BBK/BRNK (BUBUKI/BURANKI)
[Official Site] [ANN Entry] [MAL Entry] [Crunchyroll]
It Didn't Interest Me Because…: I'm not the biggest fan of CGI and it didn't grab me immediately—even though the combination of SANZIGEN celebrating its 10th anniversary and it being their first foray into the giant robot genre should…
…But I Decided to Give It a Look, Anyway, Since…: It was SANZIGEN's 10 anniversary project and I am always generally intrigued by what studios will do for such commemorations. Also, I have a lot of respect for them and their quality of work (despite my CGI reservations), and growing favorite Masaru Yokoyama (Your lie in April, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS) and Yuusuke Kozaki (Fire Emblem Awakening / Fates/If, Intrigue in the Bakumatsu - Irohanihoheto) were providing the score and the character designs, respectively…
…And I Wound Up Liking It, As…: It turned out to be a really good, really entertaining show, far better than I anticipated and surprisingly so in a number of areas…
—I'll be blunt: after I saw the initial announcement and shrugged my shoulders with middling interest, I completely forgot it even existed, even with Yokoyama and Kozaki in the mix. It only caught my eye when I saw a weirdly-titled show debuting on Crunchyroll, called "BBK/BRNK". Only upon checking out ANN was my memory jogged—but not much of my interest. My tune changed dramatically from the first scenes, quickly taken aback by its art style, detail, and the quality of its animation (for Japanese CGI, that is, which lags behind the U.S., but as with 2D, has begun to distinguish itself with its artistry and imaginative use in the last two to three years…).
The staff made the interesting decision to not only use a 2D-type frame rate (a frequent choice by Japanese artists to mimic the feel of 2D animation), but also a 2D-style rendering of its characters. That led to some mixed results (higher rate of off-modeling, compared to the singular, consistent models found in typical 3D animation), but the implementation was intriguing, nonetheless, and worked more than it didn't over time. There was also a clear Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, KILL la KILL) influence to its animation, if not the story—perhaps not too surprising given his work at the studio for Black Rock Shooter (TV)'s action scenes and its proximity as an Ultra Super Pictures' stablemate alongside his TRIGGER studio (which itself commemorated its fifth birthday this year with his SPACE PATROL LULUCO short series).
The concept of five teens being drawn together to fight an authoritarian villain and their generals is nothing new, whether via weapons or mecha (or in here, both), but the narrative was still utilized quite well, as it placed little spins on it and applied some of its mecha aspects in apt and still-refreshing ways. As entertaining and memorable as the characters were, enthralling its awesome fight scenes, or inspired its artistry, I can also unequivocally say it may not be to everyone's tastes—and for the very same things I applauded it over, to say nothing of its all-CGI production and it peculiarities. Moreover, in light of opinions and polls, it has difficult to get a gauge on how regarded or disregarded it actually is. Guess one will just have to see for themselves…
BAKUON!!
[Official Site] [ANN Entry] [MAL Entry] [Crunchyroll]
It Didn't Interest Me Because…: …OK, well, this sort of interested me, but only in seeing TMS possibly trying to strike gold again in the world of bikes (following Yowamusha Pedal), only this time with a high school motorcycle club populated by girls. I like TMS and liked the concept (despite being tired of "H.S. club" premises), but its cringe-inducing first episode, with all of its odd, trying-way-too-hard-to-be-absurd "humor" and awkwardness, made me want to instantly drop it afterwards—something I haven't done in years…
…But I Decided to Give It a(nother) Look, Anyway, Since…: Past experiences said to give something more of a chance beyond its first episode. But really, I was morbidly curious about whether it would actually get better, or just keep being awful (which seemed like the more likely scenario)…
…And I Wound Up Liking It, As…: Just its premiere episode seemed to be poor, with the rest of the show turning out to be very funny, very weird, and very good!
—As lenient and patient as I can be in waiting for a show to get good (Glass Fleet and M3 come to mind), I was ready to bow out of BAKUON!! quick. My tolerance for try-too-hard shows, particularly comedic or absurdist ones, tend to run lower and Ep. 1 tested mine on both fronts. Perhaps I wasn't feeling it that night, but I had a difficult time keeping up with what was going on, pondering about the counter, rolling my eyes over its inserts of fanservice, and being more annoyed than amused at its double entendre-spewing transgender motorcycle(!). Yes, not even that or the equally (or more) unexpected JFK reference(?!) were enough to fill me with enthusiasm for a second episode.
However, episodes two and beyond showed that BAKUON!! was far better than its start. Despite its club backdrop, it was actually an inspired series filled with caustic humor (with a few spiritual nods to venerable auto show Top Gear—female Stig included!), some of the most absurd bits of absurdity around (when you see one biker that appears periodically…yes…that's right…). With all of the strangeness around, even the smidgen of out-of-nowhere fanservice escalation didn't feel out-of-place. The characters, in addition, were enjoyable, their designs very nice, and the animation production—while not always to fidelity—was solid and pleasantly colorful. It may have tripped up at first, but the paean to motorcycle culture and fandom still proved its worth in the end.
(On a side note, the show also features real-life motorcycle brands and sponsorship…and can be absolutely brutal in ribbing them and pointing out their shortcomings. I assume this is either a channeling of Top Gear, a thing in motorcycle culture, and/or something that occurred in the original manga. Regardless, it can both be amusing and breathtaking to hear a sponsor picked-on so, compared to the usual product placement shilling one's accustomed to…)
KONOSUBA - God's blessing on this wonderful world!! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!)
[Official Site] [ANN Entry] [MAL Entry] [Crunchyroll]
It Didn't Interest Me Because…: The whisked-to/takes-place in-a-fantasy-RPG-like-world premise has been beaten to death in record time…
…But I Decided to Give It a Look, Anyway, Since…: There were some clips from the show that looked funny, so I figured I would (reluctantly) give it one or two episodes…
…And I Wound Up Liking It, As…: It was the kind of acerbic riffing the genre was overripe for…and it was a really good show, in general…
—KONOSUBA is one of those shows that you are very happy to have given a watch. From the start, you get the impression that it is not your standard aforementioned fare, as a douchey NEET main manages to drag a selfish, greedy goddess with him to an alternate world after a series of hapless events, where they later join up with a slightly-delusional, one-move-only mage and a semi-worthless, though well-meaning, knight who is dedicated to protecting others for all the wrong reasons. Undoubtedly, the series is the antithesis of heroic fantasy tales, and plays out like a more "realistic" version of how such a story would play out.
There was a lot of "wrong" in KONOSUBA and it was both what made it great, but understandably, a turn-off for some viewers. While a strong current of mean-spiritedness ran underneath its humor and everyone received their share of embarrassing moments and insults, they came off far more hilariously than not. If anything, the imperfections made the characters and their ungainly camaraderie more endearing than otherwise (which truly shined in battles, as the band put their skills to work with all the grace of a neophyte drunken master).
It was those chief aspects that made KONOSUBA so great and refreshing in a genre filled with so many "special" protagonist wunderkinds and routine fantasy traits around (one episode where they cross paths with such a character goes as well as one might expect for him…). It successfully pulled off a feat with its brand of chiding parody and humor that is simple to accomplish. The loose animation style befitted such a crooked tale and the acting was a highlight unto itself. Altogether, it formed a very witty and piquant show that had me laughing the hardest I had in a good long while…
As KONOSUBA so finely illustrated alone, not every title that seems uninteresting or mediocre at first glance turns out to actually be so. As such, in the midst of finding something to watch, try to give that series you passed on or thought didn't interest you a shot. You'll never know if it will become one of your new favorites…
[P.S.: Post Date: June 30, Actual Post Date: July 9. Backlog from previous month.]
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