English Dub Review: Girls’ Frontline “THE SEED”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Based on the mobile game of the same name, androids commonly referred to as T-Dolls fight wars in place of humans. One small crew, the AR team, goes on a recon mission to recover secret data behind enemy lines, only to wind up in a trap set by the enemy forces of the Sangvis Ferri.

Our Take

Admittedly, I had never heard of this show or the game it was based on before watching, but the idea sounded interesting. After all, what does anime allow for if not for cute robotic girls to fight the wars humanity refuses to fight itself? It’s not something I would look for in a show, but the premise sounded kind of interesting, so I went in with an open mind.

And what I got? Ooh boy. Well, the plot starts off with some backstory to prep anyone unfamiliar with the franchise, letting viewers know about the Tactical Dolls, the war with the Sangvis Ferri and the main AR team. It was a lot to take in and within the first five minutes, I already found myself lost. Perhaps I should of familiarized myself with the game, but the onus is kind of on the show to find the proper pace of information.

The AR team had some decent moments together, even if they all felt a little too much like stock characters. You have M4, your overwhelmed, but steadfast leader. M16, the supportive second-in-command. SOPII, the wacky/crazy one. And AR15, the quiet one (I’m guessing? I really don’t remember much from her in this episode). You can definitely tell the group cares for one another and the voice actors do a great job of selling their friendship. But with so much going on, it was hard to care about their struggles when I was still catching up to what their struggles actually were.

The AR team sneaks into a compound to steal data from the Sangvis Ferri, only to get into a confrontation with a new enemy and high-end model T-Doll, Agent. There was a lot of action, gunplay and explosions for viewers who were looking for that sort of stuff. Also Agent and similar models all lifted their skirts to mow down the AR team with a hail of bullets. So…it has that going for it. But the action is very well animated and really fun to watch, even if I had to remind myself of who was fighting for what side.

All things considered, it was fun. I’m sure people who are familiar with the game are probably a tad more inclined to check this out. That said, if you’re looking for a show with a cute cast of robotic waifus, I suppose this could be what you’re looking for.