Unbreakable Machine-Doll
“Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukana”
Anime has its share of world-building, and a handful of series transport us across the channel. Black Butler, a franchise that has captivated many, currently holds a 7.66 rating on MAL. Even its sequel, Kuroshitsuji II, has a 7.13, which is saying a lot, as fans were ready to burn A-1 Picture to the ground. If it's any comfort, we did get many fans' favorite waifu maid, Hannah, from that series, and regardless of how much you hated it, she still became the waifu of many a tortured soul.
In case you're curious, "Book of Circus," "Book of the Atlantic," "Book of Murder," and the recently launched "Public School Arc" all score 8.0 or higher, setting the bar high and igniting anticipation for future releases.
It's no surprise that other anime writers and creators have tried it. Unbreakable Machine-Doll is a prime example of blending the exquisite aesthetic of Great Britain with a touch of ecchi, humor, magic, and a bit of action to keep things lively. It sounds simple on paper, but it may leave a little to be desired when executed. In anime, perfection is a rare find, and Unbreakable Machine-Doll is not without its flaws.
Reiji Kait and Ruroo's Japanese light novel series Mashin-Dru wa Kizutsukanai, Kik Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai, or Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukana (so many titles) debuted in 2013. From November 21, 2009, to July 25, 2017, Media Factory published it in seventeen volumes under its MF Bunko J imprint. The light novel series began with its first volume published on November 21, 2009, and concluded with the seventeenth volume on July 25, 2017. In June 2017, Kadokawa released a commercial promoting the series' conclusion, and a drama CD accompanied the special edition of the fourth volume.
The manga adaptation, also written by Reiji Kaitō and illustrated by Hakaru Takagi, began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine on April 27, 2010. This adaptation went on an indefinite hiatus on July 27, 2017, and consists of nine volumes. Misato Kamada provided the illustrations for another manga adaptation, Gene Metallica: Unbreakable Machine-Doll Re:Acta, which ran in two volumes of Media Factory's Monthly Comic Gene magazine from April 15, 2013, to April 15, 2014.
Lerche Studio produced the anime adaptation of Unbreakable Machine-Doll, which Kinji Yoshimoto directed, Yko Kakihara wrote, and Masaru Yokoyama composed the music. The series aired in Japan from October 7, 2013, to December 23, 2013, and consists of 12 episodes plus 6 OVAs. Crunchyroll (formerly Funimation) obtained the anime's license for distribution outside of Japan. In addition to the light novels, manga, and anime, Unbreakable Machine-Doll inspired a mobile game, Unbreakable Machine-Doll Facing Burnt Red, released for Android and iOS on December 6, 2013. Nao Touyama provided the voice for the game's brand-new original character, Kaguya, and Hitomi Harada sang the song "Burnt Red."
While fan service plays a significant component in Unbreakable Machine-Doll, both the light novel and manga have their share; the anime gets additional help thanks partly to its director, Kinji Yoshimoto. The Queen's Blade series, specifically Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin and Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye, are best associated with Kinji Yoshimoto.
These two anime alone pack enough jiggle and objectionable content to make the sea levels rise. See what I did there? But that’s not all. Our dear director has directed Arifureta: From Commonplace to the World's Strongest and has worked on classics such as Megazon 23 Macross Plus and the Fist of the North Star television series. Finding out that he also directed Night Shift Nurses: Experiment was a revelation to me. If you’ve never heard of the series, don’t worry; it just explains a few things.
Fortunately for the audience, Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai is toned down (sarcasm), allowing us to concentrate more on the essentials—the actual story—of which there are several. The anime adapts the first three arcs of the LN: Facing "Cannibal Candy, Facing "Sword Angel," and finally Facing "Elf Speeder." The arcs help build the world of Unbreakable Machine-doll. It's up to the viewer to decide whether it does a decent job. I'll give my opinion as we go along.
“Imitating humans is pointless.” - Kimberly.
Raishin Akabane is a student puppeteer and mage from Japan who has come to the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machine Arts in Liverpool, England, to study the emerging field of Machinart, a combination of magic and technology with military applications. Yaya is his Automaton, a living machine doll powered by magical circuits specializing in hand-to-hand combat. Each quadrennial, the top one hundred students and their automata compete in the Walpurgis Night or the Banquet of Strife Party, an academy-wide tournament titled "Wiseman" awarded to the best puppeteer.
Now, that sounds like a noble task, and in many anime, a protagonist would immediately start at the top and work his way up a few levels to achieve his goal. However, our protagonist begins at the bottom, ranked second last. Despite this light novel detail going unnoticed in the anime, the truth is that he ranks dead last. Despite being ranked fourth with the Registration Code, Last One, the lowest-ranked player, August Veyron, is a member of the Rounds, which includes the top thirteen Gauntlets. He received the lowest ranking solely because he failed to complete the test paper. As a result, Raishin received the lowest ranking of 1,236 rather than 1,235 because of a technicality.
So our protagonist begins his new life as the butt of many jokes, and his academic advisor Kimberly makes it her business to remind Raishin that he is “second last and Mr. Penultimate.” She also refers to him as a “samurai boy.” Ironically, this play on words is a double entendre because, being Japanese, he is also the subject of quite a few racial remarks made at his expense. Adding injury to insult, he is the last of the Akabane clan and was a witness to his family's murder and Nadeshiko, his beloved sister’s death. Time has passed since that event, and Raishin finds himself under the orders of the Japanese government. As a war, possibly World War One, loomed, the Japanese government tasked Raishin with becoming a Wiseman to spy on the other governments.
“Was that an offer from the Devil, or...” - Raishin.
Rashin is not the same as Helck, who, despite a dark past, suppressed his rage under the cover of a melancholy smile. Rashin wears his passion like a banner draped in honor and nobility. He is the unsuspecting hero who entered into a covenant with the devil. With much of their story told in flashbacks, as he lay dying—no match for Tenzen—his older brother, Shouko Karyuusai, appeared and made him a revenge pact. Your life should you fail in exchange for the means to enact your revenge. Never deal with the mistress of wine and women; the house always wins.
Shouko bestows upon him her finest automaton, Yaya of the Moon, believed to be the strongest of the Karyuusai brand Setsugetsuka series. This act reveals that men's wickedness transcends mere desires for revenge. Raishin and Yaya will navigate a path akin to Ciel and Sebastian, taking on roles as political navigators, detectives, and warriors. Like Black Butler, it skillfully balances light-hearted moments and darker themes. A taut physique might lead one to ignore the darker aspects.
These taught physiques, and accompanying comedy might make one overlook this anime's backstory and even make one see it merely as a fanservice comedy anime. After all, who could overlook Frey’s vain attempts to seduce Raishin, Yaya’s rampant jealousy, or Charl’s tsundere nature? However, it's worth noting that they make significant efforts to entertain, primarily through the elements mentioned earlier.
And I was entertained, but not due to the character development. They throw at us a few characters, all of whom are archetypes of characters we've seen before, and that's keeping it consistent. Whether these characters become fan favorites or annoyances depends on your taste. I admire Raishin because he embodies the quintessential Shonen character we all recognize; he's the type to rush to a damsel in distress and likely earned the title of the most 'Baka' in his group. This brings us to Charl.
Known also as Tyrant Rex, Charl plays a significant role throughout the series, beginning as an overpowering and feared anti-socialite. While she walks with Sigmund, her automaton dragon, in episode one, he informs us that she is feared partly because of her actions, such as throwing her roommate out the window and sending five upperclassmen to the hospital after enrolling. She is dogmatic in her desire to restore her family's honor. An honor lost may be considered a minor spoiler, as it illustrates the point during her childhood when the Belew family dog, an automaton, attacked a boy of high status.
In a more mature anime, she would have been a formidable character, and the way she is written, she could be better utilized and not constantly upstaged by better characters. But looking at her through a different lens, she is honestly just a child playing grown-up games. Sigmund serves as her surrogate father in many respects, and her firm reliance on him stems from her deep-seated need for family, leading her to seek out the “Eve's Hearts” of the automatons she once regarded as family. In many ways, as much as Raishin, he begins peeling back some of the layers that make her unapproachable to most people. It also helps that Raishin, who needs entry into the Night Party, challenges her due to her rank and ends up saving her, placing her in his debt. You're familiar with how this trope unfolds, but how else could an unknown protagonist be thrust into the limelight?
Regardless, this situation places him in the sights of numerous antagonists and supporting characters, setting the stage for the anime's darker undertones. Now, let's backtrack and delve into the concept of Eve's Heart.
The Heart of Eve
I'll just simply quote Kimberly regarding “The Heart of Eve.” “A magic circuit is a substitute for a ritual and acts as a ritual of sorts. Much like pressured steam turns gears, infusing it with mana activates spells. What powers these automatons, giving them a sense of life? In this context, the significance of magic circuits is paramount. These circuits are the brains of every automaton; they are teeming with magical energy that grants them superintelligence and extraordinary abilities. With magic circuits connecting inanimate metal with living things, automatons can learn to do tasks, show emotions, and even form distinct personalities.”
This quote from Kimberly sets up the part of the story I most liked. This whole concept of playing Dr. Frankenstein was interesting, with several significant antagonists playing King of the Mountain: Felix Kingsfort, Bronson, and Cedric. Others fall into the gray area, those being Shouko and Tenzen Akibana. While I hate using the term that they have their own motivations, the fact is that they do. One wanted power for power's sake, while another wanted to play God while advancing science, and still, another made a bet that if a boy did not achieve his revenge, his body would be cut up into parts and made into a Ban Doll.
The three main antagonists, Felix Kingsfort, Bronson, and Cedric, have motivations that align with most villains—nothing out of the ordinary. Of the three, I would say that Bronson (Facing "Sword Angel") was the darker of the three arcs, while the final arc, Facing "Elf Speeder," was my favorite. This was not due to the story; I found some of the plot to be weak in the final act, but it did answer the question of what it would be like if Sebastian were an automata. It also allowed Yaya to go her hardest, which brings me to the animation.
“I'm a benevolent and tolerant guy. However, there are three things I cannot stand.” - Loki.
It would be an understatement to say that this anime does not excel in animation. It's another anime that uses CG, but the CG is in tandem with the overall product. I initially thought certain fight scenes would look out of sync, such as in the "Cannibal Candy" arc when Eliza is fighting Yaya or in episode 8 when Loki’s automata Cheribum is facing off against Lucifer. There is a good use of 2D and 3D elements when Raishin and Loki are under fire in the same episode, and a 3-D rendered automata is standing in the rear of the shot shooting at them. Watch the final arc to see Yaya put Sigmund on his back.
Speaking of Sigmund, I wasn’t a fan of his design, but I loved it when he would power up for his Lustre Flare. I could go on about the automatons as they steal the show. The character designs worked well for this anime. The attire is nothing out of the ordinary, but there is notable attention to detail, such as the slits on Kimberly’s heels or the Shouko’s branding. It appears in the opening of episode one when Yaya is praising herself and is seen again on Yaya’s body when she is presented to Raishin.
Shouko was one of my favorite characters, as she is a bit of Joe Black, Dr. Frankenstein mixed with Edna Mode for good measure. Yukana Nogami voices her, and before I go full-on, Hiragi Utena, I’m going to stop there and just say they brought the heat on this anime. Everyone from Hiro Shimono as Raishin Akabane, Jōji Nakata as Sigmund Hitomi Harada, and the late Miyuki Ichijou, who voiced Yomi, was phenomenal. They harmonized well, and you can tell they had fun doing their roles while in the booth; even the banter between Loki and Raishin or Shin, my favorite Granville Butler, was spot on.
Despite some of the pacing issues, I truly enjoyed this anime. It was well-animated, while some of the plot points are weak, and I wish they had explored the concept of Ban Dolls in more detail. While there are details like Loki and Frey being “Promised Children,” children who were experimented on and given Eve’s Hearts, making them artificial mediums, it would have been nice to have explored that more in detail. I would have liked to have learned more about their histories.
We get their involvement with Divine Works and Bronson’s subsequent investigation by the Cruzada. Neither the Cruzada nor the organization known as Nectar are explained in detail, but their presence is felt. What the writers do well, though, is tie the first arc and the last together, setting up for a season two that will probably never come. Unbreakable Machine-Doll is currently available to view via Crunchyroll. While this anime is recommended, I suggest reading the manga if light novels give a satisfying conclusion.
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