Season 1 |
Season 1 of the show
Episode Guide
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8
When it comes to anime, CGI animation usually comes in one of two flavors: gorgeously stunning or horrifically ugly. In recent years, Japanese animation has started shifting towards CGI projects at an increasing rate, rather than the traditional hand-drawn gems of old. Stories like Make My Day don't bode much good for CG anime's future.
The narrative itself is a well-worn set of tropes and ideas that have been pushed in this medium since the 70's, including gems like Alien. This unsettling barren planet contains a key ingredient, and a ruthless part-time prison guard is up to decipher these creatures before it's too late.
Throughout the eight episodes, the show introduces a host of difficulties for the characters, including betrayals within the organization, a pregnant lady named Marnie with whom Jim has ties, and issues spanning the globe as we know it.
The narrative itself is fairly straightforward, and although there are hints of an interesting world being constructed early on, it all comes down to the capitalist structure we’ve seen so often in these kinds of programs. The poor earn their living, while the rich awaken an ancient evil that wants to destroy them all.
The animation is a real eye-sore, though the narrative is decent. Landscapes are decent, although foreground and background objects sometimes blur together, which isn't a great effect. The character models are terrible.
The animations are stiff and difficult, while the whole project feels like an early PS1 or Sega Saturn cut-scene. This is where simple things come in: animating sweat. Every single facial expression must be enhanced to comical levels, rather than a more nuanced portrayal seen in some of the better CG animated films in recent years.
With projects such as Love, Death, and Robots, Netflix's latest anime is more suited to the horrific 3D remake of Saint Seiya than to its anthological gem. With a simple and forgettable narrative and bog standard character arcs to boot, Make My Day is a poor choice.
