Anime: Bokura no

It wouldn't be too outlandish to say that Gonzo has a reputation of having its earliest works (pre-2007) being its best. But being as unique as it is, Bokurano doesn't have enough to call itself the best of Gonzo's early works, but its certainly good enough to be considered great in its own regards, and something that the studio can be proud of. With a brilliantly cruel and tiring plot, but an all-too-known moral standing, Bokurano can keep its viewers on the edge, while giving them something meaningful to think about.

When it comes to animation and design, Gonzo has never been a great achiever, albeit they've gotten better over the years. But being released in 2007, Bokurano doesn't have much to stand out amongst other shows when it comes to how well animated characters are. The characters through most of the show are a bit half and half when it comes to how unique they are, apart from other shows. But there is a distinct art style in the show, and all things considered, there are many scenes where most of everything on screen blends well together, and background characters are drawn out fairly well, and there are a good handful of moments of quality above the rest of its sub-par to par animation. But the most glaring problem is that Gonzo had to resort to CGI for the giant robots. However, the mecha fights aren't the highlight of the show, so it's not as much of a crime as it would have been had that been the case.

Bokurano's backbone is its psychological perspective on its cast, but that proves to be its strongest, and its weakest point. When the main plot device is introduced at the end of its first episode, the entire course of the show changes from a heroic and brave battle anime to a horrific and cruel, and extremely drawn out psychological torture. But what happens is that the show turns to shock value, which is obviously lost the very first time it happens. What follows is the deteriorating psyche of the characters, who slowly begin to understand the circumstances they're forced to act under. Unfortunately, because of this, Bokurano's myriad of characters become a struggle to deal with. Knowing their fates that come episode after episode, it's hard to squeeze in development for them which can be literally considered as 'last-minute.' From this, at least half of the cast become fodder for the other half. It was almost tedious to have to sit through the third quarter of the show because of the fact that the viewers know what will happen, but it's only a matter of time before it actually happens. But given the length, and the use of flashbacks and numerous sub-plots and backstories, Gonzo is able to make the most of what they have. Some characters that never really stood out from the beginning end up having their moment in the spotlight, that can both give inspiration to the viewer, and a reason to have sympathy. Interestingly enough, the most hated, or rather the most 'evilly' portrayed character ends up becoming the most noble and developed character in the show.

Nothing stood out in particular when it came to voice acting performances, but the casting itself wasn't too bad. The voices fit the characters, some fitting a more childish role, some heroic, and some that pretty much matched the personality. Dung Beetle's voice actor hit the mark on the voice that really sticks a thorn in one's side with a bad attitude.

Among other things, there are numerous parts about the show that can't be explained very well. Most of it is straightforward, and easy to understand, but there are a few things near the end that seem to be glanced over, or vaguely explained. The show itself can be considered somewhat open-ended, and that there is no actual conclusion when looking at the big picture.

Bokurano can be seen as something of a gem in the industry, as it seems to have some roots of inspiration for future shows such as Madoka Magica, while itself gaining its own inspiration from Evangelion. It's far from perfect, but it's a good look at the cruelty of survival of the fittest, with a bit of political criticism towards warmongering or trigger happy military. Most of all, it offers a real sense of the human psyche in all different aspects.

To start off, I am partial to this anime, being that it is my favorite, but I will try to point out it's good and bad points as best as I can.

First with the good.

I loved the animation. The style of the art has that very classic "Now and Then Here and There" sort of feel to it. There isn't a lot of flare and green colored haired so to speak. The backgrounds and scenery is beautifully done and the characters look very average and normal (no exaggerated body figures, hair color, or even their eyes). For the mood and style of the anime the art was spot on.

The music is exquisite. There is an array of orchestrated pieces that would pull at anyone's heart strings. it is subtle, light, and while being very good it doesn't distract from the anime but has an engrossing effect.

The story is masterfully presented. Bokurano is a very dark and realistic portrayal of how children react to disastrous situations. (As a side note most anime in general is unrealistic in that things and events could not take place in real life do, however the feelings, emotions, motivations and responses of all of the main characters reflect very deeply on a physiological level of an actual person.)
Although there are some areas of the anime's story that could have been done better, I feel that the anime as a whole achieved the purpose it was intended and that viewers who appreciate the style of Bokurano will enjoy this anime very much.

Bokurano has an intriguing assortment of characters. When you put all of them in the same situation the reactions of each are what really drive the story along.

As far as Bokurano's value, I think for some it may not be an anime that many would want to watch over an over again, simply because it's a very dark one. I myself have watched it several times and have enjoyed it increasingly as i watch it more, but for the most part in regard to someone who didn't appreciate Bokurano on a deep of a level as I they may not feel a craving to watch this again and again. it's definitely "save for a rainy day" anime.

Overall I enjoyed this anime very much. The mixture of genres are brilliantly done, the characters are real and alluring and the premise for the story is simple yet deep. In general I found the anime very profound and there are definitely a lot of good points.

The bad side.

On the bad side I'd have to say that the anime at a point can become a bit slow and redundant. Also some plot points seemed a little rushed.

Bokurano, hmm ... where should i start .. well ... Bokurano is a series about young boys and girls and giant robots ... but it ain't your typical stuff .. this is something else .. let me start by talking about how i found it .. i heard about it a while ago but dismissed it maybe due to the robot designs (specially that they used CG not drawings) or maybe because i didn't know what the whole thing was about, but i can't deny the OP caught my attention and was breathtaking .. few years later i got introduced to anime blogs and on a certain one there was a review for Bokurano .. upon checking i decided to give it another chance .. and boy .. i was in for a treat .. never would i have imagined it is that good ... Bokurano is indeed one of the hidden gems of anime and one of the series that makes me feel glad i'm an anime fan, and now let's get into details (i will try to avoid spoilers through the whole review but i will put a "my thoughts" section in the end that might include some spoilers so avoid it if you haven't watched the series yet).

Animation --> 7
The most thing that irked me was the fact they used CG for the robots instead of normal drawings (which is most of the time superior and better looking), but after a while i got used to that because the battles and the robots aren't really the main focus here, but it could have been better (and i would have given it a higher score) if it was 100% hand drawn.

As for the character designs .. at first it felt confusing, i was annoyed because they all looked too simple and some of them looked kinda similar (two of the specifically), but shortly after i understood why they chose that approach and i really appreciated they went with simple designs and nothing over the top like other shonen robot series .. and soon after i got to know the characters it was really easy to distinguish them .. it was all to establish the fact that those are normal students you can see or meet anywhere around japan ... and with 15 characters it was inevitable that there will be some similarities as in real life.

The CG animation isn't bad but what really stands out as wonderful is the character animations .. lots of subtle touches and facial animaitons make the characters come to life even if their designs are simple (but actually the adults have realistic and detailed designs to contrast the children's simple looks).

Sound --> 9
What can i say the OP, just watch the OP, the choice of song is just wonderful, it's far from your average j-pop intro song and feels like it was really made for the series, the first ED song is ok but the second one really comes close to the OP quality .. a very wonderful song that fits well with the theme of the series.

As for the voices, they are just fine, non of them is annoying or overbearing but at the same time non of them stands out or is expetional, they are just good all around.

And finally for the music, it's really subtle and wonderful, it enhances the emotional impact of many important scenes and gives them more depth, there is a certain sad tone that's really wonderful and whenever it plays it is surely guaranteed to tug the strings of any person's heart.

Story --> 9
Stay a while and listen, for this one is the heart of the series (and the characters its soul, but we will come to that later), i'll try to review the story in general while avoiding spoilers of any sort, for those who want my detailed thoughts you can read them at the bottom of the review.

Where to begin ... that's not your cheap story that pulls deus-ex-machina when it gets cornered, everything is laid out neatly from the very start .. lots of hints and signs tell what's going to happen but you won't fully understand them until a revelation is made later on ... and by god it works ... every revelation made has it powerful impact fully realized once you look back at all the previous events and realize it was all there from the start.

As for the episodes .. they fluctuate between episodic style and then switch to plot revealing storytelling mode then back to episodic mode ... and it worked just fine ... you couldn't usually guess what's going to happen next unless you watch the preview of the next episode (which i don't recommend).

As for the ending, well .. i learned that the anime got an original ending of its own, but for an anime original ending it is indeed one of the best and very well suited with the theme and story of the anime (which also deviates midway from the manga), i honestly haven't read the manga but i fully appreciate the anime as standalone alternate version of the story that works wonderfully, i'm probably going to check the manga at some point .. but 100% it won't change my opinion of the anime .. in short the ending tells you most of the things you need to know and leaves some things open .. but not in bad way .. i'd say that's how to make an open ended anime if you want to make one.

Speaking of the story/plot, there aren't any severe plot holes at all here, some situations that could have been handled better or some convenient meetings (a couple of them) which could have been better if they weren't coincidental .. but other wise it's one overall solid story and deserves praise for being one engaging, moving and deep story about life, death, fate, humans emotions and friendship (unlike what people might think because of the giant robots involved) .. oh and if you are looking for epic manly robot battles and explosive action .. steer clear ... you won't find much here.

Character Development: --> 10
Oh boy .. if the Story is the heart of this series the characters are indeed its soul and strongest point ... by the last episode i was feeling like those characters are real people you could meet and see anywhere ... throughout the series each character gets fleshed out so well that you really get attached to every one of them for they are flawed, simple and fragile, or can i say "human" .. and that's what makes them great ... at the first episode you won't feel anything for them .. just some brats playing by the beach .. but that all changes in the end .. dare i say 180 degrees .. throughout their struggles and endeavors they all shine and show how simple yet diverse and detailed their personalities are.

Even at some points you will feel like hating some of the characters but once you understand the reason behind their actions it all becomes clear why they act like that and your hate turns to liking or even sympathy ... and while not all 15 characters get the same amount of development they each get developed enough to keep them interesting.

As for the side characters, some of them are really fantastic and a joy to watch as much as the main 15 characters and some others are there to serve a certain role then move on .. but in my opinion .. this series really has some of the best secondary characters i saw .. and the fact there aren't any blunt stereotypes even among the side characters (except maybe one or two minor characters) makes them even better.

Value --> 8
While the story loses a bit of edge after the first viewing it is indeed worth re-watching at least a couple of more times for its well laid out storyline (since you can actually start searching for all the hints from the start) and for its wonderful characters, each and every encounter/important event is really something to remember and will leave a lasting memory for anyone who watches the series .. it is indeed a show i'd like to keep in my collection for its sentimental value and for re-watching it at some point in the future.

As for it's value as an anime, i find it one of the best animes that mix giant robots theme with sci-fi and social/human aspects, think Evangelion/Rahxehpon but with less cliches, less epic battles and more focus on the human side of the characters and a Sci-Fi story that actually makes sense right away without too much religious babbling mixed in, but sadly it isn't as popular as it deserves to be .. so it inevitably joins the category of "hidden gems of anime" .. no doubt about that .. it's a series that respects its viewers and doesn't delve into cheap fanservice or cliches to keep them interested and for that it deserved my respect.

Enjoyment: --> 10
Enjoyed it .. who are you kidding .. indeed, and if i knew i'd enjoy it that much i would have watched it sooner, the characters will forever be engraved in my memories and the story will always be an example of how to make an engaging and beautiful story without too much fluff, being an artist myself i feel strongly moved by the music and the series as a whole that i will definitely use my art (which is drawing) to spread the news about this show and portray how beautiful it is (by making fanart for it that is)

Sigh, i'm done with the main review, if you liked what you found up there go watch it now, watch the fansub or if you can support it and buy the Dvds (i plan to do so as soon as i can too), either way .. just watch it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the part where i detail my own personal thoughts of the series .. so this one is for those who watched it ... so here it goes.

***spoilers ahead***



Hope you enjoy/ed the series like i did and thanks for reading.

Bokurano, aka Narutaru mk2. The guy who makes these things, mangaka Kitou Mohiro, has a thing for shock value around children abuse. Narutaru was “Let’s have kids being tortured and miserable, with Pokemon flavor”, Bokurano is “Let’s have kids being tortured and miserable, with huge robots flavor”. It used to be a big deal at the time, until many other similar anime came out (Madoka Magica, Rainbow, Made in Abyss, Re:Zero) and made those shows to feel far less special. The sadistic pleasure many anime fans get from such anime though didn’t go away and to this day we get the same excuses of a show being realistic or deep or mature because it tortures endlessly its characters.

Anyways, you are not going to watch this anime for its animation, since it was made by the most lame Studio GONZO, and directed by someone who hated the source material and wanted to have his own twist. It was a disaster waiting to happen. WHO THE HELL GIVES PEOPLE TO DIRECT A SHOW THEY HATE? I’ll tell you who, GONZO does. They did their best to mutate the true meaning of the original manga as best as they could and to make the whole show as pathetic as possible. And yet a lot of people still liked it. There’s your maturity!

Anyways, you are not going to watch this anime for its plot, because it sucks ass. Kids pilot mecha to save the world, yuppie duppie doo, where have I heard that one before. It has the twist of kids dying when they use the mecha which leads to the whole misery motif so many like. It’s basically “Wow, I will be dead soon; how will I spend my last hours alive?” That aside the plot is slow and stupid. So you can pretty much screw the whole battle for the salvation of Earth. Although losing the battle automatically means that Earth will blow up, it’s not really the point at all. You can take out the robots and the salvation of Earth and it will make almost no difference. The story could easily be remade to be the last moments of children with terminal diseases. The robot battles are flashy extras that offer little to the actual plot, which is non-stop suffering. Having negative consequences is not the same as having convenient moments of tragedy, since they are so extreme to the point they don’t differ from any other classic mecha show where the good guys always win and all the buildings get fixed in a few days. It’s why whenever a civilian is killed, he will conveniently be a relative of the kid currently piloting the robot.

What ultimately ruins the premise is the simple fact that for most of the show the children will have no control over what is going on. They were tricked into a situation they didn’t know it had negatives and then they are expected to die one after the other for the greater good without again be able to do anything about it. Yes, if they disagree the world will be destroyed and all, but tricking the saviors into giving up their lives is not heroic at all. It’s evil. There is no way in hell I will describe the main characters as “realistic and sympathetic” as so many called them. They are typical kids with no control over what happens. I don’t want to be like them, they don’t inspire me, they are not heroic, and nobody with a healthy mind would want to be in their shoes. The only thing people remember about them is the tragic situation they are in, they don’t actually care about them as characters. If you don’t believe me, ask them if they can even remember how they are called. I bet you 90% of them won’t be able to mention a single name without looking it up. Also the director didn’t like the manga ending and changed it to a happy one, so all manga readers hated the anime for ruining the premise.

Also, I need to repeat that the mangaka really loves to torture children in more than one ways. As if being chosen to die ain’t enough he also makes sure their parents are assholes, their house gets burned, their girlfriends cheat on them, and someone kicks their puppy. All at the same time. I fail to see the realism so many are yapping about. It’s as miseryporn as it gets. Being miserable does not make something realistic, much less better than cheery series. It only means the watcher finds pleasure in the most overblown, impossible to believe, ludicrous things, as well as in the suffering of innocent people. Take that as you will.

Bokurano isn't a terrible anime, and it has some depth that almost makes it interesting enough for me to recommend it. It fails, though, as the plot flaws gnaw away at the core, which is revealed to be lackluster by the end.

So, I can't highly recommend this series. It starts off strong and may entice you with its passion, but turns out to be a barely above average series in the

Fairly decent animation and art, and very reminiscent of the odd disjointed style from this guy's previous work. Backgrounds are fairly well drawn, and the CGI is pretty.

The background music is very distracting at some points, but overall the show does well musically. I rate it slightly above average because the opening theme song is good.

I was quite quickly drawn into this series for its intensity and seeming exploration of multiple interesting topics, the same way I was drawn in this Manga-ka's previous work.

By the middle, however, I was getting a little tired of the roteness of the plot, as, though our storyline evolves well, what happens is the same basic thing just with different characters.

However, there's a fairly interesting storyline that develops over the 24 episodes, and it almost has an insightful depth that makes it worthwhile.

Unfortunately, by the end I was very disappointed by the anime. Several major plot flaws gave me the sense that some aspects of the WHYs behind what was going on in the anime weren't properly thought out, causing inconsistencies in the storyboard and an overall dullness which lessened the anime severely.

One of these major plot flaws lies in the battles, all of which but one last a very short amount of time, which serves to point out their poor use as devices for plot convenience.
Similarly, the moral questions aren't explored well, the psychological aspects are numb, and the questions of universal depth are barely skimmed.
So instead of a really interesting series with incredible depth, it felt like I was almost watching this really cool event, if only the story delved just a little more deeply into what was going on.

Overall, therefore, Bokurano is interesting but flawed. The story is so close but not there.

So, it's an ok series, just nothing overly special, and in the end promises more than it delivers, despite a good ending.

The characters are fairly well differentiated and developed and so interesting to watch. I wish we'd seen more of them in each of the other episodes but their own little bit of fame, but they're used fairly well despite.

Bokurano is overall a fairly interesting series, but the underdeveloped battle sequences and superficiality make this one a bit hard to be passionate about.

It's decent, but I don't highly recommend it to you.

<<PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW>>

If you've ever read one of my reviews before, you'll find that I try not to give much information on the show away but still able to point out highlights that are important all the same. That and I typically will write on the pros and cons, but maintain positive outlooks on the shows I review (not biased) but able to point out good points, or if needed, redeeming points of worth.

Animation:
Gonzo animation, extreme quality here. The style is done in a very realistic, almost hand-drawn fashion and mirrors our world quite well. What stands out the most is how nothing stands out - everything looks ordinary (which I'll comment on later), quite fitting as it seems to be a common theme throughout.

At some points the backgrounds were nicely made, but I believe the attention was almost fully focused on the characters. Speaking of characters, they were perfectly proportioned to real life. Great job on the animatics.

Sound:
The opening theme was catchy, I immediately liked it right away and would even watch it through on some episodes instead of skipping it. The rest of the music didn't seem to phase me as much; there were battle themes and sorrowful slow themes that were there and seemed to fit, just nothing impressive.

Voice acting was on when it needed to be, the characters were a bit younger than their voice actors were I believe, but considering the story, a bit of maturity was required. An okay trade-off.

Story:
Bokura no simply put is a tragedy. Not like "a real cryin' shame" tragedy, but a tragedy of cosmic proportions. It truly asks the impossible of your mind and hence asks the same questions for the characters. What would you do if facing a lose-lose situation where the stakes are pitted against you in such stacking odds that you'd be faced to make decisions regarding the entire world that even most adults never have to make?

At the beginning, 15 children of introduced to a "game" in which they are to defeat fifteen monsters to prevent the world's destruction. The price of winning is just as unsavory as the price of losing.

Herein lies the beauty of this show. Ordinary children living ordinary lives... and their reactions and separate emotions with each varying personality. Episode to episode typically focuses on one child to examplify their personality and background, though some of the episodes towards the end spend more time on a few and the story arc.

Some elements were introduced, such as the overall reason and cause for these series of events taking place in the first place, but hardly followed up on, mostly due to the characters' inability to due so. While this DOES follow the continuity of the show itself, it does leave one wondering some questions at the end.

Character:
For what it's worth, I'd love to rate the characters at a 10, but it's just not possible due to the nature of the series. Character development balances on the opposite end of quality here. The characters are realistic and full, each of them has a distinct personality and even moral code. Unfortunately they can only be given an average of one or two episodes to follow and explain them.

I had a hard time keeping track of over 15 names (30 if you include surnames) and typically didn't remember the name of the character until their particular episode came up. Even then, after that the names started to fade into a quick memory.

Value:
I thought extremely highly of the moral and philosophical questions presented throughout this anime. Questions like "how do you choose between which lives to save and which lives to destroy" as well as "how do you summon the courage to be an unknown hero, or destoryer, or even martyr? And most importantly of all, how would the little things, even daily things, in your life change after such revelations?

These questions give the show great replay value in that you could relate from situation to situation. The twists involved, however are almost a one-time thing. Once you know them it won't be exactly the same the second time around, but the first time around certainly was a shock to my system. Utterly horrific.

Enjoyment:
There were definitely points that sent shivers down my spine due to the the sheer scape of what the show was asking me contemplate, yet each episode seemed rudimentary and almost TOO of the norm, especially with an ending that was not a flashy show, but a quiet reflection.

Summary:
Bokura no should pierce even the darkest hearts with its message of what sacrifice means. While the series uses mecha, I would not really classify this completely as Mecha since many times the scenes were faded out, as you knew the result ahead of time. Instead, the mecha is simply a medium to shake your humanity to the core, possibly at the in-humanity which could exist. Be prepared, for it will leave you with a bittersweet feeling, but a lasting respect for life and the lives we have.