Coppelion

In the midst of a world permanently altered by the ravages of time, a group of seemingly ordinary high school teenagers embark on an adventure that defies normalcy. Ibara Naruse, joined by her companions Aoi Fukasaku and Taeko Nomura, journeys into a Tokyo that exists in the aftermath of a devastating event—the aftermath of a harrowing nuclear accident that damaged the metropolis two decades previously.

Begin this journey of resilience and self-discovery, where humanity's boundaries blur and the echoes of a past calamity reverberate through the souls of three brave young women. Their incredible story unfolds as they navigate the punishing streets, leaving them permanently transformed and contemplating what it truly means to be human.

Coppelion, also written as “Kopperion,” is a Japanese animation series created by Makoto Nakamura and directed by Shingo Suzuki, Hiromichi Kanazawa, and Susumu Kudō. Mikio Endō composed the series' music. GoHands made this anime adaptation, and it aired in Japan from October to December 2013, with a simulcast running on Animax Asia during the same period.

In North America, Viz Media has licensed the anime for streaming and home media release. The series was based on the same-named manga, and consisted of 13 episodes, each lasting 24 minutes. It belonged to the action and sci-fi genres, appealed to the Seinen demographic, and was rated PG-13 for teens aged 13 and up.

Tomonori Inoue wrote and drew the source manga series of Coppelion. Three high school girls who underwent genetic modification to become radioactively impenetrable travel to Tokyo after the city suffers a nuclear disaster. From June 2008 to May 2012, it was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine, Weekly Young Magazine, and later in Monthly Young Magazine from May 2012 to February 2016, with chapters collected into twenty-six tankōbon volumes.

Coppelion is a lovely animation that has gone straight to hell, in my opinion. I'm not talking about the artwork because it's glamorous. What began as an enticing notion with potential has devolved into an abomination that has become practically impossible to watch due to its aesthetic and overall representation of the post-apocalyptic genre. This anime is a catastrophic failure that exemplifies how to avoid adapting a manga. The manga is similar, but Coppelion strikes me as a series that should not have been revived.

The series is based on Tomonori Inoue's manga, and the name "Coppelion" refers to a unit of trained professionals with extraordinary powers that searches for survivors following a horrific catastrophe in 2016. The metropolis of Tokyo has turned into a contamination-like war zone as its residents face a dreadful reality: they are on the verge of extinction as a nearby nuclear reactor melts down.

So, 20 years later, it's up to the Coppelion special task force to find survivors. With its magnificent images that effectively portray the aftermath of the catastrophe and its tale, this undoubtedly sets up a decent science fiction theme series. That story, however, turned out to be a devastating breakdown.

The tale itself is initially well-set. The desolate countryside depicts the postapocalyptic backdrop. With its wrecked cities and absence of civilization, it composes itself inside and outside. In the beginning, our primary characters appear to encounter only survivors. These survivors do not have Coppelion's abilities. Instead, they rely on them to escape Tokyo alive or die trying. This show tries hard but needs to catch up when it comes to the story.

The first episode establishes that some survivors are out there but also in danger. Even when they find survivors, they are usually portrayed as on the verge of death. This is illustrated in various contexts as the show attempts to paint a mental picture of a world where anyone can die.

Beginning in the beautifully illustrated ruins of the post-nuclear accident city of Tokyo, the series introduces you to the intriguing premise and builds the world effectively in an episodic manner. All of this proceeds until the overarching plot and central conflict are presented. This could have been a pretty engaging experience if they stuck to the episodic structure. But once the significant plot kicks in, the story takes a terrible nosedive and gets into a rhythm of problem-solving, deus ex machina, and cliffhangers. And no, not in a significant way.

This series' artwork can be defined as 'scenery porn.' Most of the landscapes and backgrounds are magnificently illustrated, lending them a cutting-edge grandeur. Tokyo's bleak landscapes resemble the aftermath of an apocalyptic event. The absence of civilization and the destruction of its structures are more proof of this. The background designs of the production studio Gohands (best known at the time for works such as K and Mardock Scramble) are identical.

Furthermore, the lack of fan service removes distractions, resulting in a more serious tone for this series. It also employs good camera angles paired with gusts of wind to depict apocalyptic Tokyo's vacant, settling atmosphere in 2036.

Sadly, some strange artwork affects how the characters appear on screen at various times, using a thick line style and palette. The reason for this is unknown, but my hunch is that it is done to emphasize the characters themselves rather than the stunning backgrounds.

In the department of characters, Ibara Naruse is the group's leader, and she does most of the work, while the other two either serve as plot devices or support her. She has the primary goal of saving lives and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Her passion for this cause makes her failures moments of weakness, and this contrasts with her superhuman exterior.

Despite being competent and more valuable than Aoi, Taeko Nomura is given the most minor characterization. Her role doesn’t change, and they don’t focus on her enough for us to understand her internal struggles. She simply exists to show that Coppelion students can have engineered abilities. Aoi Fukasaku is the weak link, being an incredibly whiny character.

They seemed to want her to represent humanity, compassion, and empathy, but she was downright unlikable. The rest of the cast is littered with people who either stand in the way of the protagonists, represent the duality of people in desperation, act as deus ex machina, or are recurring villains that the protagonists must repeatedly be at odds with.

They did cast some powerful actresses for this. Hanazawa Kana, Tomatsu Haruka, Horie Yui, and Sakamoto Maaya play key protagonists or antagonists in the film. The problem is that their Voice actors cannot do much for such uninteresting characters. The amount of time the significant characters spend whining also harms their performances. As a result, the acting ends up stale.

Endo Mikio composed the music for this series, and he did a good job. It could be a better soundtrack, but it's adequate. Coppelion's soundtrack is sufficient to meet expectations. Heartbeat tones, action sequences, and cliffhangers are demonstrated. Because there is little humor or fan service, the show frequently forgoes the use of funny OSTs in favor of a more melancholy mood. Angela's (K, Valvrave the Liberator, Heroic Age) OP song "Angel" is catchy due to its scientific-like tone of presentation.

Her ED song's tragedy-like tone also conveys a scientific mood. Ibara's VA (Haruka Tomatsu) has a confident style, whereas Aoi is clearly a girl in anguish. Aoi represents the team's frailty as well as being the most human; hence, her voice is frequently presented as that of a vulnerable girl asking for assistance despite her desire to serve others.

So there you have it, Coppelion. Is it harmful? It's not the worst anime I've ever seen, but yeah. It's awful. Is it amusing? Not at all. It contains specific scenarios that are amusing in their ignorance. The absurdity of the paddle boat chase is hilarious. It's funny that these “elite” schoolgirl characters can't identify a bomber from a bird. Aside from those two scenes, it's not that amusing.

Initially, the premise is interesting, the art is beautiful, and the story is on point, but it all comes tumbling down once the awful characters start destroying the show with their bare hands. So yeah, this isn’t an Anime I highly recommend. However, it may be your cup of tea, so give the first few episodes a watch and decide for yourself. If you are willing to suspend your disbelief and forgive some flawed characters, you might enjoy this to some degree.