“Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them”. This quote from the famous Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi, can be applied to a lot of things. Take Anime for example. With the enormous amount of shows on offer, there are definitely going to be series that might on the surface look like another familiair or even classic show. It might even seem that it would try to cash in on the succes of such a show, instead of being original. However, that this might not always be the case, and that sometimes you just need to look a bit further, is definitely proven by the anime Bokurano.
It is summer vacation when a group of 15 children go to the beach in order to enjoy themselves. Not before long they discover a strange and mysterious cave, where they meet a man called Kokopelli. He tells them that he is a designer of videogames, and that he is currently working on his latest game. In it, a giant robot will take the role as defender of the Earth, against 15 other enemy robots that will appear. Kokopelli asks the children if they might be interested in testing the game. All they have to do is place their hands on a device, and with that they sign the contract as exclusive gametesters. Ofcourse thinking this is a truly awesome chance, they are more than happy to agree. Soon after though, they discover that this “game” is the real thing, and they become locked in a struggle for the very survival of Earth….and themselves….
When Bokurano first started, I found it to have more than a striking resemblance to a certain classic animeseries called Neon Genesis Evangelion. However as the series progresses, it became something completely different indeed. This is without a doubt one of the darkest animeshows I have seen to date. Without spoiling things, let me just say that the stakes in this series are very high, and that you at times might not believe what these young children are put through. The cast of characters is awesome, but besides that being one of the shows greatest strengths, it is also one of it’s greatest weaknesses. Because the cast of characters is so large, it is at times hard to keep track of who everyone is. Stick with it though, because that definitely improves with each episode. The mecha in this show are pretty oldschool, and not as sleek as for instance the robots in a series like Gundam Wing. These are giant lumbering behemoths, as shown in the picture above, where the ground shakes with every step they take.
Speaking of oldschool, the animation of this series has a bit of a classic feel to it. As I highly enjoy the classic Animeseries such as Macross and Starblazers, I found this only added to the dark tone of this series. The opening music is one of those songs that pretty much will stick around in your head all day after you hear it. I have included it here for your listening pleasure (and to make sure it will stick around in your head as well). All kidding aside, this series will not be for everyone. It’s dark tones, and sometimes truly depressing episodes, will not be enjoyed by people who at least would like to have a few bright points in a show. That said, overall I liked this series. It certainly had a few episodes where the pace slowed down a bit, but this also served to shed a good background on some of the characters. Before I give the final grade, I want to thank Karandi from 100wordanime , who recommended this series in the first place. If you have not yet discovered her amazing blog, do so. It is truly awesome!
I give Bokurano a 8 out 10 score.
Great review! I actually have not heard of this series, so congratulations on watching something before me. It’s usually the other way around, right?
This sounds pretty cool from the description, and looks alright for a 2007 anime. I might just check it out after the year end.
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Thank you, no you are definitely right about that not happening very often lol 😂 I have so much that I still need to watch, that at times I wonder if I am going to finish it all, before I live in a retirement home 😀 As for Bokurano, I think you will like it. As mentioned, it is a very dark show, but I found the story to be very gripping, with enough twists along the way to keep things interesting 😀 Hope you will enjoy it: thanks for your response!
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Glad you enjoyed it, though you can see now why it ended up on my Halloween list given the dark tones in the show. That said, I really enjoy watching this as I still can’t believe where the show takes the basic set up and just what they put these characters through.
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Totally agree with you on that. I really felt that sense of dread every time the chairs started spinning again. It almost felt at times like watching a game of Russian roulette to make a comparison. I am glad to have watched it, as I really like the dark shows anyway 😀
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Thank you very much😀 I just looked at your blog too, It looks amazing so decided to follow it 😊
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You’r welcome, friend 🙂
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…yeah that tune’s going to stuck in my head for a while.
Great review. It makes me want to watch this show even more than I did before. I don’t mind dark tones at all, quite the opposite actually, so that’s not an issue. Fun fact, it was Karandi’s halloween list that got me interested in this anime as well.
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Haha…sorry about that 😀 Yesterday it was stuck in my head for the entire day (watched the final 8 episodes lol 😂). Nope…same with me, I also highly enjoy dark series and atmosphere, so I don’t mind it at all actually 😀 Haha, yes the next series I have started with was also in Karandi’s blog: Alderamin on the Sky. But I don’t mind getting those kind of recommendations at all (except for the fact that my to watch list has grown comsiderably 😂😂)
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Awesome review! I actually read the manga for Bokurano awhile ago , and was thinking of giving the anime a shot. I remember the ending of the manga had me in tears ;_;
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Thank you very much 😀Well, trust me on this: you will shed some tears in the Anime to. Some real twists and turns throughout all the episodes. I have not yet had the pleasure to read the manga, but maybe I will one day 😀
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Another great review! My to-watch/read list is now at a ridiculous length lol. I can’t wait for the day I can just sit back and devour that list. I enjoy dark and light anime/movies alike so I’ll probably really like this one too.
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Thank you very much 😀Haha, I have stopped calling mine a to watch list, but switched to calling it a to watch book lol 😂😂
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Lmao!! Hahaha!! 😂 I should just do the same 😁
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I was terrible at mech title Armored Core on the PlayStation. If I were picked to test this “game” the Earth would be screwed.
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Haha 😂😂😂 Oh man, really had to laugh at this one. I was exactly the same with that game. I kept crashing into everything and most of the time even failed to shoot my weapons straight lol. If it would be a game of Doom though, the Earth would definitely be saved by me 😀😀
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Yes! I’m glad there are people who know about Bokurano. That’s one anime I should rewatch. Definitely an underrated series.
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Thank you!. And I agree, that one was really underrated. When I first started watching I thought it was just a Neon Genesis clone….but it totally wasn’t. Really great series, with a very dark and depressing atmosphere. Enjoyed it very much! 😊
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You’re welcome. I did think it would be an EVA clone at first when I checked out, and like you, I was certainly proven wrong. Have you ever seen Mohiro Kitoh’s other series called Shadow Star Narutaru?
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I had not heard of that one, nor have I seen it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. There are so many animes I have yet to see though, that I probably won’t be able to finish them all in this lifetime 😊😊
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No problem. I remember seeing it years ago. If Bokurano was a dark subversion of mecha, then Shadow Star is that for the mon genre (Pokémon, Digimon, etc). The manga goes farther, but I heard it gets way more brutal than the anime. I agree with there being so many anime series that are on a queue since I also review that stuff in addition to indie movies, documentaries, world cinema, and short films on one of my other blogs. It’s tough because of the adult life of paying bills, working, and other important stuff. Hahaha!
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Haha…so true, I have always said I would wish there were more hours in a day 😂😂
The anime sounds cool though…hope to check it out at some point 😊
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Same here. Not just for watching things, but for getting my other projects done quicker.
It would be nice to rewatch it and review that series. If you’re curious, my review blog is at http://iridiumeye.wordpress.com. I do review some anime, but also love action stuff from all over the world, too. I have also reviewed movies that were made in the Netherlands like Storm or partially in that country like the Dutch-language Belgian film Ben X for example.
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Thanks for providing the link . I will definitely check that out somewhere this week 😊😊 Sounds cool!
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Sure thing. Let me know when you get to check it out.
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