With the Amazing Digital Circus’s rise to popularity, we have entered what many call the golden age of indie animation (animation made by small teams or sometimes even one person instead of a large corporation like Disney or Universal). But there’s another series by the same studio (Glitch Productions) that in my opinion, deserves more attention.
MURDER DRONES
Its animation is fluid with stunning effects, and its soundtrack is unparalleled. The character design has to be creative since almost all the characters are one of two slightly different models of robots; it’s pulled off really well.
Murder Drones is a series by Glitch Productions set on a planet called Copper 9, which had been colonized by humans. Unfortunately, humans went extinct on the planet due to an explosion, leaving their robots, known as worker drones, behind to build their own society. Not trusting the AI to be left to their own devices, the company sent a new model of robots to Copper 9 to deal with the problem: Disassembly Drones, colloquially known as Murder Drones.
This setup immediately got my attention, not following the “robot revolution” trope and the mysterious nature of the humans.
I also really love the characters:
Uzi Doorman: She’s a purple, angsty teenage Worker Drones who is sick and tired of hiding from the Murder Drones. She is ready to fight back.
Serial Designation N: N is a friendly Murder Drone who loves doing anything and wants to make friends.
Serial Designation V: She’s a violent, sadistic at times Murder drone. She’s not big on showing affection and doesn’t seem to like Uzi.
The series follows them and other Drones as they go on adventures… but more and more, it’s looking like things aren’t quite what they seem. What are the Murder Drones, and why were they sent here? What really happened to Copper 9? What is the meaning of that strange symbol, and what are everyone’s intentions?
The series is fast-paced and perfect for anyone who loves to theorize, with mysteries always remaining. While it is a horror series and is often very spooky, it’ll still get a laugh out of you.
The main thing that might turn you away from the show is that, at times, you may find it necessary to rewatch scenes or episodes to understand what’s happened or to pause and see all the small details hidden in the background. However, since there aren’t very many episodes, I enjoy that it’s very rewatchable.
There are currently 7 episodes, all available on the Glitch Productions YouTube channel. I’ll give a brief synopsis of each episode as well as my ranking of them, but if you want to go in blind, here’s your last chance.
Episode 1: Pilot:
Uzi is ready to fight back against the Murder Drones, but the other workers aren’t impressed. It quickly goes south.
8/10. Great episode, but really isn’t anything special. It doesn’t lean into the horror as much as the rest of the series. Mostly just sets up the premise. Probably has the most background details and text to look for, though. I rank this episode 6th for the entire series.
Episode 2: Heartbeat:
After recent events, things are changing, and there are mysterious occurrences around the colony. Uzi’s school holds a parent-teacher conference.
8/10. This episode is probably the easiest to end up confused while watching. I personally had to watch it a few times before I understood. It has many iconic lines and some of the funniest scenes. It’s hard to say this, but I do rank this episode 7th and last.
Episode 3: The Promening
While the crew is depressed and divided, drones are disappearing around the colony. Also, it’s Prom!
10/10. It has my favorite part of the soundtrack and an epic fight scene. As well as plenty of fun and cute moments.
Episode 4: Cabin Fever
A field trip to a camp in the woods goes horribly wrong.
10/1o Second favorite episode. Has an amazing mix of spooky vs cute scenes.
Episode 5: Home
An attempt to recover memories reveals the origin of the Murder Drones and the nature of the Absolute Solver.
9/10 The nature of the flashback results in it being an altered version of events, but I wish I knew how it originally happened. Terrible cliffhanger. This is probably my fifth favorite overall.
Episode 6: Dead End
The crew travels down into the labs in order to stop Cyn.
10/10 It’s very suspenseful, and makes you feel. You really just have to watch the episode. 3rd favorite overall.
Episode 7: Mass Destruction
Everyone is separated as things are revealed and the Solver prepares its plan.
11/10 Glitch Productions was not lying when they said “So much will be revealed.” This episode will never bore you. It’s my favorite out of the entire show so far.
But there is still more to come. There will be one more episode this season, and it will likely be the last. We don’t know when it’ll be released yet, but be sure to watch all the episodes before then on the Glitch Productions YouTube channel.
(All image credits belong to Glitch Productions)
