English Dub Season Review: Akudama Drive Season One

Overview: A group of dangerous outlaws are tasked with safely transporting two siblings while combating the forces who seek to use the kids for their own ends. 

Our Take: To say that the cyberpunk genre is one that has become a staple in pop culture would be an understatement. Since the debut of the 1982 cult classic, Blade Runner, in every facet of entertainment media, various creators have each attempted to make it their own. It’s so monumental and prolific that it’s influence can’t help but be woven throughout the works of all who have tried their hand at it. From the iconic Ghost in the Shell to Netflix’s now cancelled Altered Carbon to CD Projekt Red’s controversial Cyberpunk 2077. No matter where you go, you can’t escape this movie. Heck, even the creators, Tomahisa Taguchi and Kazutaka Kodaka, have cited the film as one of the series’ major influences. But with that being said, Studio Pierrot has found a way to do just that. Break away and get their own spot in the neon limelight with the debut of their original anime. To say that Akudama Drive is merely a replicant of what has come before would be a major disservice to what the series has now brought to the sci-fi subgenre. 

Mainly taking place in the big, bustling city of Kansai, there is seemingly not one crack or crevice not filled to the brim with bright neon colors. From alerting street signs to gargantuan blimps to advertisements off the wazoo, there’s always something filling up the canvas with brush strokes in a technicolor paint. It also puts its own unique spin on the tried-and-true elements of cyberpunk-style environments. Vibrant, cascading, three-dimensional signage tower over walking bystanders. The past also makes itself known with classic Japanese iconography prominent and at the heart and soul of key buildings and the architecture. This is only further fleshed out with their own distinctive futuristic takes on everyday items, like debit cards that look like a mishmash between car adapters and vape pens, or of common places, like banks being run by automated robots that mimic the voice inflections of human beings. But even with it’s originality, it wears its influences on it’s sleeve. Like a worn out Tron t-shirt while jamming out to a Journey greatest hits album with almost every episode being named after and influenced by some of film’s best such as Seven, Speed, The Shining and Mission Impossible. All this gorgeous lighting and ambience does not go to waste however as it often adds to the tone and atmospheric qualities of a scene and catapults the always fast-paced and frenetic animation into the forefront. 

Every episode contributes to the show’s overarching plot. But just like the movies they take after, each entry can be enjoyed as an exciting-as-hell blockbuster in their own right. Stunning visuals wouldn’t mean much though without equally phenomenal characters to go with it. Thankfully, this series has that in spades. 

Just like the colorful city they inhabit, the series features an ensemble cast of characters who are equally so and known as the most notorious of criminals, Akudama. Tasked with transporting two children, they are hunted by Kansai’s elite operatives, Executioners, who dish out their own brutal brand of “justice.” There are six members that make up the merry band of misfits. Courier is a stoic brooding badass with a motorcycle fixation. Brawler is a battle-obsessed meathead. Hoodlum is a wuss. Swindler is a sweet, innocent girl, who just happened to accidentally get caught up with these Akudama. Hacker is a tech wiz who wants a real challenge. Cutthroat is a stir-crazy murderer. And finally there’s Doctor. She, too, is a ruthless killer but one who acts in her own self-interest and with a larger goal in mind. It truly is a smorgasbord of unique personalities. Because of this each member feels distinctly different and unforgettable, which is also thanks in part to their simple naming convention, as well. And whenever they interact with each other, it is always fun to see their different dynamics at play. 

Whenever one of their schemes goes haywire or simply the collision of their personalities occurs, it’s like a volatile kid’s science experiment gone wrong but at the same time you can’t help but enjoy watching the mayhem unfold. 

Beyond the eccentric personalities, though, lies characters who rather than stay stagnant, evolve and grow over the course of their harrowing journey. And their evolution is no different than something you or I would go through. Being the person that others see you as, finding your place in the world or something as simple as self-fulfillment are all personal predicaments we’ve faced at one or another. There are little pieces of yourself to find in almost everyone. A top-tier cast of English voice actors helps bring these characters to life. Jonah Scott brings Courier to life with his gruff delivery and tone but also adds just that little bit of softness as he warms up a bit overtime. Zeno Robinson is loud and boisterous as the brute Brawler. Kellen Goff perfectly personifies Hoodlum’s scaredy-cat cowardice. Macy Anne Johnson’s kindness and sincerity shines through with Swindler but so does her strength as her trials and tribulations refine her over time. Y. Chang brings excitement at the thought of every new challenge but also pure satisfaction when he finally obtains it. But then there are also those who are just menacing villains and damn good at it as they become more warped and threatening over time. Brittany Lauda’s Doctor becomes more seductive and cunning as well as ruthless as the series progresses. Matt Shipman just goes balls to wall insane as Cutthroat with his over the top absurd bloodlust and yearning for cutting. The executioners are also imposing adversaries as D.C. Douglas delivers on Master’s relentlessness and determination while Jenny Yokobori does the very same while also brimming with sheer fierceness as Pupil. This variety offers a strong mix of developing characters but also opposing antagonists. 

What further elevates their performances are the nuanced writing that rewards the audience attentiveness especially as the series winds down and further focuses on certain characters. There is also quite a bit of social commentary interlaced throughout such as police brutality, killing of ordinary innocent citizens and law enforcement accountability. These not only make for thought provoking topics but also make the city of Kansai feel all the more contemporary and, in some ways, eerily similar in our much it mirrors our real world. 

Akudama Drive is a cinematic thrill ride that shouldn’t be missed, even though it probably will be by many. While it hasn’t garnered attention from mainstream audiences, this series is more than worthy of it. It takes inspiration from the greatest that film has to offer but also manages to carve out its own legacy in the anime walk of fame with a riveting story, stand-out characters, top notch animation/art direction and in-depth worldbuilding. With an ending that leaves the door open for a potential second season and unfinished plot lines still lingering, this is one sequel I’d show up for.