Is it just me or does Fractale remind you a bit of Aria? There is that feeling of unity between the classical and futuristic going on in this world. The architecture of buildings and dirt roads lined by stonewalls intertwine seemingly commonplace with strange, talking robots and personalized flying vehicles. The tiny house located by the water certainly reminds me of the Aria Company, as well. Ah, it’s nice to be reminiscent about one of my all-time favorite animes when beginning a new one, but this isn’t about Aria, today. Fractale certainly stands out as a well-rounded anime on its own.
Our hero, Clain, lives with his family in a small house at the edge of a cliff. His family, however, is made up of holographic robots called Doppels. Same thing with his dog. In fact, most of his nearby village is the same with Doppels making up a majority of the population save for a few criminals and police. Clain’s first encounter with another human doesn’t happen until he sees a female being chased by a trio of apparently evil-doers. The girl notices Clain’s presence and decides to end the chase by falling off the back of her flying vehicle into the sea below. Clain searches the cliff below to find the girl, who, for the most part, safely landed on a ledge. Because of the proximity of the bad guys, Clain takes the injured lass back to his place for first-aid. Here, the young lady, now introduced to us as Phryne, seems surprised by how Clain interacts with his ‘family’. She later stumbles upon some old home video of Clain with his real parents and comments on how he lost his genuine smile. Clain begins to inquire about the gang seeking her out but gets no answers until the gang decides to pay a visit to Clain’s humble home. Trying three times to enter under different, yet comical, disguises, the trio finally breaks through Clain’s steadfast defense and begins to rummage through the house looking for Phryne. Finding only her coat but no girl, the trio disembarks to wherever their next destination lies. Clain takes Phryne up to some ruins of an old church where radio waves can’t detect their presence. Clain, after quite a long and busy day, falls asleep in the moonlight where Phryne leaves her amulet with Clain and leaves him. After waking up and returning home without Phryne, Clain investigates the amulet and discovers some ancient data encrypted within. After some quick computer-ish work, a hologram of another young maiden, though outwardly a living person, appears right before his very eyes.
Well, that was a well-rounded episode, especially for a first episode of a series. The setting of Fractale is certainly the highlight for me. As I’ve mentioned earlier in the post with how it reminded me of Aria, I enjoy seeing a mix of a classical western European village style with technology-dominated future. The mystery behind the Fractale system was hardly scratched in this episode but was introduced through a virtual textbook in the early stages of the episode and mentions about it by a few characters. The cast of characters introduced give the world some personality aside from its clean and serene appearance by providing critiques on society (Phryne), energy and comedy (the trio), and a sense of discovery or exploration (Clain). The art style and animation go well together making this a very clear and complete first episode. It isn’t perfect, however, as the interactions between characters seems a little forced or unnatural. The whole scene where Phryne takes off her shirt to mend her injuries until she falls asleep felt awkward, both in dialogue and the character’s interactions. I wonder if the studio felt that same awkwardness putting in some fanservice in such a fine show.
When all is said and done, I am not dissatisfied with Fractale. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the setting reminds me of Aria, in a way. It’d be unfair if I continued to compare it to one of my all-time favorites, but the scenery and technologies allowed me to reminisce. I feel that the setting for Fractale will develop further and become very distinctive, as we begin to explore the world and the Fractale System through Clain. I can’t say the same for the direction of the plot but I’m sure that will be developed soon.