NieR Automata Second Half: The Search for 2B’s Backstory Continues

NieR Automata Ver1.1a is back, and the NieR Automata second half has more of the same android action that fans expect from the show. Buff your magnifying glass, polish that pause button, and let’s take a look.

The Perfect NieR Gateway?

The deluge of NieR Automata fan art on the J-List (Official) Discord was hard to miss. NieR Automata’s black and white aesthetics and 2B’s PVC boots get attention. Add mecha, katanas, robots, a chilling cyberpunk story, and 2B’s short skirts. It would be incredible if any man could resist for long. But not everyone is a gamer or has time to invest in half an anime. The modern man has to be picky.

Fortunately, the NieR Automata second half delivers on the promise of a whole anime series. It’s the perfect time to flip, slash, flip, and flip some more into NieR Automata Ver1.1a. Ditto for the broader NieR franchise. No more waiting. None of that agonizing wondering if the series will tank or die unfinished. Now’s the best time to join the fan club.

And if you’re already a fan? Then our very own Joeschmo1of3 has a handy episode-by-episode review of NieR Automata Ver1.1a’s first cour, so you can refresh your memory on those all-important camera angles and get right back into the story.

Hard Hitting Cyberpunk Stories Hit Hard

NieR Automata Ver1.1a tells a darker flavor of dystopian cyberpunk tale. A flavor so dark that it might put some viewers off. William Gibson’s seminal cyberpunk work, Neuromancer, explored what happens when artificial intelligence gets too big for its boots (potentially the heeled kind) and no longer needs humanity. NieR Automata Ver1.1a takes the theme further and explores a dystopian future where robots already won. Are 2B’s (Yui Ishikawa, Kira Buckland) and 9S’s (Natsuki Hanae, Kyle McCarley) orders actually coming from a human-controlled Moon, or are they just part of the system’s cycle of infinite programmed loops?

The grimdark theme is a tall wall for many fans to overcome. Who is your enemy when you’re just a cog in the machine? Who is the hero? Is “victory” possible? Will 2B ever savor an untainted victory? The Warhammer 40,000 universe called to say, “In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war. Here’s a tissue.” However, that darker leaning makes the NieR Automata second half a tasty dystopian grimdark cyberpunk treat. For the right fan.

How Will the NieR Automata Second Half Play Out?

It’s safe to say that the NieR Automata second half will bring more of the same if you’re still enjoying B2’s flips after twelve episodes. If you’re new to the drama and still on the fence, give the narrative a chance and see if it holds you. The NieR Automata second half will tell a human story with androids. They did it in season one, but how will they do it for another twelve episodes? NieR Automata Ver1.1a promises a puzzling plot puzzle for picky plot pickers like you if you love breaking apart the plot, character arcs, and symbolism as much as I do. We’ll see if it delivers.

NieR Automata Ver1.1a streams on Crunchyroll with English subs and dubs.

Do you need 2B to hold still for a second, just so you can appreciate her backstory? Are you into android devices? No, not “Android devices.” Of course, J-List has AI and futuristic stress-releasing equipment for every person of culture. But you’ll appreciate the 2B (YoRHa No.2 Type B) FORM-ISM Figure from NieR: Automata. My vote is in for version 2, holding a can opener.