There was never a world in which NieR: Automata Ver1.1.a ended in a predictable way. The anime adaptation of the Action role-playing game 2017 out of Yoko Taro and PlatinumGames has continually deviated from the expected narrative since it began airing in 2023. Over 24 episodes, Ver1.1a offered newcomers a compelling retelling of the original story while constantly playing with the franchise’s expanded lore to keep longtime fans on their toes. With last week’s finale, the show undeniably reached a high point, underscoring the story’s effectiveness regardless of medium, as well as Taro’s changing relationship with its subjects.
The last episode of Ver1.1a“The [E]nd of YoRHa,” don’t mess with that true ending of the game this final is named after. But just as the show seems to be over and the credits begin to roll, things begin to change. Unlike at the end of the game Ver1.1a shows us the aftermath of the final confrontation between the androids A2, 9S, the machine lifeforms and the remnants of YoRHa. What’s even more shocking is that there is a happy ending. First we see 9S awaken with glowing blue eyes and showing no signs of the virus that once threatened his life and sanity. We then see 2B waking up next to him. The two reunite without blindfolds or weapons, stripped of their roles as androids of YoRHA. Together they have a new future ahead of them. The credits then cut to A2 and rest peacefully next to it NieR The franchise’s signature moon tear grows next to her. It is a symbol of hope and an acknowledgment that the better future A2 has fought for is slowly beginning to blossom. A final title card reveals a new name for the episode: “Alternative [E]The.”
Finally, we see a mysterious girl with black pigtails walking away with a large suitcase in her hand. She turns to the camera and looks directly at the viewer with her speckled face. She winks and then the show is over. This girl is perhaps the most important character in the history of Dragongard And NieR. Her name is Accord and she is a constant observer of the Drakengard/NieR Universe whose name appears NieR, Automata, and even those who have since died reincarnation. However, her most prominent appearance is in Drakengard 3. In one of the game’s many routes, we see the mysterious girl make a call to an unknown party, after which she is given explicit permission to intervene in the narrative and give the protagonist Zero a chance to change her fate. Although not explicitly stated, this unknown party represents creator Yoko Taro, who intervenes in his own narrative to help the characters have a better future.
Throughout Drakengard/Nier In the series, Taro has always dealt with dark and depressing themes such as nihilism and hopelessness in the face of tragedy or overwhelmingly bad odds. There isn’t much luck to be found in his games, and what does exist is often fleeting and comes at a price. But with every game Taro makes, his nihilism seems to diminish – as he goes along vending machines was already a more hopeful story than anything that came before it (something the director discussed). My city In 2018) it still brings so many losses and sacrifices for A2, 2B, 9S and more.
But inside Ver1.1a Taro gives these characters the chance to be happy. Seven years after the game’s release, he seems to have concluded that these characters have sacrificed enough without seeing the fruits of their suffering. Over the years, Taro showed a growing optimism in his stories, despite the rise of nihilism in the real world. The New edition 2021 of the original NieR includes a new ending that allows players to save the protagonist from his own victim. How Ver1.1ais “alternative [E]Cave,” it leaves the characters lying in peace.
With Ver1.1a, Taro shows the rest of the video game industry how to make a remake. Instead of a hollow retread of a story aimed at gaining a new audience (and more profit) each time Taro revisits it vending machinesIn his story he questions his own artistic intention and execution. Through this approach vending machines has become a changing thing, reflecting Taro’s growing optimism through the lens of the same characters. That’s what makes NieR: Automata a masterpiece: be it as a video game, as a play, as a manga or as an anime.
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