English Dub Review: Nier Automata Ver1.1a: “or not to [B]e”

Overview: YoRHa’s combat android operative, 2B (Kira Buckland), is assigned to take out a Goliath-class Machine lifeform at an abandoned factory. With the assistance of recon and electronic warfare bot, 9S (Kyle McCarley), they’ll fight her way through machines to complete their mission. 

Our Take: 2B does not dilly-dally and neither does the show in establishing the military android’s enemy in an unknown alien force. The opening episode is animation heavy. Incredible visuals make it anything, but robotic with intricate detail given to how lumbering ships engage in aerial dogfights. 

It transitions to clashes on the ground floor quickly with gorgeous fact-paced action. There’s also a plethora of enemies that are visually distinctive in golem-esque enemies as foot soldiers or kaiju-sized construction combat bots. There is also an air of mystery surrounding their intelligence in their unusual behavior being self-sustaining without human help. 

Her partnership with another android in 9S is the meat and bones of their mission, however. The walls 2B has built up around her defines her friendship with 9S. His kind heart and friendliness pokes through her shell, eventually touching her with his valor and care.

2B is also more than just a stoic lead. Small moments give a glimpse into her own vulnerabilities, like her dread and doubt surrounding her own role within the world. From how personal 9S becomes to his ultimate sacrifice in uploading 2B’s memories instead of his, her own fractured heart is further on display. She is a worthy shepherd to navigate not only a post-apocalyptic earth, but her purpose in a doomed world.