Anime: Fractale

Review
Fractale is a 11-episode long tale animated by the guys behind A-1 Pictures (Ano Hana, Sword Art Online). It's, like most of their work, a sweet tale using a heavy premise. This time we have a tale full of possible questionings about how can life be perfect without effort, how far from each other are peace and freedom, and anything else that can be born from the utopian setting that serves as the basis of the show.

The setting itself is about a world ruled by a system called Fractale, built many years ago so no one really understand how it works anymore. It's a kind of god system that grants its inhabitants an effortless and peaceful life. People follow it regardless of how this system truly works, but it's age is starting to show. Within this world we have Clain, a wandering boy that meets Phryne, a girl escaping from pursuers. He aids her to escape and what she leaves behind is Nessa, a data avatar surrounded by mystery. So it falls to Clain to move from his useless life in search of Phryne to give back Nessa and perhaps uncover the mysteries surrounding the girl.

1. Hey! I remember this...?
   Yes, you do. You can probably trace Fractale's start to a hundred shows out there. Somehow it reminded me a lot of the original Grandia (Game Arts), but that's probably more because Nessa is very similar to Sue, and Phryne to Feena. Anyway, it's boy meets running girl, change his life, go in a adventure, etc. That's exactly what Fractale is about. Clain will run to Phryne, find rebels, oppose the mysterious "religion" of the world, uncover mysteries, etc. For such a small show, it has quite a big deal of things going around. It could grow to be something great, but it's execution miss the mark.
   
   Too cute for the setting
   Sadly, Fractale isn't the best show for the guys in A-1 Pictures to animate. They did a great job in Ano Hana because it used the cuteness of the art style and atmosphere nicely. Here, however, things don't mix with each other very well. The show questions heavy stuff, mostly society's deepest problems, but it does so in such a light way that you can't grow to care about the setting or the things happening in the sidelines. The art style don't meet the drama here, and that brings the whole thing down. Also, you are never given enough information to have a solid view of the things in the world, you just know about the main characters and how the girls are cute, how the lead is dumb, etc.
   
   Harem lead? Adventure?
   Another poor element of the show is its lack of identity. It changes from slice-of-life with Clain and Nessa, to harem typical scenes with Clain and the other girls, to an adventure feel like those from Studio Ghibli and Grandia, to an Last Exile feel of the world, to anything else imaginable. But in the end it never evolves in any of what it tries to do. It can't even mix these tries in one solid presentation. Clain is far too typical and based on the overused lead template, the girls are your usual genki, tsundere, and whatever, the rebels don't look like they're rebelling, they're too happy in their daily lives, etc.
   
   But it manages to be cute
   Although being cute is a problem considering the heavy setting, if you leave that aside the show succeeds in being a light experience to kill some time. It has a decent, although generic, artwork, an average animation that serves well the show, it has bright colors, good background, and a good use of special effects. The colorful world joined by the girly voice-acting and carefree music makes this an welcome entry to the cute-shows. Sadly, we're overwhelmed by cuteness these days, and being generic doesn't help much when you have better things to watch around.
   

Comments
Fractale wasn't on my radar, but I had nothing else to watch in 2011, and I was trying dozens of shows in a useless struggle to find something good. This was one of the shows I've watched a single episode during its release and let it pile up to watch everything else in one go. And well, it wasn't good. Like most stuff coming from 2009 to 2011, it was far too cute, with lolis running around, lame ecchi-like scenes, stupid protagonist, etc. Cuteness can be captivating in the promotional artwork, but this is just one of the shows were it's not fit and overly used.

Those looking for some light adventure with a big bag of genres mixed within may find in Fractale something good. Anyone else are better skipping this, as this is far behind anything that it tries to be. We have far better utopia-world building to and light adventures out there.

Fractale was a big surprise for me. Having pretty meager expectations going in, I found the tale to be a surprisingly deep story about a futuristic utopia where everyone lives happy lives in sprawling comfort. However, is this really utopia, is this really how humans are meant to live? There are many examples of other media that has entertained such an idea ranging from the Destiny plan in Gundam Seed Destiny, Gattaca a Sci-fi movie, and the Giver a great novel by Lois Lowry. This series is closer to the latter two, everyone is happy as computers control all facets of life. Given this setting, the series takes the viewer down an interesting adventure ranging from ridiculous looking flying balloons to horrific bloody massacres. This is a wild ride of a series that will keep you intrigued with surprising twists and some gut wrenching philosophical questions.

I do not recommend this for those with short attention spans (you'll fall asleep instantly) nor would I recommend this for younger audiences as certain themes will not make sense at all, and some of these can be quite dark. There is some action and a bit of relationship/romance (undermined by the age of the characters) but the real focus is a fantasy adventure.

Animation:
This is probably the weakest part of this show. While backgrounds are nicely drawn, providing a wealth of calming scenery, the actual character designs look very plain and simple; almost anachronistic. Do be warned that there are quite a few battles that end up being very bloody, and a few sexual references.

Furthermore, there are hologram-like avatars of people called avatars (which people use so they don't have to go out to communicate with others and such) that look totally bonkers, even more so than the animals in Nagasarete Airantou. Add to this the confusing hot air balloons, crazy flying fortresses, and a lot of painful CGI... I do think someone must have been high on something to come up with this.

If anything positive for this section, I disagree with roriconfan and claim that the OP is masterful in its use of, you guessed it, fractals; while I agree I ended up eventually skipping it, I still found it a mesmerizing watch.

Sound:
The OP is a technoish upbeat song that fits well with the fractals with a decent melody. The ED, on the other hand, is a great slow tune, though its attempt to utilize English shatters any hopes of it sounding pleasant to me. The BGM is fairly basic utilizing flutes and orchestra (some orchestra tracks sound very childish, sound like they could have been lifted from a ballet... (not saying that ballet music is childish)); it serves its purpose but doesn't leave a strong impression.

The VAs here do a very good job. Minami Tsuda, a relative newcomer, does a great job voicing the tomboyish Phryne while Kana Hanazawa (Kobato) gives an unbelievably upbeat presentation as Nessa. The talented Yuu Kobayashi does a great job for Cain as well, though I still think his voice is a bit too high.

Story:
The uniqueness of the setting combined with the sometimes shocking and brutal force which is the plot make for a very engaging story (after the first few introductory episodes). I do admit that the beginning would fare better with a bit of a touch up, it is utterly confusing at first as the viewer tries to discern what is happening with random "things" called Doppels and crazy flying objects, it really doesn't make sense until the third or so episode; at which point the roller coaster starts up the giant hill and you're along for the rest of the ride.

There are some unexpected plot twists and some very surprising developments in this. While nowhere near the veterancy of roriconfan, I've seen my share of anime and am only rarely caught off guard. The series has significant rising action that peaks at a very definitive climax near the end, which is resolved quite nicely in the final end credits and aftermath.

I really liked the blend of themes utilized in the story, which once again shows that there is always a cost associated with gain, even if that cost is hidden from the majority. Finally, this is a series where a lot of big questions are posed very early on. Unlike some other series, these questions are definitively answered towards the end of the series.

Character:
Cain isn't the best of leads. He's a wimpy guy who seems to have an unhealthy addiction to antiques. Luckily for him, he also seems to end up in perverted situations, usually with Phyrne (though to a much lesser extent than in ecchi harem series). More interesting is Nessa and Phyrne, the latter of which is greatly developed over the span of the series. Both Cain and Phyrne have changing perceptions of the state of the world as each sees more of the world in their adventures. What makes it particularly interesting is that Cain and Phyrne don't even start with the same perception, which will become more evident as the series progresses.

I did mention that there is a bit of a romantic development, but you're going to have to wait till the latter episodes to really see any of it.

Value:
Fractale is a fairly unique take on a question that will become ever more important as we continue to put our information out in the world, out for electronic devices to digest and utilize. While it isn't the most realistic of stories, it is a wild ride that satisfies both in its character development and bold storyline.

The story of Fractale is becoming more and more important nowadays: integrating our technology to the nature. This topic is also considered in Laputa and connected to Totoro.

Art and animation:
The backgrounds are beautiful and the characters are also worked out enough. The landscapes are something not easy to make. There are many other animes where the drawers couldn't make as beautiful backgrounds as in fractale.

Story:
Integrating technology to nature. If you watch the last part, you will see the basic teaching of eastern philosophies - nature is our 'friend' just like our body. The city in the middle of the story where Clain get caught is the creation of ego which is in opposition of our true nature.

This is my first review ever, so bear with my inexperience. Anyway, this is obviously about Fractale, a series taking place in the future, where people are connected to a global computer system called Fractale System.

Art: 8/10
Most of the characters and objects are drawn with a rather flat style, not unlike the one seen in the real world portions of Summer Wars, though with a bit more shading, while most backgrounds are like paintings, which is rather standard. I think the style fits the series well, especially when contrasted by all those hologram screens of the Fractale system. All in all, I like the way the anime is drawn, and at times even offers a lot of eye candy, something I appreciate deeply.

The animation isn't that great though. The way characters are animated feels choppy at times; this is especially apparent when someone's hair is affected by the wind. Another good (bad?) example of this is seen early in the first episode when Clain is seen biking towards a bench: it doesn't really look animated at all.

The opening has had quite mixed opinions among the people who have watched this series; I find it very unique and well done. The ending, in the other hand, was rather bland (though looking at the animation, it doesn't seem to recycle frames that much, so at least it's not a question of laziness).

Sound: 9/10
Not really much to criticize here. The seiyuus do their job well in my opinion, and the background music tracks fit the scenes they're played in. The opening theme, Harinezumi, is a great and mystical song and feels fitting. I didn't care much about the ending theme, Down by the Salley Gardens, though it works (and using two different versions of it is a nice touch). The recurring song, Hiru no Hoshi, isn't anything to write home about, but I get the feeling it wasn't meant to be that detailed anyway.

Story: 4/10
I think this is the weakest aspect of this anime, really. The theme of having a system that simulates paradise could have potential for a great anime, but I feel Fractale does this poorly; the focus is mainly in what Clain does. The backstory of Fractale is really sparse, nearly nonexistent, and the origin story of Phryne and Nessa could also be expanded a lot. One could say the final conclusion isn't very surprising, and what ultimately happens between Clain and Phryne could be called a cliché really.

Characters: 8/10
All the characters in Fractale feel different and actually are interesting. I particularly like Nessa, who is childish and neat, and Enri, who is energetic and seems rather quick-tempered. It isn't hard to symphatize for the villains either, considering their beliefs of how the system is the base of human happiness.

Most of the characters are easily distinguishable, even if some of them belong to an alignment introduced later on in the series. There's not much to pick on in the characters, though the potential to show off the Fractale system is again kind of wasted, as few noteworthy avatars appear throughout the series.

Value: 6/10
After it was revealed that Fractale will be only 11 episodes long, I immediately knew the backstory will not be spoken of much. That's a shame really; as I mentioned above, the origins and history of Fractale as well as further inspection into a regular human's thought patterns would've given the series a lot of extra content it needs. I feel it is a good series when you watch it for the first time, but I doubt a rewatch brings up any new content you didn't notice before.

Enjoyment: 7/10
I liked the first few episodes. Fractale is, after all, a beautifully drawn series with great music. The shallow story unfortunately killed the excitement for me and thus I wasn't nearly as excited to see the last few episodes. The seventh episode was an exceptionally good one however, though mainly because it had a lot of graphic detail. Still, I cannot say it is a bad anime, it just isn't as good as I expected.

Final conclusion: A good anime series with exceptional voice acting and background music, nice characters and great opening, but a shallow and easily expectable plot.

So the world is now peaceful and everybody is happy. And the lead is this kid obsessed with relic technology. And he meets this cute girl who is chased around by… rebels? Who want to free mankind from this utopia? And religion is evil? What’s with the genki loli? Hey, why does all that remind me of something and why do I don’t give a damn?

Fractale is heavy as lead on themes but light as a feather in presentation, which is why it never manages to become anything above sweet or cute. It also uses themes that can easily be found in other anime, where the same thing was done in a much more captivating way. It also created a blend that to the most part plays as a mediocre children’s adventure or a light ecchi comedy that again leave you almost indifferent if you are versed into better handled shows. Down to it, it is a bad mix of various good ideas.

Let’s start with the technicals and say that the visuals are very good as a whole, despite lacking identity and finesse. A-1 Pictures is a good studio when it comes to production values but otherwise hasn’t made a single great show. Although there are many who probably love this and Ano Hana, it is still too far away from excusing their overall weakness to have proper storyboarders or not to be stoned to death for making the dreadful Trinity Soul and the horribly boring Fairy tail.

Let’s move to the direction, which is done by Yamamoto Yutaka. So this guy has directed super famous and high seller titles, such as Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star. Then all of a sudden has a change of hearts and wants to make “a serious and deep anime that will not be just fan service”. And as you can tell, he failed miserably because THIS MESS was the best he could come up with. The guy is simply good only at making storyless moe shows and tried to play it intelligent and artistic by creating something outside his field of expertise. Sorry man, you suck at being intelligent and artistic, go back to your moe softporns where you know what the devil you are doing.

Enough with that; let’s now focus on all the things that catches your eye while watching this… show.

The first thing that strikes as bad is the intro and ending themes. They are so damn generic and with almost nothing to look at. They are there for a reason you know; to get you into the mood and then hook you for the next episode. These here are freaking blunt to the point of skipping. Although I know some people who loved them for being relevant to the story (fractale and depiction of innocence) that still doesn’t make them interesting or that artistic to care.

The second is the main character Clain. He is a freaking harem lead archetype! He keeps bumping on pretty half-naked girls, he gets hit and blamed and he acts all spineless and scared. That sort of archetype is blunt to the point you don’t give a rat’s ass about. Supposed he is representing the average pampered kid out there so we can easily identify with him or something. He is still boring as hell and I mostly wanted to smack him that feel compassion or excitement over his quest to find out the truth about the world.

The third is Nessa’a haircolour. It is red while all the promotional posters have them purple. What kind of last-moment change is that? It’s like the animators didn’t even know what they were doing five minutes before starting to paint.

The fourth is the story exposition that just can’t remain steady for 5 minutes and thus constantly not allowing you to get into the mood of the show. At one moment it is a harem, then it is an adventure, then it is some sort of thriller, then it is a drama, then it is harem again. And never all of the above at once but one at a time. What a terrible handling of the plot! You end up not caring about any one of its various sub-plots.

The fifth problem is its unoriginality. Anyone who has seen a few dozen sci-fi or children’s adventures will most likely keep making comparisons to this anime; and chances are he will find Fractale as lukewarm compared to them. For example, at points it will remind you of the Matrix movies but it’s nowhere near as good. At others it will feel like Neon Genesis and again hardly as good. Everything feels like laundry from various people… and the clothes have washed out colors. Thus it doesn’t look good.

The sixth is the actual ending, which tried to be mysterious and serious but it otherwise looks as nothing but a perfect eroge harem ending yet again. It leaves you with the worst final impressions.

In other words, it is a show with a plot you can’t enjoy much, a cast you will find mediocre at best, and a story you have already seen elsewhere in a better way. Super fail all the way.

SUGGESTION LIST
Ghibli movies
Ergo Proxy
Neon Genesis
Dennou Coil
The Matrix trilogy