Fractale

I'm gonna come out and say that Fractale isn't that bad... and all the hate people have for it is kinda unjustified. The problem is that the show didn't manage to become the kind of masterpiece Yamakan wanted it to be, and that failed promise put the show in a very negative light. At least he's a man of his word, and "retired for the time being". It's a pity if he actually goes away for good because I still think he's still someone with plenty of talent, and even some of that does show in the flop that is Fractale. I've said this on morethan one occasion, that I'd like to compare this series with Last Exile or Allison to Lillia, because I strongly feel that that is Yamakan's vision for Fractale. It isn't so much about the story, but it's about the fabulous combo of pre-industrial age technology meets young man's (or girl's) adventure. Series like these usually focus a lot more of the setting of the story, like the common people's way of life, community relationships, the environment, the history than most other shows do. This is probably Yamakan's take on the cincept, with a little furturistic element to it. And I really like that. Fractale shows the fun in a frugal and simple way of living, clean and honest community life, its conflict with furturistic technology, and a young man's adventure in his role and approach towards this conflict. Whereas the show fails hard on its execution and characters. First of all, there is too little revealed about the Fractale system itself, and we the audience are left with too many questions about practically everything that is going on. That won't be a problem if the characters are interesting enough to drive the show along, but they aren't. Clain is constantly being led by the nose by everyone around him, and his actions are always a result of how the story drives him, when it should be the other way around. Phyrne and Nessa are as mysterious as the Fractale system itself, and everyone else is there just to fill up the screen time. In the ending, there's wasn't a resolution or anything. It feels like it all happened as a matter of course. I'll keep this spoiler-free, but it's a happy, but really dumb ending. Another thing that's sorely missing from Fractale is satisfying animation, which is something I'm expecting to see from an anime using this concept. I'm totally expecting spectacular backgrounds, detailed characters or equipment, or at least smooth animating, but Fractale delivered none. I can't explain how disappointed I was. So in all, Fractale is okay. If you understand and love the concept of animes I was talking about, you'll enjoy Fractale to a certain extent. Otherwise, it probably isn't something for you. Plot/Concept: Great Story Style: Miserable Audio/Visual: Fair Value: 6

Of the entire Winter Anime list, Fractale instantly caught my attention, perhaps because of all the words written on the list, “fractal” is the term that I have encountered several times. I enjoy this show because it has some in-depth meanings on how technology impacts humans and apparent socio-political implications. Also, I find it unique and refreshing in its own simple ways. In terms of character design, I find them pleasing but not really fantastic. However, you can surely recognize the character development. I particularly like Nessa, I thought she is going to be annoying doppel--data or memory that interacts like human, who will screw upon everything, but it turned out that she is lovable, and despite her age I find her more intelligent and sensible than Phryne. As for Cain, I truly enjoyed his character, I witnessed how he grows up from being immature young boy to a mature young man. Overall, at the end of the series I sensed that the characters grew into me, because even the secondary characters like Sunda and Enri are worth mentioning when you talk about Fractale. Artwise, it has nice and friendly ambiance. However, I find the color tone and setting somewhat old-fashioned, but I guess that what makes it unique and easy to follow. The setting is supposed to be futuristic however they incorporated farms, valleys and plateaus, perhaps that's why they used that "classic" a ambiance. On the other hand, I almost lost my enthusiasm after seeing the first episode; the show seemed to be too shallow and carefree for me—that time I wanted to see something that is extremely thought provoking and emotion driven. Little did I know, behind light ambience is where the irony hides. It is good that I did not drop it right away and stick-around until episode three, because that is where the story begins to unfold. A quick snippet of Fractale is it tells the story of a young boy named Clain. One day, he saw a temple girl named Phryne being chased by three armed people. Eventually, Phryne managed to get away from her chasers. After seeing her wounded, Clain brought her home for treatment and also helped her to hide from those who are trailing her. The incongruity and the bulk of the story is in the title itself; Fractale system pledges a life of pure relaxation and technology-driven lives. However, due to the overly convenient lifestyles, people do not talk to each other and do not work for a living anymore. Further, the extreme dependency in technology is turning people into less “humans”. For instance, families in Fractale System do not live together anymore, and people just spend their days stagnant. Now, if we are going to look at the definition of fractal, it means rough, fragmented geometric shapes and reduced-size exact copy of the whole—opposite to the symmetric and smooth lifestyle that Fractale system offers. We can see that Indeed, Fractale system is the provider of the “whole package” of convenience to its citizens, however this supposedly “whole” is actually in a form of the reduced-size of the real thing. Aside from that, instead of being part of the entire picture, people continuously sprout out as isolated entities of the picture, or simply the petite-sized reset of the Fractale system. I truly believe that the author successfully incorporated the characteristic and symbolism of fractal in the story. *mild spoiler ahead* The last episode is kind of rushed. I really think it's a pre-mature last episode and it's not the type of ending that I'm expecting however it didn't disappoint me. This is just purely my opinion though. Now it's up to you to find out what you think about the Fractale.

As an anime fan, I personally love finding shows that take me completely by surprise. Sure big hype shows are great too, but there’s something about finding an anime with little to no hype that turns out to be amazing that really strikes a cord with me. I wasn’t expecting much from Fractale, but what I found was what is sure to be one of the best animes of the decade and an easy contender for anime of the year. Fractale is the story of an island governed by the Fractale system, a computer super-program that is worshipped as a religion by the people.Our main character is Clain, a boy who collects what he antiques (even though they’re things like Ipods and laptops) who meets a girl named Phryne. Phryne has a mysterious connection with the Fractale system and gives Clain a doppel (essentially a holographic representative of a real person) child named Nessa. Eventually Clain and crew meet a group of so-called revolutionaries called the Lost Millenium trying to bring down the Fractale system for good. So is our story for this anime, and while it may seem simple, it is anything but. What makes Fractale so fantastic is just how brilliantly it is written every step of the way. Clain, Nessa, and Phryne are three of the best written and believable anime characters I have seen recently who all act believably to every situation (no over-the-top anime reactions here). In addition, the cast involved with Lost Milennium are also really well defined and avoid the usual noble rebel tropes in really interesting ways. At points, the group acts more like guerilla terrorists than noble rebels. Even though they are supposed to take down the Fractale system which they claim robs people of their humanity, are they any better by resorting to extreme tactics? Though it is true that the Fractale system takes away people’s ability to be “human”, this aspect of the plot makes it much more interesting and thought provoking than it otherwise would have been. Another striking feature about the plot is the themes the show tackles. While the more apparent themes of nature vs. technology are present, there are also hints of thematic elements dealing with the nature of organized religion. The Fractale officials act as a theocracy even though the religion they promote doesn’t actually cause violence to others. The themes of organized religion vs. free will in combination with nature vs. technology are a unique combination and the fact that it’s the people running both sides that aren’t innocent and not the ideas they represent make the conflict much more interesting to think about. This leads to a conclusion that smartly addresses this dichotomy and represents some of the most well thought out and three dimensional writing you will find for anime this season. In addition to the fantastically written story line, the art in Fractale is in a word beautiful. It’s very similar to a Hayao Miyazaki film asthetically with bright water color visuals and great character designs. The entire show is just a joy to watch every second and really makes you appreciate how beautifully realized the entire production is. On top of this, the music is fantastic with great orchestral scores that hit all the right notes, whether it’s the more action-orientated sequences or the quiet moments where the characters enjoy each other’s company. This show just works on every single level. The story is one of the best written animes in recent memory despite doing away with many fantasy anime tropes. This, in addition with the fantastic characterization, art, and music all come together to make one of the best animes of the year. Seriously, I cannot praise this anime enough, but I can’t because I don’t want to spoil anything for people. Simply put, Fractale is one of the best animes you will see this year and you are doing yourself and the anime community a huge disservice by not watching it. I give Fractale, an A+.

I like Fractale. I really do. But more I reflect on it, more I realize that Fractale isn't the greatest. What caught me was the setting. A computerized system called "Fractale" is used to catalog and maintain the whole human population. A normal boy named Clain is unsatisfied with his life. In comes Phyrne, a doppel named Nessa, a rebel group called the Lost Millennium, and the Temple knocking on his door. He's dragged into a whole world altering mess of conflicts... so why is this show so slow moving? The pacing isn't very well done. A show is supposed to raise questions in the beginningand answer them in the end. This show fails at the latter. It moves slowly, adding to the setting, and suddenly accelerates into some action the last 2 episodes, leaving you to scratch your head in confusion. "What just happened?" The show leaves so many questions unanswered. What is the Fractale system, and how does it work? I don't mean some half assed explanation that it uses star power or anything or that it's some mystical computer system designed by aliens. I'm just asking WHAT IS IT. When the show fails to explain the main plot point, it starts getting silly. Phyrne is the key to the Fractale system, and the Temple wants her back. But why IS she the key anyway? How does the whole key thing work? Do they just plug girls into the Temple like some AA batteries in order to keep the Fractale system running? And what exactly is the Lost Millennium's beef anyway? They're a rebel group. Sure. But what's their motives? They think the world sucks, and the audience sees the Fractale system isn't so great. But how in the world did they reach the conclusion that the world is a dystopia? People live in blissful ignorance of the Fractale's mechanizations, and are brainwashed every year. How did this group of people break out of this cycle? I blame this lack of information and question answering squarely on the protagonist. We're not supposed to sympathize with the Temple. They're the bad guys! We're apparently not supposed to sympathize with the Lost Millennium either (even though the Granites deserve our sympathy at some points). They're the bad guys too! And we're not supposed to understand or sympathize with Phyrne because she's simply just a plot coupon at this point. So who ARE we supposed to sympathize with? Clain. Our protagonist. Unfortunately, he acts as a third wheel. The Temple's not going to divulge its secrets to him because he's an enemy, Phyrne isn't going to say anything because she doesn't want him to get involved, and LM just wants him out of their hair. And since he's our protagonist, we have to learn information through him. If he's not getting any important information, then what are we, the audience, left with? Just a sequence of meaningless action on the screen, that's what. It's all supposed to make sense at the end. But when they throw a bunch of disjointed information, it's hard to synthesize it into something MEANINGFUL. And they expect everyone to be fine with this. But that's just a crazy long over analysis. A show can be fun to watch and still have no "plot" to speak of. They say that the journey is as important as the destination, and it's been a fun ride. There's nothing too deep here. I say this a standard anime show, and I'm glad there's not too much navel gazing or faux philosophy on how to live your life. If you have some time to kill and the premise sounds interesting, I say go take a look and see how it pans out for you. But if you have a packed schedule, I suggest you give this one a pass for the time being.

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