Ex-Arm

''Ex-Arm'' (stylized as ''EX-ARM'') is a Japanese science fiction manga series written by HiRock and illustrated by Shinya Komi. The series is a remake of Komi's earlier manga ''Ex-Vita''. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Grand Jump'' from February 2015 to December 2017, and later on Shueisha's '' Shōnen Jump+'' website from December 2017 to June 2019. Shueisha compiled its chapters into fourteen ''tankōbon'' volumes.

A sequel manga titled ''Ex-Arm EXA'' began in ''Grand Jump Mucha'' in August 2019.

An anime television series adaptation by Visual Flight aired from January to March 2021.

Plot

In 2014, a high school student named Akira Natsume endures a phobia of electrical devices while also being very good at diagnosing them. He leads an average, unfulfilling life, and resolves to change himself for the better and get a girlfriend after being motivated by his older brother. Soon after, he suddenly dies in an accident. 16 years later, a young policewoman named Minami Uenozono and her android partner Alma retrieve and activate a highly advanced AI superweapon known as an "EX-ARM" and put it into full control of their ship as a last resort. The AI turns out to be Akira's brain, now in a digital form. The series revolves around the police force's attempts to suppress and defeat adversaries using EX-ARMs for their own purposes.

Characters

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Media

Manga

''Ex-Arm'' is written by HiRock and illustrated by Shinya Komi. A first series, written and illustrated by Komi, titled ''Ex-Vita'', was published in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Miracle Jump'' from December 13, 2011, to April 30, 2013. Shueisha collected is chapters into two ''tankōbon'' volumes, published on August 17, 2012, and June 19, 2013. ''Ex-Arm'' was published in Shueisha's '' Grand Jump'' from February 18, 2015 to December 6, 2017. The series was then transferred to the '' Shōnen Jump+'' website and app, and ran from December 20, 2017 to June 26, 2019. Shueisha collected its chapters into fourteen ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from June 19, 2015, to August 19, 2019.

A sequel series, titled ''Ex-Arm EXA'', was serialized in ''Grand Jump Mucha'' from August 28, 2019, to February 27, 2021. The first collected ''tankōbon'' volume was released on December 18, 2020. The second volume was released on March 18, 2021.

A manga adaptation of the novel ''EX-ARM the Novel Deus Ex Machina'', titled ''Ex-Arm Another Code'', was serialized in Shueisha's '' Ultra Jump'' from February 19 to November 19, 2020. The two collected ''tankōbon'' volumes were released on December 18, 2020, and January 19, 2021.

Volume list

Novel

A novel titled ''EX-ARM the Novel Deus Ex Machina'', written by Atarō Kumo, was published by Shueisha under its Jump J-Books imprint on December 19, 2018.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on the release of the manga's 12th volume on December 18, 2018. The series is produced by Visual Flight and directed by Yoshikatsu Kimura, with Tommy Morton in charge of the scripts and Sō Kimura as composer. The main staff of the series have no previous experience with working on anime. Originally set for a July 2020 release, the series aired from January 11 to March 29, 2021 on Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS Fuji due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The opening theme is "Rise Again" performed by AIRFLIP, while the ending theme is "Diamonds Shine" performed by Dizzy Sunfist.

Reception

The first trailer of the anime was instantly met with heavy online backlash due to the poor quality of the computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation. The anime's animation continued to gain criticism as it aired, with some citing the anime staff's lack of experience in working in the industry as a likely culprit.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Ultra Jump

2018 Japanese novels
2021 anime television series debuts
Action anime and manga
Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Anime series based on manga
Crime in anime and manga
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Japanese webcomics
Muse Communication
Jump J-Books
Seinen manga
Shueisha manga
Tokyo MX original programming
Transhumanism in anime and manga
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