‘A.I.C.O. Incarnation’ Is a Deeply Frustrating ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Knock-off

What if your body wasn’t really your body? It’s an idea that’s been explored in a number of science fiction shows and movies, the most recent of that list including Netflix’s A.I.C.O. Incarnation. Fans of the manga will likely find the anime adaptation interesting, but the series may lean toward frustrating for casual anime fans.

Though Netflix has the exclusive global rights to many anime shows, A.I.C.O. Incarnation marks one of the streaming service’s first anime originals. Netflix’s $8 billion content budget for this year includes 30 anime adaptations, and so far three have been released this year — the deeply gross Devilman Crybaby, the thrilling B: the Beginning, and now A.I.C.O. Incarnation. Last year Netflix hinted that it would become a major force in the world of anime adaptations, and this year that hint is becoming a reality.

Unfortunately, the anime adaptation of A.I.C.O. Incarnation is a disjointed effort. The series follows Aiko (Haruka Shiraishi in the Japanese version / Christina Jopling in the English version), an optimistic and bubbly high schooler who is initially bound to wheelchair. The life that Aiko remembers is a fairly traditional one. She has good friends and a fairly normal high school. However, it’s only when she meets Yuya (Yūsuke Kobayashi / Alex Alvarez), a new and aloof student, that Aiko’s perfect little world collapses into the madness it truly is. Through Yuya she learns that she may be connected to the lifeform that killed both of her parents and that her world is far more complicated than she ever originally imagined. From there, the series progresses to a fast-paced world of insane biological experiments, futuristic warfare, and a team determined to fix this world.

Television and anime in particular is full of premises like this, characters who have normal lives that are completely disrupted by mysterious figures. It’s an introduction that’s immediately interesting, but it’s also one that leaves the viewer completely dependent on how they feel about the story’s protagonist. If a protagonist is charming or interesting, the series can be as well. However, if that’s not the case, it’s difficult for the show to ascend beyond its leading character’s flaws.

In short, the adaptation of A.I.C.O. Incarnation has a protagonist problem. Aiko is a combination of just about every annoying anime girl trope. She’s whines a lot, makes a lot of unnecessary noises and gasps, and constantly resigns herself to being a side character in her own story. Though she is indisputably A.I.C.O. Incarnation’s leading character and the sort of “chosen one” for this universe, she has very little agency. Things just seem to happen to Aiko without her control. The English version’s cringeworthy dubbing job and Aiko’s miraculous recovery from her wheelchair, which is immediately forgotten by the character, add to the frustration surrounding her.

These criticisms come after seeing three episodes of the series, so there’s a chance the adaptation gets better. After all Hiroaki Michiaki’s monthly installments of the manga for Monthly Shōnen Sirius have been successful, and there are some interesting secondary characters. It’s possible that Netflix’s take on A.I.C.O. Incarnation gets a lot better or that more die-hard fans of anime will be able to forgive its hectic flaws. However, speaking as someone who is only a casual fan of anime in general, the original anime made for a difficult watch.

Stream A.I.C.O. Incarnation on Netflix