Bokurano review

GONZO have come under a lot of flak recently for what many have seen as a severe drop in standards in their work, and resorting to fanservice, in shows such as Strike Witches. But what most people forget is the fairly impressive standard from which they fell. I am still a fan of many of the studio's earlier works, and shows such as Last Exile really show off their prowess. Another older title that is perhaps not so well known in the West- but deserves to be- is Bokurano (which translates as Ours).

There may be a few spoilers, but I won't reveal the (awesome) twist that comes around the middle of the series, or any subsequent events.


If you've seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, the beginnings of the two shows have a similar feel. Bokurano opens on a small island in Japan (where else?), where a group of 15 children have gone for a summer nature school. After a brief scene that serves to introduce the various characters, one of them suggests that they venture into a nearby cave to explore. Inside, to everyone's surprise, they find some computers, and it looks as if someone is living there. Just then, a white-haired man enters, and introduces himself as Kokopelli. He tells the group that he is creating a video game, and asks them to try it out for him. The idea behind the game is that 15 huge beings will attack the Earth, and a giant robot, piloted by the children, will fight them off. If they fail, the Earth will be destroyed. The children agree, and all place their hands on a strange plate, completing the contract to seal them into the game.


As soon as that is done, the children wake up on the beach. Assuming it to have been a strange dream, they start to return to the house, but at that moment, the giant robot that Kokopelli had told them about appears right beside the island. After teleporting them into the cockpit, Kokopelli teaches the children how to pilot the robot, and demonstrates by defeating the first enemy. It's not long after this battle that they meet the strange floating creature Koemushi, or Dung Beetle, who takes care of the robot, and the cockpit is fitted with a chair for each child. The second battle is also close, and a pilot is chosen.


Up until this point, it's a pretty cool, if seemingly generic robot show. However, events soon take a turn for the mysterious, as the first pilot dies soon after his battle, and suspicions are raised about another of the group. It is revealed that piloting the robot, named Zearth by the children, comes at a cost- that of the pilot's life.


With these dark overtones to the series, comparisons to Evangelion are well-founded. Zearth has a rounded, more organic design than "traditional" giant robots, and the enemies also vary wildly in shape and abilities. The pilots also have different approaches to their role, and the range of characters is one of the best points of the series. Despite not reaching quite the dizzying level of complex theological conspiracy that Evangelion manages, Bokurano also takes an impressive turn around halfway through, evolving from an above-par giant robot show to something altogether more interesting. I genuinely didn't predict many of the revelations in the plot, which is fairly unusual for me, and really shows the strength of the writing.


Although the overarching plot is exceptionally good, the real attraction of this series lies in its characters. With 15 children, not to mention other side characters who are later introduced, you would probably expect the show to fall apart under its own weight. But impressively, it manages to give a good insight into all of the children, and their many different backgrounds and motives. Early episodes follow a similar formula, in which we delve into the life of the chosen pilot, view some significant flashbacks and a bit of their daily life, before they take the controls of Zearth, and pass away. All of the characters are interesting, and although some of them are inevitably a bit stereotypical (the politician's daughter, the emo kid, the caring orphan who looks out for his siblings), they are portrayed in a way that doesn't feel too old. Also, the show is unafraid to kill off characters. This is fairly unavoidable if your plot revolves around people paying with their lives, but there are more deaths than just the contracted children, and fortunately they serve to enhance the story.


Given that they advertise themselves as creators of "digimation", you would expect GONZO's CG work to be fairly impressive. Zearth and its opponents are all quite obviously rendered digitally, and show a good amount of imagination and detail. Fight scenes are fairly well animated, although mostly consist of Zearth bashing its foe in a strangely comical manner. You would expect a giant robot to have some sort of guns or lasers, but the beams are only used occasionally. The rest of the animation is solid, maintaining a level of fairly average detail. The odd scene (especially when showing cars moving) is a bit shoddy, but it's always made up for by a particularly good scene, usually within the same episode. The art style itself is slightly unusual, and some have accused it of being overly basic, but I found it appealing and fitting for the series.


The sound in Bokurano is again solid. My favourite bit is the "woo" sound that Koemushi makes as he flies around, although I'm sure it's the same sound Chise makes in Saikano (another GONZO series, so that's probably not a coincidence). Background music is fine, though not really memorable. The only piece that really stands out for me is the opening, Uninstall, by Chiaki Ishikawa. It's a pretty funky song with downbeat, yet oddly uplifting lyrics (or maybe that's just me...) and sets the tone for the series pretty well. Also, make sure to pay attention to the opening animation, because it's composed almost entirely of clips taken from the show, although some are slightly edited to avoid spoilers. If you're watching the show and think "now where have I seen that image before?", it was probably in the opening.


I haven't read the original manga, but the ending of the anime deviates from it. The director, Hiroyuki Morita (you might know him as the director of The Cat Returns) disliked the original story, and requested permission from the author to alter the ending. In my opinion, the show ends in a slightly predictable, but fitting way, and I'm definitely going to seek out the manga to see how that goes.


As far as I know, Bokurano hasn't been licensed for distribution in the West (although FUNimation sent out C&D letters regarding it). It's a real shame, as this is a series with intelligence, warmth and originality. If you have the chance, I would definitely suggest that you check it out.

Overall rating:
4 - 4 - 5 - 2
15/17 - Fantastic