REVIEW: ‘takt op.Destiny,’ Season 1 – Brings Stylish Action, Emotion, And Great Music.

takt op.Destiny is a sci-fi/action anime produced by MAPPA and MADHOUSE. In the future, humanity has come under attack from an invasive alien species that falls to earth on the back of a meteorite. The aliens, who become known as D2s, hate the sounds that humans make. This is particularly true of music. Drawn to music, they will lash out and destroy anything nearby in a blind rage. For this reason, the world has outlawed the common playing of music in an attempt to prevent damage while the D2s remain. Fighting the D2s is the Symphonica. A group comprised of Conductors who team up with enhanced counterparts called Magicarts who fight together to defeat the D2s once and for all. They are empowered by the very music the rest of the world has been denied in takt op.Destiny Season 1.

It is in this musically deprived world that viewers are introduced to the show’s trio of leading characters: Takt, Destiny, and Anna. As takt op.Destiny Season 1 opens, we find our protagonists traveling across the USA heading for New York City. They are headed to the headquarters of the Symphonica. It seems Takt has become a conductor and Destiny is his Magicart. The trio isn’t sure how this has happened and hopes to find answers in New York. Though whether or not they will find the answers they seek at their ultimate destination remains to be seen.

The bulk of takt op.Destiny Season 1 follows the trio on their cross-country journey as they fight their way through hordes of D2s and learn about themselves and the world around them. The show does a good job of balancing the action with the time it spends letting its cast learn about itself. The revelations made about the leading trio through the road trip portion of the series are wonderfully paced and always land well. The way these personal revelations come to feel organic and meaningful. This is especially true for Destiny.

It is revealed early on in the series that Takt and Destiny’s transformation into Conductor and Magicart is not how most people gain these roles. The special nature of their transformation gives them unique gifts, but also comes with severe complications. Destiny has lost all knowledge of her life before her transformation, which is hard for Takt and her sister Anna to come to terms with. The path takt op.Destiny Season 1 leads the trio on as they each come to terms with who Destiny is now is one of the high points of this series. The narrative makes some powerful statements about who we are, how we sometimes change, and how those who care about us will find a way to accept what we are, rather than try to force us into being what they want us to be.

While the traveling phase of the series does a great job of delivering everything the show sets out to deliver, the situation gets a little rockier when the trio reaches New York. Once the trio arrives at their destination they quickly find more problems than solutions before them. This leads the group to become embroiled in a secret plot that key figures of the Symphonica are orchestrating. This plotline unfolds in a haphazard and rushed way. If the show had just a couple more episodes to build out characters and make the motivations of some of the show’s characters make more sense it might have been able to pull it off. Instead, the villain just comes across as stark raving mad and much of the emotion of the final episodes is lost in the haze of the final confrontations.

The animation in takt op.Destiny Season 1 delivers the great, stylish combat that MAPPA has become synonymous with. The series’ many combat sequences are overflowing with a sense of speed and power. Each of the Magicarts the series introduces brings a unique style of combat with them, keeping many of the fights unique as it explores the different modes of combat these fighters implement in their battles against the D2s.

The other area where the visuals in this show shine are in the design of the Magicarts. Since these are essentially magical beings born of music, the design team does a phenomenal job with these characters’ various looks. Each one delivers a one-of-a-kind fashion that is both eye-catching and often reflective of the character’s personality.

The other aspect of takt op.Destiny Season 1 that must be mentioned is the music. As one might expect of a story with music so prominently built into its narrative, the show’s soundtrack is thrust front and center in many of its most memorable moments. But what also makes this show’s music stand out is its choice of styles. Mirroring Takt’s love of classical music, the score for this series is overflowing with famous classical pieces. If this sounds like an odd combination it works amazingly well. Anime battles to powerful pieces like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony bring a unique feel and power to them.

So, while the larger narrative stumbles a bit at the end, takt op.Destiny Season 1 delivers a strong cast, emotional moments, and some stylish combat that plays out all to the tune of some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Despite some stumbles, this is an adventure I would recommend going on.

takt op.Destiny Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.