Common Sense Media Review
Lots of action in anime adaptation of popular game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
NieR: Automata Ver1.1a
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
NIER: AUTOMATA VER1.1A is set in a post-apocalyptic world far into the future. Humanity is on its last legs, nearly extinct after being attacked by aliens and their machine lifeforms. However, in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves, humanity has developed a group of androids to serve against the invaders. The combat android 2B (voiced by Kira Buckland) must fight to wrestle control of Earth back from the alien invaders and save humanity.
Is It Any Good?
This anime adaptation of the popular video game series is best left to fans of the game. NieR: Automata Ver1.1a is a sci-fi anime that feels too niche, and it's hard to get invested in the story. Humanity is on its last legs due to alien invaders, and they've built combat androids in a last-ditch effort to take back Earth. That premise is easy enough to follow, but everything else gets confusing fast as viewers are hit with a barrage of strange exposition and acronyms for military councils and combat androids.
The main character, 2B, questions her existence and becomes more self aware as time progresses; another fairly common sci-fi plot point, but it's hard to care too much without knowing her history and the events that led her to this point.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how identity and existence are major themes in this series. Families can talk about personal identity. What factors shape your identity? How do other people or society help shape your identity?
Sacrifice is another theme addressed in this series. Have you ever had to sacrifice something important?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 18, 2023
- Cast : Kira Buckland , Kyle McCarley , Cherami Leigh
- Network : Crunchyroll
- Genre : Anime
- Topics : Friendship , Robots
- TV rating :
- Last updated : December 10, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate