Shounan Bakusouzoku

One of the best slice of life shows ever made, each is its own film really. A love letter to high school and youth with almost every episode having some deeper themes about what it means to be a man, to grow up, and to live. It's lighthearted and laidback for the most part but takes itself seriously. It's not so much a comedy as a pure slice of life, just segments of the lives of these budding adults as they live their final year in high school. Manly guys doing quite manly things yet still being kids.

If you're struggling to find it, Inka-Subs is ... the one who has done the fan subs of the bluray.

It's a teenage drama that really encapsulates and oozes the 80's, visually it's one of my favorites due to how much it feels like a painting of a 60's diner come to life with 80's stylings. It starts strong and largely only gets better in its visual styling. It's got that incredible use of contrast and color in all of the best ways. It'll punch you with nostalgia, even if you've never had any about the period or never lived through it. It's one of those that really just paints the period so well.

The only episode I can call weak is episode 10, which has some quite painful Engrish in it and is the least developed plot wise.

If you want a very genuine, ernest slice of life, of 18 year old rock-n-rollers and grease monkeys set to 1980's Japan, this is your show.

This shows a must-see if you're a fan of GTO, Kyou Kara Ore Wa, Cromartie High, or other delinquent shows.

I don’t write reviews all that often so please excuse the amateur quality of this review, I just wanted to talk about this classic series as it doesn’t seem to have much attention on MAL. I was very lucky to stumble upon this series when I did. As it appears that just a few months ago someone by the name of Inka-subs actually took the time to subtitle all 12 episodes of this anime's beautifully clean-looking blue ray. I’ve seen almost all the pre-2000s ... delinquent anime/OVAs available with English translations, so I think I have a good sense of what aspects I enjoyed of Shounan Bakusouzoku compared to other Delinquent shows that were likely influenced by this series.


Animation: 10
For one the artwork is phenomenal all the background shots can honestly be put into a gif and posted to an anime aesthetics account on Twitter. The Blu-ray wiped away the grimy VHS rip look I usually would see watching a show of this level of obscurity and age. The animation looks clean and fluid for the time this was made holding up today despite the show being over 35 years old.

Characters 8:
All the characters in this are really likable each having a bit of their own arc character growth arc sprinkled in throughout the series. All the characters look fairly unique with different hairstyles and body types which is nice because in other Delinquent shows such as “BeBop High school” all the characters had the same body build, hair, and Gakurans I couldn’t tell who was who. I also have to give the girls in this series a shout-out as they are more confident in themselves than in other shows I’ve seen making them more like a part of the team rather than an annoying damsel in distress.

Story: 8
The storylines in each episode were much more engaging than some of the other delinquent shows I’ve seen typically in most delinquent shows the plot goes as follows, “Bad guy from different school does bad things so let’s go beat them up” sure this anime still has that in most episodes plot lines. However, the episodes like that usually have a B plot to explore other character's daily life or backgrounds so it’s not so stale.

Music: 9
The show spares no expense when it comes to music. Each episode has two unique songs in them that fit the scene they play in. The majority of songs played sound super 80s which if you're a fan of Japanese 80s pop this shows right up your alley.

Before there was a great teacher named Onizuka or a school called Cromartie, before the crows of Suzuran battled it out or Kishidan held a one night carnival, and before Yankee-kun met Megane-chan or Oga Tatsumi found a naked baby by the river- there was a notorious bike gang called Shonan Bakusozoku. At first glance one might dismiss Shonan Bakusozoku as a generic 1980's anime. But to do so would be to overlook an extremely influential, fun and downright enlightening series.

Eguchi Yousuke is the second generation leader of the small, but infamous Shonan Bakusozoku bikers. The series revolves around ... the lives of Eguchi and the entire Bakusozoku gang, in and out of school. In doing so Shonan Bakusozoku maintains a great balance between the comedy, romance, and drama that make up the average high school student's life. However, whereas most high school hobbies include sports or the arts, Eguchi and company sport pompadours, customized gakuran (school uniforms) and ride especially loud motorcycles. While this hobby affords it's own series of unique conflicts and adventures, it's not to say there's nothing normal about the Bakusozoku's lives- they have jobs, girlfriends and belong to school clubs (Eguchi is president of the school's embroidery club).

As for the technical aspects, Shonan Bakusosoku shines in every category. The production values are surprisingly high. The animation is slick and beautiful, especially considering its 1986 release date. The rock soundtrack pops and fits the subject matter and time period perfectly. Though the voice acting is great, some of the high school students' adult voice actors take some getting used to. But these are tough, sometimes bearded and mustached students, so how can anyone complain? It may be worth noting that each episode runs about an hour long, usually combining two stories from the manga. So although Shonan Bakusozoku will take a little more time than the average 22 minute episode, it's well worth it.

Perhaps Shonan Bakusosoku's greatest strength lies in its depiction of Japan's bosozoku and yanki subcultures. In the book "Kamikaze Bikers," Ikuya Sato argues that Japanese bosozoku and yanki were not the extreme menace that the Japanese media had portrayed them to be. He concludes that most were in it for fun, friendship and as a last hurrah before settling into adulthood.

If Mr. Sato is right, Shonan Bakusozoku is an extremely accurate portrayal of these subcultures. The series creates a sense of the youthful lust for fun, style and recklessness. Unlike some of its successors, Shonan Bakusozoku never limits its focus to the exploits of its bike gangs. Instead, it presents various aspects of the gang members' personal lives throughout the series. The characters are high schoolers in a bike gang, not simply bike gang members. The result is a multidimensional experience, offering insight into rare aspects of Japanese culture- far more so than any of its successors.

Although almost forgotten in Japan and nearly non-existent overseas, Shonan Bakusozoku's influence cannot be denied. If Crows is the "Yanki Bible," then Shonan Bakusosoku must be... the Yanki Bible's Bible? Bottom line is it's a must see for anyone interested in the Japanese yanki, bosozoku or delinquent subcultures. And considering the genre's renewed popularity, there is a huge audience just waiting to check it out.