Clockwork Planet: Season 1/ Episode 1 “Gear of Destiny” [Series Premiere] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Watch the preview above. Seems cool right? Something which gives you a slight steampunk vibe, with a rather interesting synopsis about a brilliant high school dropout that lives in a world which is a machine. Yeah, the preview is cool, the synopsis supports it, but pretty much the most noteworthy thing is the gratuitous amount of ecchi.

The Introduction

Out of the sky, RyuZU falls and she lands in Naoto’s home. She seems broken, malfunctioned maybe, but with Naoto’s beast like hearing, he is able to fix her by making two tiny adjustments to her gears. With that, she swears loyalty to him.

But, while those two get acquainted, Maester Marie is learning about the military’s plans to purge 20 million people by letting a section of the world fail. For, you see, almost 1016 years ago the world we know came to an end. However, thanks to this mystery being named “Y,” the earth’s lifespan was extended. All thanks to a huge amount of gears placed on its surface.

Though what Y did was but a temporary fix. One which seemingly needs maintenance, if not outright replacement. Something which, since the military formerly was in charge of what kept the world ticking, they not only neglected it but kept the problem secret. As for why? Well, that is for future episodes to reveal. What we know now though is that a fix must be done before it is too late.

Highlights

Some of the Established Plot Points Are Interesting

We have a world 1016 years old which is built on the Earth we know after it ceased being able to support life. The military, for reasons currently unknown, are letting a section of the planet fail and kept that as an internal secret. Upon discovery, seemingly they attempt to kill Maester Marie and Naoto who not only know but are in pursuit of a fix. These elements present something interesting. However, rather than being the focus of the show, they almost feel like subplots.

Low Points

The Amount of Ecchi, and What Assumingly Is Comedy

I enjoy nudity and sex as much as the majority of people on this Earth. However, I would like the nudity to be meaningful when entertainment. For whether it is used to establish the culture, like in Game of Thrones or like in Scum’s Wish where, as much as you could write it off as ecchi, it was more so about intimacy and the complications of sex. I feel like, be it live action or anime, nudity and sexuality doesn’t have to be used to cheaply sell a product.

Yet, in Clockwork Planet, that is what you primarily get. For while there is this interesting idea about the end of the world and the surface functioning off gears and us meeting this one NEET who could maybe save the world, that barely feels like the focus. Instead, what we get is a longer than needed scenes in which Naoto officially becomes RyuZU’s master. How do you ask? Well, by licking and sucking Naoto’s finger, for a good few minutes, in a suggestive way. Then, on top of that, we have Maester Marie, someone you think we may actually have reason to take seriously, rushing out her room with only a jacket and her bodyguard making a joke about the fact her breasts and groin are exposed. A joke which isn’t even funny.

Really pushing you to wonder if this was a bait and switch. Is this really just a show about ecchi in a sci-fi world or a sci-fi program which just has some ecchi in it?

Uninspiring Battle Scenes

When shows begin with battle scenes, usually there is this assumption that they are trying to set a tone. One in which you realize how dire things are and how much our heroes are at the end of their rope. Yeah, again, there is nothing but disappointment. For with us being presented with the type of enemies who are generic robots, and us seeing RyuZU wipe right through them, so kills any excitement about the fight scenes.

Overall: Negative (Don’t Watch)

Unless you don’t know how to delete your search history or where to find hentai sites which don’t put viruses on your computer, I’m unsure why you would watch this. Yeah, the preview and synopsis make it seem cool, but in execution, it has nothing going on. All we get is the usual teenaged dude who is often referred to as a pervert. We have women whose breast are exposed for little to no reason besides to titillate [note]No pun intended[/note]you, and then when it comes to the actual story and the action? Well, it almost seems like a second thought. For while part of their world is about to end, we get to see Naoto and RyuZU in awkward, if not sexual, positions and have her insult him multiple times as a joke. Such as the aforementioned sucking of Naoto’s finger like it is a phallus. Which, by the way, she doesn’t say if it is because she was scanning his fingerprint or anything. It just seems done because sex sells and sometimes compensates for disappointing products.

However, being that I’m not 11 anymore, and actually want interesting characters and a story, with perhaps some intimacy on the side, this show does nothing for me and honestly, I doubt it’ll do much for you. Now, granted, maybe with time it may learn to balance out its ecchi moments with what I’m sure many people were sold on when they decided to watch this. But, let me tell you something, there ain’t a whole lot of anime which so heavily rely on sexual innuendo which get better over time. Can it happen? Maybe, but I wouldn’t bet on it.