A.I.C.O. -Incarnation-
A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- is a Japanese science fiction original net animation series produced by Bones. The series premiered worldwide on Netflix in March 2018. A manga adaptation by Hiroaki Michiaki was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius from November 2017 to July 2019, with its chapters collected in three tankōbon volumes, and has been licensed for English release in North America by Kodansha USA.
Plot
In 2035, a biological research project to create an Artificial and Intelligent Cellular Organism went awry, resulting in an incident called the "Burst" which transformed Kurobe Gorge into a quarantine area infested by a rampant growth of synthetic organisms called Matter. Two years later, high school student Aiko Tachibana finds that she may be the duplicate of a girl trapped within the Matter whose family disappeared in the Burst. An enigmatic fellow student Yuya Kanzaki offers to solve the mystery by taking her with a group of professional Divers to the Primary Point which was the center of the Burst.Production
Internet streaming service Netflix announced the series during their "Netflix Anime Slate 2017" event on August 2, 2017, as well as their plans to release it simultaneously worldwide in spring 2018. The announcement was part of Netflix's plan to introduce more original content onto their platform in 2018, including 30 new anime series. The series is directed by Kazuya Murata at studio Bones. Bones had previously filed a trademark for the title on April 27, 2017, which covered anime, games, and merchandise.The series is written by Yuuichi Nomura with character designs by manga artist Hanaharu Naruko. Chief animation director Satoshi Ishino is adapting the designs for animation. The rest of the design team includes Tomoaki Okada, who provides concept designs, Takeshi Takakura, in charge of mechanical designs, and Kazuhiro Miwa, who provides matter designs. Junichi Higashi is the series' art director, Reiko Iwasawa serves as color key artist, and Kōki Ōta serves as CGI director. Hikaru Fukuda is the director of photography, while Kumiko Sakamoto is the editor for the anime. UTAMARO Movement is producing the sound under sound director Jin Aketagawa, with sound effects created by Tomoji Furuya.
The music for the series is composed by Taro Iwashiro and produced by music recording company Lantis. The opening theme song, "A.I.C.O.", is performed by Japanese singer True, and the ending theme song, "Unknown Beyond", is performed by Haruka Shiraishi, who voices Aiko Tachibana.
Release
The 12-episode series is an original net animation, and premiered worldwide exclusively on Netflix on March 9, 2018. Originally dubbed in English by Seoul-based Iyuno Media Group, the series was redubbed by Bang Zoom! Entertainment in October 2018.Reception
A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- received average to positive reviews from critics and audiences. IGN contributor Shuka Yamada gave the series a rating of 7.5 out of a possible 10, writing that the series was a, "Meticulously crafted sci-fi anime with some pretty major ups and downs ". Theron Martin of The Anime News Network gave the series sub a rating of "B+" and the dub a "B−", praising the cohesive storytelling and production value, but criticized its English dubbing. Setsuken, the owner of website Anime-Evo, praised the series in a review of the series, writing, "Its nothing transcendent, but there's a confidence and a display of clear skill in how it takes some tried and true concepts that we haven't seen in years, and effortlessly brings them back for the current modern age." In contrast, Kayla Cobb of Decider, gave the series a deeply negative review, referring to it as a knock off of Ghost in the Shell.Other media
The original soundtrack for the series, including both of the theme songs and the series' background music, was released on a two-disc CD set on March 28, 2018.A manga adaptation by Hiroaki Michiaki launched in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Sirius on November 25, 2017. Kodansha USA has licensed the series for digital publication.