Fractale - Episode 11 (Completed)

Fractale has certainly been many things during its broadcast run, but one thing is hasn't particularly succeeded at being is consistently good.  But, here we are at the show's finale nonetheless, and the chance to imbue some real meaning on a series that seems to bear all of the hallmarks of having lost its way.

To be honest, the opening to this eleventh instalment couldn't be much clumsier, with Phryne's "father" spilling the whole beans about how Fractale works, or more importantly what it needs to reboot and how Phryne and Nessa fit into this, complete with creepy undertones of child abuse.  At the end of this decidedly rushed monologue, a detached Phryne stabs her so-called father, before realising what she's done and running away in terror - Nessa follows, leaving a shell-shocked Clain alone.

Cue some machinations, twists and turns, including the Fractale temple being set to blow itself up (not the most imaginative plot point, I'm sure you'll agree), Dias throwing himself at the Grand Priestess and getting blown up, and Sunda getting shot and then (and you may see a pattern emerging here) blown up.  The last of these explosions allow Nessa, Phryne and Clain to escape, as they shoot off into the sky on a glass elevator like so many extras from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - only this time, the end of their journey is treated to little more than a clip from K-ON... sorry, I mean a clip of a Phryne from many years past which is probably supposed to be evocative but ended up being boring.

Come the end of it all, Phryne decides to do what she was created for and reboots the Fractale system (for what will be the last time given that its temple has collapsed), complete with the agreement of Clain that she is doing it for reasons that aren't purely selfish.  Lost Millennium continues to live their own life, while a post-reboot Phryne/Nessa hybrid lives with Clain, only awakening after a full year of sleep.

I'm going to throw this out here as frankly as I can - the latter of Fractale was, largely, a bit crap.  While its early episodes held an interesting premise and were, if nothing else, a fascinating mirror held up to Hiroki Azuma's previous work and theories, the second half of the series saw a lot of its intellectual facade crumble, much like the Fractale system itself, to reveal a tired and clunky story that really didn't have anywhere to go.  This lack of scope for any kind of interesting ending is readily apparent in this series finale, with an ending full of explosions and some pretty visuals but utterly devoid of any real meaning to the point of almost being frustrating as it simply reboots its world with little more than a shrug which screams "oh well, Clain got his girlfriend, the rest of it doesn't matter, right?".

Ultimately, I'm not sure whether Fractale is a series that was undone by its own ambition (those early episodes were so heavy with allegory that I suspect its actual outward storyline simply collapsed under its weight) or whether it was just a poorly conceived idea from beginning to end - I'd still argue that the first few episodes of the series are worth watching for anyone who has read Otaku: Japan's Database Animals as an exercise in seeing Azuma's philosophy transferred into a living, breathing anime show in its own right (while posing some fascinating questions at the same time), but beyond that (or perhaps because of that early promise) the series as a whole is pretty hugely disappointing.

Fractale - Episode 10

It's time for the big face-off between Lost Millennium and the Fractale system's main temple - a conflict made all the more difficult thanks to Phryne's attempt to return to said temple in the hope of negotiating some kind of peace.

Of course, Clain and Nessa duly try to follow her, finding themselves picked up by the Granitz family airship at which point they explain their actions - an explanation which leaves Sunda deciding to help Clain's rescue attempt himself, while leader of another Lost Millennium faction (and all-round trouble-maker) Dias offers to help by acting as a decoy.

Meanwhile, Phryne tries to argue her case for a cease fire and some kind of peace with the Grand Priestess (aka her mother/sister); a debate which pretty much sums up the core question of the series, that being whether it's better to live free but in a harsh and difficult world or under the control of someone else but with everything you could possibly need provided for you.  Such arguments go out of the window somewhat on this occasion however, as it boils down to whether or not Phryne gets throttled by her own sibling/parent.  Luckily for Phryne, she escapes both this and also an attempt by Dias' forces to kill her (as he's decided this is the best way to destroy the Fractale system), only to run into her father just as it seems as though she may be reunited with Nessa and Clain.

I suspect that the biggest issue with this particular episode Fractale is actually the instalments that have come before it - instalments which jumped around so much that we lost any real sense of over-arching purpose or meaning to the story being laid out in front of us.  Thus, by this point it's hard to know exactly what we're supposed to think or feel, leaving us largely to simply not care as a result.  That's rather a shame, as the whole question of freedom versus control and hardship versus luxury are actually pretty interesting, but as it is all of this is lost in rather more salacious plot points like strangulation and face licking - an issue which looks almost certain to relegate Fractale into the realms of those shows with a few fascinating episodes that promote discussion aplenty, lost in a mire of mediocrity and an overall lack of focus.  Little surprise then that Fractale looks set to be the lowest-rated show in the noitaminA programming block's history (although why nobody in Japan was watching Wandering Son is another question entirely).

Fractale - Episode 9

Despite the Granitz family's element of Lost Millennium's rescue operation for Clain and Phryne almost being ruined by a rival faction, both individuals (and Nessa to boot) manage to make it safely out of the now-wrecked Fractale laboratory and back to the relative safety of their protectors/kidnappers (depending on how you look at it).

The loss of Phryne in particular is felt keenly within Fractale itself, leading to them playing a trump card in the current game of cat and mouse with Lost Millennium - a system-wide broadcast informing all and sundry that this "terrorist" organisation are nothing but bad news seeking to destroy their way of life, and that as a result they should be hunted down and killed as soon as possible.  Needless to say, this makes life rather awkward for the outfit, leading them to desert their current hide-out before finding that their own home villages have been raided by Fractale goons.

In light of these events, it's up to Lost Millennium to decide what to do next, with a sense of despair eventually giving way to a determination to fight, leading to the group's council eventually deciding upon an all-out attack on Fractale's main installation.  Of course, the intent is to carry this out without the group's own trump cards in view, so the plan is to attack while Phryne and Nessa are left under Clain's protection as far away as possible.  So much for that idea however, with Phryne deciding to make her own way back into Fractale to try and persuade her father of his folly, in turn forcing Clain to go after her while taking Nessa with him.

All in all, this chain of events makes for a pretty typical episode of Fractale, albeit one that points out the original of the show's title and the system that fronts it (which I suppose I really should have figured out in my head earlier) and moves things forward in a solid albeit rather predictable fashion.  The trouble is, it just isn't that exciting or gripping, but I suppose as a lead in to those final two episodes I can forgive it that in the hope that things are about to get very interesting for the show's finale.  To be honest, it really needs an impressive finish to perhaps make up for its mis-steps to this point so far and unleash some of that wasted potential that has been so apparent in earlier episodes.

Fractale - Episode 8

Last week's episode of Fractale ended a rather contrived instalment with a huge cliff-hanger that seemed to throw Clain's life into jeopardy as both himself and Phryne were finally tracked down by their far from friendly opponents within the Fractale system... what next for this twisting and turning series?

Unsurprisingly if we're honest, Clain is very much still alive and kicking as episode eight kicks off, albeit not exactly in great shape as both himself and Phryne are captured by proponents of the Fractale system, and a group headed up by who appears to be Phryne's father.  With Clain in need of medical attention, he uses this as leverage against Phryne to get what he wants, that being to ensure that Phryne is still a suitable "key", around which virginity seems to be a rather important aspect.

Meanwhile, after an incredible recover from his wounds, Clain awakens to find himself being watched over by Nessa... or is it Phryne... in fact, who or what is Phryne?  The truth is soon revealed to him via rooms filled with girls which look like Nessa, but who are very much real (no Doppels here) and are apparently clones of a younger Phryne.  From here, the order of the day for Clain is finding Phryne, and the pair are re-united (complete with a still unstable and downright angry Nessa) at just the right time, with a couple of Lost Millennium factions (one being the Granitz family) setting out to "rescue" their captured charges.

All in all, this certainly wasn't a bad episode of Fractale by any count - it peeled away another layer of what is going in within the Fractale system even if it doesn't entirely make sense yet, and watching Phryne's plight and Nessa actually being rather a bad-ass when she gets angry was interesting and/or entertaining in its own right.  It still feels as though there's something missing here however - while I could delve into questioning whether this is further commentary on otaku proclivities from Azuma (be it the cloned, empty vessels of Phryne or the obsession with Phryne's "purity"), this series continues to feel like a lot of disparate elements that have been stuck together without too much concern for its wider story.  This makes for some interesting episodes or even segments within episodes, but by this juncture I feel a desperate yearning for something to tie it all together and really get to the crux of matters without jumping around here and there with no real over-arching purpose in sight.  Perhaps the remaining episodes will bring this to light, but until then the nagging sense of dissatisfaction will linger at the back of my brain I fear.

Fractale - Episode 7

Clain may be enjoying the digital camera given to him last episode, but as Fractale's seventh instalment begins he doesn't have much time to enjoy such antiquated luxuries.

In fact, the next thing we know Clain wakes up next to a beautiful woman... a woman who turns out to be a Doppel, as it's revealed that Clain is now in a place called Xanadu, which is as the name suggests is currently Fractale's utopia, pretty much the only place where the Fractale system is functioning completely and properly.  We're then filled in somewhat as to why Clain (and Nessa) have ended up in Xanadu, before Clain finds himself given a guided tour of this incredibly, if almost entirely false, city filled with the Doppels of actual people enjoying their lives vicariously via such mechanisms.

Elsewhere, Phryne and Enri are out on the hunt to find Clain following his aircraft crash; a search which leads them to what appears to be a bit of a paradise in the eyes of Lost Millennium, but a location which itself ultimately proves to be linked to Xanadu, filled with residents who enjoy playing at living a simple laugh while getting their thrills from those aforementioned Doppels within the city.  Come the end of the episode things very much come to the head, with peril aplenty for both Clain and Phryne just as they're reunited.

As seems to have become the pattern with Fractale, a sharp and well-focused episode is followed by something decidedly less so, and ergo last week's decently realised instalment is followed by this week's rather more clumsy (and less satisfyingly animated) affair.  That isn't to say that it does a bad job so much as an unconvincing one, rushing into getting its characters into the right place to continue its story in a most unsatisfying fashion.  This is rather a shame in fact, as once it manoeuvres everyone into place it has rather a lot to say as you might expect of this series, throwing out the pros and cons of both the Fractale system and Lost Millennium's point of view (as well as that of those in-between), before finally revealing just why Nessa is such a big deal before dealing out a shocking finale that has echoes of episode three about it.

There's a lot to take in here therefore, but rather like the Fractale system itself it's at risk of getting bogged down in a world that doesn't feel realistic enough to draw you in on this occasion, a problem that certainly isn't helped by such a rushed start to this episode.  I really want to like this episode a lot for what it's trying to do and portray, but this time around it just hasn't quite got it right.  That shocking cliffhanger however could well pave the way to a far more stellar episode next week once again.

Fractale - Episode 6

I began to fear for Fractale a little last week as it frittered away an entire episode on... well, pointless stuff broadly speaking, with the odd exception.  However, with the Granitzfamily airship needing to land for maintenance, episode six brings us a chance to mix things up and get back to more interesting goings on once again.

Luckily, that's exactly what happens, as it isn't long before we're introduced first to a rather suspicious guy with an antique digital camera who is happily snapping away at Clain and a naked Phryne, and then to another faction of the Lost Millennium group to show us that there's more than one line of thinking when it comes to "saving" people from the Fractale system.  Although this faction seems friendly enough towards the lost and weary souls who are left helpless without the communications that makes up the Fractale system, there's clearly at least some tension between them and Granitz's bunch for reasons that soon become clear later.

Our "guy with camera" also proves to be an important part of this episode's story, as Clain follows him back to his home to find it packed with ancient technology, later returning with Phryne at the promise of even more impressive sights to come.  In short, what this man wants to show Clain is a system he's created to boost Fractale's signal, giving people in the area a brief dose of virtual "bliss" than uncovers both the shortcomings of Fractale itself as well as the disturbing truth about how this alternate faction of Lost Millennium really operates.  That isn't all either, as a stray photograph picked up by Phryne seems to offer up an answer to just who our mysterious lover of old technology is....

After the disappointment of last week, this was an immeasurably better episode of Fractale that went back to exploring so much of that social (and even otaku-focused) commentary that I've talked so much about in earlier episodes.  For starters, we now have our two factions of Lost Millennium to compare - can either of them genuinely claim that their way of doing things is "right", and how do they both stack up against the Fractale system itself ethically?  Sprouting out of this is once again the question of technology and at what point it actually begins to limit human innovation and endeavour - witness the lost sheep of a post-Fractale world once its signal is no longer received in that area, then think about how you felt and behaved the last time you had any protracted period without any form of Internet access.  This point is then pushed a little further into the realm of human communication, as Clain admits that for all his virtual friends it's a very different feeling to have an actual, face-to-face conversation with someone who shares his interest, and it's a scenario which strikes him at an emotional level far more than any virtual conversation could ever hope to.

All of these questions arguably strike at the heart of otaku-dom in particular as it asks questions of the relevance of their online communications (including this 'blog, I suppose) - it's an interesting bait-and-switch tactic on the part of Fractale at times as it teases with fan service then hits you with some heavy-hitting philosophical comments, but you know what?  On an occasion such as this episode, it actually works rather well.  If only the series thus far wasn't quite so hit and miss - when Fractale gets what it's trying to right, it really does succeed pretty admirably.

Fractale - Episode 5

Having managed to escape the attentions of the Fractale system and those behind it, albeit for the time being at least, it seems like a time for reflection and a little relaxation for the escaping Granitz family, with even Phryne and Clain seemingly reluctant to upset the applecart at this juncture.

As he decides not to try and escape via the handily provided parachute, Clain is instead made to work for his living aboard the massive airship - a novelty for a boy who has spent his life being served by machines all of his life, and a rather tiring one at that.  Interestingly though, he soon seems to settle into this lifestyle and the sense of community which pervades every aspect of living on board this flying blimp, with his own real worry the face that he still hasn't seen hide nor hair of Nessa, although it soon comes to his attention that she is at least on board.

In fact, Nessa's presence soon becomes less of a mystery and more of a problem, as her unique properties as a Doppel effectively allow her to hide "inside" the ship's computer system, causing all sorts of problems that seem irreparable until Clain uses his old technology geekery to figure out the root cause.  So, the race is on to find Nessa, although of all people it's Phryne who eventually unwittingly stumbles across her in the aftermath of an attempt for her to leave the ship which peels away another layer of the relationship between Phryne and Nessa while also proving they they aren't quite away from the prying eyes of the Fractale system just yet.

After a couple of pretty deep and fascinating episodes of Fractale, this latest instalment left me feeling rather unimpressed - it didn't have a huge amount to say for itself and thus frittered away much of the episode on nothing in particular as a result.  Okay, so there were some obvious discussion points, namely whether working for your living makes living that life more fulfilling, but that isn't really up there with the kind of more existential questions posed in previous weeks.  On top of that, the whole "looking for Nessa" aspect of the episode just... well, wasn't very interesting really, and even the small reveals about how Phryne feels about Nessa weren't particularly eye-catching either.  Maybe it just isn't a good idea to watch this show (or anything, for that matter) after Madoka Magica, but there certainly wasn't the sparkle of previous episodes in Fractale this time around.

Fractale - Episode 4

If episode three of Fractale were to have a headline to promote it, it would probably be "from moe to massacre in thirty seconds", and it's with that lighting fast change in tone that we enter Fractale's latest instalment.

With Lost Millennium's attempt to disrupt the Star Festival not really going to plan despite that aforementioned bloodbath, and with the indoctrination of those living under the Fractale system continuing, our heroes (or are they villains) of the piece decide it's time for a change of tact, and instead focus their efforts on kidnapping Phryne after her arrival to guide the festival.  This they duly achieve, escaping in their airship with Phryne, and of course with Clain and Nessa also in tow.  The fallout from this incident gives Clain a little time to pause and reflect upon seeing death for the first time in his life; something which is effectively impossible to encounter within the Fractale system, thus bringing up another moral and/or philosophical point for the viewer to consider.

That aside, it's pretty clear (and not entirely without merit) that Clain continues Lost Millennium to be little more than murderers and terrorist, leaving him to decide to free Phryne and escape - a plan which earns him a surprising rebuke from Phryne herself of all people.  There's also rather an awkward stand-off between herself and Nessa which is never fully explained during the episode beyond that fact that they are complete opposites in one respect - Nessa "loves love" while Phyrne professes to hating love.

Following their attack on the Star Festival, Lost Millennium's Granitz family are labelled criminals, taking us quickly to a face-off between Lost Millennium and those in power within Fractale - a rather tumultuous state of affairs which sees Clain in particular tossed this way and that as he follows Phryne down a path that leads both of them pretty much exactly where they started the episode, as guests of Lost Millennium and the Granitz family.

As entertainment value goes, this week's Fractale certainly aimed to pack a fair amount into its running time - life, death, love, action and a developing story with more turns than a particularly arduous lock.  As per last week's episode, it also made sure to put some philosophical questions well and truly in the viewer's court - is witnessing death an important part of being human, even when its unavoidable?  Are the two sides shown within this series so deeply involved in their hatred of one another that they can't allow themselves to accept even the slightest hint of the other's culture or way of life?  Is that itself a commentary on Japanese society?

Away from such questions, there's also a lot of internal queries about Fractale's story, in particular the relationship between Nessa and Phryne - how this explains may well be pivotal to how this series develops and is viewed, so in a sense everything that we've seen this episode feels like it will rely heavily on the next instalment to give us the full picture before we can judge it properly.  Given what I've seen thus far though, I'm happy to give it more time to explain and unravel itself, as I continue to find myself fascinated by what this series seems to be trying to tell or ask us even if I'm not sure where its literal content is heading.

Fractale - Episode 3

Despite having a what seemed like a bit of a disconnect between its simpler and arguably more cerebral elements, Fractale's opening two episodes turned out to be a pretty interesting affair - as we hit episode three however, it's time for things to get serious.

With Clain and Nessa captured at the end of last week's outing, episode three begins as this duo are brought to the home of their captors - Granitz Village, a place well away from the technology and solitude of the Fractale system, to the point where its residents can't even see Nessa without using special visors due to the lack of nano-machines and other technology embedded within them; a revelation which incidentally tells us quite a lot that we wanted to know about Nessa herself.  With said Doppel in particular brought to the village as a hostage, we learn from here that Granitz is the home of the Lost Millennium, a group who are fighting against the Fractale system and everything it brings.

Thus, Clain gets to see a little of life away from the solitude of Fractale, and away from an existence where everything you need to live is catered for in favour of a world where you have to work for your own food and shelter.  This leads us on to Lost Millennium's latest plan, that being to hijack the Fractale system's so-called Star Festival - a plan which seems innocent enough, until merely observing the brain-washing dressed up as religion that this festival consists of turns into violent revolution and, quite simply, a blood bath.  A horrific, brutal and unexpected end to the episode, that's for sure.

Now that Fractale has built up its various elements, this is the episode where all of that build-up is really brought to fruition via an episode that poses more philosophical questions than could ever be tackled by this humble episodic 'blog.  On the surface you have the whole basic question of what is the "right" way to live - the Fractale system provides for all of your needs without having to lift a finger or speak to another living thing, but is that really what you can call living?  Yet on the other hand, those in Granitz village suffer with pain, illness and ailments that could easily be treated by Fractale's modern technology; are those burdens also part of being alive, or would humanity be better without them?  Of course, this then leads on to questions about the morals and, more importantly, the methods of both groups - on the one hand we have brainwashing and indoctrination, and on the other we have a bloody armed revolutionary factor who have no problem with gunning down anyone in their way, a situation which could well be a jab at organised religion as a whole, methinks.

Beyond that, I can't help but try to make connections between this series and Hiroki Azuma's work on Otaku: Japan's Database Animals - just as the series casts its eye over two very different ways of life, with some clear questions posed towards modern communications and technology and whether it somehow "dehumanises" us and makes us more susceptible to indoctrination, I wonder if it's also trying to make a point about anime.  Perhaps I'm just over-thinking it, but there seems like a clear juxta-position within Fractale between "old-school" anime (i.e. the Nausicaa and Laputa inspirations) and more modern fare (as I mentioned in my last entry on this series about Azuma "pillaging the otaku databse", and witness the semi-fan service scene in the toilet with Enri in this episode).  This even extends to its characters, where Clain is bored by modern technology but in love with old equipment, and how Nessa can't be touched by those with no interest in her.

Is Fractale the modern anime industry, indoctrinating people into the world of "moe" courtesy of easy to digest entertainment based around simple archetypes that requires no thought or effort before constantly reinforcing those "virtues" over and over and over again?  Is Lost Millenium the anime fan of old, who expects to be treated to more brain-taxing fare with a broader scope, and who fails to accept any of the benefits of its modern counterpart in favour of simply raging against everything they see as wrong with the new way of doing things?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am over-thinking this one, but oh well...

Fractale - Episode 2

Officially, the Fractale Production Committee explicitly doesn't want me to watch this anime as a non-Japanese, non-French citizen - something that leaves me tempted to simply never speak of it again and adhere to their wishes so that I can sleep soundly in the knowledge that their short-sighted lack of business sense has had its natural, debilitating effect on their product internationally.  On the other hand, that anime fan in me wants to continue to watch and discuss this series just like any other.  What's a guy to do?  I shall leave that decision in your hands via the comments on this entry.

For now though, onward to episode two, and despite the disappearance of Phryne (who seems to be missing outright, and she isn't the only thing of import to have vanished either it seems) Clain soon finds himself with a new handful to concern himself with - a decidedly energetic and equally crazy girl named Nessa.  Is she a Doppel?  This seems likely to be the case, apart from the face that Clain can physically touch her - a most un-Doppel like property.

Thus, much of the first half of this episode is spent with Nessa running amok and exploring her surroundings, causing chaos along the way until Clain has final had enough of her and leaves her with the town's security people to deal with... not a moment too soon either, as he finds himself quizzed by the shady trio (and the girl of that group's big brother) about his knowledge of Phryne.  Having free himself from their questioning, the episode takes a bit of a different tact, tapping in to Clain's loneliness and effectively casting aspersions upon a world where everyone is connected virtually while simultaneously living alone and selfishly, using Doppels as a slim veneer of human contact.  Hmm, it's almost like they're referring to the Internet and modern communications culture... anyhow, come the end of the episode Clain and Nessa are re-united, although this looks set to be just the start of their troubles and adventures.

As my synopsis probably suggests, this was very much an episode of two halves - the first was played almost purely for comedy thanks to its focus on Nessa (voiced by Kana Hanazawa being as adorable as ever), before suddenly placing its philosophical cap upon its head to ponder a world without direct, personal and physical communications.  To be honest these two halves to the episode sit together rather incongruously - I didn't dislike either portion, but they didn't "glue together" all that effectively, instead feeling more like Hiroki Azuma pillaging his conjectured otaku "database" for a while before penning a quick thesis on Internet culture as it pertains to modern youth.

Aside from that obvious disconnect, I still enjoyed the episode as a whole, and if it can succeed in blending these two currently disparate elements together then it might well be on to something - if nothing else, it still has enough class and intellect to be very much a noitaminA series, even if it's one that its production team really doesn't want me to watch.  People who make art forms then deliberately limit their viewing to a select few?  Now that would make an interesting question for Fractale to pose...

Fractale - Episode 1

Aside from Madoka Magica (arguably), Fractale is surely the winter season's most talked about series prior to its airing, with the usual excitement reserved for noitaminA scheduled shows topped with what sounded like an intriguing concept worked on by some top-notch (and in some cases decidedly unexpected) staff.

Fractale certainly wastes little time in introducing us to its 22nd century world, and a land where seeing and communicating with other real people is pretty much a thing of the past.  No, this isn't thanks to Twitter, but rather via the ability for people to use "Dopplers"; what effectively appear to be AI replicas of real people, given some kind of bizarre avatar and a capability to appear, disappear and interact with their surrounding environment at will.  This is all good and well, and has various uses from parenting through to trading illegal goods and so on, with the former proving the case when it comes to our protagonist Clain, a young boy who is bored yet somewhat satisfied with his lot in this world where everyone is provided with enough to get by, and a lad who has a fascination with old technology and the like.

This simple, effortless life looks set to be disrupted however, as Clain's peace is disturbed by the appearance of a girl flying some kind of weird contraption whilst being pursued by another trio of characters in an equally odd flying machine.  Eventually, the girl in question leaps from her craft to evade her pursuers, and it's at this point that Clain steps in to rescue her and help her to tend to her wounds.  From here, we learn that the girl's name is Phryne, although we really learn little else about this mysterious lass as she has to evade her would-be captors once again, before leaving Clain with an interesting gift which looks set to take up the focus within episode two most likely.

Let's get this initial comment on Fractale's opener out of the way immediately: "Oooh, it looks a bit Ghibli-esque, doesn't it?".  Although you've probably heard this a thousand times already, it does stand up as a valid comment - the shows setting has just the kind of feeling you might expect from a Miyazaki-directed piece, its general "vibe" certainly feels like something that could come from that studio, and let's face it Phryne's introduction could have been lifted straight out of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.  Now we've got that out of the open, perhaps we can discuss Fractale on its own terms, and judging by this first episode is certainly seems well and truly deserving of such a treatment.  Although some of its minor elements seem frivolous (why not make Dopplers look like they're real-life counterparts if you have so much technology at hand?), these never detract from the almost indescribable feeling that this is something special.  Despite its influences this feels fresh, by TV anime terms at least, while this episode and its characters never ceases to be entertaining even though we're far from clued in on what the show is building up to at this point in time.

It's never a good idea to judge an entire series on its first episode, so I'm not going to risk looking foolish by calling this out as the best show of the winter 2011 season by some distance, but it certainly has more than enough in its locker to force these words from my lips (or rather, from my keyboard) in a couple of months time.