As expected of the team at Studio Triggerhttps://anilist.co/studio/803/Trigger the character designs are distinctive and the animation dynamic. I couldnt think of a single issue with the visuals. The background work is gorgeous and the various color pallets the show uses are always pleasant to look at. Overall art consistency is pretty high. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/77bd0c525b5680a2fd80ba185da25900.mp4 The soundtrack is a strong 9 only dragged down by the fact that songs get reused incredibly often. In the case of the ED Night Running which may just be my fav ED from this year it appears as an insert track so often that its become a sort of running gag. I understand Night Runnings use as a callback to nostalgic times Michiru and Nazuna shared as humans but they really pushed how much mileage they could get out of it. Aside from that admittedly petty nitpick each song is incredibly evocative and fits the scene its used in. Possible contender for 2020 Anime OST. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/0dfed554ede3b7e6fe6c4dc953b34dd2.mp4 Despite the fact that we spend a large amount of time with Michiru it doesnt feel like she got any character development past episode 3 excluding the Nazuna flashback scenes I honesty couldnt tell you what Ive learned about her. She misses home. Shes stubborn. She wants to be human again. BNAs cast is likeable but lacks depth. Michirus characterization is incredibly thin to the point of approaching cliche Much like Promarehttps://anilist.co/anime/99425/Promare/ BNA suffers from having a cliche plot with thinly veiled allegories for racism. In fact I dont think it would be reductive to say the two series are plagued by the very same sets of issues. While it isnt incompetent by any stretch the narrative of BNA is by far its weakest component. If youve ever watched a social commentaryhttps://anilist.co/anime/107660/BEASTARS/ on racial issues you wont be impressed by the plot here. As long as you pay attention you should be able to sniff out plot twists with ease. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/815cecba4ccf6cea66c7f4c9b17cc5e9.mp4 Perhaps the most disappointing criticism I could throw at BNA is that for all the time it spent on beastmen conflict the show doesnt have anything interesting to say about its themes. Racism is bad lets just try to understand each other. To put it bluntly the narrative comes across as uninspired BNA is at its best when focusing on being pure spectacle / fun as opposed to its own plot. Episode 5 in which Michiru plays softball was easily the strongest episodes in the entire show. After realizing mid episode it was storyboarded by the legendary Hiroyuki Imaishihttps://anilist.co/staff/97349/HiroyukiImaishi I suppose thats not a surprise. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/a6d36a23873287c461d54f0a912abe9e.mp4 The staff at Trigger have mastered the art of using limited animation for visual comedy BNA managed to win over a lot of good will from me early through its run however like several other Trigger series fails to deliver a cathartic ending. For all the criticism I have against this show I dont actually dislike it in the slightest I just wish that the writing was tightened up a bit. Compared to its older sisters Kill La Kill and LWA BNA it doesnt manage to live up to the hype. However in spite of its flaws BNA is a fun show worth watching especially if youre a fan of the studio behind it.
74 /100
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