Bokurano

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Bokura no, Bokurano ~Mou Hitotsu no Bokurano~

Japanese: ぼくらの

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 11

Chapters: 66

Status: Finished

Published: Nov 25, 2003 to Jun 25, 2009

Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi

Themes: Mecha, Psychological, Survival

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Ikki

Authors: Kitoh, Mohiro (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.08¹ (scored by 11,182 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #628²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #525

Members: 33,527

Favorites: 1,170

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8.08

Ranked #628Popularity #525Members 33,527

MangaIkkiKitoh, Mohiro (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /11

Chapters: /66

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Synopsis

Fifteen middle school students are happily attending a summer camp by the sea, until one of the children leads the group into a cave that will drastically alter the course of their lives forever. Inside are several computers, along with a man named Kokopelli who offers the students a chance to play a game: one where they use a gigantic robot to defeat enemies who attack the Earth. The children agree to sign a contract by touching a shield-like object, and Kokopelli transports them to the cockpit of the Zearth—the mecha they are to pilot.

After an enemy mecha rises from the sea, Kokopelli shows them how to mentally control the Zearth, and defeats it. The children are excited by the prospect of defending the Earth, but not everything is as it seems. The Zearth is in fact powered by life energy, and at the end of every battle, the pilots die. After signing their lives away, the children must now use their time left on Earth to defend it.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Bokurano was published in English as Bokurano: Ours by VIZ Media under the SigIkki imprint from February 16, 2010 to September 16, 2014.

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Related Manga

Alternative version:	Bokurano: Alternative
Adaptation:	Bokura no

More characters
Characters

Ushiro, Jun

Main

Koemushi

Main

Yamura, Daiichi

Main

Moji, Kunihiko

Main

Honda, Chizuru

Main

Nakarai, Mako

Main

Kirie, Yousuke

Main

Machi, Yoko

Main

Ano, Maki

Main

Yoshikawa, Kanji

Main

Reviews

Jan 12, 2010

Nyron

Recommended

No reviews for this? You're killing me.

Bokurano is a story about finding meaning in the absolute meaninglessness that is our lives.

In essence, it's a series of 15 short stories about these 15 kids who are trapped in a competition where they gotta pilot a 500m tall robot. If they lose, the world is screwed. Gradually, through a series of well written and shocking twists, everything about their mission ends up being bad for them and pretty much everyone around them. It's a brutally realistic depiction of what you'd get if you actually did put a bunch of middle schoolers in charge of this sort ... of thing. Some are wannabe heroes, others have mental breakdowns, at least one goes on a murdering rampage, and a few just don't care. It also turns out that people don't like it when you fight in the middle of a city and cause 10,000 casualties.

How tragic is this series? Well, sometimes you can actually hear the author chuckling in the background as one of these kids gets their lives or minds completely destroyed. On occasion a few of these tales end on a heartwarming or content note, but I suspect that's only because Kitoh had stomach worms at the time or something.

But the thing is, even though this story is soul crushing, it's continuously gripping. I read the whole thing over the course of a weekend in a feverish marathon, something I never do for anything. Each child's story is unique and interesting, and every time one ended and another one came up, my reaction would be "I don't care about this kid, that last one was so good how can this one compare?" and every time without fail, I would be blown away.That kid's unique struggle and subsequent battle would set them totally apart from everyone else, and be good enough to stand as its own story. Kitoh is that good of an author, and even though he's royally screwed up in the head(as shown by this, Narutaru, His Murder Plan, and everything else he's ever written) he knows how to put a method into his madness. The guy is a genius, but I don't think I'd ever want to meet him.

In terms of art, all the human characters are wirey and lacking in detail. Backgrounds are elaborate, but sharp and have a sort of blank feeling to them. Objects like vehicles are interesting and futuristic without being outlandish. The art style is perfect for Kitoh's style of writing, honestly. The main attraction is the "mecha" designs though. These things are not Gundams. They absolutely enormous, with styles varying between vaguely insectoid and completely abstract. Kitoh's mind is not limited to his eccentric writing, it caries over into his artwork. You generally do not see anything as weird as this guy's stuff in any comic.

Now let's talk about the anime for a sec. The anime version of Bokurano sucks. The director hated the manga's story because it was too bleak, and tried to rewrite it himself. It turns out that that guy did not have the ability to outdo our mildly psychotic author here. The result was a pretty show with an amazing OP, but a sucky story and a lame ending. Speaking of endings, the manga ending is incredible. It's not awe inspiring or anything like that, it's just a beautiful ending that completely fit the story.

In terms of being a realistic deconstruction of the mecha genre, this series completely stomps Evangelion through and through. And most other giant robot series for that matter. You actually might not be able to enjoy robot stories after this, since Bokurano turns them completely inside-out. It's almost the polar opposite of Gurren Lagann, but somehow just as awesome.

Viz is publishing this in the US starting in February 2010. I'm totally picking it up.

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Dec 15, 2014

Markezzo

Mixed Feelings

A title that will stick with you.

The story's main focus is a large cast of kids who are thrown into an almost inescapable death-trap, forcing them to rethink how they wish to spend their last moments alive. It is a concept that fascinates me to no end. Each character is unique and memorable in this anthology of death and misery.

The problem lies in its execution. Some of the twists and turns that happen in the story are truly impactful, but the characters experiencing these events simply feel alien. It is one of those titles where characters act deadpan most of the time. When the story ...

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Feb 18, 2023

MangaIsPolitical

Not Recommended

STORY: 4

A short good start and very quickly you realize you will never get any in-depth explanation about some cosmic-scale tragedy. You can feel that the mangaka has pitched the beginning of the story to the editor without having a solid vision on how to pursue or conclude. Characters are bland despite the focus being on their different personalities and all along there's a feeling of bored sadness instead of empathy towards kids that never react realistically to any situation.

ART: 5

Most of the art is similar-looking inexpressive faces and a lot of the action conveniently takes place in an empty void save for 14 or ...

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Poll: Bokurano Chapter 65 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ShootTheBullet - Jun 25, 2009	58 replies	by KitsuFrost »» Jan 13, 2023 3:25 AM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 12 Discussion AStrangerInside - Jul 7, 2015	1 replies	by hik1komori »» Oct 18, 2022 3:21 PM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 25 Discussion AStrangerInside - Jul 8, 2015	1 replies	by TotalingForever »» May 30, 2022 10:56 PM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 19 Discussion Beatnik - Jan 6, 2010	2 replies	by TotalingForever »» May 30, 2022 9:38 PM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 42 Discussion Cnon - Oct 2, 2015	2 replies	by SpacemanSpiff357 »» Jan 22, 2022 5:14 PM

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