Ranked #1644

Battle Programmer Shirase

Story: Unfortunately, the story was cut off after 15 episodes, and although the 15 episodes do tend to stick out on their own, the story quickly falls into a routine of Shirase being in his house, through some accident ends up in an uncomfortable position, and his next employer(always an Akizuki) walks in and sees him like this. The story quickly progresses through the various cybercrime cases Shirase takes, this routine repeating itself across each one.

Art: Standard anime artwork, nothing new or innovative

Sound: The voice actors for this anime are spot-on. No men with girly voices, rather, they all have the voices corresponding to their characters. The sounds of everyday life such as that of Shirase's fingers clicking on a keyboard add a small sense of realism.

The characters: If you looked up Shirase on a dictionary, you'd find him associated with ecchi and other such words. He is an easygoing rouge programmer who only cares about his programming and Misao-chan. Shirase is great-uncle or something like that to Misao, and she is just barely finishing elementary school, which might feel very improper to mainstream audiences who aren't accustomed to this aspect of japanese culture (lolicon).

Enjoyment: I personally enjoyed this short series, although the rather abrupt end was a source of disappointment to me. When you see the ending, you just know they could have kept this series going a bit longer. All in all, it leaves you wanting more, even if you feel it gets repetitive after a while, it does add a certain light-heartedness to this genre of hacker anime, typically dominated by anime similar to Ghost in the Shell. The inclusion of a possible love interest in the last 2 episodes is something I enjoyed, but again, due to the abrupt end, you are left wondering what might happen after, especially with the subtle hint at Shirase's future in that last image they show.

Overall: A decent anime, considering it is only 15 minutes long. Don't expect much, the abrupt end will leave you feeling cheated, even though the episodes are only 15 at 12 minutes each. Recommended to the hard-core programmer crowd for a few laughs, and to everyone else, this is rather a parody of programmers. read more

Hackers have often been portrayed as super-geniuses or especially smarmy guys who know much more than they are willing to share. They are, in most media, a bad guy, the villain. But in Battle Programmer Shirase, hackers are seen in a different, and certainly more ecchi-coloured light.

The story is set in a modern-day Japan where hacking is a very serious business and you can do so much as take down a building of computers with just a cell phone. And the one guy you can count on to do that is Shirase. Each episode follows Shirase and an assortment of supporting cast members as they get involved with different hackers who attempt to take town the establishment, combat the government or simply just raise hell. Most episodes have a very similar formula, and there are a lot of running gags and slapstick humour. I think one of the more memorable gags is the recurring sight of Shirase's potential employers catching him in awkward (and easily misinterpreted as sexual) positions with his niece.

Art in Shirase is quite average. It isn't very original or stand-out. It definitely isn't very pretty and the animation is sub-par. The colours are dull and sometimes the overall effect seems messy and unrefined. However, this isn't a large drawback as if you're looking for something to make you laugh, you might find it here. I think the art could have been much better, though.

For some reason, the OP of BPS sounds like a Rick-Roll... Anyway, the sound is mostly sort of cheesy techno, and I suppose this suits the anime quite well, as it is about hackers, some of what is presented isn't high art and the production company knows that, so I think the music was just about fine. It fit with the series, in any case.

BPS's title character Shirase isn't exactly a presence, but that's what makes him a good character. He is an average Joe; a scruffy, bored, quiet guy with the makings of a bum but who has a good heart and a childish side. People like him do not stand out in society, but Shirase never tries to stand out. He seems content with his life, and small pleasures make him happy. I was pleased with Shirase's characterisation; I didn't expect to see someone like him in an anime about hackers, with him being the supreme hacker. The supporting cast do just that--they surround and complement Shirase. His niece is fanservice-y support, so is the niece's school teacher, and the niece's friend...

That brings me to another thing: fanservice. If you do not like it at all, then you're going to hate this anime so I will advise you to avoid it. Shirase is often thrown in situations where women (or girls) are quite literally thrown on him. It is an ecchi anime, and that means there is going to be quite a lot of instances where something tastelessly sexual is going to crop up. If that sort of thing doesn't amuse you then a lot of the gags will fall flat and you won't be enjoying this series, trust me.

I had a pretty good time with BPS. It was short: short running time, short airing time. I know people have complained that the series should have been longer, but I say they did a good thing. There's only so many times we're going to be able to see those recurring gags before they get stale, and it was a wise move for them to end the series before BPS became a spiralling vortex of monotony and bad jokes.

Overall, Battle Programmer Shirase isn't the best comedy anime out there, it may not be one of the best ecchi anime out there either, but it is what it is, and that's a short series about Shirase, a normal guy and his not-so-normal experiences as a super hacker. It made me laugh, it entertained me, so to me, it did what it was supposed to. Maybe you'll be able to enjoy it just as much or more than I did. But if you don't like ecchi, don't watch it. If you don't like slapstick humour, don't watch it. If you're looking for high art--well, you get it by now. read more