Akudama Drive

Alternate Title

アクダマドライブ

Synopsis

Long ago, a war broke out between Kanto and Kansai that resulted in the world being split in two with Kansai becoming a vassal state of Kanto and developed in its own unique way. But now the power of the government and police are waning and crime has become widespread. These criminals are called “Akudama.” Though highly developed, Kansai has become a warped society. As the aesthetics of the Akudama gathered together in one place collide, an ordinary girl will become caught up in this world of crime.

Background

Akudama Drive is an original anime created by Pierrot and TooKyo Games. It features an original story by Kazutaka Kodaka and is being directed by Tomohisa Taguchi at Studio Pierrot. Additional staff includes assistant director Yoshifumi Sasahara, series composers Norimitsu Kaiho and Tomohisa Takuchi, Cindy H. Yamauchi who will be adapting Rui Komatsuzaki’s original character designs for animation, mechanical designers Haruo Miyagawa, Shinobu Tsuneki, and Sho Yamamoto, and music by Shigekazu Aida and Maiko Iuchi.

The anime was originally scheduled to premiere in July but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The anime will now premiere in Japan on Oct. 8 on Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, BS NTV, and other channels. Funimation will stream the anime for international viewers.

Characters

Ordinary Person (Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa)
Ordinary Person was just an ordinary 20-year-old girl with an ordinary life until a series of unfortunate events led her to get involved with the Akudama. She has a positive outlook when it comes to solving problems.

Courier (Voiced by: Yuichiro Umehara)
Having been forced to transport and deliver items since he was a kid, Courier has the utmost confidence in his abilities and won’t quit until the job is done. Though he doesn’t speak often, when he does he makes sure his words count and always seems to say the right thing at the right time. He is 27 years old and has an estimated prison sentence of 745 years.

Brawler (Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi)
Brawler’s worldview is that power is everything, and he wants nothing more out of life than to be able to fight against strong enemies. He is 35 years old and has an estimated prison sentence of 348 years.

Hacker (Voiced by: Shun Horie)
A cyber-terrorist with unbeatable hacking skills, Hacker gets excited the more difficult something is and can become absorbed to the point of obsession, but on the other hand he is completely apathetic to things he has no interest in. He is 17 years old and has an estimated prison sentence of 589 years.

Doctor (Voiced by: Megumi Ogata)
Doctor is a beautiful woman with a curvy figure and a calm demeanor, but this belies her inner sociopathic nature. In reality, she is a mad scientist who enjoys toying with people’s lives for fun. Her age is unknown and she has an estimated prison sentence of 432 years.

Hoodlum (Voiced by: Subaru Kimura)
Hoodlum is a greedy, seedy 23 year old who has no problem committing crimes if there’s money involved. Though he tries to act tough and bold, deep down he is a coward and backs away from any and all fights. He has an estimated prison sentence of 4 years.

Cutthroat (Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai)
Though innocent in appearance, Cutthroat’s favorite hobby is killing. He has strong murderous impulses that at times he has difficulty controlling. He is 27 years old and has an estimated prison sentence of 967 years.

Capital Punishment Division's Instructor (Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka)
Cool, calm, and collected, Instructor is a veteran of the Kansai Capital Punishment Division who keeps his sense of justice hidden. He is 44 years old.

Capital Punishment Division's Student (Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori)
A 21-year-old rookie with the Kansai Capital Punishment Division, Student has a burning passion to eliminate the Akudama, though his abilities often can’t keep up.

Boss (Voiced by: Yoshiko Sakakibara)
The head of the Kansai Capital Punishment Division, Boss believes that the Akudama are a threat to society and aims to wipe them out completely.

Black Cat (Voiced by: Maaya Uchida)
A robot that gives instructions to the Akudama. Its motives and true character are a mystery.
Long ago, a war broke out between Kanto and Kansai that resulted in the world being split in two with Kansai becoming a vassal state of Kanto and developed in its own unique way. But now the power of the government and police are waning and crime has become widespread. These criminals are called “Akudama.” Though highly developed, Kansai has become a warped society. As the aesthetics of the Akudama gathered together in one place collide, an ordinary girl will become caught up in this world of crime.

Music

Opening Theme Song: "STEAL!!" by SPARK!!SOUND!!SHOW!!
Ending Theme Song: "Ready" by Urashimasakatasen

International Streaming

Funimation

• Official Site (Japanese)
• Official Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Work: Pierrot / TooKyoGames
• Original Story: Kazutaka Kodaka
• Original Character Designer: Rui Komatsuzaki
• Director: Tomohisa Taguchi
• Series Composition: Norimitsu Kaiho, Tomohisa Takuchi
• Character Designer: Cindy H. Yamauchi
• Assistant Director: Yoshifumi Sasahara
• Mechanical Designers: Haruo Miyagawa, Shinobu Tsuneki, Sho Yamamoto
• Art Director: Yoshio Tanioka
• Art Setting: Kaoru Aoki
• Color Design: Saori Goda
• Editing: Akinori Mishima
• Director of Photography: Kazuhiro Yamada
• CG Director: Shuho Fujitani
• Sound Director: Yukio Nagasaki
• Sound Production: Delfi Sound
• Music: Shigekazu Aida, Maiko Iuchi
• Animation Production: Studio Pierrot