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Nier: Automata Ver1.1areturned from its break with a fantastic episode in episode #19, and it sets up a lot to look forward to withepisode #20and beyond. Whereas episode #18 was one of the few episodes without any action, episode #19 brought it back to haunting and overall tremendous effect, and if the original game is anything to go on, there’s even greater work to follow.
Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #19 continued the dual narratives of A2 slowly warming up to Pascal’s village of pacifist machine lifeforms and 9S wanting to destroy all machine lifeforms to avenge 2B. The latter was where most of the focus of the episode was, and it was through that thatNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #19 became a haunting exploration into 9S’ gradual descent into madness.
The first season ofNier: Automatawas surely incredible, but this second half is also ramping up its action and drama as it slowly heads toward its finale, and every new development is sure to be great to see.
What Time Nier: Automata Ver1.1a Episode 20 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 #19 will premiere on Friday, August 30 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 19?
Produced By A-1 Pictures; Directed By Ryo Nakano, Kazuya Ishiguri, & Masasa Ito
InNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #19, “corru[P]tion,” with A2 fully operational again, she was all ready to leave Pascal’s village, but before she could, Pod 042 reported that a massive army of machine lifeforms was approaching the village. While Pascal geared up to defend the village, everyone else was woefully unprepared, especially the machine lifeforms that acted as children, and as such,A2 decided to stay in Pascal’s village to help protect it from the incoming army of machine lifeforms, her decision being far less reluctant than she let on.
Meanwhile, 9S attempted to break into the mysterious white structure that appeared in the city, the Tower, but not only was it inaccessible and immune to even his hacking, but Operator 21O, 9S’ Operator, was revealed to have been infected with the Logic Virus and commanded a legion of zombified androids to attack 9S. With her last bit of sanity, however,Operator 21O killed herself to save 9S’ life, and 9S, now enraged even further, scanned 21O’s data to discover the location of three sub-units he needed to destroy to get into the Tower.
At the first sub-unit, 9S discovered a legion of machine lifeforms Pod 153 identified as non-hostile, but9S, finding it hypocritical for machine lifeforms to not want to fight, slaughtered them all in a massive fit of rage, even as they begged for mercy. The AI of the sub-unit also begged for mercy, its tone and dialogue even making it come across as a child, but that did nothing for 9S’ rage, and he destroyed it all the same.
Nier: Automata Is Already Alluding To The Big Twist With Two Of Its Side Characters
In the joke ending for episode #19, Devola and Popola wore the outfits of the original Devola and Popola fromthe originalNiergameand go to Nier’s village to sing “Song of the Ancients,” all of which showed thatNier: Automata Ver1.1ais already setting up the reveal that its Devola and Popola are connected to the ones fromNieras opposed to their appearance being a simple Easter egg. Said twist made way for one of the most dramatic moments in the original game, and it’s great that the anime is doing more to build to it.
Nier: Automata Ver1.1a Returns To Action As Hauntingly As Possible
Episode #19 was a stellar return to action for theNier: Automataanime thanks in large part to 9S’ character arc. Between the increase to 9S’ tragedy with 21O’s death and the terrifying rage with which he slaughtered so many innocent machine lifeforms,Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #19 did a great job of showing off 9S’ slow descent into madness. A lot of that came from the strong direction of the team of Ryo Nakano, Kazuya Ishiguri, and Masasa Ito, and overall, it perfectly encapsulated the same stellar arc from the original game.
The rest of the episode centered around A2 was also fun to watch. Not only do the machine lifeforms keep being great sources of comedy in every scene, butthe subtle ways A2 was shown to care about Pascal and his village did a lot to add to her character development, a major highlight in the small amount of screentime she’s been afforded. Between that and the stellar action,Nier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #19 was another great one to watch, and it’s sure to lead to even more quality content from the series.
Be sure to watchNier: Automata Ver1.1aepisode #20 when it releases on Friday, August 30.
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.
