Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Bento, Ben-Tou Japanese: ベン・トー
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 9, 2011 to Dec 25, 2011
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.671 (scored by 15151 users)
Ranked: #8682
Popularity: #474
Members: 26,121
Favorites: 144 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
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SynopsisSato Yo is a high school boy who likes SEGA games. One day, he enters a grocery store to buy some food for dinner. When he tries to take a bento box, he loses consciousness. He comes around to find all the bento sold out. He notices there is a war game going on at grocery stores and players called "Wolves" compete for the half-priced bento. Yarizui Sen, the leader of the Half-Pricer Club, forces Yo to join the club and he enters the bento war. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Ben-To
Other: Ben-To Picture Drama
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
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Itagaki, Shin
Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Animation Director, Series Composition |
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Tsuda, Naokatsu
Episode Director, Storyboard |
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Kato, Toshiyuki
Episode Director, Storyboard |
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Fudeyasu, Kazuyuki
Script, Series Composition |
Reviews
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Archaeon
86 of 142 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Times are hard, and in these days of global economic crisis and recession more and more people have joined the hunt to find the best bargains. As with anything in life though, experience is what counts, and veterans in the ways of saving money will usually have the upper hand in the war of the aisles. While there are a few young hotshots who have a natural talent for finding a store's bargain products, the truth is that wherever there are discounted groceries, there will undoubtedly be kings and queens who rule over them.
Now it may sound as though that whole paragraph is nothing more than a flowery representation of Ben-Tou, Asuara's light novel series (and its anime and manga adaptations), about Satou You, a highschool student who unwittingly becomes embroiled in an all-out brawl between people wanting half-price ready meals, but that's actually incorrect. Surprisingly, it's more akin to the reality of discount shopping than most people think, but while there's generally a lot of shoving, actual combat is ... uncommon.
Ben-Tou has a relatively simple storyline that isn't encumbered with complex philosophical questions or existential uncertainties. The plot is straightforward, but very typically shounen in its repetitiveness and predictability, which may explain why there are attempts towards the end of the series to add a layer of depth to the narrative. Unfortunately it doesn't really work as the show spends too much time trying to be funny, justifying all out brawls in grocery stores (which never seem to attract the attention of the police), and servicing hormone crazed teenagers.
The sad thing is that Ben-Tou has potential as a concept, but when it comes to execution the author, and then everyone else, seem to have left their artistic sensibilities by the wayside. There are some genuinely good flashes of inspiration in the narrative that come about because of the fact that each territory is "ruled" by the strongest fighter (or "wolf"), in that area. Sadly these sparks of inspiration never really amount to anything, and the anime becomes little more than a parade of characters, brawls, inane comedy and pointless fanservice.
Given that this is supposed to be an action anime, one would assume that the emphasis would be on making the combat scenes look good, but unfortunately that isn't the case. The characters are decent enough, but the reliance on stereotypes can make some viewers think that the designers lacked imagination. In addition to that, the settings for many of the show's fight scenes are grocery stores, so it's remarkable that the post-battle shop floors remain unscathed. The animation quality is fairly reasonable, but it's not up to the standard that David Production are capable of (they made Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra), and the series can sometimes look like a rush job (which may explain the unusual postures and the odd jumps and glitches).
The opening sequence features the song "Live for Life: Ōkamitachi no Yoru" by Manami, an upbeat rock song set against a backdrop of character introductions, action and fanservice that make a surprisingly accurate presentation of the show's content. There's also an additional introduction for episode four that focuses on Shaga Ayame while "Treasure" by Kato Emiri plays out in the background. The melodic ballad used for the ending theme, "Egao no Housoku" by Ise Mariya, serves as a nice counterpoint to each episode, and the rather placid sequence fits well with the idea that it's a post-battle scene.
As for the rest of the music, although the series is well served in the variety of pieces on offer, the usage of particular tracks can seem a little repetitive.
Ben-Tou likes to wear its shounen heart on its sleeve, so the dialogue is filled with juvenile sentiment and lots of shouting. Like almost every other action/harem/comedy/fanservice anime out there, the script is a little too reliant on familiarity with the genre, but within that there are a few decent little deviations from the norm (mainly about fighting for discounted food). Unfortunately the acting is pretty much what one would expect from this type of show - lots of effort and not much actual skill, but maybe that's to be expected. The four leads have little experience with serious roles, which isn't an indictment of their abilities, but rather an observation about the anime industry's propensity for churning out mediocre titles that cater to the minority of fans.
Seriously, stop wasting talent. It's too hard to come by.
In true shounen fashion the characters are about as one-dimensional as they come, and there's very little in the way of refinement throughout the series. That said, the main focus of the story isn't to develop each person, but rather to put them in situations where the warrior mentality can be prominently displayed. Unfortunately it doesn't work out that way as Ben-Tou is a veritable who's who of stereotypes, and pretty much every trait and personality associated with genre are on display, especially the wishy-washy lead male - Satou You. The problem is that viewers may become too familiar with a character's behaviour outside of combat, so watching them fight can often raise several questions, the main one being why does someone who is supposedly capable keep getting slapped around by Shiraume Ume.
Like many harem lead males, Satou You seems to be a bit of a masochist.
As a concept, Ben-Tou has some merit, but somewhere along the way a decision was made to try and appeal to a specific fanbase, and that's what ultimately lets the show down. The addition of multiple love-interests, inane comedy, innuendo and fanservice seem tacky at best, and can often feel more like hasty additions to the plot. Although there is some entertainment value in the series, this is mainly due to the fact that audiences can watch this as though it was a half-decent action movie.
The truth is that Ben-Tou could have held up a mirror to the real-life tribulations of discount shopping, but sadly the show fails to realise its potential because it tries too hard to jump on the harem/comedy bandwagon, and this gets in the way of it being a true parody. read more
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LottiiUndead
80 of 154 people found this review helpful
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12 episodes
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
BEN-TO looks like one of those animes you would compare to the rest of the season then decide not to watch it but if you do that then your really missing out of some of the best laughs and entertainment for a long time.
Story:
Sato Yo is just a normal teenager who likes video games,he wakes up on the floor of the grocery store not remembering what had led him there,then he finds out though a girl who was in the store that he was beaten up because of the war games where students fight to get half price BEN-TO,interested Sato Yu joins in and try's to become a "Wolf"(top fighter).
What I like about the story is that it is very funny and overdone in a good way like the first season of Baka to test and Sato Yo isn't one of those characters who is a loser that would take the whole season just to win just one fight,and the uctual fights are really cool,there a mass of people punching and kicking each and getting severe injuries over BEN-TO ! XD and I like how these is a whole system of ranks and special names for the top fighters.(Great 9)
Art:
The art isn't "OMG look at the animacion" but ain't bad either,all the characters faces and eyes are in the right places,you can't complain about it becuase it's better then average with all these lazy animators nowadays,it looks good in high quality on the TV.(Great 9)
Sound:
The opening is cool while the ending song is a nice slow one and the backgorund music when there fighting is a up beat song that is just the right one for the mood of the anime.(Great 9)
Character:
The reason I picked up this anime was because one of the main girl characters Sen Yarizui(aka the Ice witch) caught my eye and that rarely happerns with me,she's cute and unique looking and I also liked the look of Yuu Kaneshiro(the wizard),so far there isn't a character I don't like.(Outstanding 10)
Enjoyment:
I don't even understand why I enjoy this anime so much but I can't help smiling and getting exicted rooting for the characters! Very very funny and I don't get bored at all witch is something to say for me.(Outstanding 10)
Overall:
Very enjoyable :D (9 Great)
Add this to you MAL list now and don't miss out on the laughter and enjoyment of this anime! BEN-TO ! BEN-TO ! I won''t forget you !
Even thought this is still ongoing I'm already wanting a second season because this deserves one way more than Kore wa Zombie .
read more
Recommendations
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They are similar in the fact of having a cute shy main character who ends up in the center of a big competition.
The comedy is fairly similar.
The "weak" protagonist (really, it's just that everyone else is too strong) is often subjected to physical punishment. In Baka Test it's getting his butt handed to him in summoning fights and by tsunderes, while in Ben-To he gets his ass kicked plain and simple... over food. (Don't worry though, they both overcome their underdog status in their own way)
They also both have a sort-of stalker who's weak to romace cliches. A male in BakaTest, a female in Ben-To. Also, they're also both poor, starving students.
The difference is the protagonist of Ben-To isn't "the dumbest idiot around".
Yoshii Akihisa (Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu) and You Satou (Ben-to) Have the same Voice Actors (Hiro Shimono)
Both shows fight for one thing that isn't normally fought about (Grades and Half-priced food)
Both have the same Ecchi-like comedy style
The randomness, the action and the comedy go hand in hand with these two shows.
If you like one of them you'll probably like the other
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What kind of Anime do you end up with when you take something you honestly don't expect? You end up with things like "Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?" and "Ben-To".
Both protagonists are semi-perverse characters who through certain circumstances obtain fighting skills and are suddenly surrounded by attractive women. They have very similar humor styles, and do have action in it but really doesn't rely on the action portion as much as the comedy. Both have a quite a bit of fan service.
both have a history of ecchi and comedy mixed together and this causes them to be very good
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Opening Theme#1: "LIVE for LIFE ~Ookamitachi no Yoru~ (LIVE for LIFE ～狼たちの夜～)" by Aimi (eps 1-3, 5-11)
#2: "Treasure" by Emiri Kato (ep 4)
#3: "Egao no Housoku (笑顔の法則)" by Mariya Ise (ep 12)
Ending Theme#1: "Egao no Housoku (笑顔の法則)" by Mariya Ise (eps 1-11)
#2: "LIVE for LIFE ~Ookamitachi no Yoru~ (LIVE for LIFE ～狼たちの夜～)" by Aimi (ep 12)
Fansubbing Groups
Which fansubbers do you like the best? Click + to approve of their subs for this show. Click - if you don't think they did such a great job.
Related ClubsYuuki Aoi fanclub, AnimeServ Club, Shimono Hiro FC, Ben-To Fan Club, Arabic Yuri/ Shoujo ai Club $~(•.•)~$, Delinquents Club, Okamoto Nobuhiko FC, Shaga, Ayame, Ume Shiraume fanclub, I hate Shiraume Ume, Akira Ishida, *AnimeFanClubs*
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