Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms

Episodes 1-3

In such a packed season, I'm so happy that ANN's readers voted for weekly reviews of this wonderful shonen mecha show, an inspiring example of a long-standing passion project reaching fruition. Mecha-Ude began with a wildly-successful Kickstarter project back in 2016, culminating in a single episode-length OVA. The brainchild of animator and director Sae Okamoto, her small team at Studio TriF, with the backing of media company Pony Canyon, now bring Mecha-Ude to full-length anime series life. Past familiarity with the OVA isn't needed – most of its scenes and plot beats are reconstituted here as episode three.

Fans of Studio Trigger's (and particularly director Hiroyuki's Imaishi's) frenetic work will be right at home with Mecha-Ude's fast-paced, flashy, exquisitely-animated action scenes. I'd almost believe this was Trigger's next work; it's even scored by the inimitable Hiroyuki Sawano, whose signature dramatic EDM is easily identifiable from the first few bars of excellent opener VORTEX, which comes complete with obligatory Sawano Drop. Hook It To My Veins.

Director OKAMOTO'S debt to Trigger's Kill la Kill is particularly apparent, with standout orange-haired female character Aki Murasame mirroring that show's lead Ryuko Matoi not only in cool, spiky attitude, but sartorial style. The dual-wielder of mechanical arms “Sinis” and “Dex” (“left” and “right”, Latin fans), Aki's black and red robotic buddies evoke strong Senketsu vibes. Following Aki's introduction in the first episode, I knew I'd be in for a good time with Mecha-Ude.

Aki's not the protagonist though – that's “normal high school boy” Hikaru Amatsuga, a third year student living in Kita-Katagami city. He's a quiet, introverted, shy lad who starts hearing voices calling him for help. While his friends think he's probably haunted by ghosts, he follows the disembodied voice down a back alley (is that ever a good idea for an anime protagonist?) and finds a strange metal cube, which suddenly bonds itself to his hoodie, growing into a chatty mechanical arm with a glowing orange eye. Hikaru is understandably freaked out, especially as the sentient arm has no idea of its own identity, plus seems to require proximity to Hikaru to continue functioning. When two rival agencies begin hunting them, Hikaru has little choice but to partner up with his strange new friend.

Hikaru learns from Aki – who announces herself as his bodyguard – that his new companion is “Alma”, a special “Mecha-Ude” called the “Trigger Arm”, and that Hikaru has no business associating with it. Mecha-Ude are supposed to “derize” (bond) with human flesh, using a biological compound called “Arbitrium” for fuel, in exchange for granting their human host enhanced physical capabilities. Unfortunately, Hikaru's Arbitrium levels are abnormally low, and Alma hasn't even bonded to his flesh. Hikaru's essentially a dead weight… until he isn't.

We all know how this is going to go, and Mecha-Ude sticks to the shonen hero formula, which is itself a variation of the literary Hero's Journey. From Alma, Hikaru experiences a literal Call to Adventure that he initially refuses, but then he receives supernatural aid, passes a threshold of ability, and embarks on a series of trials. This isn't a criticism – Mecha-Ude utilizes this well-worn structure really well, with Hikaru and Alma's awakening to power in the third episode culminating in a stupendously exciting action climax.

While Mecha-Ude's character designs are extremely simple, they're deliberately reminiscent of more classic shonen aesthetics – which likely also helps animate the action. For the Mecha-Ude themselves, TRiF use a seamless mix of CG and 2D hand-drawn animation that looks superb in action. Sometimes it even feels like they're showing off with their dynamic camera angles and incredible choreography.

Despite my gushing over the action sequences, Mecha-Ude isn't wall-to-wall mecha fights – there's a healthy mix of slapstick comedy and funny school humor too. I particularly like blue-haired Meru Shirayama, top-tier oblivious wingwoman, who keeps getting the wrong idea about Aki and Hikaru's relationship. There's also a large cast of other Mecha-Ude users, including a sinister cabal who “shackle” their Mecha-Ude, robbing them of free will.

These first three episodes throw a lot of information and characters at the viewer, but it remains coherent and entertaining throughout. We leave our main characters with many unanswered questions, and the promise of a very entertaining journey ahead of us. I'm glad to be following it with you.

Rating:
episode 1: 4
episode 2: 4
episode 3: 4.5

Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.