NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is a faithful adaptation of a game that already asked a lot of its audience. The anime takes the 2017 action role-playing game Nier: Automata and turns it into a 24-episode television series, split across two cours. It follows the androids 2B and 9S as they land on Earth to fight the Machine Lifeforms, led by the alien invaders known as ＜Aliens＞. The series is directed by Ryōji Masuyama, co-written by Masuyama and Yoko Taro, and composed by music studio Monaca. It premiered on Gunma TV, Tokyo MX, BS11, and Tochigi TV on 2023-01-08, with its final episode airing on 2024-09-27.
Trailer, via Crunchyroll.
The Premise
The story is set in the year 11945, long after humanity has fled Earth for the moon. Aliens have occupied the planet and wage war through their creations, the Machine Lifeforms. Humans respond by building androids, which they send back to Earth to fight. The latest deployment is YoRHa, an elite combat force that communicates directly with the Council of Humanity on the Moon. 2B and 9S are sent down as a reconnaissance team to investigate the Machines and support the local Resistance.
The premise is simple, but the execution is dense. The series is built around a proxy war between two forces, each operating with cold logic. The androids are programmed soldiers, while the Machines are driven by a network that simulates human thought. That tension gives the show its emotional weight.
The Cast
The voice cast is strong, and it draws directly from the game’s original Japanese and English recordings. Yui Ishikawa voices 2B, and Natsuki Hanae voices 9S. Ayaka Suwa plays A2, a rogue YoRHa soldier, and Hiroki Yasumoto and Kaoru Akiyama play Pod 042 and Pod 153, the floating support devices that accompany the androids. Daisuke Namikawa voices Adam, the avatar of the Machine Network, and Tatsuhisa Suzuki voices Eve, his twin. Aoi Yuuki plays Pascal, the pacifist leader of a non-hostile Machine collective. Chiaki Kano voices the Commander, the leader of the YoRHa forces, and Keiko Isobe and Mary Hatsumi voice Operators 60 and 210, who act as contacts at the orbital Bunker.
The English dub is equally solid, with Kira Buckland as 2B, Kyle McCarley as 9S, D. C. Douglas and Abby Trott as Pods 042 and 153, Cherami Leigh as A2, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the Commander. The show respects the game’s established dialogue, which means the jokes and the pathos land with the same timing they had before.
The Production
Masuyama and Taro worked together to adapt the story for television. Monaca returned to arrange the game’s existing music and compose new pieces. The opening theme is by Aimer, and the ending theme is by Amazarashi. The series was announced in a 5th anniversary livestream, and its broadcast was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting production. A second cours aired from July to September 2024.
The animation holds up. The series renders the ruined cities, the desert plains, and the mechanical interiors of the YoRHa base with consistent detail. The action sequences are fluid, and the character designs carry over the game’s distinctive style. The show is not flashy, but it is competent, which matters when the story asks for sustained focus on dialogue and mood.
The Story
The first cours covers the setup. 2B and 9S arrive on Earth, meet the Resistance leader Lily, and encounter Devola and Popola, the ancient android twins. They also find Pascal’s village, a place where Machines live without hostility. The conflict is not immediate. The show spends time establishing the world before the stakes rise.
The second cours picks up the pace. A2 arrives, bringing her vendetta against both YoRHa and the Machines. The story moves toward a confrontation with Adam and Eve, the twin avatars of the Machine Network. The finale ties the threads together, resolving the conflict between the androids and the Machines while leaving room for the larger story of humanity to continue elsewhere.
“This is the story of these lifeless androids and their endless fight for the sake of mankind.”
That line sums up the show’s perspective. The androids are the protagonists, but they are not human. They fight for a species they have never met. The series handles this contradiction with care, showing the androids developing bonds even as their programming limits them.
The Verdict
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a succeeds because it respects the source material. It does not add new characters or rewrite endings. It tells the same story, but with a slower pace suited to weekly television. The show benefits from having a full season to unfold, whereas the game rushed through its narrative. The anime can breathe, and that breathing space lets the emotional beats land harder.
The series is not perfect. Some episodes feel like padding, and the middle section drags slightly before the second cours picks up. The pacing is uneven, and the show occasionally loses focus. But the core is strong. The relationship between 2B and 9S remains the heart of the story, and the series handles their dynamic with care.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-01-08 |
| 24 | 2024-09-27 |
For fans of the original, the anime delivers a satisfying watch. For newcomers, it is a dense but rewarding entry point. The show’s strength lies in its fidelity to the game’s tone and its willingness to let the story unfold at its own pace.
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a earns a strong score.
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