All The Announcements from Anime NYC 2024

Arming Up with the Mecha-Ude Anime Premiere

ANN's coverage of Anime NYC 2024 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

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After watching the first two episodes at Anime NYC, I'm 95% certain the creators of Mecha-Ude are trying, at least subconsciously, to make a kid-friendly, less fanservice-y version of Kill la Kill. Instead of alien clothing, it's sentient robot arms drawing upon human hosts for strength — and the central Mecha-Ude Alma accidentally becomes sentient clothing of sorts, attaching to human host Hikaru's jacket rather than his body. The female lead, Aki, dresses like Ryuko, and the eyes on her dual Mecha-Ude resemble Senketsu. Kill la Kill composer Hiroyuki Sawano is one of three artists making the music (along with DAIKI and Kohta Yamamoto). All the talk about the "Trigger Arm" is sure to make otaku think about Studio Trigger (the new TriF Studio produces this show).

These first two episodes occur before the 2019 pilot that earned the show its Kickstarter success. Producer Tetsuya Kinoshita told Anime News Network that the pilot story will be integrated into Episode 3. However, I suspect it will be a different experience than the pilot, which had less TRIGGER-like stylization in the artwork.

Mecha-Ude stands out visually for its strong integration of CG machines into 2D animation. Even with just a single eyeball on the hand-body constituting his "face," Alma is startlingly expressive and the most instantly appealing character in the show. The kinetic action sakuga moments look great, and the scenes using flatter, more limited animation still have solid comedic timing.

I wish Mecha-Ude was weirder. The comical moments got scattered chuckles from the Anime NYC audience but a few huge laughs; it's wacky without being mind-blowing. If you've seen Kill la Kill, FLCL, or any of the other Gainax/TRIGGER shows this is trying to capture the manic energy of, it can feel a little bit underwhelming in comparison, as if a drop of that style has been mixed into a much more standard action shonen.

I suspect Mecha-Ude could be more exciting for viewers in the shonen audience who are too young for its apparent inspirations. Given that Azuki is partnering with Scholastic's Graphix imprint for the full-color print release of the manga, it seems well-primed to meet that younger demographic. The brief introduction before the Anime NYC screening noted that the manga and the anime have different storylines, so those seeking a complete understanding of this world will want to experience both.