Anime 53787 Ai No Idenshi Reviews

What does it truly mean to be human. That is the question.

To me, this show has elements of Id Invaded, and Plastic Memories. You really feel that from the first episode, and then it dives into more as the show goes on.

Story and characters: 7
This show really makes you think. Thinking is scary, the future is scary, as this could legit be our future, if we haven't completely destroyed ourselves by then. It might not be a future for you or I. But it could be a visioned future non the less. Where the idea of us living with androids is a real concept, among ... other futuristic details, like how our towns and cities look, to how we move about, and the level of technology we have.

But the story really dives into the idea of what it truly means to be human, and more so.

Are we humans because we are born, and bred as such? Are androids human if they act, and seem like us to every detail? To even ave hopes and dreams? There is so much thought process to go into this, that it really is a head scratchier. Which is further reflected in it's characters. The choices they make, the path they are going on. You'll meet them episode through episode, and it'll further showcase that thought into your head, and will put that question into everyones heads. A really thoughtful anime.

The only downside to it, is that it could come off as a little too serious, which results in it being a bit less interesting or vibrant? But that doesn't take away from the good plot idea that it has. It's a good show, filled with interesting and thought thinking themes.

Art and sound: 7
I won't lie. The art style in terms of it's faces at times, reminds me of Digimon, but if you added a more modern coat of paint to them. Like as if things are toned down, as if they have a more serious coat of paint on to it. Sure, it still has it's colours. But if gives off the vibe as if this show has a deeper meaning as it presents itself with. That is also reflected when it comes to how it sounds too. Mixed together to make one great looking and sounding product overall.

This anime feels like it's only scratching the surface of what it is talking about, and I only feel like it is going to get better and better as it goes along. If it keeps up the pace that it is going with.

Action? Nope.
Adventure? Nope.
Fantasy? Nope.
Romance? Nope.
Comedy? Nope.
Horror? Nope.
Sci Fi? Yes, but perhaps worryingly, not too far fetched.

If you are looking for something thought provoking, this one is for you. Set in the near future, a series of vignettes present fascinating scenarios involving humans, humanoids (artificial humans), and AIs. The compact storytelling (often two vignettes in an episode) is remarkable but doesn’t leave time for complexity or deep emotional involvement. Each scenario is resolved without judgment, leaving the audience to ponder the issues, conflicts, and consequences. If you have wondered about our AI future, or maybe asked ChatGPT what’s in store for humanity, this show will give ... you plenty to chew on.

Ai no Idenshi is perhaps one of the most relevant anime to be released in recent memory. In an era of ever evolving technology and artificial intelligence, AI no Idenshi raises many complicated questions such as “how far is too far with technology” and “what does it mean to be human” Both are morally ambiguous and divisive, and what I like about this show is that it frames these topics in a neutral manner. It doesn’t shove an answer down your throat, but forces you to consider your positions on the matter. It’s a really interesting and thought provoking show that deserves much more love. ... If you’re a sci-fi fan or just curious about what the future of humanity could look like, this is one for you.

Ai no Idenshi is set up in an episodic manner. It follows various individuals and their conflicts, usually related to some aspect of technology. That’s to say that most episodes are not related to some grand plot, but are designed to teach lessons. For example, wanting your memories or personality altered, removing emotions, robots attending schools with humans, teaching in human classrooms, learning human jobs, etc. There is an overarching plot involving the protagonist and his mother, but unfortunately, it only got focused on for like 3 episodes before the finale. Which is a shame, because it’s actually really interesting.

For the vast majority of the series, we see characters in a variety of difficult situations that have morally gray solutions. What I like most about the episodic nature is that many of these cases feel real. They don’t feel so far-fetched that you just write it off as fantasy, instead they feel like inevitabilities given humanity’s rapid AI advancement. Sentient A.I, robots and androids walking alongside us, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that within our lifetimes we’ll see stuff like that. With those developments, though, comes new challenges that we will have to overcome. If these creations act like, look like and think like humans, what’s the difference? What will we do then? We haven’t seen many anime that tackle these themes, so I really had a lot of fun watching this. The near future setting as opposed to some distant future also made it a lot more enjoyable.

The biggest gripe(s) I have with Ai no Idenshi are the animation, which is quite bad at times, frankly, and the fact the main story got neglected so much. I mean, I really did like the short stories. They’re meaningful and realistic, but there was a massive plotline teased at the beginning with the MC and his mom going missing, and then it doesn’t get touched on for like two months until the last 2 episodes or so. It was a really big missed opportunity in my opinion. I have not read the manga yet(I will), so I’m not sure if this is how things are there, but for the anime medium I think you need to start connecting those dots sooner. Maybe doing half episodic and half actual plot per episode? I’m not sure how you’d improve it, but it’s definitely the most glaring issue here.

In terms of mainstays character wise there aren’t many besides Sudo and Risa, the rest of the cast is kind of a revolving door based on whatever situation we’re dealing with. They could be hit or miss, but the main cast was really good.


Despite its issues, I still loved Ai no Idenshi and its best mini-arcs were up there with some of the best episodes of any seasonal this season. I loved Sudo as an MC, Risa was a nice supporting character and the character development she got later on was really solid. If you’re a Sci-Fi fan it goes without saying that you need to check this one out. It’s real, it’s relevant and it’s an eye opening watch. I know I had my ideas questioned several times throughout this one and I think you will too.

Ai no Idenshi gets 8 out of 10.

DNA-focused anime, ID:Invaded, Plastic Memories...what has become of this barren land of science fiction that's not much focused in the world of AniManga? Is it that authors have a burning desire to share with the world the possibilities of AI, or are unwilling to cash in on a niche product that'll not catch on?

This season, there was one show that's more than enough to take on the premise of the world at large and its studies on AI, and that's mangaka Kyuuri Yamada's AI no Idenshi a.k.a The Gene of AI, a manga that lasted 87 chapters within 8 volumes, serialised between November 2015 and ... August 2017. But the anime, which is only announced 5 years later and finally aired this Summer season, is just sad to say that any appeal that the manga had that was heavily exclusive to Japan, did not catch on in the West, not just for anyone trying to translate the already completed manga series, but its social traffic is not the best either, despite obtaining the Excellence Award in the manga division of the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2018.

Similar to American medical profession drama shows like House, M.D. and Grey's Anatomy, AI no Idenshi focuses on a world where AI has taken over much of its processes, split into regular humans and android-like Humanoids, who need maintenance as and when it is necessary. And one place where the Humanoids go to receive their checkups is at this unassuming clinic called the Sudo Novo Medical Clinic, headed by its sole doctor, Hikaru "Mogadeet" Sudo and his AI assistant, Jay, alongside his assistant Risa Higuchi. For the most part, it's an episodic nature of discovering and discussing what makes Humanoids tick, ranging from personal areas like family and friends to scenarios of how they would react to love and romance. In essence, Humanoids aren't that different from humans, and the thought processes that arise from this do make for interesting plot narratives about the importance of AI driving the future of mankind, either into prosperity or destruction.

That said, the one narrative that get you head-scratching is on the side of humans wanting to implement Humanoid-like features. And one example of it is the copy-exact nature of real humans into humanoids, so much so that they are indistinguishable from each other. This can especially be detrimental if reflected on a familial scale, and Sudo's life is not a purely blank state either, because he was once a victim of the measures that certain people will take as a way to gloss over that these practices "will improve" his life, only to suffer heavy consequences later on. Not all Humanoids are good, and neither will humans want to push the available technology, even if the scientific progressions are proven or not, just to prove that "AI is the future, and we should all embrace its judgements upon humanity, regardless of whether they're correct or not."

If there is one thing you should know about this show, it is that the production is not its swan song, and neither is the direction that the anime took, that ultimately feels like the show is a chore to watch, being very sluggish. Partly because of storyboarder-cum-director Yuzo Sato, whose directorial duties include the most recent work of Winter 2022's Hakozume: Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu a.k.a Police in a Pod, it feels like the production committee had a false start of wanting someone reputable to direct a show (you know, considering it's Madhouse), but that they could not find a suitable one, so Yuzo Sato had to be called in for the job, doing the bare minimum that he could. And looking at his biography, it seems as if Yuzo Sato had been the 3rd-rate director that was always given the "last resort" call, simply because he has not been doing much within the last 40 years of work in the anime industry, even from the time that he was brought into Madhouse since the early 2000s to be trained to become a competent director. But in the near 20 years since, I'd reckon that Yuzo Sato lost his touch, and that unfortunately, speaks volumes about this show's adaptation, which could've been better in almost every possible way.

Also, this is a bit of a transition period for Madhouse, as they're trying to get back to their former grand slam state (which is set to return with Sousou no Frieren a.k.a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End next season) after the setback since the early 2020s, producing shows that for the most part, have been on a never-ending tick-tock cycle of good and bad in-between seasons. But if you are to only focus on this show, it feels like the production team never had any confidence in the anime, opting to animate the bare minimum while showcasing low quality visuals that while fits the dark and gloomy vibes of the anime, it wasn't the same Madhouse that we've come to expect from.

The music aspect is interesting at best. While Aile The Shota's OP song perfectly fits as the "futuristic" centerpiece for the anime, it's the visuals, of which some are created by Unreal Engine. It's definitely unique in that regard; I'll give it that. GReeeeN's ED song is a mellow song that has all the characteristics of a song that speaks volumes to all. Overall, cool songs that each have a distinction of their very own.

The problem is, niche topics like AI and the future of mankind are accompanied by the far and few in-between, and despite AI no Idenshi being a standout show just for its themes, it really isn't enough to justify a show that's produced as it is this way. I appreciate that shows like this are brought out to break the usual Isekai, fantasy, romance molds that always finds its way into each and every season, but they need to double down on what makes them stand out, which sadly, this show doesn't do the original source material justice.

Skip this show if it doesn't intrigue you, but it doesn't pay to at least watch a single episode of this, yeah...?

This is one of the most simple animes. The plot seemed nice, especially the tags but yet 6 episodes in and nothing interesting seem to happen.

Everyone in this show is annoying, it has more "Romance" than what they say in the tags. Sudo looks like a great MC but his background and personality is barely there yet. Lisa is the most annoying character in this show, she is very useless to the "plot" we do have. And all those weird side characters make it look like it's a different anime each time.

The plot is a mix of grey's anatomy and weird science fiction. It ... sounds interesting but it all doesn't seem to work out. The weird storyline is a failed attempt of following the type of story telling death Parade did.

I really hope this anime gets a redemption Arc but I'm afraid that this is it.


Jay is goated ngl

Any fan of Sci Fi should be familiar with the phrase "Pulp Science Fiction". Short stories published in magazines that were as cheap as the paper they were printed on, and yet the questions and ideas they proposed became inspirations for nearly a century's worth of novels, films, games, and stories of all types. AI no Idenshi pleasantly surprised me when I found myself watching it and couldn't help but be reminded of the countless works of Pulp Sci Fi. It describes itself as an omnibus of short stories, and I certainly am finding it worth my time.

To briefly explain what this show is ... all about, Dr. Sudo Hikaru is a physician specializing in the treatment of humanoids and robots alike, while also moonlighting as an underground doctor for those who cannot seek legally treatment due to various circumstances. His cases are our window into the future imagined by the storywriters. The show, as a result, has a sort of sci-fi medical drama vibe, and our "protagonist" is actually very similar to us, often no more than an observer to the events unfolding around them. When needed, our doctor interjects with some advice or a treatment or piece of wisdom to force the characters and also the audience to reflect on what has just transpired.

I understand that not everyone is likely going to enjoy this anime. I've found many people criticizing it on the basis of the characters, or the brevity of time spent exploring a topic, or the lack of a plot, ect. But to me these complaints seem to be off the mark because its not the goal of AI no Idenshi to present a standard "beginning middle end" story, but to ask "what if" and try to show you a possible future in which our new technology is extrapolated in ways beyond our current imagination. So to me, these complaints would be like if I criticized a poem for lack of character development or a theatrical play for the lack of special effects. If you watch AI no Idenshi, you have to understand that the bread and butter of this show is not the characters or the plot, but the imagination of the future.

If you consider so much of our modern Science Fiction has been inspired by a few pages of short stories by the likes of Asimov, Heinlein, and P.K. Dick (among others) back when it took a computer the size of a room to solve a few math problems, imagine the possible muses that can now be drawn by creative minds in the present day when we have AI-generated art, algorithms predicting what you want before you even are aware of it yourself, AI Deepfakes, and so on.

AI no Idenshi certainly isnt a masterpiece of writing, but I've been thoroughly invested in the futures it predicts and technologies it envisions. I've been surprised more than once when it not only avoids the cliched predictions we're all familiar with, but actually subverts your expectations and presents them in a new light.

For example, we've all seen the classic "man vs machine" struggle played out in some story or another where a flesh and blood person strives to show that they can still overcome the flawless perfect machine. But very rarely have I ever seen anyone, myself included, consider that for someone who is a machine, their limits are predetermined and no amount of determination will change that.

Any of the ideas put on display within the mere seven episodes that have released so far at the time that I'm writing this can likely be the main focus of an entire story on its own, and I would very much love to see that. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of science fiction, especially because if there is enough popularity and demand for more sci-fi stories, then perhaps stories inspired by ideas within AI no Idenshi or new ones from other writers will be created.

I'm going to try and keep this as brief and simple as possible. Most of the other reviews already sum up what the show is all about and it's strengths and weakness. I just want to add for extra clarity. To me this show feels like Black Mirror (when it was good), but in a more slice of life tone. Also some other reviewer was trashing on Risa so you can trash his whole review in my opinion, Risa is adorable and gives nice breathers to keep the show more lively. Love this show and the OP is a banger. That's all I really wanted ... to add.

Did you ever think about what a mix between Monster and Time of Eve would be like? It’s called Pluto and it’s a very good manga that’s getting an adaptation coming out in October. AI no Idenshi is not that series, but it’s the one that could have been, as it presents a setting with artificial people living among humans, blending in in ways that on occasions the rest can’t tell much difference, while also the main character initially wants to know more about an underground illegal seller of artificial brains, or well, more like, a “fixer” of them, and possibly the one who ruined ... his mom’s life.

But this anime is really neither, as it deliberately keeps any more info of the protagonist than that as a secret to build some mystery around him up until the last episode, and thus that plot point doesn’t really go anywhere in this season, and since the source material for this consists of three manga at the moment, I think it’s safe to say that it won’t get resolved for some good time.

What’s left of the series is a slice of life show exploring the interactions between humans and humanoids, in the likes of Eve no Jikan, only different because it came out in a different era. Since that other series is from 2008 to 2010, it was still showing some fear of technology, discrimination and indifference from humans to robots and some low level existential crisis for the androids since they did have a personality on their own on a specific place and would ponder about their relationships among themselves and with their human owners.

It’s not the same with AI no Idenshi, as it was made on a time where technology is much different and present everywhere and at any moment in everyday life, with the fear of it pretty much being a thing of the past. Thus, its approach ranges from the existential to one more laid back and more of “what daily uses or routines robots and artificial intelligence would have “on their own”?” type of deal. That’s not bad per se, but it is certainly lacking in theme exploration when compared with the previous work.

But that still doesn’t make it a not good anime, it would still be fine if it was a slice of life series with a small and recurring set of characters, like Eve no Jikan, but it isn’t, as it intends to show many different ones doing many different things, thus it can’t really flesh any of them properly. The most a character can get is one or even half an episode dedicated to themselves before being completely forgotten by the not plot in here, and even then, since the anime is more focused on what they do and how they do it, instead of the characters as themselves, there isn’t much characterization to speak of here either. Just take a look at the two mains, they don’t get the tiniest bit of fleshing up until the last two episodes, and even only a little bit of them is explored, and their backgrounds are revealed at almost the same time.

But even then it would still be fine it there was an ongoing plot that somehow tied the mini stories, but it isn’t, that was discarded very early on. Ok, it would still be fine as an episodic slice of life sci-fi series if the stories where fine on their own. And in that regard the show is a mixed bag because it loves to self-sabotage itself for some reason. Did you like how in the first episode the anime set up questions about how valuable your memories are and how much do they make you for who you are, even if only a fraction of them are lost for your overall sake? Well, the second one is going to be about two dudes running and surpassing your own limits purely by will even when you shouldn’t be able to, oh, and a non-binary person speaking ill of a whole sex and gender despite previously being their own. Did you like how in the third episode two people are so attached to two robots, one made for company and another one being a toy, that they can’t tell them apart from real people, and how one of the latter even has an identity crisis for retaining data of a previous owner? Well, the next one is going to have lots of different mini stories about horny teenagers using technology for their perverted fantasies.

And that’s the main problem of what and how the series is, even when disregarding everything that it could have been but isn’t, it’s a very mixed bag of mini stories where you can’t really know what level of quality you’ll get in the next episode, and even at its best, it would only be just decent, as its own approach doesn’t let it explore a concept on that much detail. Another issue is the tone, as AI no Idenshi is half the time a silly shounen comedy, thus almost no topic is looked into very seriously either. By comparison, Real Drive was also a lighthearted semi-episodic slice of life sci-fi series, but it knew when and how to explore its topics seriously, and it also had recurring characters and kind of a sort of an ongoing plot.

At some point the series even seems to run out of worthy stories to tell, and instead of dedicating one whole story per episode, it starts showing two or more on each one, thus amplifying all of its issues that I already mentioned. Not even the background stories of the two main characters get a whole one, they are shown together in the last two episodes, and it comes off as sudden and rushed. The final one is good in terms of themes and showing a connection between the protagonist and other characters, but is obviously not a conclusion for the series in the least, as there are still far more manga chapters to adapt, and the whole season ended in a way that made it feel as just a buildup for stuff to come.

It doesn’t help that the production and atmosphere of the series are also very average, with very plain looking artwork, backgrounds and special effects, simple and very limited character designs, and stiff animation, especially in the beginning, as well as just decent sound effects and music, but not the opening, which sucks. The series is half comical and half melancholic, and the intro seems to belong in Dimension W, screw that, the ending fits much better, I have a review coming out where I shit on unfitting songs. Even the voice acting feels off for some reason, I don’t know what it is but no character has a voice that’s completely fitting for them.

As a whole, it’s a very lukewarm and inconsistent episodic slice of life sci-fi series that doesn’t dedicate itself much to a point before moving to another, with an uneven tone and very forgettable characters. It’s kind of watchable for being a type of show that didn’t come out in what feels like a long time, but other than that, it has nothing against many others of its kind that you can find out there.

I Robot, U Robot.

In a sci-fi future where Artificial Intelligence and technology have advanced past the point of stealing and regurgitating work by human artists and can create their original art, highly advanced androids called humanoids are becoming part of everyday life. They look, think and feel just like humans, only told apart by their amber goat eyes. Through the story of Dr. Sudou who specialises in treating humanoids, The Gene of AI explores the thorny philosophical and the morality of a future bordering on dystopian.

Through his medical practice, Sudou hopes to find clues to the whereabouts of his humanoid mother's copied personality. Copying ... a humanoid’s personality is very, very illegal in this world for very obvious moral reasons and it landed his mother in jail after she was naively tricked into handing over a copy by some corporate grifters. However, Sudou performs the role of a supporting character to the different patients he interacts with as the anime fleshes out its world through their different lives. Each episode focuses on one or two patients and the ethical struggles that come with being a humanoid as well as the pressures of the world around them.

The show goes into fascinating detail over all sorts of topics such as memory and emotional erasure, illegal dating-sim software which allows someone to create an AI girlfriend of a real person instead of a fictional one, emotional support teddybears that don’t want to be abandoned, virus corruption, corporate abuse, even humanoid centric conspiracy theorists. All of these and more are explored deeply and uncomfortably making it an excellent almost anthology drama.
That almost anthology structure does bite the show in its pacing depending on what the topic of the week is and what characters are involved. Sometimes a story doesn’t hit but because it's not an anthology you can’t skip it because it needs to build up the setting and to build up Sudou or his assisted Risa.

Studio Madhouse clearly didn’t have a lot of staff to spare on this project as presumably most of them were working on Frieren and it has resulted in pretty flat and lifeless-looking art and animation. This is made up for in scene direction and the OST, but if you had told me this was a Madhouse production at first glance I wouldn’t have believed you.

The Gene of AI is for a specific kind of sci-fi nerd who loves all the little details of a futurist world. Its art, animation and pacing have problems and it might not be able to hold the attention of those who don’t enjoy slow build-ups, but as a future that feels scarily in reach in our real world in 30-40 years if we all haven't died because of global warming, corporate greed, moron millionaires who fail at running social media companies, nuclear war, normal war, or whatever else could and probably will happen, it succeeds.

6/10 It’s Okay.

An anime to watch when you want to stay at home and relax, a slice of life in which they show a future where humans coexist with robots and humanoids.
The episodes are self-contained but they are all related to the protagonist of a form or another, I think it is interesting to watch, perhaps because I enjoy watching content related to the world of robotics and AIs.

Don't look for an anime with action or very convoluted plots here, just watch, relax and enjoy the story they tell you.

It doesn't have incredible animation, but it's enjoyable, it doesn't look bad at all.

The voice actors are incredible ... and I really love the opening, it's in my regular music repertoire.

One of the key aspect as to how you should rate an anime is by the fact if the anime has what it takes to keep your eyes glued to the screen for at 22-24 minutes. This anime achieves that. Though it's not the type of anime where you can expect character development and action. This anime deals with cases and situation which makes you question our meaning of existence and how our moral compasses differ person to person.

Character Development: It totally lacks that and I'm fine with it as the quality of the anime and the content compensates for that. It's like watching your ... good ol Doraemon with complicated topics like ethics, love, etc. The mc's character is a total mystery to me due to not revealing enough info about his past. I feel like there's more to it.

Action: Again, you won't find so much action here, if you're expecting this anime to be like Vivy Fluorite Eye, you'll be disappointed.

Overall: I honestly welcome this anime with open arms because it does at least keep you from being bored and is thought provoking at times. The animation quality does speak for itself and the content is good. I rate this a 7 and it has earned it. Or perhaps because I personally happen to work with AIs myself. Anyway, it's good content and is something I look forward to every week's release. It's rare to find good anime to watch seasonally and this fit the criteria.

The Gene of AI is the most profound depiction of the future I've ever seen from an anime. This show takes place in a future where humans and humanoid robots co-exist. It explores the threat of AI porn and automations of jobs while showing that even the lives of robots have value. It also explores many ethical dilemmas that come from the capabilities of humanoid technology. Is it right to alter someone's personality? What are the dangers of changing someone's emotions? The show follows medical cases that happen to Humanoids in this technological future. At times it can act as a warning about certain dangers ... of AI and automation. This is a show that everyone should be watching and its a shame so few people have seen it. I hope it gets a second season!

It's kind of difficult to start reviewing this anime because I still don't really know what to think about it.

The entire theme covered in it is something that particularly attracts me. The conception of advanced technology at a level we have not yet seen in our real world.
In Ai no Idenshi, the world and the beings that live there are completely technological, in addition to human beings, there are humanoids, coming from the advent and advancement of technology that I had mentioned and the anime's main theme is the dilemmas experienced on a daily basis. by these humans and the relationship of these problems with ... the main character who, in turn, is a human whose job is to study, understand and medicate these humanoids and this generates interesting debates and thoughts, to say the least, whether for those who are just watching the anime , as well as for those who draw parallels with the real world and its technology.

This in itself was a good point about this anime and would make me watch it anyway, however, the big (very big) problem with this anime was its disastrous production. The MadHouse studio did one of its worst jobs technically in this anime. The direction of the scenes failed to bring the necessary impact, taking away a lot of weight from the events. Animation completely stuck and without a hint of fluidity, also taking away the immersion of those watching. Even the sound aspects of this anime are bad, with the exception of its opening. I'm sorry to say that with the production this anime had, it's impossible to find it good.

There was a breath of quality in the final 3 episodes, where 3 major plots are worked on, among them, the plot of the main character and it is the one that generates the good cliffhanger of this anime and this is what made me doubt whether to recommend it or not. .

I believe that the best option is to follow the series through the manga, even without reading it, as the anime has proven to have script, worldbuilding and history. Furthermore, the manga is finished and this anime is unlikely to be continued.
If you are one of those who don't care so much about the production but only and exclusively about the events on the screen, this anime is a good choice.

It’s no news to anyone that the use of AI is increasing far more than before. Almost every company seems to be investing in AI, creating their own AI-based services, or otherwise experimenting with something in the fields of machine learning, computer intelligence, and other things. In all of this, the common people have been left mostly uniformed on how exactly everything worked, but fear of the unknown has filled the minds of many people in the wake of this AI boom. The Gene of AI came out at a perfect time to capitalize on these fears, but it does so in a way that ... genuinely gets the viewer thinking about the future in a meaningful way.

To start off, all of the audiovisual content is par for the course. None of the animation or character designs are particularly ground-breaking, but they didn’t really need to be. However, subtle changes like having different eyes for Humanoids and Humans are where this show shines. Furthermore, to match the tone of this series, the music is generally subdued and subtle, allowing the characters and events to take the forefront while also providing a mood fitting this futuristic, mysterious world.

AI no Idenshi has a looser, episodic structure, which I feel lends itself perfectly to an anime of this subject matter. It does have reoccurring main characters in the form of Dr. Hikaru Sudou and his nurse Risa Higuchi, who are pretty compelling, but this series definitely shines more in telling its individual stories. Each episode chooses to focus on a different aspect of a future where AI is even more all around us than right now, not being afraid to delve deep into more philosophical questions regarding the nature of humanity and whether an artificially-created intelligence could ever match up to the real thing.

The presentation of each story is done in an excellent manner. The introduction to the primary characters involved, exploring their circumstances, and presenting the audience with a question to think about the whole time (e.g. whether or not Humanoids with set limits can stand on an even playing field with Humans, who constantly have room for growth). Involving Sudou and Higuchi in these stories is also done in a way that doesn’t take the spotlight away from our episodic characters, but rather allows their story to develop further. Finally, we reach a few major plot points that provide some closure and end their arc, which in turn allows the audience to reach their conclusion.

One thing that I would like to point out is how AI no Idenshi is completely willing to not answer the questions it poses in a way leaning to one side or the other. Don’t get me wrong: writers using their stories to express their personal philosophies, especially relating to politics, is definitely allowed and can be compelling; we’ve seen this in even the most unlikely works like One Piece. However, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions is something that especially works for AI-related questions. All the episodes do is showcase a likely scenario in this hypothetical future and imagine how it would play out. It does not seek to plant an opinion in the viewer’s mind and wishes instead for them to see what is happening and use that to help form their own opinions.

That being said, AI no Idenshi also does a very good job at making its primary story arc compelling, even in the face of all of these interesting self-contained stories. It executes it in such a way that makes it so that all of these stories acted as build-up to the conclusion of Sudou’s own story in the last few episodes. Even these explore the questions posed at the very beginning and provide multiple suitable answers. Unlike the episodic stories, however, we do see that our main story does have definitive answers, and that is okay. Aside from that, Risa also gets her own episodes, and these are very good as well for the reasons mentioned above.

In general, AI no Idenshi seeks to explore what it means to be human, and how that could change in an alternate world. It is definitely not a unique idea to explore, and does it do it the best or most complex or most entertaining? No. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to, because that’s not what its goal is. It wishes to pose questions and seeks answers from its audience: What does it mean to be human? Is there any difference from a Human and a Humanoid—a robot that acts identically to a human? What are “feelings”? Do robots and AI also have feelings, or are those just based on what they’ve learned and how they’re programmed? All of these and more are explored here, and it does it really well.

Especially in times like this, AI no Idenshi is a great show. You can call it topical or pandering due to its focus and nature, but I feel that this is what makes it great; it feels human (whatever that means). Of course, it can be a little quieter but more philosophical, so those looking for loud or laid-back shows should look elsewhere. For those ready to ponder reality and the future, this is for you. I highly recommend you give this a try.

Easily the best anime of the season for me. I've watched plenty of sci-fi works depicting how the future would look like with AI or robot developed beyond human intelligence. They usually get stuck up in the repetitive "WHO AM I!? AM I EVEN HUMAN!>!>!!>?!?!?!" idea, it gets boring real quick. However, by using an episodic formula facilitated by Sudo's clinic setting, AI no Idenshi goes around the idea with multiple scenarios and perspectives. There is a variety of characters of different issues, showing wider possibilities of the future AI.

Not just that, the AIs in this anime have a distinct feature that separates it ... from other AI fictions. That is, they are not limited to one type of body or level of intelligence. The majority of AIs in this anime are called Humanoids, pretty self-explanatory, but Humanoids do not have a steel frame wearing skinsuit like we usually envision. Rather, this future has developed some black magic that replicates the human body for these AIs to live within. Humanoids grow, age, fall ill, are physically limited and die in similar fashion to humans. This distinct feature opens up a lot more fresh ideas for the story.

AI no Idenshi also has this conservative flavor in writing its characters and script. Most of the characters are very normal, thus realistic. They don't yap about their thoughts 24/7 or do comedic skits randomly. They don't suffer from the wacky anime tropes. It's one of those old school writing, you know, like Monster. There's just a mature tone to it. It's not entirely cold and boring though. As Risa, a young girl with a cheery and expressive personality, plays a major role in the anime. She is the one who yaps about her thought a little too much, which serves as a good balance to Sudo's cold quiet boring behavior. I love Risa. She's so damn cute. Long twin tails are so damn cute OMFG. I may have overlooked her flaws due to my bias.

Finally, there is one thing about this anime which may be a hit or miss for viewers. With each episode presenting two stories, that may or may not be connected at all, AI no Idenshi almost never concludes its story with a definitive answer. It constantly brings up a question, and viewers will not get a revelation or satisfaction. The objective of the story is to present the possibility, not to send a moral message. AI no Idenshi is extremely bad at hiding this too. The stories can just end without a cool one-liner or musical exit. One anime that's extremely good at closing its melodramatic episode with one-liner is Cowboy Bebop. It also helps that Cowboy Bebop has the hardest ED in anime history. So viewers may find AI no Idenshi's endings abrupt and incomplete, leaving a bad aftertaste. In its defense though, too many one-liners get obviously corny and they don't have a genius to make a banger ED.

"Doug, you're a fantastic speaker. What's your secret?" And he said, "Oh, I always finish with a joke. And that way, people think they had fun the whole time." --Patrick Winston in MIT How to Speak, IAP 2018

This anime is a nice commentary about how AI could influence our life in the future, and if that is a good or bad thing.

The good part about it is how it explores different scenarios of "what ifs".

That being said, it also had a "anime plot" that was really bad.... no conclusion, no explanation, no reveal of some kind of masterplan that it was hinted at. In that area it fails.

Still, if you want to see the challenges humanity could have if AI becomes even better, I recommend you watch it. Just don't expect the main plot - anime part to be ... good.

If I'm being honest, my hormones dictated me watching this anime: if MC has white/silver hair I'm hooked. I went into this blind and, being somewhat 'funned out' by the whole AI hype, wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised.

From the onset it appears to be about humanoids, human-like AI beings, and their issues. But in truth its more about the human response to artificial intelligence and how we deal with the 'uncanny valley' we've found ourselves in. There's a saying: When you gaze into the abyss, it gazes back at you. Our response to challenges, uncertainty and 'otherness' is a reflection of who we ... are as an individual and as a species. We are so self absorbed that even our evaluation of AI has become a quest to discover who we are.

Story:
It's divided into sub-stories per episode, dealing with different themes. Sometimes I felt it suffered a bit by taking on too much and not having enough time to fully explore each subject. But almost each episode left me with food for thought. Main plot holds intrigue and I look forward to season 2.

Characters:
It takes a while to warm up to Hikaru (MC). He has a clinical mind and is rather reserved, your typical 'emotionally unavailable' male character. Seeing tid-bits of something deeper was my catnip. Risa acts as the heart of the clinic, is friendly and likable without falling into 'walk over female' category.
The rest of the cast was interesting and relatable in their own way, main purpose to serve each sub-story.

Overall an interesting premise and one they handed reasonably well. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to, and while some might not enjoy it (or think it pretentious), it was thought provoking enough for me to give it an 8/10