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Image courtesy of Pony Canyon
© TriF/'Mecha-Ude'Production Committee
After watching the first two episodes at Anime NYC, I'm 95% sure the creators of Mecha-Ude were trying, at least subconsciously, to make a kid-friendly, less fanservice-oriented version of Kill la Kill. Instead of alien clothes, it's sentient robotic arms that draw on human hosts for power—and the central Mecha-Ude Alma just so happens to be sentient clothing, attached to human host Hikaru's jacket rather than his body. The female protagonist, Aki, dresses like Ryuko, and her dual Mecha-Ude eyes resemble Senketsu's. Kill la Kill composer Hiroyuki Sawano is one of three artists composing the music (along with DAIKI and Kohta Yamamoto). All this talk of “Trigger Arm” is sure to make otaku think of Studio Trigger (the new TriF Studio that produces this show).
These first two episodes took place before the 2019 pilot that brought the show its success on Kickstarter. Producer Tetsuya Kinoshita told Anime News Network that the pilot story will be incorporated into Episode 3. However, I suspect it will be a different experience than the pilot story, which has less TRIGGER-like stylization in its artwork.
Mecha-Ude is visually striking, heavily integrating CG into 2D animation. Even with only a single eyeball on his body forming his “face,” Alma is incredibly expressive and is the most immediately engaging character on the show. The kinetic action sakuga moments look great, and the scenes that use flatter, more restrained animation still have solid comedic timing.
I wish Mecha-Ude was more whimsical. The comedic moments had the Anime NYC audience scattered with giggles but also a few big laughs; it's quirky without being impressive. If you've seen Kill la Kill, FLCL, or any other Gainax/TRIGGER show that's trying to capture its manic energy, it might feel a little underwhelming by comparison, as if a drop of that style has been mixed into a much more standard action shounen.
I suspect Mecha-Ude might be more interesting to shounen viewers who are too young to get a clear sense of the inspiration. Given that Azuki is teaming up with Scholastic's Graphix publisher to release a full-color print of the manga, it seems poised to appeal to that younger demographic. The brief introduction before the Anime NYC screening noted that the manga and anime have different plots, so those who want to fully understand this world will want to experience both.
