Forum - View topicA reason to keep watching Bokurano?
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EonsNearby
Posts: 4 |
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I'm currently watching Bokurano for the first time (1 episode per day because of my busy schedule). I'm up to episode 8 thus far. I'm enjoying it enough, but I'm concerned about something. I don't really like any of the 14 kids in the series (I can't even remember any of their names), and I feel like the main reason I'm watching the series is because spoiler[I get to see the kids die when they finish piloting Zearth]. Sure, I do like that the series takes a different perspective on the mech genre (like the impact of the collateral damage), but my concern is that I'll get to the end of the series and I won't even care to remember any of the names of the 14 kids (and I have this weird rule with anime that if by the end of the series I can't bring myself to care about any of the main characters, then I deem the series a waste of time and forget about it). I just want to know if anyone honestly really liked any of the kids.
Also, please don't tell me to read the manga (I'm not a big manga reader). |
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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I only saw the first episode, but while the manga does have a worthwhile ending, I heard that the anime's ending is significantly different from the manga, so I don't know if the anime's ending is also worthwhile.
That being said, I don't think you're really supposed to get attached to the characters. It's less a character-driven story, and more a series of psychological case studies on how the characters react to their situation. The manga even makes it more clear, by naming the chapters after the characters. I'm not telling you to read the manga, just that the manga does have a solid ending and make sense, and that I've been told the anime is much different. |
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EonsNearby
Posts: 4 |
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I guess that makes sense (and I picked up on the fact that you weren't telling me to read the manga). I don't really watch a lot of anime that aren't character driven. I don't know if this is an example of a non-character driven series, but I really liked Mononoke (I'm not talking about Princess Mononoke, though that is a great movie). Mononoke ranks in like my top 5 and the Medicine Seller is one of my favorite anime characters ever, even though I don't know much about him. I'm not trying to ask if Bokurano is similar to Mononoke (I can tell they aren't even close), but I just wanted to clarify about my stance on character-driven series.
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3970 Location: New York state. |
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Without spoiling too much, the anime ending is made to be a bit more bittersweet with its conclusion compared to the manga which ended on a more downer note. The mangka of the series, Mohiro Kitoh, is known to making works that are very cynical in their settings as they make children suffer through varying degrees of psychological and physical suffering, and having some rather depressing endings. Narutaru is perhaps Kitoh's most infamous work with employing these story elements, being bad enough as such where Dark Horse canned future publication of the series in America years earlier during the middle of its run once they caught on to what kind of series Narutaru was.
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EonsNearby
Posts: 4 |
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BTW, just a heads up, I really don't mind spoilers (I think that if something is truly great, it can be enjoyed regardless of whether or not you know what happens). I just used the spoiler tag as a courtesy to other people who care about spoilers.
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louis6578
 Posts: 1876 |
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The anime's ending (to me at least) felt hollow. It felt like the adaptation, even when it had the parts of the manga done completely accurately, lacked the "oomph" that the manga had. Maybe it was poorly produced or directed (Studio Gonzo after all). I also didn't care for how many of the kids were given bland personalities that we were supposed to identify with as "oh dear, they're going to die so we should like them."
The worst of it is a certain romance that shows up 2/3's of the way through and amounts to nothing. spoiler[Without spoiling too much, the girl of the romance is crying because her battle is coming up, the boy comforts her, she smiles and accepts her fate. After her battle, she dies in his arms (oh my bloody tears) and he shouts at Dung Beatle for being a bastard (like its his fault somehow and like this wasn't going to happen anyway). This is a shame because in the manga those two had some of the best arcs in the whole story.] That brings me to my next point, the show felt like it needed to have a villain. Dung Beatle is less of the snarky jerk he was in the manga (who turns out to have a big heart) and more like Eric Cartman 2.0 minus the comedic side. I'm not saying that they shouldn't take liberties, but these things take away from the story more so than they give. We don't need a villain in this story. It's all about children coming to terms with their mortality and the choice to die saving the world or with it. That's a beautiful concept on its own. Also, while we're on unnecessary characters, that Yakuza comic relief guy was just painful. Putting him in the show was the equivalent of putting a stand-up comedian in a Death Camp to "liven things up." I'm not saying you can't have your own Han Solo or something, but is it really that hard to make it one of the kids? Maybe even have some lightheartedness between the kids and the military or their parents. The Yakuza guy just made me cringe. Many of the kids' arcs were dimmed down and even replaced with complete nothing at points. There were times when the kids' fights were overshadowed by the government trying to undo their contract. Why is this so annoying? Because we, as the audience, know that there's no chance of this being undone. Had the military done this throughout the first quarter or even half of the show, it would be forgivable, but it feels so unneeded as it continues until only two children (plus Kana who isn't contracted in the anime) remain. The manga ended with a bittersweet optimistic message in my eyes, while the anime felt like it was trying too hard to say something, yet had no words to say. |
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