Anime original by Trif Studio
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

Ordinary high school student Hikaru has his life turned upside down after he unwittingly forms a connection with “Alma”, a sentient mechanical arm now permanently attached to his hoodie. Pursued by an evil organization, he must use Alma’s power to overcome their diabolical schemes.

Iro’s verdict: One Thumb Up

This is the most “4:30 p.m. on Toonami” show that’s aired in a while. Sometimes it’s nice to have a 3-out-of-5 show that’s just willing to be fun and have some cool kinetic action scenes, you know? Nothing about this is breaking any molds, it’s playing all the “tween urban action anime” tropes to the hilt, but Mecha-Ude does it with a knowing wink and a hilariously mismatched Sawano soundtrack. Fun enough.

Gee’s verdict: Saturday Morning Core

Mecha-Ude is maybe the most Saturday morning coded anime I’ve watched in a little while. This is a compliment. The story is your classic tale of reluctant hero with a good heart rising to the occasion after having a chance encounter with a talking robot hand who needs his help. He will probably meet a wacky variety of characters he’ll become fast friends with. Together they’ll fight the evil Mecha-Ude users who treat their robot buddies as disposable tools. In the end we’ll all learn something very important about doing the right thing.

Mecha-Ude is playing out a familiar script so where it shines is the execution. The action scenes are frantic and kinetic, taking some inspiration from the Imaishi school of choreography and I’m all here for it. The characters themselves, while basic, have enough enjoyable tics to make them memorable. Aki is probably the standout so far, taciturnly eating a different meal in every scene she appears, telling off her harangued robot arm friends, and approaching every possible situation with comical bluntness. Hopefully she’s an indication of the kind of character beats we’ll get as the cast expands. It’s in the small details where Mecha-Ude really grabbed my attention. It’s probably not going to come out at the top of anybody’s list, but it’s likeable, well made, and surprisingly charming. Hard to criticize that.