Alice Gear Aegis Expansion Review

Alice Gear Aegis Expansion is an adaptation of a Japanese mobile game, in the mecha genre, named Alice Gear Aegis. Previously, there was a game and a 20-minute OVA. It is directed by Hirokazu Hanai and produced by the animation studio, Nomad. The latter is known for series such as Chronicles of the Going Home Club and Dropkick on My Devil! This review will have spoilers.

This anime’s plot is simple. Nodoka Takahata (voiced by Miyari Nemoto) tries to sign up as an “actress,” a warrior who battles against space invaders with weapons and their voice. She meets Shitara Kaneshiya, Fumika Momoshina, and Yotsuyu Hirasaka, voiced by Maaya Uchida, Yui Ishikawa, and Manami Numakura respectfully, at Narikozaka Manufacturing. The latter is a character that Nodoka has a huge crush on, and forms the yuri-ish center of the series itself. Nodoka blushes or bleeds until she passes out if Yotsuyu gets too close. Nodoka is the equivalent of Kinjirō Sakamachi in Mayo Chiki! However, when operations of their company are suspended indefinitely, everything is thrown out of wack.

Of course, this isn’t the end of Alice Gear Aegis Expansion. The series takes a different turn in the second episode. It becomes more of a slice-of-life type anime. The second episode, and those after it, have the characters playing a survival game of capture the flag, working at a wholesome concept cafe/concafe, chasing down a purported ghost, and dealing with a toothache. Others feature making of dango for a festival, Nodoka and Yotsuyu going on a game show of sorts. In the process, Yumi Yotsuya (voiced by Eriko Matsui) becomes a butt of some jokes, with her concafe shut down in one episode for damaging the “dignity” of actresses. Kaoruko Yamano (voiced by Manami Numakura) is the most serious character. She often works in the office.

One of my favorite episodes was the show’s fifth episode. The characters hike up Mount Takao, with some of them facing a bear which follows and almost corners them. Although the episode effectively uses comedy, and shows the outdoor training of Nodoka, it sadly has a lot of fan service. It goes far beyond what is in Ippon Again!, with Nodoka beating on the breasts of her colleagues, who had just fallen down a mountain, like drums. The episodes reminded me of Laid-Back Camp and Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit. Both are better constructed, written, and animated. The latter is clear in the fifth episode: other characters are only shown as blue blobs. This implies that the series didn’t receive much funding and that corners were cut during the production.

Unfortunately, Alice Gear Aegis Expansion misuses its sci-fi setting. Although the opening of each episode purports it to be an epic sci-fi, this is strangely, and flatly, ignored. In the fourth episode, there is a post-credits scene. A scientist sees an actress go out of control and seemingly die, causing a person watching this in an air vent to say that this is human experimentation. This dark undertone to the story is hinted again in another post-credits scene in the seventh episode, when it is revealed that no test pilots have returned from the Onari-Ya facility. Someone is listening to them the whole time, saying that Aegis hasn’t made their move, yet.

While the sci-fi setting reminds me of the Macross Frontier, Macross Delta, Macross Zero, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, the show’s crew didn’t know what to do with the series. Instead, the merger of slice-of-life/comedy and sci-fi elements is ineffective and awkward.

For instance, another group of girls (Yasuri, Sugumi, Riya, Anna, Toka, and many others), who were in the show’s OVA, do a variety show for kids in the fifth episode. While it is a nice sequence, it moves the show in an idolish direction and away from a sci-fi focus. The same can be said about the episode’s post-credits scene. Three of these girls are at a bar, having bitter coffee, giving off a slice-of-life feel.

Alice Gear Aegis Expansion is mostly fan service. It should be criticized for having lore and tone conflict. At times, the series is more baffling than fun. The sci-fi themes could have been added in order to incorporate that element from the video game franchise.

The series does have some strong points, however. For one, the show’s director is known for his work on Drop Kick on My Devil!, Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Macross Frontier: The False Songstress, and Princess Tutu. In addition, Kenji Sugihara, who did the series composition, previously worked on Cardcaptor Sakura, and Gabriel DropOut. Character designer Rikiya Okano contributed to Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card and Princess Principal. Other crew members had either done work for Brave Witches, Psycho-Pass 3, Bibliophile Princess, Violet Evergarden, D4DJ All Mix, Canaan, Strawberry Panic!, and Healer Girl. As such, it is no surprise that the music score is one of the best features of this series.

On the other hand, it is telling that the show’s director was a storyboard and episode director on Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, which centered on Hayase Nagatoro harshly bullying Naoto Hachiouji because she likes him. Furthermore, one of the show’s character designers (Humikane Shimada) worked on the pro-military Girls und Panzer. Japanese military directly collaborated with the series as a form of public relations. However, this isn’t surprising considering that some series staff worked on The Witch from Mercury, a series filled with yuri themes, as well.

Despite the other issues that Alice Gear Aegis Expansion has, when it comes to comedy, the writers did a surprisingly good job. However, it isn’t as strong as Drop Kick on My Devil!, which is much more absurdist. I wish the show incorporated more of that energy. After all, several people who worked on that series also worked on Alice Gear Aegis Expansion.

Even so, there are still some good episodes, like the sixth episode. It is like a bad b-movie with all the characters participating in a mock detective story. This included using old photo albums, forensic evidence, and even abuse of power by detectives, with arrest of everyone who was suspicious. The episode, one of the best in the entire series, even had fourth wall breaks. Fumika can’t finish her lines and is cut off by the ending theme. The episode criticizes badly organized narratives. This is funny because the series itself is not very well organized!

There are some off-the-wall episodes. In one of these episodes, it is revealed that Yotsuyu became head of a biker gang named Crimson Glory. She convinced them to help the community rather than fighting. Strangely, it is followed by an episode on completely different subject. The characters make a video to advertise Narikozaka Manufacturing. None of the maintenance crew are included in the end because they weren’t “cute.”

Apart from the oft post-credit scenes of each Alice Gear Aegis Expansion episode set in a bar, featuring many of the characters, reminding me a bit of similar ones featuring the owners of Cocoa Hoto in Is the Order a Rabbit?, there are similarities with other series. For instance, Nodoka’s crush on Yotsuyu, reminds me of Minto “Mint” Aizawa having a crush on the singer/performer Zakuro Fujiwara in Tokyo Mew Mew New and in the original Tokyo Mew Mew.

The series has the advantage of featuring many talented voice actresses. Maaya Uchida, who voiced Shitara, is known for voicing the protagonists of Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Is the Order a Rabbit?, and My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! specifically Rikka Takanashi, Sharo Kirima, and Catarina Claes.

She also provided her voice for characters in YuruYuri, Bodacious Space Pirates, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Komi Can’t Communicate, and Skip and Loafer. Those are all series that I enjoyed watching. In addition, Manami Numakura (voice of Yotsuyu and Kaoruko) voiced Beelzebub in the anti-overwork anime I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, which has a second season in production, and Akira Hino in the yuri romance Adachi and Shimamura.

Furthermore, Yui Ishikawa (voice of Fumika) was familiar due to her voice work for The Aquatope on White Sand (Chiyu Haebara), Akebi’s Sailor Uniform (Riri Minakami) and most powerfully as Violet Evergarden in the anime and two films of the Violet Evergarden franchise. The show’s other voice actors, such as Eriko Matsui, Akari Kitō, Ari Ozawa, Atsumi Tanezaki, and Chika Anzai, provided their voices to characters in Cue!, Birdie Wing, Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, BanG Dream!, Vampire in the Garden, Princess Connect! Re:Dive, and Kase-San and Morning Glories.

The voice acting, comedic elements, animation (generally), and seasoned staff are some of the series strong suits. All of these elements make the show bearable, and watchable, despite its previously stated issues.

For instance, in the eighth episode, Nodoka has a dream where everyone has the opposite personality. This is paired with a totally different episode. In that episode, there is a silly puppet show of sorts, mixed with 3d imagery. After watching that episode, I realized that this series should have been a YouTube series with multiple short episodes. Alice Gear Aegis Expansion is not unique in having these problems. Another series on the same streaming platform, Too Cute Crisis, has similar issues.

What is most unfortunate about this series is the waste of potential. The voice actors and animation could have made for a better series, which was a slice-of-life, rather than badly incorporating elements of other genres. Obviously, this series was nowhere near the blatant, and disturbing, fan service in the ever-popular My Dress-Up Darling, nor the problematic fan service in Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, or the ecchiesque fan service in Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid.

The 9th and 10th episodes follow the others, with a happy-good-lucky slice-of-life feel. One episode involves an apparent parody of action and adventure anime, to find the equivalent of the Loch Mess Monster. Another features a fluffy creature mind controlling people to do their bidding. There is a typical beach episode. It features yurish interactions between Nodoka and Yotsuyu, a hot tub scene, a very competitive sand castle contest, and a lot of fan service.

The 11th episode marks a sea change Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, with an extreme whiplash into a different tone. The writers and directors appear confused about the show’s purpose. Nodoka goes missing. People are illegally experimenting on her. They are using eletrocution and mind control to perfect military technology. Yotsuyu leads the charge to free her. She is determined to save Nodoka from a terrible fate by flying a mech through space.

This tonal change is more severe than what some anime chuds claimed High Guardian Spice did in the final part of that series arc. The final episode involves a fight between mechs. That could have been front-and-center throughout the entire series. It is an effective way to cap off the series. However, the series could have benefited from more scenes with mechs and mixed this with the slice-of-life scenes. In sum, the series was badly executed overall.

Despite this, the series finale of Alice Gear Aegis Expansion is relatively solid. There’s the Nodoka-Yotsuyu mech battle and Henmi’s illegal experimentation. In an interesting twist, even though Nodoka is mind-controlled, she participated willingly. She was jealous of Yotsuyu. Even so, Henmi’s justification of these experiments, reportedly to help humanity by collecting data, is wrong. Her fellow workers only help because she terrifies them. After she is tied up, they gladly turn against her.

One of the episode’s best parts is the fact that Nodoka realizes that she isn’t alone. Everyone loves her. She isn’t suffering on her own. Her strong romantic feelings for Yotsuyu return light a freight train, as she bleeds after Yotsuyu hugs her, and then blushes. On the other hand, the episode wraps up quickly. It ends in such a way, with Nodoka deciding to quit, because she feels she has been a burden, and all the characters waving goodbye to her, that they are saying goodbye to the audience as well. Overall, it appears the mecha battle was just a way to end the anime without a possibility of a sequel.

Alice Gear Aegis Expansion is currently streaming on HIDIVE.