Metallic Rouge
Metallic Rouge is a Japanese original anime television series produced by Bones for its 25th anniversary and directed by Motonobu Hori. The series aired on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block from January to April 2024. A webtoon adaptation with art by Meika Tokyo and Chita Tsurushima began serialization online on Line Corporation's Line Manga website in March 2024.
Plot
In the far future, following a war with aliens referred to as "Usurpers", humanity has colonized the inner Solar System and coexist with androids called "Neans", which were created using technology from another alien race known as "Visitors". However, they do not live equally, with the Neans being forced to live as second-class citizens whilst having Asimov's Laws programmed into them to keep them subservient.Rouge Redstar, a Proto-Nean not bound by Asimov's Laws, and her human partner, Naomi Orthmann, are sent on a secret mission to assassinate nine other Proto-Neans, known as the "Immortal Nine", some of whom are hostile toward humanity. However, as her mission progresses and she learns more about the world, Rouge begins to question whether she is acting on her own initiative or she is just a pre-programmed "gear in the system".
Characters
Ministry of Truth
A government institution in charge of the creation and oversight of all Neans; also known as Alethia.;Rouge Redstar
;Naomi Orthmann
;Jean Yunghart
;Eva Cristella
Immortal Nine
A currently disbanded group of rogue Proto-Neans. While some members have settled down peacefully, others have joined the Nean terrorist organization Alter.;Jaron Fate
;Sara Fitzgerald
;Afdal Bashal
;Eden Vallock
;Jill Sturgeon
;Ace Machias & Alice Machias
;Graufon Berg
Guardianship Bureau
Humanity's highest law enforcement agency; also known as Ochrona or the Protection Bureau.;Ash Stahl
;Noid 262
Carnival
A mysterious troupe of traveling performers touring the solar system who have connections to the Usurpers.;Puppet Master / Roy Yunghart
;Opera
;Cyan Bluestar
Media
Anime
The original anime series by Bones was announced during the "Fuji TV Anime Lineup Presentation 2023" on March 22, 2023. It is directed by Motonobu Hori, with Yutaka Izubuchi as chief supervisor and in charge of series composition, Toshizo Nemoto as screenplay writer, Toshihiro Kawamoto as character designer, and Taisei Iwasaki, Yuma Yamaguchi, and Towa Tei as music composers. It aired on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block from January 11 to April 4, 2024. The opening theme song is "Rouge", performed by Yu-ka, while the ending theme song is "Scarlet", performed by Dazbee.Crunchyroll streamed the series outside of Asia. Bilibili licensed the series in the region. Additionally, it is also streaming on Ani-One YouTube channels.
Webtoon
A webtoon adaptation with art by Meika Tokyo and Chita Tsurushima began serialization online on Line Corporation's Line Manga website on March 7, 2024.Reception
The series had a mixed reception. James Beckett of Anime News Network praised the first episode for an opening that drops viewers into one of the "heroes' missions, and only given...passing clues" to the plot, while criticizing it for lacking character development, but praised the cyberpunk vibes as "pitch perfect" and inspired by Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner, and said the show was better for the characters who transform into "color-coded, tokusatsu inspired robot fighters." Nicholas Dupree of the same site praised the show designs, direction, animation, and music, the charm of Rouge when with Naomi, but criticized the writing and story for leaving "blank spaces" for the viewers. Rebecca Silverman criticized the plot for lacking, the murkiness of the Immortal Nine, and the risk that the show's story won't have anything "underneath these shiny trappings" while praising the fights as "slick," a story with a lot of "familiar elements" including a "stratified society," and the visuals. Similarly, Richard Eisenbeis argued that the episode purposely leaves viewers "with is a mountain of questions" by the end, praised the "cyberpunk Martian setting" and animation, and said he was willing to see what the show is about.Steve Jones, in reviews of episodes 1–5, praised the series as a "bombastic work" from Studio Bones with "some baroque worldbuilding", its utilization of visuals and subtext, but criticized the "clumsy" handling of tension between Rouge and Naomi, and being "more distant and inconsistent" than he would have liked.
Vrai Kaiser, reviewing the first episode for Anime Feminist, said the series will be "unquestionably be engaging from start to finish," praising the setting, casual racial diversity, action sequences, and engaging cast, but set their bar low for the series, while enjoying the "throwback 2000s sci-fi vibes" and bracing for "eventual narrative disappointment," but hoping the series proves them wrong. In a later post, also on Anime Feminist, the series was described as a cyberpunk series with "cool ladies and a Black co-protagonist" but criticized for using androids as a "discrimination stand-in," saying that "often gets dicey." Writing for the same site, Dee praised the first three episodes as entertaining while "fast-paced and thematically messy," but was critical of the fourth episode for quick plot twists, saying it had strong visuals and was well-staged, but lacked weight, and said she was losing reasons to watch, and gave content warnings for violence, state oppression, and "death/violence towards...adult and child androids...many of them dark-skinned... women".
D. Morris reviewed episodes 1–10, of the series for Comics Beat. He described the first two episodes as "pure cyberpunk fun" and action, while criticizing the lack of character and narrative development. In reviews of episodes three and four, he praised more world-building and character development for Rouge Redstar, and noted the fifth episode felt "indebted to the work of Philip K. Dick." In later reviews, he described the big reveals as satisfying, style changes in the sixth episode which make a "fun diversion," while criticizing the seventh episode for not giving enough time to develop Rouge's character, and the eighth episode for being unsatisfying and answering mysteries through plot rather through characters or themes. In his last two episode reviews for the series, Morris praised the earned reunion between Rouge and Naomi in episode 9, and the "exploration of found family" in episode 10.
Joshua Fox of ScreenRant, reviewing the first few episodes, called the series a "masterpiece in the making," praising the visuals, animation, "fight choreography, and shot composition."
Toussaint Egan of Polygon described the series as impressive, combining "a futuristic cyberpunk setting with tokusatsu-inspired action," and for weaving the show universe's specifics into the "dialogue and plot beats of its story," and called it "thoroughly entertaining and visually exhilarating." Reviewing the first episode for CBR, Sayantan Gayen described the series as a neo-noir anime which has "all the ingredients for a dystopian tale, but relies on action," and said it celebrated the spirit of "classic anime," while arguing that the characters endear themselves to the audiences. Julio Vélez wrote an article on Crunchyroll News that the series is a perfect way to celebrate the first 25 years of the animation studio Bones, said the series exceeded his expectations, with the story's composition and visual narrative working in tandem, and praising the voice cast. Matthew Magnus Lundeen, reviewing the first three episodes for Game Rant, said the series had a lot of potential, shared some similarities with Carole and Tuesday and Blade Runner, while criticizing the pacing and the story for falling into cliches, and praising the character interactions as "natural and engaging."