes that are released, since the plot here is convoluted and only unravels a bit of it at a time. The show starts in media res, where we over the first couple of episodes starts to get a more clear idea of what is going on. It is an interesting plot that shows a lot of depth and only reveals things as it sees it necessary, which leaves the viewer with questions. Some might find the plot hiding too much or maybe over complex at times. The character struggles in the show are not simple questions, but are more on an existential level. This is very much shown through the two main characters, where we see how their struggles really follow them and help shape their identity. This is also shown for some of the side characters, where they as well have to confront themselves and their decisions. When it comes to the animation, are there more darker colors shown throughout. Which helps give the show a more serious tone to it, and also makes the brighter scenes stand out more, since they often show something different. The whole thing this series is going for is a more complex plot and characters that falls under the same category. But they are doing this while trying to keep it an action show with some cool fights in it, which is generally done pretty well. So if you like a more complex series with some cool sci-fi fights, would I definitely recommend this show.

Back to the 80's and 90's type of space/sci-fi/cyberpunk anime! I really have to say the studio did a great job at this! Now, it is obviously not fully set in the past sense of anime. Clearly the characters look more of today while the art style is more from the past with a modern tint to it. Which actually works very well. Now, I do have to state clearly that the story starts out rather confusing as it doesn't tell you what is going on, nor at the end you have all answers. It is also highly recommended for a audience that is a bit older, 100% now for small kids as they won't understand too much of it nor get much of the plot. So I would advice 16 years and older as ballpark idea. Without telling anything about the spoilers, I can't really state much. There are so many people in the review section that gave up far too early on this one that I really have to state they are fools for doing so. By only seeing a few episodes and not finishing you will do yourself and this anime a huge disservice. I can't state enough that this could well be one of the big anime names as cult classics. I highly recommend to see everything and I for sure do recommend giving it a fair chance. The second season will be very interesting as the end of season 1 ends up quite interesting. I wonder where they will take this one from here!

The episode in question stands as a remarkable installment within the series, showcasing compelling storytelling and engaging character dynamics. Upon reflection, it becomes evident that the narrative depth and pacing would have ideally suited a lengthier span of episodes, perhaps extending to a total of 25. Noteworthy is the convention of side-switching, a staple trope within the genre, which traditionally unfolds around the 13th episode mark. Given the constraints of a concise 13-episode format, the decision to introduce this pivotal plot development earlier, specifically at the sixth episode, emerges as a pragmatic narrative choice. In summation, the anime undeniably excels, offering viewers a captivating journey filled with intricately woven plotlines and rich character development. Its overall quality shines brightly, despite the potential for expansion, leaving a lasting impression on its audience.

This show is good in a universe where it got more time and budget. Parts were clearly cut or rushed and it feel likes several episodes are missing. There's some good ideas here though and some good moments. The detective episode was really fun and is one of the few that feels like it came out how it was meant to. I like the characters quite a bit but there's nowhere near enough time spent with them. Buildups to key moments are missing and some of the key moments which you would presume were planned have also been cut. This show has one of the worst episodes of anime I have seen in my life and that is not exaggeration.Show would've been better if it just focused on one aspect. It shouuld've been pure action or pure drama but they clearly did not have the resources to do both. Some of this show looks gorgeous but it was not worth it. Watch this if you feel like being disappointed.

A hidden gem, could've watched the whole thing in one go if I didn't have to sleep for work. Main point to keep in mind is the show builds upon each EP one after the next, it's best served in 1-3 days so that everything stays relevant and builds up quickly and fresh in your mind. I can see how people seeing 1 ep a week forget everything once the next episode is released and thought it's random and did themselves a disservice. Same analogy as eating 1 grain of rice a week instead of just grabbing a spoonful. Visually stylish & similar to Akudma drive - story tidbits & world building are really dam interesting and get told similarly to how Durara & Odd Taxi developed. It's got cyberpunk esque vibes in gritty dystopian bladerunner type of settings. Base scores based on how immersive and interesting things are, how few time's I could watch an episode and not have to skip anything out of sheer boredom or getting deja-vu from already seeing something similar. 9-10 on the entertainment level, definitely worth a watch.

As a big sci-fi nerd and as a fan of studio BONES' work I was looking forward to this being the best show of the season. And this being a show celebrating the studio's anniversary, this was going to be awesome! Welp color me surprised when ding ding ding! IT WAS DISSAPPOINTING! The beginning is pretty good, it presents us with great world-building and an interesting hook, it doesn't give us the answers of what the main characters are actually doing or why right away, which is something I love. However, these simple answers are not answered until like 6 episodes after, which is too late, by that point, I had already fallen out of interest for the story and the characters. The episodic nature of the show wasn't the worst, the side plots were above average, pretty good at times, even, but throughout the first half of the show we had no idea what the goal of the main characters was or their motivations. Then there was the second half, and oooh boy did they drop the ball, this is the part of the show that proves to me this had 30 episodes worth of script and they had to cut it to 13, because every episode after 6 had nonsensical plot-twists every 10 minutes. Plot-twists that would shake the entire foundation of the world we knew are dropped like nothing and this happens up until the last episode, which had not one, not two, but THREE GIGANTIC TWISTS that made absolutely no sense and that were not important to the plot AT ALL. This show clearly lacked direction, they had so many cool ideas but didn't have the appropriate time to set them up so they just crammed them all into 7 episodes and ran with it. If twists are done right, they can be the defining moments of a show, but when they are poorly made, they take the audience away from the show and make them not care anymore. I believe these twists could've been impactful if the show had more time. But what we have here is an incohesive mess. Which is a shame because studio BONES did a great job with this adaptation (even if, to be honest, it's far from their best, its still pretty damn good)

As a 25th-anniversary project for Studio Bones, I was somewhat expecting this to be pretty good, at least in regards to storytelling and characters. Animation I can cut slack on, for they were making this one independently. But even from the first episode, I could tell it wasn't going to be good. I kept hoping the next episode would explain something or shift perspectives in a way that would make what they'd be doing so far make sense, but that moment never came. The way the story and world are explained in this anime is just too much of a struggle to follow, and I don't believe it's bad comprehension on my part; it's just poorly written. All the aspects of a story set in a Cyberpunk world are there, and it has the pieces to make something good, but the way it assembles them just ends up being messy and incoherent. I really wanted to enjoy this, but in the end, I was just glad it was over.

I can’t believe Studio Bones made this, and after 25 years of giving us amazing shows like FMABH, Mob, Soul Eater, and Space Dandy. The reason people stopped watching Metallic Rouge after the first three episodes is because it’s nowhere near in the same league as Bones prior work. This show is so obsessed with its below-mediocre story that it’s forgotten to put effort into anything else that makes it worthwhile. The characters, of which there are far too many to pay attention to, are bland and one-dimensional. None of them show any character development throughout the 12 episodes. The lead character Rouge suffers from cute girl fighting crime syndrome. What does Wonder Egg Priority, Takt Op. Destiny, and Lycoris Recoil all have in common with this Metallic Rouge? All four have cutesy main characters who can’t survive on their own ingenuity without the story or character design doing the work for them instead. So the characters are all forgettable, but at least this anime has a totally original idea about android autonomy that we’ve never seen, right? The story themes seem a decade old by now and nothing new has been introduced to the concept to elevate it. The narrative is convoluted and way too sparse with world-building for the first half, after which you are spoon-fed so much exposition - making you lose any curiosity for the plot. The main draw of this show has to be the robot mech suit fights and cyberpunk aesthetic. Unfortunately, the fights are so generic, no criticism to the quality of the animation, but there are zero sakuga sequences. Right now the bar for action scenes in anime is so high. At the very least, if a show can’t match it then the show is forgettable. In Metallic Rouge, fights always end with someone running away, someone just losing the fight because the other guy punched harder, they get interrupted or they straight up change sides mid-episode - yes that happens. Surely the world design you see in the opening can save this show. Cyber Punk has been very popular as of late, and Metallic Rouge could have piggybacked off that excitement and fleshed out a unique world. Unfortunately, it’s all wasted in the opening episode of the show. After that, we never return to that cyberpunk setting and every planet they go to looks the same. It’s like they didn’t think about what human culture would look like on other planets in the far-off future other than the most phoned-in portrayal, like autonomous drones, flying cars and hardware-less computer interfaces. what a shame. Who green-lit this show? Just go watch Vivy, Ghost in the Shell, or the Neir anime if you want to scratch the itch this show tries to satisfy.