Crunchyroll recently announced a new upcoming “Crunchyroll Original” series titled EX-ARM along with releasing an official trailer.
EX-ARM began as a manga series in 2013 by Shinya Komi before evolving into a writer-artist duo project with Shinya Komi as the artist and “HiRock” as the writer. Since then then the series has received multiple sequels and a novelization.
The series features a young man Akira Natsume who despite his skill with electronics is actually afraid of them. However after meeting with an accident he finds himself revived, only his brain has been placed in control of a large weapons system called EX-ARM. Thrust into both power and responsibility, Akira has to protect those close to him.
You can watch the official trailer from Crunchyroll below.
Since the trailer premiered, viewers have constantly been criticizing the animation style the series is utilizing. Similar to western series RWBY, the 3D animation looks similar to the sort done using the animation rigging program Miku Miku Dance. While 3D animation has become more common and is used in series like Netflix’s Kengan Ashura or Beastars it’s still a controversial method among anime fans.
It bears mentioning that as a “Crunchyroll Original”, Crunchyroll is only producing the series either in full or in part. Other Crunchyroll Originals include High Guardian Spice, The God of High School, and So I’m a Spider, So What?
Crunchyroll Originals are frequently criticized on the basis that the money spent on producing these series is better spent supporting Japanese talent and creators. Though using High Guardian Spice as an example it’s easy to mistake Crunchyroll Originals as being strictly western endeavors, a vast majority of originals are based off Japanese or Korean titles.
Crunchyroll is also expected to be acquired by Sony. Though the details on this acquisition are still forthcoming.
