Akudama Drive is an action-packed anime with many fun and entertaining characters, but none of them have names, which is the most questionable decision with the entire show!
In this piece, I’ll be talking about the importance of names, specfically the names of Akudama Drive characters. So scroll down, and enjoy yourself! If you agree or disagree, sound off in the comment section below.
Akudama Drive is comparable to an energy drink. It’s great to lift you up for a few hours, but that’s about it, and it’s not particularly good for you. Thus, it’s a show that ends up feeling rather shallow, and that’s quite sad, isn’t it? Considering the great voice cast, including legends, I would’ve expected more from the writing team, because it’s Studio Pierrot‘s original. But what we get is a fast-food show, with plenty of eye-catching moments, and that’s it. I mean, it’s not bad, by any means. I’m just saying that the characters are not explored. They don’t even have proper names.
Here Are The Names of Akudama Drive Characters
Does anyone else have a problem with these names or is it just me? While I love nicknames just as much as the next person, these “names” are completely unforgivable. It’s not about whether or not these names make sense in the story, because they do, but about creative integrity. While it’s understandable that these names are their criminal titles, and a description of what they do, it’s a bad excuse not to develop the characters further.
When I say that these names are criminal titles, I simply mean that the names are a description of what the characters do (and are). So let me take an example; Swindler gets her name for acting like a swindler, as before getting her name, she’s called “Ordinary Person”. No, I’m not joking. It’s her actual “name”; “Ordinary Person”. It’s ridiculous, I agree. Nevertheless, the same goes for the Courier, who gets his name from delivering goods, and Cutthroat gets his name for cutting throats. It’s like calling your Cat “Mjau”, because that’s the sound a cat makes. It’s a poor effort.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with “titles” (nicknames), it’s just about putting in an effort to give them a more distinct character all together, you know? If I say the name “Light Yagami“, you know who I’m talking about, right? If I say “Naruto” or “Goku“? What about “Kaneki Ken“? You see, the name matters. It gives more character and makes them distinct. Because the name often has purpose or some backstory to it. But here, their names are simply their criminal titles, and to me that means a lack of effort.
Characters Have Names, We Just Don’t Know Them.
The fact of the matter is that Akudama Drive characters most likely have proper names, but we’re just never properly introduced to them, so we don’t know their names. But that’s problematic, isn’t it? Why don’t we get a backstory for each character? If you’re gonna tell me “that there’s no time for that in a 12-episode anime”, I’d counter by saying; remove the bunny and shark segments. So you see, there’s no excuse here. It’s a creative decision that shows a lack of effort. It’s not a good idea in the long run, because you’re characters have the most generic names in anime history.
I forgot to mention, there’s also a character named “Brother” and a character named “Sister”. No. I’m not making this up. They are litterally titled what they are to each other. So, it’s a problem with every character in Akudama Drive. It’s a creative decision that you’ll either love or hate.
Why Do Names Matter?
Why are names important? Names are like tattoos that we can’t wash off, giving a glimpse at our nationality, and possibly even some backstory. In addition, the name can reflect a person’s social class and family heritage, meaning that a name often holds weight in one way or another. Thus, names give us important indicators of who people are, who they may be and where they come from. In turn, the names of human beings are just as important as the names of characters in our favorite movies, TV shows and anime!
Let’s not forget that names grow with their character, meaning that the more the character goes through, the more his name will evoke different emotions and thoughts within us as viewers. But that’s something we rarely think about, right? Therefore, I’d suggest thinking about your favorite characters and asking yourself the following question; do I care about their name? You probably do, right? If you’re a fan of Eren Yeager, that name holds weight, doesn’t it? It’s that simple.
CONCLUSION
Akudama Drive is a fun and enjoyable rollercoaster ride with its ups and its downs. But overall, I genuinelly enjoyed it, and would gladly re-watch it in the future! However, the lack of names and character backstories makes it difficult to care about characters, and thus, the show feels rather shallow. Instead of getting a jist of who they are, we’re bound by their criminal titles that are just pointless to us as viewers. While it’s an artistic decision, rather than a creative one, I can’t agree with it, as it detaches the audience from the characters. In turn, being a fan of these characters feels pointless.
As I mentioned above, the show has some flaws and problems, with one of them being the lack of character backstories. While that has little-to-nothing to do with the character names, it’s a reason to why the characters feel somewhat uninteresting. A name and a backstory would make them far more captivating, as behavior and personality-wise, Akudama Drive characters are great! But it’s not that simple, now is it?
Akudama Drive serves as a perfect example of how NOT to “sell” your characters to the viewers. Instead of being creative and actually putting effort into writing, the show spends precious minutes on the “Bunny and Shark” segments that are simply jaw-droppingly stupid. It’s like they think that the viewers are complete fools, who can’t piece the story together? Nevertheless, they could’ve used those minutes and that time to give the characters proper names and some backstory. But that didn’t happen, and we ended up with a product that feels rushed, with characters that never reached their true potential.
