First impressions: Arknights Animation: Prelude to Dawn

I was excited when I heard Arknights was going to be adapted as an anime series this fall. After all, it is a popular game series both in Japan and overseas. Moreover, it’s being produced by Yostar, which also produced Azur Lane back in 2020. Granted, it’s not going to cover the entire game story since it’s only going to be an 8 episode series. However, I do expect it to cover at least a small portion of the game story.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story of Arknights, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world called Terra,where people who are infected with a disease called Oripathy are shunned and persecuted. Hence, a militant group – the Reunion Movement, is formed to rebel against the government. The player takes on the role of “Doctor” and creates a team – Rhodes Island, with the goal of finding a cure to the disease, as well as to protect itself against the Reunion Movement.

After watching the first episode, I have to say that I’m amazed at its spectacular scenery and character visuals. I’m especially impressed by the way Amiya’s feelings were portrayed throughout the episode. From the concerned look on Amiya’s face for Doctor’s wellbeing at the beginning, to her assuring smile at the end, she was the one who stole the limelight in the episode. Suffice to say, Amiya’s definitely going to be a fan favourite of the series.

In addition, the episode was action-packed and it had me on the edge of my seat. There was a tense scene where a mother and daughter were cornered by a group of Reunion Movement members. It looked as though both of them would get hurt, but fortunately, Doctor was able to successfully execute a plan to rescue them in time. I felt a sense of relief knowing that both of them were unharmed at the end of the day.

All in all, it’s an extremely solid first episode, and I do anticipate Arknights to be an anime that’ll attract a multitude of people to watch it this season due to its strong playerbase. One thing’s for sure, I expect Arknights to be an absolute gem this season!