Alternative TitlesJapanese: ぼくらの
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 9, 2007 to Sep 25, 2007
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.951 (scored by 10242 users)
Ranked: #5032
Popularity: #472
Members: 25,486
Favorites: 359 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
drama horror mecha sci-fi |
SynopsisDuring a summer camp, 15 children, 8 males and 7 females, find a grotto by the sea. Deep within they discover working computers and some electronic equipment, and later the owner, a man called Kokopelli. Kokopelli claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against alien invasions. He persuades the children to test the game and sign a contract. All but one of them signs, barely a moment later they mysteriously awaken on the shore believing what happened was just a dream.
(Source: ANN) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Bokurano
Summary: Bokurano Recap
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Aeterna
42 of 51 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
“I have no choice but to pretend I am a warrior who knows no fear.”
Truer OP lyrics have rarely been attributed so well to an anime series.
Fifteen children are tricked into participating in a battle for Earth itself. However, don’t be fooled by video clips of huge mecha fighting each other – this is not a classic mecha series with epic space battles and the like. Instead, each child who comes to pilot the mecha known as Zearth faces not only the struggle to save the world but also a struggle of their own. What do they fight for? Some fight for their loved ones. Others fight for themselves. A few see it as their duty. Some don’t know why and struggle to find a reason to look death in the face for the sake of complete strangers.
Each story arc deals with the next pilot set to fight on Earth’s behalf. Each child has a story to tell, a conflict of some sort to work out before they fight. One wants to prove himself to his workaholic father. Another deals with bullying because of her mother’s reputation. Another grapples with his disappeared dad while supporting his three younger siblings. And so on and so forth. At first, getting to know all the kids all at once is overwhelming, but as each one is explored and developed, they become unique and well fleshed out. Each arc then becomes a “coming of age” story for each of the kids, culminating in their final battles as they reflect on their lives and the world they fight for. In the meantime, the group of children draw unwanted attention to themselves from the government and military and they must deal with the implications of their actions.
As you can imagine, it’s heavy on drama and it gets amped up even further as the story progresses and the children learn more about this twisted “game” (but to discuss them here would be very spoilery). Bring tissues.
For the more technical merits of Bokurano, it fares pretty well. Animation and art aren’t overly detailed and there aren’t any bright, glaring colours. Realism is what the animators seemed to be aiming for. Still, it slips up here and there, and sometimes obviously so. I also caught some re-used animation a few times, too. The mecha are done in CG and while it’s noticeable, it doesn’t stick out too much in a bad way, and Zearth and some of the other mecha designs are well rendered.
The OP and the two EDs are all sung by Chiaki Ishikawa. The OP, “Uninstall”, carries a rather haunting melody and is well-suited to the anime. The EDs are, unfortunately, more forgettable. Still, it’s notable that the lyrics of each song fit the anime to a T, so the translated lyrics are well worth paying attention to. The background music is, for the most part, unremarkable – not noteworthy but not bad, either. I have no complaints about the seiyuu as they all did a great job.
Overall, Bokurano was a surprisingly strong series that gives viewers plenty to think about. No magic tricks here, no fairy tale endings. Nevertheless, despite all the hardships the characters face, I can’t help but feel a bit hopeful, like I should appreciate life a little more and all the good things in this world. After all, we never know when it’ll all be over. read more
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Hantsuki
59 of 80 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
I posted this review on a forum as a recommendation to someone who was looking for a depressing and slice of life anime, and I was told by two people that my review was able to get them to watch the series and I believe they enjoyed it, so I decided to share my review here in hopes of intriguing more people into watching it.
Thoughts: This anime cannot be completely enjoyed unless you have the patience to watch it all the way through. Even if you do not have much patience, I still think the first episode ends in a way that compels the watchers to continue watching because it really does leave you at a cliffhanger. I would go more into detail, but I really rather not spoil it for anyone. Even though Slice of Life is not one of the genres for this anime, I still think it has its moments where this genre is applied. The children have to go through a lot, and there are many times throughout the anime where you feel sorry for them, since they lose, let's say, something very close to them after each battle. Again, I do not think the first episode will be as exciting if I go into more detail, so that is as far as I will go.
Story: While watching the scenes from the opening song, you figure that the anime will be a typical mecha with the typical battles, and since you are told that there are 15 children and 15 alien battles, it is hard to be persuaded the battles are going to be very unique. That is partly correct. The battles do seem overused a lot, but the actual plot for the anime is rather unique. As you continue watching, you learn that there is more to the actual battles with the "aliens" each time. There is a deeper meaning in the anime, but it is the watcher's duty to figure it out, which is a good and bad thing. If you are just watching an anime for enjoyment, then I really do not suggest this. However, if you wish to analyze the anime and find the deeper meaning, then this will probably interest you.
Animation: The art is rather simple, and I did not have any problems with it, but I think it could have been better. Sometimes simple art works well for certain kinds of anime, but I think it was not completely fitting for this one. There have been plenty other anime out there that have successfully been able to pull off the simple style of animation before, but unfortunately this one could not. The 3D for the mecha battles were actually pretty good, any way.
Sound: The opening song, Uninstall by Chiaki Ishikawa, was impressive, I thought. She has a pretty powerful voice, and it really worked for the opening. I think the music could even make up for some of the disappointing animation, but that is just my opinion. The ending songs work too, but Uninstall was mainly the only song that captured my attention.
Character: I really could not favor one character over another in this anime (partly because almost all of them "disappears" by the end), but I liked how one of the characters in the beginning acted like a total jerk, and eventually lightened up in the end. There is actually a side story that explains why his attitude is like that, but I cannot be bothered to explain everything in that area. You will learn that some of the characters live depressing lives, pretty much like any other anime, but I do not think there is any one perfect character in this show, which makes it more enjoyable.
Enjoyment: I just really liked how this anime played out overall. I think I said this before, but it is a rather unique story. I do not recall there being much comedy or any at all, but I think that works for some people. I believe most watchers will definitely cry during some episodes. I have to admit that I did. read more
Recommendations
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Bokurano and Madoka both feature young people in a serious situation that may affect the world. In both series, the children must fight and win at all cost. The characters in each are also guided by a mysterious being throughout their course.
Magical girls and mecha are genres apart, but these series do the same thing with them: deconstruct them viciously. You have one, maybe two episodes to get used to the cast and premise, and then prepare to have your expectations torn down and a wonderfully told story filled with drama and trauma unfurl before your eyes. Structurally and content-wise there are similarities that pile up the farther you go, but of course to elaborate would be to spoil -- and if you've seen one series, you know you won't want to be spoiled for the details of the other.
Despite being two very different genres on a surface level, I felt Bokurano and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica to be so similar in theme, story and atmosphere that I decided I had to make the only recommendation I've ever made.
In Bokurano we are presented with the appearance of a show about a Mecha piloted by a group of kids, but very early in the show harsh circumstance teaches them they've gotten involved in an event far larger than themselves, and not necessarily in a heroic way, nor in a traditional mecha way.
In Madoka, we see an identical situation, with the anime giving the false appearance of a Magical Girl series, though it is something so much more dangerous, with only its art remaining as its only relation to the Mahou Shoujo staple.
The juxtapositioning used in both of these series will bowl you right out of your seats, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness in both cases leaves you clawing for more, empathising with the characters and their cruel fates they've gotten thrown into without realizing.
Though you could consider one show a mecha, and the other a mahou shoujo - two very different genres, both of these anime use those genres as a facade to hide their agonising plots that are one in the same. So if it was the atmosphere of Madoka that you enjoyed, I highly recommend Bokurano, and Vica Versa.
They have similar premise: young children are tempted to make contracts and play a dangerous game, often without being fully aware of what lies ahead. Anything more would be too spoilerific for either of them (the fact they are similar is already a huge spoiler).
Both are about children entering contracts to gain the power to help save the world, but with some nasty catches. Both ponder the same dilemmas:
1) Is the price of gaining power actually worth it?
2) Can you trust anyone who hands out such powers?
3) Is the world really worth saving?
4) What is the difference between you and your enemy?
Madoka has the same premise as Bokurano: a group of kids that are pulled into a contract not knowing what's ahead of them. Both of these shows have the theme of "fighting for what believe in or what you have left." Despite Madoka being a mahou shoujo show, these shows share a lot of similarities i.e Kyubey and Dung Beetle.
Bokurano is like Madoka, but instead of Mahou Shoujo, it's about Mecha.
Both of them are about kids who have their lifes changed to become "heroes", however, both anime are very dark and very dramatic.
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Eva and Bokurano deconstruct the mecha genre by adding layers of extremely dark psychological content. Both are highly visceral, the action being centered around children who are forced into a conflict of literally cosmic proportions. In these series the nature of the enemy is ambiguous to the extreme, which makes the whole experience all the more poignant. Eva's latter episodes focus heavily on existential topics, which are replaced in Bokurano with a more psychological approach. The limitless situations the casts are subjected to and the depth of characterization makes these anime masterpieces, with an appeal that goes beyond the giant robot niche.
I think its obiviously..In both some kids must save the world, with a giant robot..But many problems apear in their way.
Both have Mecha's, children's problems are very similar, run a similar issue, they seem to be complement
Fourteen-year-olds with loads of emotional baggage piloting giant robots to protect a world full of people and things that sometimes seem like they might not be worth protecting. They both work the psychological angle nicely and are great if you want to kick your mood down a few notches.
Hey, it's kids in giant robots, and both have great stories as well! ^_-
Both has robots, epic fights, teen ages fighting for their lives to protect the earth.
Mecha, saving world, people problems
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Opening Theme"Uninstall (アンインストール)" by Chiaki Ishikawa
Ending Theme#1: "Little Bird" by Chiaki Ishikawa (eps 1-12)
#2: "Vermillion" by Chiaki Ishikawa (eps 13-24)
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Fansubbing Groups
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HakkeSHU [HakkeSHU] (Brazilian Portuguese)
SubTnT [SubTnT] (Brazilian Portuguese)
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