Absolute Duo

This is the story of Tooru Kokonoe who has enrolled at Kouryou Academy, a school which trains students in wielding Blaze, soul powered weapons to prepare them for the Dorn Agency's special peacekeeping corps. When Tooru is partnered with a mysterious girl: Julie Sigtuna, he finds he has to overcome many hurdles to ensure their teamwork and fighting skills are up to par for the duration of their training.

Absolute Duo (2015) is a Japanese anime action comedy series adapted from a light novel and broadcast on AT-X. It follows Tooru Kokonoe, a student at Kouryou Academy, where young fighters train to wield Blaze, soul-powered weapons, in preparation for the Dorn Agency's special peacekeeping corps. Tooru is paired with a mysterious classmate, Julie Sigtuna, and the engine of the series is their struggle to overcome a steady run of training hurdles so that their teamwork and combat skills are good enough to pass. Episodes are built around sparring sessions, mission exercises and the everyday friction of two very different students forced into a tight partnership, so the show moves forward through a single continuing training storyline. The tone mixes brisk action set pieces with light comedic banter and a playful romantic undercurrent, while the partnership supplies a sincere, warm core. The series spans one season of twelve episodes. Fans of Infinite Stratos, Sword Art Online and Aquarion Evol will find the same mix of academy setting, weapon-based combat and a young partnership at the centre.

Reception is mixed to middling, with viewers finding the action set pieces appealing but the story and characters thin.

• Aquarion Evolshared shonen-style action, teen academy setting, partnered duo dynamic
• Infinite Stratosshared light novel adaptation, school for elite fighters, anime combat with partner pairing
• Sword Art Onlineshared academy setting training young warriors, anime action with ensemble of characters

Release Date

2015-01-04

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

6.2 / 10 (166)

What is Absolute Duo about?

A reluctant student at a soul-weapon academy must learn to fight alongside a mysterious partner, Julie Sigtuna, in a bid to join an elite peacekeeping corps.

What is Absolute Duo like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Absolute Duo as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Absolute Duo violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Absolute Duo as moderate.

What did critics think of Absolute Duo?

Reception is mixed to middling, with viewers finding the action set pieces appealing but the story and characters thin.

Which shows are like Absolute Duo?

Shows with a similar feel include Aquarion Evol, Infinite Stratos, and Sword Art Online.

How long is Absolute Duo?

Absolute Duo: 1 season, 12 episodes.

Is Absolute Duo still running?

No, Absolute Duo has ended.

Where can I watch Absolute Duo?

In United States, Absolute Duo streams on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.