Streaming: Funimation
Episodes: 13
Source: Original
Story Summary: Each AI is imbued with a mission, and Diva’s (nicknamed Vivy by a fan) is to make people happy through her singing. After a year of existence, she seems no nearer to achieving that than when she started. Though she attempts to mimic human behavior, she lacks emotion, and the audiences at the amusement park where she works seem to be able to sense that. One day prior to a performance, Vivy’s mind is overwhelmed by some electronic interloper calling itself Matsumoto. Matsumoto is an AI claiming to have come from the future in order to advise Vivy on preventing a major disaster. 100 years from the current day, the world’s AI servants revolt and begin to murder humans; Matsumoto’s mission is to ensure that doesn’t occur. It takes more concrete evidence for Vivy to believe Matsumoto at his word, but time is already ticking; her first assignment is to prevent the assassination of a politician working toward further rights for AI individuals.
Impressions: Having recently watched The Canipa Effect’s lengthy (and very interesting!) video outlining Attack on Titan‘s animation production (I’d advise not watching too closely if you’re not caught up on the series, as it delves into the most recent season), I now have some insight into the fact that Production I.G.’s subsidiary, WIT Studio, was primarily created to produce original (as in, not based on existing media) animated properties. Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song- is just the latest series that’s helping to fulfill that purpose. Conceptualized by Tappei Nagatsuki, author of Re:Zero, this new story seems to riff on that story’s gimmick of achieving a “good end” (whatever that means) through learning from the mistakes of the past and using that knowledge to make the most out of whatever new chance is given.
This newest realization of that concept feels a little bit more tailored to my tastes, because rather than yet another story of a hapless guy trying to “figure himself out” (no hate, I’ve just seen it done often enough for it to feel rote), this offers a bit of a fresher take through its protagonist. As an autonomous AI, Diva/Vivy is a different breed than her brethren. Though her handle on what emotionally defines humanity (and thus her ability to fulfill her primary mission) is flawed and incomplete, she’s been built with the desire to learn and grow in order to make people smile through her singing.
That said, the use of a female AI does carry with it some narrative baggage that I’m curious whether will be addressed or not. Looking back toward my experiences watching Wonder Egg Priority last season, or even further in terms of the film Ex Machina, it’s always a bit harrowing to experience stories in which female AI androids are conceptualized and built by men. In both stories, men create androids in order to fulfill some image they have of a perfect girl/woman, and then seem perplexed as to why these androids don’t behave in predictable ways. Even ignoring the obviously gendered angle of interpretation, one of the general lessons in both cases is that entities with free will are not beholden to the whims of a few very specific people, no matter how close their relationship to those people is. This conscious realization by all AI seems to be the scenario that Vivy is being made to prevent, yet I can’t see this story progressing unless her autonomy and personhood becomes more nuanced and developed. It’s interesting to think about what the story may look like some weeks down the line when this clash might be more apparent.
The second episode of this was available at launch, and though I declined to watch it for this review I hear it adds some more context to the story. Even with that said, though, this was a compelling premiere episode for a series that’s still mostly raw potential. That, I think, is what I find most satisfying about original productions – there are so many unknowns that it’s difficult to be cynical about them, and many contain very welcome surprises.
Pros: This episode has an appealing visual look. While for the first several minutes there’s a bit of text in the upper-left corner that feels a little bit distracting, its purpose is realized eventually and it goes away after that. The Archive, where Vivy’s mind goes after being infiltrated, is beautiful with its golden-hour lighting and dreamy visuals. While we haven’t seen much of the rest of the real world yet, some of the design elements seem to indicate that the sorts of problems we deal with currently – mainly pollution – seem to have been resolved as evidenced by the bright blue skies.
This series seems otherwise restrained in the information it provides outright, though it’s clear the seeds for the situation that Vivy is asked to prevent are ripe for sprouting. Many of the service jobs inside the park, including the more labor-intensive ones (such as costumed characters) are fulfilled by AI. This hits especially close to our current situation, in which those with the lowest social capital are forced into menial labor that’s often then dehumanized to justify doing so. It’s a bit of a blunt metaphor, but perhaps one worth putting forth in the here-and-now.
Cons: The only thing really sticking with me as a potential issue right now is that this story will supposedly take place over a 100 year period. While this conceit would lend itself well to an episodic series, I’m worried that we’ll miss out on some character relationships that would have been better-built over a longer consecutive time period.
Content Warnings: Mild nudity. Violence resulting in death (gun violence, people being hit by cars, bombs detonating, people bludgeoned in the head). Visible blood.
Would I Watch More – Yes, I’m very curious as to how this series will unfold and what choices Vivy will end up having to make during her assignment.