ATRI -My Dear Moments- – Episode 1

Content Warning: Apocalyptic ecological collapse, drowning

What’s it about? In a flooded world, Ikaruga Natsuki wastes away on a salvage boat and is haunted by a recurring dream from when he lost his leg. One day, the unscrupulous Catherine arrives with news that his recently deceased grandmother once had an invaluable treasure that’s now buried in the sea and enlists his help to make some money. Their search uncovers Atri, a humanoid robot in the shape of a rambunctious little girl. Natsuki’s grandmother tasked Atri with an order before sealing her away in her watery grave and asks Natsuki and Catherine to hold off on selling her off until she fulfills her final directive. Too bad she doesn’t remember what it is.

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Watching ATRI feels like watching a Hollywood feature film tailor-made to contend for an Oscar. The acting is subdued, even with Atri’s whimsical nature, and everyone on the cast is immediately and obviously “complex.” Natsuki is the most troubled as he contends with his grandmother’s death and his amputated leg, but all the characters seem to be dragging something along—including the cheerful Atri who is, as Natsuki says, merely following her programming.

The world, too, is bleak and crumbling, even as the setting itself seems almost tropical and relaxed. It’s similar to the ruins seen in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, all in service to give you that je ne sais quoi quality that I’m about to be hit by a truck of feelings.

That is to say, I feel like I want to be invested in the cast and setting. Catherine seems like a fun character. She is shady as they come, but in a fun way. Atri is your manic pixie dream girl, and she’s here to bring mirth and much needed change to Natsuki’s stagnated life, but there’s likely something tragic underneath everything and Natsuki’s own past is likely intertwined. Minamo is that childhood friend who’s probably coming in around episode 7-8 to scream and cry and make you realize she’s bestgirl, actually. 

And while not necessarily a queer story this time, the visuals also dazzle thanks to TROYCA doing the animation and director Kato Makoto, of Bloom Into You fame, helming the production. Atri is a treat for the eyes despite its bleakness, and seems to have the chops to deliver a quality story  with series composition and script by Hanada Jukki, a prolific writer within the industry, adapting a visual novel published by Frontwing, which also published The Fruit of Grisaia. 

One thing to note might be Natsuki’s amputated leg and what it serves throughout the story. The leg is a source of pain for him literally and figuratively. Phantom pains occasionally attack him while he is also constantly hounded by the traumatic memory of losing a limb in a disaster. Catherine goads him to join her in finding and selling his grandmother’s treasure with her so that he can get a better prosthetic. While it overall serves as an effective device to drive his character, I just hope it’s being done respectfully. This is not within my wheelhouse, however, so I’m not going to say this show handled Natsuki’s disability well or not.

Similarly, while Atri is near human in appearance and mannerisms, she is an android and seemingly lacks self-awareness thus far. She is programmed to follow her owner, and with Natsuki’s grandmother dead, that role is now filled in by the brooding protagonist. Atri is all too happy to follow along with her programming and takes to calling her new owner “Master,” even as Natsuki himself asks he would prefer to not have to deal with such titles. The show just really wants to sell you that Atri is “like that.”

My only final complaint is that, with the world suffering through so many climate disasters, my enthusiasm toward watching shows that take place after ecological disaster is gradually waning. These settings fill me with existential dread as I gradually come to terms with the fact I’ll likely not be surviving whatever happens when everything falls apart in these shows, and that is a stress I don’t need right now in life.

Still, I’m intrigued and I’m not against sticking through this show. ATRI just feels different, as a story. It’s a breath of fresh air from the rote and formulaic sludge this season has been churning out. If it passes the three-episode test, this might be a solid rec.