Some slight jetlag made me postpone polishing my first impressions for Robotics;Notes. Basically, this series is within the bounds of expectations for something penned by Nitro+. Production I.G’s visuals are now working fine, background music is now properly-arranged and used, content writing gives an air of suspense and mystery; is this series on its way to perfection? Let’s bloody find out!

The overall description could be summed-up in one sentence; polished Guilty Crown with touches of references to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Background art is now properly defined and does the job very well. Amount of detailing is fair and simple, yet it illustrates the setting. Other objects are traditionally-drawn figures, which helps in paying homage to the NGE. Aside from that, the mecha designs in are inspired from Gundam, Battle B Daman, Code Geass, and the like. Character designs are more unique than the ones present in Guilty Crown. The designs here give life to the characters and, at the same time, pay homage to the earlier mecha and sci-fi series. Animation used on this series is basically the same techniques used in Guilty Crown, but a little smoothened with some scenes lacking proper lighting.

Voice acting ranges from from having pitch-perfect voices to high-pitched voices. While all of the cast members in the first episode did well in their respective jobs in portraying the characters, some of the voices would annoy those who want consistency in the pitches. Background music is smooth orchestral music arranged properly for use as an anime BGM, complete with some seemingly-leitmotif soundtracks. They might not stand-out from BGMs in Zetsuen no Tempest, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun; but they’re mood-setting and gives a feel of mysterious depth to the seemingly-mediocre schoolclub-centric and coming-of-age story and plot. The ending and opening theme songs’ beats and tones are within the expectations on almost any anime adaptation of a Nitro+ production.

The first episode had a seemingly students-trying-to-save-their-club-from-disbandment-due-to-low-membership-and-achievement plot and story. We’re also set-off with a standard start; introduce us to key characters, premise, and story. It may sound bad, but the series managed to have and maintain intrigue. If you’re already too familiar with these kind of plot and story, you might get bored with this series. I should note that there’s some depth in the story. So far, the possibility of the depth is not hinted too much in the pilot episodes. Let’s see how it would end out. If you like the sound of slice-of-life series possibly getting deeper in midstream, then watch this.

Images Used are under Fair Use.