Announced last year, the NieR: Automata anime adaption, titled NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, has officially begun airing.
The series’ premiere episode, “or not to [B]e”, is available to watch now on anime streaming service Crunchyroll for Aussies. You can log in and watch it here, or sign up for a 14-day free trial of Crunchyroll Premium for the ad-free experience if you’re yet to be a member.
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a comes from A-1 Pictures in collaboration with Square Enix and series creator, Yoko Taro, with Ryoji Masuyama (The Secret World of Arrietty, Darling in the Franxx) directing. It’s an adaptation of the plot of the NieR: Automata game, focussing on YoRHa android soldiers 2B and 9S in their fight against the machine lifeforms invading Earth.
Given the game’s unique storytelling conceit requiring multiple, gradually-changing playthroughs to fully absorb its themes, it’ll be interesting to see how far the anime goes and how it fares in bringing the narrative to life in anime form.
Watch the first episode of NieR:Automata Ver1.1a on Crunchyroll here.