Directed by Makoto Honda and based on an original story by Yasuo Ohtagaki, “Make My Day” is a production that aired as a Netflix series on February 2, 2023. The series uses 3D computer graphics as their preferred medium of animation, which is not very popular with hardcore anime watchers. The animation was a little stiff due to its 3D nature; however, the story and the visuals of the action sequences made up for it a little. The story followed an almost generic plot with the humans being attacked by the creatures of the planet they had forcefully captured, but the well-thought-out scenarios made it different. The creatures were dormant and had attacked the humans only to seek out their food, the mineral Sig, which the humans mined for electricity and energy. The story puts forward relatable characters who also portray themselves as antiheroes and not villains. Even though Jim’s character does embody the trope of self-sacrifice, he does not act upon it unless necessary and does not blame the other characters for trying to prioritize and save themselves. Instead, he focuses on saving people who are willing and have a chance to survive while also building up a team to help them carry out their last chance of survival. With rather relatable characters who resemble the personalities of people in real life as well as a gripping storyline that are reason enough to binge the entire series, this series is worth your time.
‘Make My Day’ Plotline: What Is The Series About?
The story follows a cartoonist named Jim, who lives with his grandfather Ed on Planet Coldfoot, which is engulfed in nebula gas harmful to the human population. Jim, also known as James Mirror, was a cartoon enthusiast working part-time as a prison guard ferrying prisoners to the White Prison on Planet Coldfoot. Jim had been brought up by his grandfather, Ed, and was friends with his next-door neighbor, Marnie, who was heavily pregnant. Marnie had undergone surrogacy to help her family survive with the help of government policies favorable to a pregnant woman’s family. Marnie’s mother, Serena, and siblings, Connie and Pete, were close to Jim. Along with Ed, they held Jim’s skills in high regard as they supported Ed’s dream to send Jim away to Central to chase his dreams as a cartoonist. Jim made his way to work just like every other day; however, his peaceful life had come to an end as he was made to face a problem that the people had never come across before. Jim and the team he had been assigned to were made to fight an unknown creature that could self-destruct if injured and could only be subdued by pressure and lacerations made on the tentacles that shot out from its mouth. Jim had to find a way to survive as well as help his friends survive, all the while dealing with various betrayals at various points.
Did Jim Survive Bark’s First Betrayal?
The first time Jim was betrayed was when the prisoners were assigned the work of mining for Sig. Sig is a mineral compound that generates electricity used to power up the entire civilization of the humans on the Planet Coldfoot. While the prisoners were sent out to carry out their duties, they were lost in the mines along with the team of guards sent with them. Search teams were sent out to find out the cause as well as seek out the lost members. Jim and his immediate officers, Sarah and Hicks, were among the other officers who were assigned to Bark’s team. Jim was a part-time prison guard; however, due to the emergency, he was sent in with them as well. Jim had to manage the communications that were connected to the robocasts sent ahead to scope out the mines. They came across various mounds of flesh and equipment covered in a red substance, where they found most of the casualties. While looking around for the injured, the robocast that Jim was connected to somehow slipped into a hole, taking Jim with it. However, with the help of the officers and Captain Bark’s shot at the wire, Jim was set free, but they could not stop his acceleration, so he fell down and had lost consciousness. He met Walter here after regaining his consciousness and found him alive and well.
Walter explained the situation to Jim by telling him about the creatures existing in this strata, which were responsible for the deaths of many civilians and prisoners. With the help of Walter, Jim was able to set up a communication grid that highlighted their presence and let them reach Bark’s team, which immediately came to the rescue. They rescued Walter and Jim; however, they woke up the creature Walter had warned Jim about, thus killing Officers Sarah and Hicks in the process. Walter, Bark, and Jim quickly returned to the prison camp only to find out that it was swarming with the same creatures. The three of them split up to help the other prisoners and locate shuttles to help everyone else escape. After fending them off for a while, Bark and Jim retreat to where an emergency shuttle is stored. Jim could not bring himself to leave the rest to fend for themselves, and this is where Bark betrays Jim and leaves him alone by escaping on the shuttle after sealing the exits.
Who Did Jim Lose In The Emergency Situation, And What Happened During Bark’s Second Betrayal?
Jim and Walter survive the creatures, as well as the blasts from Bark’s missiles, launched as a parting gift to kill off the survivors and the creatures. Jim and Walter then scavenge off what is left behind by the dead to survive, and they pick up a Robocast to help ease their journey back to the Dust Box. Dust Box was the place where Jim, his family, and his friends lived. This was where the human settlements on the planet had been established. Walter and Jim fend off the creatures while also gathering information about them to help them defeat them. They made their way to the Dust Box, only to find it under emergency evacuation while the creatures rampaged their way through the city, looking for more Sig. Jim made his way to his empty house before quickly entering his friends’ house, where he found Ed and Marnie still alive. Marnie was in a protective bubble due to her pregnancy, and Ed was being sucked in and eaten from the waist down by one of the creatures. Ed had implants, which ran on Sig and were thus tasty to the creature.
Jim tried to save Ed; however, while he was almost overpowered by the creature, Ed quickly diverted the creature’s attention back to him to save Jim. He sacrificed himself to get Jim out of there and to follow his dreams. Jim had also found Marnie’s siblings, Connie and Pete, lying cold in the hallway, while Serena had lost her life as well. Marnie, heavily pregnant, was the sole survivor in the family. Bark and his team had turned up while Jim was still mourning for Ed and had asked Jim to fall back in with the team. Here, Jim defied his direct orders, and while he stood his ground, Bark stood prepared to shoot him down. The arrival of Dr. Hudson saved him and also ensured Marnie safe passage to the evacuation base. Bark had been holding a grudge against Jim and thus contained his dissatisfaction till the team reached safety. Meanwhile, Jim and his Robocast had saved another soldier, Revy, while on their way to Walter’s truck. They reached the ship before their truck ran out of power. Jim was hailed as the hero before Bark declared him to be a deserter due to Jim defying him and also refusing to fulfill his duties. Bark hit Jim till he was unconscious and threw him in prison after humiliating him for diverting the soldiers from following their laid-down orders.
Why Did Robert Betray Jim and His Group?
Robert was Dr. Hudson’s assistant and was looking after Marnie in the medical bay. He had been knocked unconscious due to the creature, which was now identified as Sucker W and collectively known as Swarms, flinging a piece of broken equipment at Robert’s head while escaping. Jim found Dr. Hudson with her feet broken and stuck to the creature, which was trying to eat the medical equipment. He saved her and then found Marnie in the locker room, safely tucked away by Dr. Hudson. During this time, while on his way to find out the whereabouts of the rest of his team, Jim was barefoot and in boxers, with only a handkerchief acting as a mask. He suited up in the available medical suits and set out to look for Walter with the help of Dr. Hudson, Marnie, and Revy, the soldier he had saved. He had met Revy when he had escaped his prison by using the creature to wrench the door of his prison away. Revy escorted him to the medical bay, and after rescuing and making sure of Marnie and Dr. Hudson’s safety, they made their way to the communications center.
Jim reported the incoming herds of swarms and also found out that Walter had been imprisoned on the charge of murdering five people. Jim insisted on saving him and was also backed up by Revy. He then made his way to the prison cells located in the base and found not only Walter but also William Boyd and Rachel Wise. They were astrobiologists from the Central Scientific Academy and were on a mission to find out more about the Sucker W and the Swarms. Walter and Jim had found out more about the creatures and had included their findings from the papers written by Boyd and Wise. They had been imprisoned as well due to their knowledge, and also Boyd’s eccentricity had ticked off most of the higher-ups. While in prison, they were sent a red alert, which indicated that the emergency shuttles would leave by midnight and that, due to limited space in the shuttles, it was a first come, first served policy. Robert had come to during this time, and after he was updated about the situation, he’d betrayed the group and refused to help them out as Dr. Hudson had been keeping an eye out to help them navigate before she lost consciousness due to the pain from her broken leg. Robert prioritized himself and walked out, leaving Marnie to guide them to the kitchen for Sigs to help power Casper, the Robocast he’d picked up.
Why Was Walter Arrested?
The team made their way to the kitchen, only to come across another member of the swarm ransacking the place for more Sig. Jim came up with a plan to incapacitate the swarm long enough to gather some Sig to power up Casper and their exosuits. William helped them out after Jim promised not to kill the swarm and instead helped secure samples for William to conduct further research. William divulged important information to Jim about how the swarms were weak to pressure and lacerations while being resistant to forces harming their exoskeleton. They made their way back to the Medical Bay, where they found out that Dr. Hudson had at first planned to exit via the Premium Cruise, which is what Robert had tried to use but was denied, and therefore had to make his way to the civilian shuttles, but was denied there as well due to the shuttle leaving before time after spotting the herds. However, everything was put on hold, as Marnie’s water had just broken, and she was ready to give birth. Dr. Hudson, Rachel, Robert, and Jim attended her son’s birth. Marnie gave birth to her son and was overcome with joy. She admitted to loving him in spite of saying otherwise and also blamed herself and her son for the deaths of her family. Jim and Marnie confessed their love for each other, while Jim also remembered the faces of his parents. To commemorate the birth of their son, they had decided to make Walter his godfather, only for Walter to refuse the position. Walter had stated that he had been imprisoned for murdering five people who were the reason for the deaths of his entire family. Thus, he feared he would taint the little kid who had just been born in such trying times. Jim was quick to remind Walter that his past was his past and nobody blamed him for his actions, which finally led to Walter accepting his title.
‘Make My Day’ Ending, Explained: Did Jim, Marnie, And The Rest Of The Team Get Off The Planet Safely?
The group, which included Jim, Marnie, their son, Walter, Casper, Rachel, William, Robert, and Dr. Hudson, quickly escaped due to William’s presence of mind as he spotted a getaway truck on his way to the medical bay. They boarded the vehicle and got away just in time, as the entire base collapsed due to the rise of an even bigger creature that suspiciously resembled the “Sandworms” from the movie “Dune.” They made their way to another base so as to get away on the lifeboat heading off-planet, only to come across Captain Bark and their leader, Colonel Cathy Beck, who were in trouble due to their malfunctioning lifeboat. Jim and Walter were ready to leave them behind; however, Marnie and Jim’s bleeding conscience would not allow them to desert people in need. They saved Cathy and Bark as they found out that the officials had been transporting a few dormant swarms for research in the shuttles. Due to the commotion, the swarms regained their consciousness and attacked the boats, thus leaving the boats to self-detonate and also leaving Cathy to fend for herself so that the evidence would be buried.
The team made its way to the emergency base, where they had to place their lifeboat inside the case overflowing with Sig to use it as a boost to reach the orbit. The machinery launched the cases into orbit so as to make the transport of these minerals easier. The team came together to carry out their designated roles as the machine powered up to launch their case. This is where Robert betrays them yet again and chooses to overwrite Casper and the other Robocast’s systems to turn them against the team. Marnie’s quick thinking and Casper’s emotional intelligence had saved them from being killed, while Cathy overwrote the order yet again, effectively quelling Robert’s little rebellion. The team made their way into the lifeboat, taking Robert with them, and were launched into space in the nick of time before the entire base was overtaken by the worms and the swarms. In the lifeboat, Walter named Jim and Marnie’s son Kou after his wife, who was Japanese. The team made its way safely outside of the planet Coldfoot and away from the attack of the creatures.
“Make My Day” is a 2023 Drama Action anime series created by Yasuo Ohtagaki.
