REVIEW: ‘NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a,’ Episodes 9-12

Based on the original game developed by Platinum Games and Published by Square Enix, these entries pick up where we left off at the end of the last episode with 9S (Natsuki Hanae) falling into the hands of Adam(Daisuke Namikawa),  and 2B(Yui Ishikawa) setting out to rescue her missing comrade. But what is Adam hoping to accomplish by taking 9S hostage? And are any of them prepared for what will come when the situation spirals out of control in NieR Automata Episodes 9-12?

With a four-month delay since episode eight aired back in March, I had plenty of time to let my expectations grow for how this series would wrap up the first half of NieR: Automata‘s story. After all this time, the end product lives up to the excellent standard that its previous entries had established, as the story charged headlong through the season finale.

The first part of NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 focuses on 2B’s confrontation with Adam to rescue 9S. As 2B follows the trail to her lost comrade, she eventually makes her way underground to Adam’s Copied City. The show’s arrival at this new locale is handled wonderfully as the unique location is excellently presented through both visual design, as well as through the expected accompanying music. But while fans are initially greeted by exactly what they would expect, the series takes its first of many turns here as it expands upon the original concepts presented in the game. From the incorporation of aesthetic elements like the recreation of Popola’s Library to expanded dialogue on the part of Adam, this sequence increases the emotional levels of the sequence in several striking ways, the most critical is how well it delivers the menace that is Adam.

Throughout his confrontation with 2B, as well as his tormenting of 9S that is interspersed throughout the sequence, Adam becomes a thoroughly terrifying character. His search for insight into what humanity is has led him down some disturbing paths, as the character has come to be fixated on mankind’s dealings with death. The unhinged angle of Adam’s personality separates him from the other enemies that the series has presented to viewers, giving him an elevated status over the others.

Once the talking ends though, we get the first of many action sequences that are scattered throughout these entries. While a bit on the short side, as most of the battles in these episodes tend to be, the action is delivered with dazzling grace and eye-catching visuals. 2B’s combat prowess is on full display here, and her hatred towards Adam and his deranged actions comes across wonderfully.

As with the game, this brutal confrontation ends in death, though not in the exact way fans would expect it to. A clever trick is played that alters the path of the series’ story. While this twists the narrative momentarily, the production does a great job of keeping the larger story intact. This will be a recurring element throughout NieR Automata Episodes 9-12, as the production plays with the story in ways that keep it fresh while still allowing it to end where it needs to.

The next step in the series’ journey towards the season’s end is ultimately improved by the show’s twists to the formula. While 9S is sent to The Bunker to recover from the damage sustained at the hands of Adam, 2B is sent to investigate an increase in machine activity at the abandoned factory where the series began. This leads our protagonist to come into contact with a machine death cult that believes that through death, they can become gods.

In the original story, how these machines came to be obsessed with death is never revealed to the player. In NieR Automata Episodes 9-12, however, the story provides insight into the reasons behind it. While I won’t go into the exact details to avoid spoilers, this deeper look at the motivations of these machines fixes the biggest problem the original version had: a lack of connection to the main plot. This sequence in the game felt like a random occurrence set in an odd moment during the game’s story. While visually intense, the lack of clear reasoning for why the event was happening did hurt it a little. With a greater sense of clarity, this sequence is elevated beyond its original limitations.

Probably the most action-heavy episode we see here, 2B’s struggle versus both seemingly unending waves of normal machines, as well as an epic battle against a huge threat, deliver loads of tension. The lighting perfectly augments the danger and disturbing nature of the episode’s antagonists. Coupled with the pulse-pounding energy of the soundtrack, the intensity throughout 2B’s struggle is perfectly executed. Her acrobatic combat style is once more brought to life through the polished precision that A-1 Pictures has repeatedly delivered.

The next entry in NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 sees the carnage spill out across the Runied City as all of the machines within begin to go berserk. YoRHa’s troops everywhere are pushed to the breaking point, and Lily’s(Atsumi Tanezaki) resistance camp is in danger of being overwhelmed. The story comes to focus on the camp as 2B and 9S join forces with the Resistance fighter once more to stand against the growing chaos.

This episode gives a huge payoff for the increased presence of Lily and her troops earlier in the series. The scale and scope of the panic are played up wonderfully as the true nature of the threat comes into focus. The shifting nature of the dangers that fill this entry keeps the viewer always surprised and excited to see what will come next. The most stand-out element of this episode is how the story repurposes something I thought the show had omitted entirely.

In the original game, there is a sequence just before 9S gets captured where our star duo helps fend off a goliath class machine that threatens to destroy everything. While this exact machine does not appear, its design is incorporated into the primary threat of the episode, giving fans a fun surprise and giving the episode its biggest threat which is both new and old, all at once.

The final leg of NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 sees the season wrap up with the final conclusion to the current crisis. Showcasing how skillfully the series has played with the original narrative, the final moments of 2B and 9S’s journey here are delivered nearly shot for shot with the game’s presentation. Despite having witnessed this moment several times during my playthroughs of the game, I still felt nearly as much emotion seeing it here as I did the first time.

As viewers see the credits begin to roll, they may be confused by the fact that they begin at roughly the 11-minute mark of the episode. This is because, after the credits run, there is an extended post-credits sequence that jumps back to the events of episode nine to reveal some important information to the viewer. I cannot applaud the decision to alter the placement of this moment in the series chronology enough. As one of the biggest reveals in the story, shifting its placement so it is the final moment of the season ends everything on a hook that is sure to get new viewers’ attention and keep the hype high for the wait for season two.

As with all the previous entries in this series, NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 ends each episode with a puppet show. These fun moments provide light-hearted fun to the series, breaking up the emotional weight of the program without interfering with it directly. They remain an amusing afterthought that helps deliver the game’s quirky personality.

My only noteworthy complaint about this final release for NeiR‘s opening season comes with how the soundtrack is handled. While the many gorgeous tracks from the original continue to provide the background music for this brilliant journey, there are moments where the show is so desperate to pair every piece up with the element that it originally appeared with that they flip between them much too fast. Some pieces don’t stay around nearly long enough for a new viewer to grasp why they might be loved by long-time fans, and other times the changes become so rapid that it gets mildly distracting, actually causing the magnificent orchestral pieces to harm what they should be elevating.

Despite that minor criticism, NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 deliver a fantastic ending to its initial run. The elongated wait proved well worth it, as the series managed to not just stick the landing overall but even improve upon some of the original’s narrative beats. Ya love to see it.

NieR Automata Episodes 9-12 are streaming on Crunchyroll.