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Nier: Automata Ver1.1astunned with largely original content in episode #21, and it left a lot to be excited about forepisode #22and beyond. The series is slowly winding down toward its finale, and with everything that happened in episode #21, there are still plenty of surprises for people to look forward to.
Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21 was once again focused primarily on A2’s storyline, this time with the conclusion of the sudden assault on Pascal’s village by rampaging machine lifeforms. While initially seeming straightforward in its approach to the point of being anticlimactic,Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21 was quick to pivot into the anime’s darkest storyline yet, and it made things even darker than the equivalent story in the original game, and episode #22 is sure to be an even greater follow-up.
What Time Nier: Automata Ver1.1a Episode 22 Releases
As with previous episodes,Nier: Automata Ver1.1astreams exclusively on Crunchyroll, accessed through their app, website, and third-party streaming services like Amazon Prime. Assuming there are no further delays,Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #22 will premiere on Friday, September 13 at 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST), 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST), and 5:00 PM British Standard Time (BST).
What Happened In Nier: Automata Ver1.1a Episode 21?
Produced By A-1 Pictures; Directed By Satoshi Saga
InNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21, “[N]o man’s village,” 9S made it to the last sub-unit, and calling itself the God Box, it had hidden its core inside 2B’s damaged flight unit. As 9S moved to destroy it,the God Box played 2B’s last message about wanting someone to take care of 9S and how much she loved being with him, all of which only infuriated him. 9S destroyed the core in another fit of rage, and with all three sub-units destroyed, the AI for the Tower cheerfully announced that it was now officially open.
Meanwhile, Pascal made quick work of the Goliath-class machine lifeform, but another problem quickly arose: the children of Pascal’s village infected the androids of the Resistance with the Logic Virus, forcing Lily to lead the few people who avoided infection in a fight against their former allies. Unfortunately, by the time A2 arrived at their camp, everyone but Lily had been killed, and with no other choice,A2 killed Lily before she could be corrupted by the Logic Virus, all while revealing how Rose had given her the name Freesia before she died.
While A2 dealt with Lily, Pascal went to look for the children, only to discover that one of them had been so stricken with fear by the current situation that he ate the other children alive. Pascal blamed himself for teaching them about fear, but not about how to properly process it, and as the child tried to infect Pascal with the Logic Virus,Pascal self-destructed and took the child with him. Before A2 even had time to mourn, however, she heard the message about the Tower being open, and she headed toward it at the same time as 9S.
Nier: Automata’s Anime Drops Another Major Drakengard Reference
Amidst all the chaos ofNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21, the anime notably dropped a big reference toDrakengard, the larger franchise theNiervideo game franchise exists within. As the Resistance discussed how to handle the outbreak of the Logic Virus, they offhandedly mentioned how the situation reminds them of the trouble they had with an arms dealer named Accord a century ago.
Accord is an android fromDrakengard 3who observes events on behalf of the mysterious Watchers,and as such,Nier: Automata Ver1.1adirectly referencing Accord is a blatant reference totheDrakengardfranchise. This isn’t the first notable reference toDrakengardthe anime has made.
Nier: Automatareferences Accord in certain items, but she was never directly addressed by the characters, as was the case with the anime.
Nier: Automata Ver1.1aseason 1, for example, showed a news broadcast of a dead dragon in Shinjuku, which was the ending of the firstDrakengardthat caused everything in theNierfranchise, and the ending theme to season 2 references Zero fromDrakengard 3via having one of 2B’s eyes covered by a flower.Nier: Automata Ver1.1ahas continued to show a lot of reverence for the largerDrakengardfranchise, and with any luck, it will amount to something big for the franchise, as a whole.
Nier: Automata Shows The Strength Of Its Writing With A Largely Original Episode
Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21’s story was a brand-new take on the late-game events of the original story, and its changes were great to watch play out. The conclusion to Pascal’s arc was already dark in the game, butNier: Automata Ver1.1achanging Pascal’s arcto him killing himself to put one of his children out of their misery was a much darker take on his original arc, and it worked to be just as emotionally poignant, if not more so.
The biggest standout of the episode, of course, was how it closed out Lily’s story. The anime had done a lot to develop someone who was essentially an original character, and because of all that work, Lily’s death inNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21 had an incredible amount of dramatic weight to it and wasone of the most heartbreaking moments of the anime. Overall,Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #21 did a great job with its original content, and it’s sure to lead to even greater events in the episodes to follow.
Be sure to watchNier: AutomataVer1.1aepisode #22 when it releases on Friday, September 13.
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a
Cast
In a distant future where humanity has fled to the Moon, androids 2B and 9S are deployed to Earth to battle the alien-created Machine Lifeforms threatening to eradicate the remnants of civilization. As they fight for survival, the truth about the world and their purpose begins to unravel, revealing deep existential mysteries.
