The official Twitter account forNieR:Automata Ver 1.1a, the anime adaptation ofYoko Taro’sNieR: Automatavideo game,announced on Saturdaythat the series would at last be resuming broadcast. Episode 4 in the previously-postponed series is now confirmed to be airing next Saturday, February 18.NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a had begun airing in the winter 2023 anime season on January 7. However, after the third episode released on January 21, it was announced that the series would be going on hiatus for an unspecified time. The increased spread of the COVID-19 virus in Japan was singled out as the reason for the postponement. Starting with the following week on January 28, the series' time-slot was filled by rebroadcasting the initial three episodes.
That schedule seems to have been enough for Aniplex and studio A-1 Pictures to sort out their response to the virus and catch up on the workload of producing the anime series. The tweet posted on Saturday confirmed that NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a will air its fourth episode on February 18, finally letting the series continue after three weeks off.
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This winter season has been a rough one overall regarding delays. Two other Aniplex shows, UniteUp! and Ayakashi Triangle, also saw postponements citing COVID-19. As well, the anime adaptation of Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible went on hiatus after episode 6, also due to the virus. COVID-19 cases have been rising in recent months in Japan, as well as China, where many anime studios utilize subcontract work. However, it must also be noted that Aniplex’s ramping up of production on all its shows simultaneously likely also impacted the efforts of the studios making these series. COVID-19’s effects only exacerbated the issues set up for these anime to struggle like this in the first place.
Regardless, it would seem the postponement plan at least has allowed NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a to get back on track. That’s good news for fans of the franchise, who had their curiosity piqued at seeing what game series director Yoko Taro might do with his writing this adaptation of the original story. Taro is famed for his subversive setups and willingness to mess with audiences, with the NieR anime already vacillating between rote retellings of the game’s story and more atmospheric explorations of the franchise’s setting and lore. Viewers will finally get the chance to follow up on that and see where the NieR anime goes once it returns next week.
