Ex-Arm: This Anime Makes Us Wish We Had No Arms

Ex-Arm

“This Anime Makes Us Wish We Had No Arms”

2021 started with a bang. Attack on Titan was back after more than a year, and with returning shows like Re:Zero and Slife in the mix, it was no wonder that anime fans were having a blast after that harsh year we had just witnessed. And when it comes to anime seasons, it's not a surprise that lower-budget shows make it to the list every other three months, adaptations focused solely on getting the manga's name out there.

But Winter 2021 indeed saw a weird case called Ex-Arm. A pretty decent manga was made into a joke and the anime meme of the year. Just what went wrong? Let's find the answer to that very question and dive right in!

The infamous truck is at it again.

I swear this is the same truck-killing anime characters left and right in different timelines. Kazuma from Konosuba started this thing for sure. But our main character, Akira Natsume, wakes up after a 16-year-long coma thanks to this truck hitting him into a long slumber. Just when he's in the middle of collecting himself, he comes face-to-face with Minami Uezono and her android partner Alma.

This is when he comes to know that his brain is contained inside an Ex-Arm, a weapon of mass destruction on a ship that people are operating that he indeed wants no business with. Thus, they begin their quest to recover what's lost. After being done with the mission, Akira Natsume joins the rest of the Ex-Arms Countermeasure Prevention Team to put an end to the people who seek these weapons of mass destruction.

You and I both know we're not here for the story. We're here for the laughs and memes; trust me, you'll get a lot from this show. The story, while on paper, could be something decent. However, it turns out to be scattered all over the place.

The show has a pretty linear setting, which should've worked in its favor, given that we only have a few twists that should be executed flawlessly. But all in all, the show looks like someone's newborn child drew it and set it into motion using free animation software from the dark web. I was going to mention how Sora's small steps helped it stand up, but that would be disrespectful to the AI model, you know what I mean.

Animation that's just like us, confused!

A lot of different animation styles exist in this day and age. All these different studios have their own signature style that not only sets them apart but also manages to provide a way for specific manga titles to be executed in the best way possible. CGI is wrong, and there is no doubt about it. But when you've chosen something, just stick to it to the end? Ex-Arm stays confused the entire time when it comes to the animation department.

Occasionally, some characters will be in 2D and others in 3D. Concentrating becomes difficult because of how disjointed the screen and its contents appear. The moving frames feel like they aren't drawn or animated, but static character models are made to rock back and forth to showcase how the character is running or performing these different activities. All in all, this makes the animation a complete joke, and that's enough to brush off these new fans who won't even give the likes of Yu Yu Hakusho a chance, given its 90s animation.

When the trailer was out, even though the guys at Crunchyroll didn't market the show, it sparked quite a response from the community. Sure, the response wasn't the best we've seen by a long shot, but it's safe to say that the teaser wasn't as bad as the final product. I still looked up the trailer, and trust me, it looks way better than the entire show combined. Imagine your one- or two-minute trailer outdoing your whole show. That's got to hurt!

The animation also has the perk of making the characters end up in these weird positions that you can't help but laugh to your death. For example, in one scene, the character is tied up, and a finger is inserted into their stomach on the ground. That and many others have been carried out so unusually that some may instantly feel nauseous and uncomfortable. And it's not like the animation improves as the show continues, no sir.

We recently saw how the animation improved from start to finish in “Black Butler: Public School Arc” or worsened from start to finish in the beloved Ninja Kamui. I'm sure the latter holds true when we're talking about Ex-Arm.

There's a reason why the anime is rated 2.89 on Mal. I'm sure many of you haven't seen anything like that before, but trust me, this isn't even the lowest Mal has seen. A couple of shows went even lower, and I'm sure you're on your way to watch them just now!

Destroying the manga

As I mentioned earlier, anime adaptations make or break your manga. At times, the adaptation makes the manga skyrocket in popularity, while at others, it just razes it to the ground and makes sure no one remembers its name in good terms. Well, Ex-Arm sure broke a relatively unbreakable record. Before it came out, the Berserk adaptations from 2016 and 2017 were widely regarded as the worst CGI adaptations that ruined a masterpiece series. But Ex-Arm has worked hard to take that title for itself.

It's also a shame since the manga serialized in one of the best magazines, Shonen Jump+, is better than this anime adaptation. The art is outstanding, and overall, it's a great read. I would encourage you to check that out once you're done with the show because I know that no matter how many times I tell you that it's a total waste of your time, you'll go ahead and watch it anyway. That's how the human brain functions at the end of the day. We sure do what we're told not to do!

Who let Disney in the mix?!

With everything going south, the last thing we need is the current state of Disney hitting this show head-on. Thankfully, nothing happened, but the anime’s opening song sounds like something out of those high school musical movies that no one wants to watch today.

I've never heard a song that feels so out of place and time. It doesn't fit the theme of the show, and again, just like what the anime did with Berserk, it's made the beloved Flyers by Bradio seem like it fits the theme of Death Parade almost wholly. You know the opposite is true, but that's just the magic of Ex-Arm. It makes the impossible possible.

Throughout the show, the music isn't good either, so it does nothing to drag this show out of the dead pit that it has found itself in. Honestly, what was the need for this show? Crunchyroll has only made some newbie animators, who just started a studio, look like complete clowns. It's no wonder three years have passed, and the studio hasn't put out a single show—not even a second Ex-Arm, mind you.

If watching it is such a pain, imagine what it would've been like working on it. The only way to enjoy the show is if you're drunk after your girlfriend broke up with you, because watching this while you're wide awake and sober makes me question your taste a lot!

Ex-Arm has given birth to memes that still have yet to die out. I don't want to think that the show has a dedicated fanbase because if it does, then the modern anime community has no taste. But if you're a fan of the worst shows out there, the whole ‘it's so bad it's good’ stuff, this show might top your favorites list.

I wouldn't let this show anywhere near my beloved series. It's just such a poor adaptation of a manga that's light years better. Check out the manga as well; trust me, you’ll like it—at least a lot more than whatever this anime adaptation is.