REVIEW: ‘NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a’ Episode 15 — “no [I] in team”

With the viral infection running rampant through the YoRHa troops, the grand offensive that began in the last episode now failed completely. With his forces decimated, 9S (Natsuki Hanae) turns his sight to ensuring the survival of his partner 2B (Yui Ishikawa, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury) since, like him, she is potentially the only other YoRha soldier unaffected by the viral attack in NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 “no [I] in team.”

Opening this week’s episode, we get a quick recap of the true history of humanity and the war against the machine lifeforms. As hinted at earlier in the series, it is confirmed that humanity does not exist on the moon. Instead, it was established by the android command to give the androids on Earth a reason to fight. To give them a “god worth dying for.”

This full reveal isn’t what it needs to be. The discovery that humanity is extinct with little hope of coming back is a major moment in the narrative. While it can still impact the cast, who remain in the dark about it, NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15‘s heavy-handed delivery of the fact makes it so the viewer will not be hit by the revelation with them.

Once the opening revelation wraps up, the episode jumps to 2B as she battles her way through the initial clash that occurred last episode. Brief glimpses of 9S’s story let the viewer know where 2B’s fights are happening, allowing the tension to build until the protagonist faces the viral attack.

Starting here, and continuing throughout the episode, NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 never misses an opportunity to showcase how powerful 2B is in combat. A-1 Pictures does a great job delivering the android’s acrobatic style of combat to the viewer. And thanks to the early reveal of her true mission, how she can carve through the virus-controlled YoRHa units makes perfect sense. It’s what she was built to do.

But while 2B does cut down a fair number of her comrades, she does so with a great sense of reluctantness. While she was designed to destroy her own, the task continues to take its toll. 9S is frequently quicker to put down an android than the battle-hardened 2B is.

While most of the visual highlights within the episode’s many battle sequences are 2B’s, they don’t all belong to her. The support pods that accompany 2B and 9S have a big moment when they team up to buy their allies time against an overwhelming host of machine and android attackers. This large-scale attack brings a gorgeous sense of scale to the fight, as the combined attack is seen blazing across swarms of enemies.

To escape their former comrades, 9S uses a back door into the Bunker’s system so he and 2B can return there despite the current communication problems that are keeping them from speaking with command. As 9S’s upload finishes, the duo initiates a black box reaction to destroy the swarm of enemies overwhelming them. The tension of the moment is executed fantastically.

On its own, the moment creates a high degree of stress as the pair desperately reach for each other as their enemies wildly pile onto them. But the moment hits even harder, given how it contrasts with the opening episode when 2B and 9S previously used their black boxes to finish an inescapable situation. The serenity and calm that both possessed at that moment have been stripped away in the chaos of war.

Once back on the Bunker, NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 takes a dark turn when the duo meets up with the Commander (Chiaki Kano). Alone in the command room, the trio is confronted with a twisted transmission of operator 6O (Keiko Isobe, Granblue Versus: Rising). The character’s warped demeanor introduces a change in tone as the sequence aboard the Bunker is imbued with a horror vibe.

The twisted mocking of operators is combined with natural movement styles to infuse the crew of the YoRHa HQ with horrific energy. Formerly friendly operators are seen crawling on all fours, limbs moving in unnatural ways as they spring from side to side, pursuing the fleeing survivors.

As the trio reaches the hanger bay to escape, the Commander informs her last soldiers that she won’t accompany them to the surface. As she makes this announcement, she slowly opens her eyes, revealing the red glow of viral infection. Her data was also synched with the Bunker, making her another victim of its attack. Wanting to go down with her command, she issues her last orders to 2B and 9S as they flee. 9S must force 2B into a flight suit as she struggles to accept the Commander’s decision.

The way NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 depicts 2B’s reaction to this final loss may surprise some viewers. After all, the Commander assigned her the task of killing 9S. As the task continues to wear her down, one might expect any fondness 2B held for her superior to dwindle. While she may hold resentment towards her in this regard, it is likely that the individual also served as 2B’s only support in the time she’s been in service, given that the E Models are a secret. The support and strength the Commander has given 2B would likely make such a moment painful for the soldier, no matter what her recent feelings may be.

As NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 draws to a close; we watch 2B and 9S return to Earth. Blazing fiery trails as they reenter the atmosphere, we see 2B continue to scream her pain into the howling void. As the sequence plays out, we see a credits roll that harkens back to the original game. This sequence was treated as the introduction to the final playthrough of the game, so players were given dramatic intro credits for the experience.

While I love the callback, it would’ve been better if the full ending credits didn’t follow it. If they could’ve extended the descent to Earth and used it for the backdrop of the full credits, that would’ve served the theatric energy, the moment builds much better. They even could’ve given viewers glimpses of other characters like Pascal and Lilly, catching the viewer up on their struggles not to draw out the descent too much.

NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 delivers a powerful, tense episode that brings great action and unsettling horror elements to its narrative. While it fumbles its opening, that misstep is soon forgotten as the episode allows its high-stakes drama to play out.

NieR Automata Ver. 1.1a Episode 15 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.