Gachiakuta World Premiere: Review

Gachiakuta is the latest studio Bones title, a highly anticipated adaptation among the fans of the original manga and marketed as one of the best new shows in recent years. But does it live up to the expectations? 

Gachiakuta Anime: Episodes 1-2 Review

If you’re unfamiliar with the manga, the plot follows Rudo, a teenage boy living in a society where items are discarded even if they show the slightest sign of imperfection and dumped into the pit, a mysterious edge of the world. Rudo, who lives in the slums, hates the wastefulness of the upper class and scavenges the trash to find valuable things that can still be used, repaired, and repurposed. However, this is a crime, and Rudo’s fellow slumdwellers often criticize him for it while also ostracizing him for being the son of a murderer. The only comfort he gets comes from his adoptive father, Regto, and friend, Chiwa, whom he has a mutual crush on. 

This all comes to an end when Rudo is accused of a crime and thrown into the pit. What awaits him down there is danger, a struggle for survival, and a mystery that needs to be solved.

Gachiakuta is a gritty story, with an art style that matches it. The mangaka, Kei Urana, who has worked as an assistant for Atsushi Ohkubo’s Fire Force and has been dubbed as his successor, created a world in which light is scarce, trash is abundant, and violence is rampant. There is nothing bright and happy about the world of Gachiakuta. The Sphere, where Rudo originally resides, is sterile in every way, devoid of natural light. The slums are gloomy, polluted, and dirty. The Ground is simply a wasteland: not a lick of sunlight, just garbage, and a heavy atmosphere that almost carries the smell to your screen. This anime is not pleasant to look at, but that is what makes the experience all the more engaging. The messy line work, bold colors, brutal symbolic depictions of Rudo’s suffering – it all plays a part in making the anime meet expectations of manga readers, even if the yellow undertones are at times too suffocating and uninteresting.

Although the story follows the usual recipe seen in shonen titles, Gachiakuta still manages to offer a fresh, albeit violent, take on the action genre. While the first episode sets the stage, the second really takes it home by introducing new characters and showing us just how dark the world is (the cage scene was something). Urana previously talked about being a fan of Soul Eater, and that much is obvious when you see the Ground and how Enjin fights. Unique weapons, outfits, and a dose of comedy, it’s somehow reminiscent of Ohkubo's popular series.

Gachiakuta Anime and Source Material

At Gachiakuta’s Anime Expo 2025 panel, Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Ando (the artist in charge of graffiti), and Naoki Amano (Bones producer) revealed more information about the series. Bones and Avex picked Gachiakuta as their next big project due to the interesting story and standout visuals. Urana talked about how she started the series alone, but eventually started talking to people online and incorporated graffiti. Amano revealed that they tried to keep as much of the original charm of the manga in the anime adaptation, and that when he first started working with Urana and Ando, they were checking scripts, storyboards, and concepts. 

Urana said the most memorable moment for her in the production was the very first meeting with the anime production team. When she met the people, she had a lot of expectations and anticipation, but as soon as she met them, she realized a lot of the staff looked into the manga a lot, in particular the director. Ando said he felt deeply grateful for the collaborative aspect of the production, and that’s something that is obviously present to the fans of the source material.

Does It Meet the Expectations?

The hype for Gachiauka is definitely there, and there is a lot of effort going into the marketing. From murals worldwide to global premieres in various languages, it feels like everyone has had a chance to watch it. While it doesn’t feel like the next best thing, it’s still looking to be a pretty solid, promising adaptation.

We already know it will be airing for two consecutive cours, for a total of 24 episodes, so there is time for the adaptation to grow and fill in some of the lesser hashed out details from the first two episodes. Time will tell if it'll manage to prove itself as one of the most popular titles of today.

Gachiakuta anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.
© Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee
Anime Atelier received a screener for the Gachiakuta anime.

Anime Expo 2025 reporting by Sarca.