Clockwork planet review
Beautiful android girls saving the world from government corruption with the help of an eccentric ability user and a genius engineer.
There are slight spoilers mainly in character analysis so please be aware as you read the review
Based off the light novel of the same name Clockwork planet is an action based anime that has a pretty interesting premise in that it combines an action based anime with something that we usually see inside a sci fi anime which in this case are the automatons which is a type of advanced android that populate the world that this anime is set ... in. Combine this with the unique setting that Clockwork planet is set in and you get clockwork planet. I always been a fan of sci fi and action anime but what I really like more is one that combines the excellent combat scenes that most action anime has with the futuristic settings that sci fi anime are renowned for. Clockwork planet combines the best elements of both into one and is one anime that’s been in my watch list ever since I saw the pv.
Story and setting
The story for clockwork planet takes place in the future where the planet after a series of destructive wars has left it barren and close to destruction has been transformed into a new planet that is composed entirely of gears by a renowned but mysterious clocksmith called Y. The setting for this story is centered on a futuristic version of japan which like the planet has undergone a radical change in its environments and in society.
The overall plot for the series is largely revolved around the theme for this series which is justice and the fighting of government corruption and follows the lives of a young teenage Boy called Nauto who possesses a unique talent that is seen by society as a threat and Mari a young teenage girl that also has a unique talent that allows her to excel in her duties as a meister which is an advanced engineer that is trained to repair the tech that is used in this futuristic world. Along the way they are assisted by Ryu zu and anchoR two advanced androids that were made in the early years of the transformation and are more advanced than any automaton that exists in the world. They are further assisted by a host of support characters that come from all walks in life. The overall plot of the series based off the concept of justice and pits Naoto, Mari and their allies against the corruption that has taken root in governments around Japan and can be described as a fight against social injustice.
AnchoR
AnchoR voiced by veteran seiyuu Sayaka Senbongi of girlish number and unlimited Fafnir fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of Nauto and Mari’s main allies in the series. An advanced Y series android and a sister to Ryu anchoR resembles a young girl both in terms of in terms of physical appearance and in terms of personality. Personality wise anchoR is a cute, kind and innocent girl that behaves very much like someone of that age group. As a result of being ordered to guard a powerful weapon deep underground however in the beginning of the series anchoR was bound to a strict set of rules that mandated the actions that she can take as part of her duties. These unfortunately had the effect of causing her a great deal of trauma as her duties meant that any intruders that she detects will be terminated by her. As a result, at this point anchoR hid her true personality behind a wall wishing with all her heart for someone to hear her voice and save her. later on, and after she meets Nauto and Mari properly anchoR is finally awakened from her nightmare and her personality reverts back to her true self. As a result of waking up and seeing Mari and Nauto anchoR has the impression that Mari and Nauto are her parents and as a result see’s them as her mother and father respectively an aspect that I found to be cute and suitable for her character. Though somewhat slow to trust due to her past traumatic experience once anchoR’s has fully trusted someone she can be surprisingly loyal to that person. Though still bounded by the contracts that she forms with her master she can on occasion disobey an order if it means it will help her master. As a Y series, android anchoR like Ryu is also a capable combatant and in her case, can transform into a combat automata that takes the form of a red colored assassin that is lethal in close combat. Despite being smaller than Ryu anchoR is surprisingly capable in combat and her fight scenes with Ryu in the series was really impressive.
As a character, I felt that anchoR was pretty well designed and fitted well with the theme of justice and corruption in that she was forced to carry out her duties of protecting something terrible that was located underground on the orders of corrupt adults despite the fact that she was nothing but a child. Seeing anchoR wake up from her nightmare that was forced on to her by her creators and awaken her true personality was a joy to see. It was nice to see her discover new things in life that she likes something that her past life can never do and in the process learning how to be more human. I felt that Sayaka Senbongi really did a great job voicing the character of anchoR.
Marie
Marie voiced by veteran seiyuu Saori Oonishi of Denpa Kyoushi and Food wars fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Naoto’s main allies in the series. A teenage girl that despite her young age is actually a member of the meister order which in this universe are engineers that are tasked with keeping the complicated gears that power this new world in working condition. As the youngest person to be inducted into that prestigious order Marie is a genius level mechanic and has an innate understanding of how gears work and how they can be repaired. Marie is also a bit of a free spirit and isn’t scared of any pressure and indeed when sufficiently motivated won’t let enemies stand in the way of her repairs. Personality wise as a result of her former position as the head of a large tech company Marie is a feisty and confidant person that because of her skills can be arrogant at times and be dismissive of other people. Marie’s most prominent trait is no doubt her determination which comes from her pride both as a meister and as someone that worked so hard to learn all the required skills that she has. As a result, even when confronted with a problem that is impossible to fix or modify Marie when sufficiently motivated can become really determined to finish that task and will not let anything that gets in her way. Despite her confident nature Marie can become depressed and go into despair especially when confronted with situations that seem to be impossible to decipher even for someone of her skills. This is however where her bond with Nauto comes into play however.
Marie’s relationship with Nauto is an interesting one and one that forms part of the overall plot for this series. Though their initial meeting was anything but friendly and more along the lines of mutual antagonization over the series their relationship starts to improve as they both learn about each other and overcome challenges together. In the beginning of the series Marie’s relationship with Nauto was rather icy that stems from both her pride as a meister that caused her to look down at Nauto who she felt didn’t deserve such an ability. However, as the series goes on this relationship soon turns to one of respect as she become impressed by how useful and ground-breaking his ability is though this is far from the only reason as she also appreciated that fact that Nauto can always come up with a plan of action that while always sounding crazy never less has a good chance of working. By the end of the series it’s apparent that between Nauto and Marie is a relationship that is built on trust and respect for each other’s respective skills. Another aspect of the relationship that is unique to Marie’s relationship with Nauto is way that Nauto supports Marie. Despite her positive and determined nature even Marie will sometimes find herself in the throes of despair and in this state Nauto is one of the few that can help Marie get out of that state. Just as Marie can appeal to Nauto’s skills at listening to gears in order to cheer him up Nauto when trying to cheer up Marie often makes use of jabs at Marie’s vaunted determination and pride that she has that usually has the effect of making her angry but at the same time open her eyes to new ideas that she is able to deduce thanks to her intelligence.
The character of Marie I felt was pretty well designed and served as a great contrast to the other main characters of Nauto, Ryu and anchoR. Seeing two people of differing backgrounds be able to put aside their differences and develop a respect for each other and work together was a concept that I particularly liked. I felt that Saori Oonishi really did an excellent job in voicing the character of Marie.
Vainney
Halter Vainney voiced by veteran voice actor Kenichirou Matsuda is one of the main characters of the series and one of Marie and Nauto’s main allies in the series. A combat automaton that takes the form of a mid-aged man Halter serves as Marie’s bodyguard and main adviser in the series. A loyal, calm and stoic person Halter has a long past with Marie as he’s been serving her family and protecting her since she was a child. As a result, the bond that exists between the two is exceptionally strong. Although a bodyguard by definition should have as their main task be concerned with the protection of their charge Halter also serves as an adviser and confidant to Marie and often provides sound advice to her that is especially useful when she’s lost or does not know how to proceed with her plans. Because of their long association the relationship that Marie has with Halter is pretty close that is exemplified by the fact that Marie often plays pranks on him. Despite this Marie’s trust in Halter is very strong and Halter in turn is very determined to protect Marie as well. Though skilled in combat as expected of a bodyguard Halter is also rational enough to realize when a situation has turned against them and when the time to retreat is at hand. As a result, Halter can often make snap decisions that are contrary to Marie’s wishes but serve to protect her.
The character of Halter I felt was an interesting contrast to Marie that was different to what Nauto brought to the table in that he serves to tamper Marie’s brash nature which by my count almost cost Marie her life quite a few times in the series. Halter’s dry wit and sound advice was also a welcome addition to the cast and often had the effect of keeping tension between Marie and Nauto down a notch as the series progresses.
Naoto
Naoto voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Yoshino Nanjo is one of the main characters of the series. A teenage boy and a high school student that in the beginning of the series lived in the Kyoto ward in Japan. A quiet but kind and caring person Nauto though not lacking in social skills can also be described as an otaku but not a normal one. In the case of Nauto the subject that Nauto is most interested in is in gears and machines and can as a result be described as a machine otaku. Though loving to fix and assemble machines in the beginning of the series Nauto had great trouble in fixing any. In the beginning of the series Nauto as a love for fixing machines actually aspires to become a clocksmith which would allow him to fix all kinds of machines that exist in this world of his. As a result, Nauto is somewhat jealous of those that have managed to attain that dream of his. Because of his kind and caring personality Nauto tries to treat everyone with respect and kindness but on some occasions, he can be overly brash sometimes. A prominent trait of Nauto’s personality that can be considered strange by people living in this world of his is that Nauto treats automatons with the same amount of respect and kindness that he treats regular humans with which often surprises the people that he meets along the way. Indeed, this was a surprise for even the automatons that he encounters along the way such as Ryu and anchoR. As one of the main characters of the series and one half of the Marie Nauto pair Nauto has an interesting ability in that as a result of having rather sensitive hearing Nauto is able to hear and locate any imperfections in a mechanical component and as such is able to help immensely in determining why a machine isn’t working as intended.
As the series goes Nauto encounters a number of different characters that he’s able to establish friendships and bonds with the most significant ones being his relationship and bonds with RyuZu, anchoR and Marie.
Nauto’s relationship with RyuZu serves as one of the main points of the series and I felt was a rather interesting one. In the beginning of the series Nauto encounters RyuZu in the most dramatic way possible and though the meeting was shocking to him was also what ultimately started his relationship with her. At first Nauto was a bit wary of Ryu as he had never seen an automaton that was as advanced as she was. But as a result of Nauto able to fix a problem within her that has compounded man men that were brighter than him Nauto was able to fix her and make her operational. Although In the beginning of the series Nauto was fascinated by Ryu as an automaton Nauto’s personality trait of treating automatons the same as he treats humans causes him to start to view Ryu as a human being as well and as the series progresses and they fight alongside one another countless times this causes develop a romantic interest in Ryu. Indeed, by the end of the series Nauto has indeed fallen in love with Ryu that culminates in a rather well put together scene where he presents a ring to her. However, Ryu zu is not the only special relationship that Nauto manages to establish as his relationship with anchoR was also another highlight of Nauto. An effect of Nauto’s relationship and close bonds that he forges with Ryu zu and anchoR is that he sees them as part of his family which has the effect of manifesting a sense of determination that causes Nauto to fight even harder to protect his family from harm. All in all, I felt that as a character Nauto was a pretty well-designed character whose main points was his kindness, honesty and his treatment of both automatons and humans equally and fairly that matched the theme of this anime pretty well. His relationship with Ryu zu was really sweet and their relationship was pretty well designed. I felt that Yoshino Nanjo actually did a great job in voicing the character of Nauto.
Ryu zu
Ryu Zu voiced by veteran seiyuu Ai Kakuma of Asterisk wars fame is one of the main characters of the series and the main heroine of the series. Ryu like anchoR is a member of the Y series an advanced series of androids that was created by the legendary clocksmith Y and despite being an old series is far more advanced than the automatons that replaced it in the world. RyuZu takes the form of a young teenage girl that can be best described as breathtakingly elegant as she really is beautiful. Personality wise Ryu zu adapts two different personas that she makes use of depending on the situation that she’s in. Her normal persona is one that is polite and respectful to all but usually quiet and focused. This is countered by her other persona that can be condescending to others but in a funny way that seems that she’s only making these comments and actions just for the fun of it. Unlike anchoR however Ryu has great pride in both herself and her specs as a member of the Y series and as a result tends to have a low opinion of humanity that despite all these years of having her in their possession have not managed to find a way to fix her. This opinion of humans however is done in a way that’s funny and contrasts with her normal composed and respectful persona. In the anime Ryu is noted to have an interesting personality trait in that she seems to prefer her actions to be dramatic in nature. Whether this is due to her wanting to display her superiority over current automatons and humans is something that we can only wonder.
Ryu zu’s relationship with Nauto forms an important part of the series main plot and is a relationship that I thought was cute and well designed. Ryu Zu and Nauto met in a rather dramatic fashion early on the series and their relationship as a result started slow. In the beginning of the series Ryu was wary of Nauto but at the same time curious about him as he despite being a mere human could repair him. After seeing Nauto’s bravery and the way that he treats automatons as well as his attempts to protect those that are dear to him Ryu zu’s opinion of Nauto improved to the point where she requested that Nauto take up the mantle of being her master much to his surprise. As the series progresses and Ryu Zu gets to know Nauto more and understand his personality as well as his ability Ryu starts to gradually fall for Nauto much to the surprise of not just herself but Nauto as well. Despite being an android, this fact was surprising to me and at first, I thought it was simply because she was loyal to Nauto but this was not so as she likes him on her own free will and not out of a sense of loyalty to him. A unique trait of Ryu that only manifests when she’s dealing with her master or with Marie is that despite her beautiful appearance Ryu actually has a sharp tongue though while sounding hurtful also does a great job of keeping Nauto and Mari on track with their tasks in the series. Despite being an android Ryu can be surprisingly human at times when she’s with Nauto as he treats her more like a fellow human than an automaton which in the beginning baffled her. These actions which are an important part of his relationship with her was interesting as it showed that Ryu can also have human emotions that she shouldn’t have such as likes, dislikes, embarrassment and of course jealously. The teasing out of emotions from Ryu by Nauto I felt was a central part of their relationship in that it allowed both to have a better understanding of each other and in the course of it establish a much better relationship. Seeing Ryu exhibit a sense of jealousy when Naoto is admiring other machines was both an interesting and funny thing to see.
All in all, I felt that the character of Ryu zu was a pretty well-designed character that showed that while automatons were created by humans they too can have their own free will and emotions and that their relationship with humans can be one of trust rather than one based on control. I felt that Ai Kakuma really did an excellent job in voicing the character of Ryu.
Arts and animation
In terms of art I felt that the character designs for the characters that were featured in this series was actually pretty good. The designs for the two Y series androids Ryu and anchoR I felt were pretty detailed and both despite looking really pretty and cute were also lethal in combat which I felt contrasted greatly with their looks. The clothing designs for Nauto and Marie I felt also did a good job in reflecting not just the time period but in the jobs that both did. The environmental design for the series is another thing that I liked and it was interesting seeing the future versions of Tokyo and Kyoto and see the subtle differences between the two. In terms of animation I felt that was pretty sharp and clear and each character whether they are main or support had a great deal of detail on them. The combat scenes for the series I felt were pretty good and were pretty well designed and executed with each fight being pretty unique. In particular the combat scenes that showed Ryu Zu and anchoR use their abilities in battle were pretty nicely detailed. The transformation scenes for both of the girls as well as the designs for their transformed self’s I felt was excellently done.
Music
The music for the series in general were pretty good but I felt that the opening theme was perhaps the one that stood out the most. The ending theme though good felt somewhat flat when compared to the strong opening theme. The scene music for the series was generally good.
Voice acting
Voice acting in this series I felt was one of the series strong points and was consistently strong throughout the series. Of the characters that were featured in this show the main cast I felt had the best in terms of voice acting ability with the seiyuu’s for Ryu zu and Marie and Nauto who are Ai Kakuma, Saori Oonishi and Yoshino Nanjo respectively deserving particular praise for their performances as I felt that they did a great job in portraying their respective characters and bring them to live. Of the support cast the voice actors for the main villain in this series and the one that voices the gender bender cyborg soldier also deserves some praise for their performances.
Overall conclusion
Overall, I felt that Clockwork planet was an interesting anime that among its strengths included an interesting premise, interesting characters, interesting story, strong voice acting and great combat scenes. This is however offset by the fact that the series did not really have what can be considered to be a strong villain role and indeed the one that can be considered to be that role only appeared much later in the series and as a result didn’t have time to make his presence felt. Despite that I do commend his effort in that although he had only a few episodes to establish himself he certainly did a good job in making himself a threat to not just the main cast but to the country as well.
The premise of the show which emphasizes on justice and transparency as well as the beliefs in equality and trust between humans and automatons I felt was interesting and combined with the story was one of the main strengths of this show. In line with the theme of justice and transparency the main villains that are faced by the main characters were the government which while certainly serviceable as the villain could have been replaced by a better villain instead as their attempts to stop the cast while certainly over the top and destructive were more comical than dangerous. Despite this it was actually pretty satisfying in seeing the cast stop them and expose their crimes to the people though. On the other hand, the plans that the main cast hatch in their attempt to stop the government though was much better and far more creative in their plans than anything. Though the plans suggested as it is by Nauto always sound crazy and impossible seeing them actually work really tells you that unorthodox thinking can sometimes triumph over impossible odds especially if you have more brains than they do.
The characters for the show whether they were main or support ones I felt were all well designed and had a clearly defined role in the narrative. The struggles that they all experienced and the way that they actually overcome them was I felt pretty well done with my favourite here being anchoR’s as her past trauma was as such that it was the trickiest to solve and overcome. Watching the main cast start to learn to trust each other and respect each other as they try to stop the government’s plans was certainly entertaining and seeing them eventually put aside their differences and work together as a team to deal with the common threat was worth it.
The abilities that the two main characters have in this series I felt was pretty interesting and matched well with their personalities. With regards to character development for each of the characters I felt that they were done pretty well with each character becoming not just stronger but also improving upon their existing personalities. Although each of the characters are developed as the series progresses I feel that characters of Ryu and Nauto were developed more than the others especially with regards to Nauto’s bond with Ryu and her becoming more human as the series progresses. The romance between Nauto and Ryu while certainly strange I felt was interesting and also rather sweet because it felt natural as Ryu like a human fell in love because she saw Nauto’s true personality and came to admire it and the person behind it. Though she may be icy on the surface beneath that is still someone that can still feel human emotion. In this I really liked seeing Ryu Zu act jealous when Nauto is with other girls as it shows how much has developed as a character. The combat scenes for the series Is another of the shows strong points and I felt that the combat scenes in this series was pretty well done. Seeing two Y series androids lay waste to an enemy force twice their number in a matter of seconds is immensely satisfying though that’s for sure.
 Alternative Titles Japanese: クロックワーク・プラネット Information Type: TV Episodes: 12 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Apr 7, 2017 to Jun 23, 2017 Premiered: Spring 2017 Broadcast: Fridays at 01:58 (JST) Licensors: Funimation Studios: Xebec Source: Light novel Duration: 24 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 6.451 (scored by 64,860 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #76482 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1475 Members: 159,115 Favorites: 433 Available AtResources |
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