Posted by Episode 1
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Episode 2
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「My Code -歌でみんなを幸せにするために- / Quarter Note -百年の旅の始まり-」 (Mai Kōdo -Uta de Minna o Shiawase ni Suru Tame ni / Kwōtā Nōto -Hyaku-nen no Tabi no Hajimari-)
“My Code – To Make Everyone Happy With My Singing / Quarter Note – The Beginning of the One Hundred-Year Journey”
Have any of you played “Detroit: Become Human“? Because Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song is strongly reminiscent of the game.
It’s a harsh world we’re thrust into in Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song, an original anime series by Nagatsuki Tappei and Umehara Eiji. In the initial events of this double episode premiere, A.I.s across the world turn against their makers, slaughtering thousands of people without a second thought.
But it’s not the A.I. uprising that this story is telling, rather, it’s the prevention of it. Flashback to our heroine, another female lead in what will be an action packed sci-fi adventure this spring. Diva (Tanezaki Atsumi) is an A.I. brought to life 100 years prior to the gruesome events that took place in the opening sequence. As a vocalist A.I., her sole purpose is to bring and happiness to those who hear her sing. She performs live events with the intent of entertaining visitors of the amusement park (Nierland) where she’s stationed. Unfortunately for her, she’s less than popular with an average of zero attendees with the exception of Momoka, a young girl she helped reunite with her father when she got lost in the park. Momoka gives Diva another nickname, Vivy, after the heroine of one of her favourite holographic books. It’s a small life Vivy is living but one that is swiftly turned upside down in mere moments.
What she perceives to be a virus but is in fact a super A.I., enters her functions and introduces themselves as “Matsumoto” (Fukuyama Jun). Our super A.I. is much more developed than Diva with their cognitive behavioural patterns quite similar to those of a human. Where do they come from? The fact is, they seem to have emerged from the future, 100 years from the future to be exact. They were sent back by a mysterious scientist during the attack with the hopes of preventing the mass slaughter.
A tentative relationship is building between Vivy and her new companion who transfers their ‘brain’ into the teddy Momoka gifts Diva. It’s a relationship built on very little information and very little trust. Vivy is unsure and weary of the bear and the bear is unsure whether Vivy can complete her new mission of stunting the AIs collective evolution thus saving the world from collapse in 100 years.
I’ll be completely transparent and mention that I unfortunately hadn’t realized that this was a two episode premiere so I watched the second without having watched the first and thought to myself: “Well, that was a handful.” After chatting with Enzo, he mentioned that the first episode gave no more clarity to the second. And he wasn’t entirely wrong, although I was happy to see that there was a reason for why Diva was so set on not having her mission ‘insulted’.
It’s interesting already that the thing that defines the A.I.s is their core mission. With too many missions, they go into overdrive and ultimately, collapse. But it seems Vivy, as the original and first autonomous A.I., has the capacity to process more than one mission at a time, which is why she is able to take on this new mission with Matsumoto, saving Assembly man Aikawa. Apologies for the spoiler there.
This looks to be a story of transformation over the course of a hundred years, for A.I. and humans alike. I’d wager the series will bring to the forefront some intricate existential questions, as many media that broach the life of A.I.s do. But I also foresee this series being quite complex, one of intricate detail. If you miss a step, be sure you’ll have to watch an episode a second time. Or at the very least, I will.
It’ll be interesting to see how this third episode brings the story together (or splits it completely apart) as it brings our characters into space. While I do enjoy watching female leads take to the stage, I’m not one for a thready narrative, which I hope isn’t what we’re going to see.
I’ll let you know after that review whether I’ll be continuing on but let me know what you think about this series so far.
Teddy Kyubey is so hilariously obviously “up to no good” evil that it is almost trite, as well as using Vivy’s naiveté against her.
Considering that he wants to save humanity yet goes “LOL let the stupid humans die”, he is pretty suspicious.
This is also why we should genetically engineer inumimi instead of developing AI.
The beginning of Episode 1 felt like Westworld with a dash of Jurassic Park. Got Terminator 2 vibes from the 2nd Episode as well as what looks like a cameo of the Genom tower from Bubblegum Crisis.
To add to that, my first thought was “This is why the Butlarian Jihad started”.
Also, if both Vivy and the teddy-bear/future-program are legit, it sets up a scenario from Asimov’s novels of “Vivy the Calvinist” vs. “Teddy Bear the Giskardian heretic” possible future conflict.
You know a show has a good start when it reminds you of the good parts from classic Sci-Fi novels.
Am I the only one who finds that teddy-bear/future-program suspicious. It says it was sent from the future to stop AI from killing humans, but considering how it is indifferent to humans dying (while Vivy is going full “Asimov’s 1st Law”), could it not be possible that this teddy-bear/future-program is actually trying to set-up/create the “kill all humans” future?
At the beginning of Episode 1 we see what seems like future Vivy activated to fulfill her duty and help humanity, and only assume that what that scientist did was sent the teddy-bear/future-program into the past.
Maybe you’re onto something? Or perhaps his attitude towards things is just what Vivy needs to really come into herself and evolve into the AI that will save all of humanity… who knows?
Maybe that’s what they want us to think. That the scientist ACTUALLY sent someone else and exposing Matsumoto as a “bad teddy”….
While the truth is that he IS on her side, after all…
I reckon you’re right. I don’t see any suspicious behaviour from Matsumoto at all. All he has done is point out future events and identify Diva as being the one the doctor chose to save humanity because if it weren’t for Matsumoto, Diva would have no idea about her mission at all. I think that Matsumoto’s eyes becoming red when he’s angry/more emotional is not suspicious whereas those AI in the future with red markings on their neck are highly suspicious and a sign that something went wrong.
I think a lot of people are misreading plot points badly in this show and even in Odd Taxi. A sizable number of people think that people aren’t actually animals in Odd Taxi even though it’s clear that literally everyone is an anime. They’ve somehow convinced themselves that the animals are all Odakawa’s delusion even though everyone is presented as an animal even when Odakawa is not present.
It could very well be that the Teddy is right from a practical sense (e.g. Asimov’s “0th law of robotics”/Giskardian heresy), and it is Vivy who becomes more human and thus the singularity that result in robots going full murder hobo on humans in the future.
Personally, I understand his decision to let those passengers die.
Mastumoto uses the events of past history to plan out what needs to happen to reach the future his programming dictates. It’s a very detailed guide of 100 years and any deviations will ripple into future events making them unpredictable.
For example, if Vivy, had saved that plane, there may have been someone on there who ends up accelerating the AI rebellion. Hundreds of people on that flight and each one of them presents hundreds of way things can go wrong.
Matsumoto may be evil at the end of it all, but this particular event isn’t a flag for me as I feel he is quite justified and even sensible in stopping Vivy.
I was really captivated on the story.
I want to know how Vivy will develop along with Leleou… i mean the teddy..
If we really get this kind of Humanoid Robots, then i hope for god’s sake that they give them at last Eyelids. These always starring open Eyes make them creepy like Zombies. I hope the Robot Human Face Designer add this on them
Plastic Memories Anime anyone? Also this could had triggered or inspired Detroit: Become Human
Detoit: Become Human came first no? As this is an original series with no source material. I’d say it was inspired by many other media of the apocalyptic A.I. genre
Interesting tidbit: there is a hypothesized point in the development of technology and AI where it changes human civilization so much, it is impossible for us in the present to envision what life will be like after that point.
It’s called the singularity.
What was the name of Matsumoto’s plan again?
Vivy isn’t preventing an AI uprising. She’s setting one up.
I love how two of you are mentioning this and now roped in to finding out.
I wonder if I was alone here, but, especially at the end, I got violet evergarden vibes, and in a good way. Now, these two shows are very different, but the cold emotionless girl struggling with caring for others, yeah, that got me.
It gave those vibes. And similar to Violet the next episodes might be more or less stand alone stories…
I loved Violet. I was crying in the plane watching some downloaded eps and the passenger next to me was concerned. I had to explain it was because of anime (cartoon) and they gave me the side eye.
On that, I think Violet did stand alone episodes really well after having established her quirks and past a little. But I don’t feel ready for stand alone episodes or arcs at the moment with Vivy. I do hope it’s done well though as I want so badly for this series to flourish.
Quite a captivating series, thanks for the coverage! Count me intrigued to pursue this series.