Fractale Review
We have a unique anime by Yukata Yamamoto, which deals with fantasy and adventure themes. It puts forth a very refreshing and unique concept and lets us take a break from all the shoujo and shounen anime. Fractale claims to avoid all kinds of ecchi and moe stuff. However, does it deviate from both these things? Let’s find out in our detailed review of Fractale!
The story opens in a far distant future where the Fractale System is introduced to people. The Fractale System was discovered in the 22nd century, and it lets people communicate with each other without actually having to talk to each other. That was possible through the terminals that were located in the bodies of humans.
Clain is a young boy who loves old technology. One day, a girl named Phryne gets in trouble, and Clain helps her. The following day, she disappears after giving him a pendant. He ends up summoning an avatar in the shape of a girl named Nessa. Both Clain and Nessa start their adventure together to reveal the secret behind the Fractale System.
With such a promising premise, we were expecting some good stuff from the start. But we realized right off the bat that the story was a bit underdeveloped and confusing. Right from the start, we’re shown a war, including Lost Millenium, a group that opposes the Fractale system, and the Fractale System itself. Later, the anime seems to be more like an RPG game where both the groups take turns dissing each other.
The Fractale System is pretty strong as it can destroy a whole village with the laser beams its temple shoots. But the creators decided to make the battle last for 11 long episodes.
There is something very wrong with the pacing of Fractale. It is prolonged and clumsy at the start, and by the last two episodes, it suddenly accelerates and starts raising questions and answering them right away. Questions should be presented at the beginning, and by the end, they should have solid answers. Sadly enough, Fractale could not balance out things and ended up having a horrible pace.
It’s not appropriately explained how the Fractale System works. We’re told that Phyrne is an essential part of the Fractale System. But why is she an important part? This part is not explained to us.
As far as Lost Millenium is concerned, we only know that it’s a rebel group that is against the ways of the Fractale System. We’re not told why they’re rebelling against the Fractale System and why they’re so opposed to it. The Fractale System had been ruling the world for a long time. They’ve been brainwashing people. But why were the Lost Millenium not brainwashed and broke away from this cycle? These are some of the questions that were not answered.
Overall, the main plot of the story was full of flaws. There was some issue with the pacing, explaining many essential things, and many unanswered questions. So, the story and the plot did not impress us.
As far as the characters are concerned, we see some effort. The main three characters get along really well with each other and are very entertaining to watch. Their interactions are very humorous as well. Phryne is one such character that is improved and significantly developed as the story progresses. Her character is not very defined at the start. We feel ourselves sympathizing with her because of what she had to go through.
Nessa has a very childish nature but is very far from being annoying. She serves as a connection between the viewers to understand the Fractale universe better. Many supporting characters also add to the story and are not there just for the sake of being there. They’re all-absorbing and likable as well. However, most of the side characters contribute to almost all of the comedic elements. The plot might have gotten some sort of development if such characters were not there.
Overall, we don’t have much to complain about the characters. The creators did a great job giving life to all the characters and excelling at doing the job.
We get to see some decent artwork in Fractale. The animators did put some effort into animating different eras. The background also looks very clear and clean. The overall animation gives a great sense of adventure to the viewers.
The artwork is pretty good overall, but we notice some differences in the quality as some characters look weird sometimes. There is also an issue of characters blending into the background and not appearing clear. The animation gets better and more consistent as the anime progresses. So overall, the animators did a pretty decent job animating the series.
The music is a solid point in Fractale and contributed a lot to its quality. The voice actors did a phenomenal job voicing the characters, actually giving them life. The characters felt real for some reason. We also get to enjoy an enjoyable and memorable opening soundtrack that pumps our blood for the adventures we’re going to see. Every sound makes sense, and nothing feels out of place, so it’s a 10/10 from our side.
Fractale could be one of the best sci-fi/adventure/fantasy series if not rushed. If you like watching some light comedy and relatable characters, we should recommend you watch Fractale!
