Fractale
An anime series exploring a virtual reality system called Fractale.
Fractale is an 11-episode Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Ordet, with creative involvement from critic and novelist Hiroki Azuma, screenwriter Mari Okada, and director Yutaka Yamamoto. It aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from January to March 2011. A manga drawn by Mutsumi Akasaki ran in Square Enix's Gangan Online from September 2010 to November 2011.
The story is set on an island resembling 22nd-century Ireland, with scenes directly taken from Galway. Humanity lives under the "Fractale" system, a satellite-based virtual reality and content delivery network that ensures stability and prosperity. One day, Clain meets a fleeing girl named Phryne, who vanishes overnight, leaving behind a pendant. When Clain activates the pendant, it transforms into a "doppel" named Nessa. He then travels with Nessa, a girl-shaped avatar, to find Phryne and uncover the secret behind the Fractale System.
Clain Necran is the main character. He lives alone with "doppels"—holographic robots that act like his parents—but can dismiss them when he tires of their talk. He is curious about pre-Fractale items, like an antique digital camera or a 21st-century cell phone. Emotionally simple, he just wants to live happily with his friends Phryne and Nessa.
Phryne is a priestess of the Fractale system and later revealed to be the incomplete key to resetting it. She is secretive about her past, partly due to sexual abuse, and often embarrasses Clain with her lack of modesty. She initially runs away to stop the Fractale cycle and avoids friendships, believing she must sacrifice herself for everyone's good.
Nessa is a doppel copy of Phryne's younger self, made of data important to the Fractale system. Unlike other doppels, she can be touched, but only by people she chooses. She is cheerful, energetic, and carefree, appearing when Clain activates Phryne's brooch. She loves to explore, often dragging Clain into trouble, and her motto is that she "loves love." Like Clain, she just wants to be with her friends.
Sunda Granitz leads the Granitz faction of Lost Millennium. Initially harsh and rude to Clain, he gradually warms up. In the final confrontation, he helps Clain enter the Temple and sacrifices himself so Clain can reach Phryne and Nessa in the inner sanctum.
Enri Granitz is Sunda's little sister.
Quick Facts
- Ja Romaji
- Furakutaru
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Creator
- Mandelbrot Engine
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story of Fractale takes place on an island resembling a 22nd-century Ireland, in a world ruled by the Fractale system, a satellite-based virtual reality and content delivery system ensuring mankind's stability and prosperity. The main character, Clain Necran, lives alone with holographic robot doppels representing his parents. After meeting a fleeing girl named Phryne, who disappears leaving a pendant, Clain activates the pendant to produce a doppel named Nessa, and sets out on a journey to find Phryne and discover the secret behind the Fractale System.
Phryne is a priestess of the Fractale system and later revealed to be the incomplete key to resetting Fractale. Nessa is a doppel copy of Phryne's younger self, composed of data important to the system, and is unique because she can be touched only by people she chooses. Supporting characters include Sunda Granitz, leader of the Granitz faction of Lost Millennium, and his sister Enri, as well as the manipulative Dias of the Alabaster faction. Antagonists include Archpriestess Moeran, a Phryne clone, and Barrot, a priest who raised Phryne and abused her.
The series was produced by A-1 Pictures in cooperation with Ordet, with music by Sōhei Shikano and sound direction by Yōta Tsuruoka. The opening theme is 'Harinezumi' and the ending themes are English and Japanese versions of 'Down by the Salley Gardens', both sung by Hitomi Azuma. A serial novel by Hiroki Azuma titled Fractale/Reloaded was serialized in Media Factory's Da Vinci magazine from February to May 2011, featuring a different story in the same universe.
Reader's Guide
Fractale is significant as a work from the Mandelbrot Engine collective, blending the creative talents of critic Hiroki Azuma, screenwriter Mari Okada, and director Yutaka Yamamoto. The series aired on Fuji TV's prestigious Noitamina block, known for targeting a broader demographic. Its narrative explores themes of virtual reality, human connection, and the consequences of a system designed to ensure stability, set against a backdrop inspired by 22nd-century Ireland. The anime's production involved A-1 Pictures and Ordet, and it was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan and later in North America by Funimation Entertainment. The manga adaptation and a separate novel expanded the franchise, though the novel presented an alternate story. The series' legacy includes its examination of doppels—holographic avatars—and the moral questions surrounding a system that controls human life, as well as its handling of sensitive topics such as sexual abuse and sacrifice. Despite mixed reception, Fractale remains a notable entry in early 2010s anime for its ambitious world-building and the involvement of well-known creators.
Did You Know?
- The anime's ending themes are English and Japanese versions of the 1889 poem 'Down by the Salley Gardens' by William Butler Yeats.
- Nessa, a doppel of Phryne's younger self, can be touched only by people she chooses, unlike other doppels.
- The series was streamed by Funimation Entertainment one hour after its Japanese premiere, though briefly interrupted by the Fractale Production Committee.
- A serial novel titled Fractale/Reloaded, written by Hiroki Azuma, features a different story than the anime and manga.
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