Girls’ Frontline: The Seed
Anime based on games can sometimes get a bad rap. They are often panned by fans and gamers alike. The reasons for success or failure can vary and result in a positive or negative outcome. Scarlet Nexus, for example, an online game that boasts a large following, had its highly anticipated anime panned by critics. Heavily promoted by Funimation, Scarlet Nexus failed to whet viewers' appetites and currently sits at 5.67 on MAL.
On the flip side, Angels of Death, another online game turned anime, boasts a much higher satisfaction rating and a popularity rating of 317 out of 500. Quite a feat considering the sheer volume of anime released throughout the years.
Enter Girls' Frontline. Girls' Frontline, also known as Dolls' Frontline in Japan due to a licensing issue, is an Android, IOS platform strategy game and is the latest entry into the game turned anime genre. Created by China-based MICA Team Studio in 2016, the strategy-based game allows players to control android-based characters and a corresponding real-world firearm.
The success of Girls Frontline has resulted in multiple collaborations, including collaborations with Ubisoft, Playstation, AirAsia, and crossovers with other anime such as Dropkick on My Devil and Gunslinger Girl. Also under its belt, the online game has two anime shorts based on the T-Dolls from the mobile game and a manga released in 2019. The manga titled Girls’ Frontline the Song of Dolls is serialized in Monthly Comic Rex and is ongoing.
Due to the success of the gaming franchise coupled with the growing popularity and profitability of anime, it was only natural for the franchise to try its hand at creating a full-length series. Girls Frontline is a Winter 2022 entry produced by Warner Bros. Japan and AI Addiction with animation being handled by Asahi Studio. Shigeru Ueda directs Dolls’ Frontline. He is best known for directing the original Fullmetal Alchemist and Fafner.
Handling screenwriting duties is Hideyuki Kurata, a successful industry longtimer associated with the acclaimed Made in Abyss, The World God Only Knows, and Goblin Slayer, to name a few. It is currently licensed and airing on the Funimation Channel and is rated PG-13.
Girls’ Frontline debuted on January 8, 2022. The first episode is titled THE SEED. In the year 2045, World War III breaks out. Tactical Dolls, machines indistinguishable from human beings, are deployed by militaries worldwide. Once the war ends, the Tactical Dolls or T-Dolls manufactured by Sangvis Ferri begin to rebel against humanity. The private military company Griffin is tasked with investigating and pacifying the rebellion to combat this threat.
Seventeen years forward, episode one opens in the Carpathian mountains. Team AR is tasked with securing a piece of old data, “Lyco,” and returning it to base. Stuck inside Sangvis Territory, the AR Team discovers the location of the data and begins a retrieval of the data stored in a dinosaur of a computer. Monitoring their activities is Sangvis Ferri, who also wants the data. Outnumbered by Sangvis, the T-Dolls are ambushed but must return the data to base at all costs.
Utilizing the other Griffins in the area to buy time, Team AR heads for a church once used as a Sangvis headquarters. The foursome made up of the resourceful and experienced “Big Sis” M-16, the perky SOPII, AR-15 who seems reserved and a bit of a pessimist, and their leader M4A1, who’s a bit unsure of herself at times are ambushed by higher-end Sangvis models.
These Sangvis models come equipped with high-velocity rounds concealed under their Victorian-inspired dresses. Their overwhelming firepower forces the girls to take drastic tactical action to neutralize the threat. Episode one ends with the girls splitting up so that M4 can get the data back to HQ. As they run off in different directions, M4 mentions that she hopes to find a trustworthy commander right as a new character Gentiane steps out of a humvee setting up for episode two.
The world of Dolls’ Frontline is bleak and wartorn. It appears to have been that way for some time, with the breakdown of civilization resulting in a mixture of technology and culture from numerous eras. Despite its deliciously animated intro and outro, the animation used in the episode leans more toward shades of gray.
The use of gray coupled with darker panels results in some scenes being challenging to view. This works well for corner-cutting as it becomes unnecessary to make Sangvis and support Griffen soldiers overly detailed. Some viewers may also find the occasional switch to computerized gaming scenarios annoying. The computerized modeling occurs only once and is a common form of exposition that appears in numerous battle scenario anime.
The tracks may not go down in anime memory as legendary, but they fit the bill. The opening theme, "BAD CANDY" by yukaDD, is a deep house dance track reminiscent of the late 90’s early 2000s that produced a bevy of commercial and underground acts like Kylie Minogue, ATC, Miguel Migs, and Lisa Shaw. The closing theme "HORIZON" by Team Shachi is a bouncy dance track that may require a check to see if it’s on Spotify. The other soundtracks used in the anime are a mixture of rock, dance, and breakbeats and complement the action.
The voice acting for Girls Frontline works well, and the VA’s seem to fit their characters well. Their characters’ personalities were greatly enhanced by their talents. Two standouts are Emiri Katou, the voice of AR-15, and sultry-voiced Hitomi Nabatame, who voiced the victorian clad Sangvis Dolls.
Girls Frontline will be an ongoing watch at this point. While it brings nothing new to the genre, it does provide a good piece of anime for fans of action, drama, and sci-fi. It took a conservative route using ecchi while ratcheting up the action and sci-fi buttons.
Hopefully, this series has more drama as the sense of tension while observed was lacking. As Bruce Lee put it, it lacks “emotional content.” a factor that jeopardizes the success of numerous anime resulting in a forgotten product. Hopefully, this won’t be the outcome.
