# Akudama Drive (2020)

> In a Japan fractured by a long-ago civil war, a crew of six criminals takes orders from a mysterious black cat while an ordinary girl is drawn into their violent world.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/84373

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, crime, science fiction
- Network: AT-X
- Cast: Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yuuichirou Umehara, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Shun Horie, Megumi Ogata, Subaru Kimura, Takahiro Sakurai, Yuka Terasaki
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12331342/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: suspenseful, gritty, cynical, bleak, stylized

## What critics say

Reception is positive but modest, with viewers rating the single season fairly well for its action and dystopian crime premise.

## Synopsis

Akudama Drive (2020) is a Japanese anime crime action series created for AT-X and produced by Pierrot. Set in a dystopian Japan fractured since a long-ago Great Civil War, it divides the country between the rival regions of Kansai and Kanto. Six criminals known as the Akudama take missions from an enigmatic black cat while staying one step ahead of the police. Their work is driven by ambition, grudges and violence, and the story follows how an ordinary civilian girl is pulled into their underworld and forced to witness their criminal drives up close. The engine of the series is the tension between loyalty to a dangerous crew and the desire to escape it, played out across a single twelve-episode season of brisk, mission-based episodes. The atmosphere is suspenseful and gritty, with stylized action sequences, shadowy urban streets and a cynical view of a society ruled by fear and division. Fans of Cowboy Bebop, Psycho-Pass and Akira will find resonance in its neon-tinged anime action, morally gray outlaws and bleak dystopian mood. Its adult tone and frequent bloodshed make it best suited to mature viewers.

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