Zettai Shonen is an anime about Ayumu, a guy who moves to his Dad's (yes, the mythical species known as normal fathers exist in this anime) house in Tana. He spends his days exploring the countryside and meeting the local residents. However, he soon realizes that things aren't quite as normal as they seem. Mysterious objects that look like tiny UFOs start to appear all over the place and seem to have a special affinity for Ayumu. There is also a second arc, which focuses on another protagonist, this time a girl called Kisa. She too attracts these UFOs. Slowly, the two teenagers start to wonder what these things are and why they're attracted ti them. All they know is that it has something to do with their dark and murky past.
First and foremost, I have to warn you. This anime is slow. Incredibly slow. Its buildup is even slower than Goku charging a Spirit Bomb...and trust me, that is slow. There's almost no action and hardly any movement. Generally, it may be a bad thing in case of other anime, but it works out really well in the case of Zettai Shonen. The plot isn't really moving forward, but the atmosphere feels so...atmospheric! It just has these melancholic undertones with an air of mystery around - an experience not too unlike Haibane Renmei or Ghost Hound. It's one of the most unique features of the anime.
And I say most because this anime stands out from the rest for many of the quirky little things it does. Let's start with the realistic and down-to-earth characters.
Despite what the title of the anime says, this anime isn't really much of a shonen. The guy doesn't have any superpowers, the women don't give him any (neither are they cliched tsunderes) and the side characters don't fit into any particular TVTrope either. The supporting cast is bland, but hey, rather bland than annoying (read: Any random Hana Kanazawa character), right?
Ayumu, the main character of the first arc isn't really the most charismatic or lively guy you're going to see. To be frank, he has the emotional range of a tea-spoon. But again, he fits well into the Zettai Shonen niche of being a low key and mellow anime. Kisa is a pleasantly creepy girl whose anti-social side has gotten the better of her. And no, she is not his childhood friend. Her character is something like a mix of Yuki Nagato (of Haruhi Suzumiya franchise) and Moeka (of Stein;s Gate). The thing is, all these characters have this rustic charm to them and seem to grow on you.
One of the things I really liked was how the interactions between the characters shaped the story moving forward. The conversations were normal and weren't blown up or exaggerated. For example, most anime contain this scene where the protagonist is talking intimately with the female lead and suddenly an adult walks in and they jump, scream and fumble all about "I-It's all a misunderstanding!". See how neatly Zettai Shonen does it (video at 4:20).
The animation too, is funky. It's drawn like a childish cartoon, with very little detailing. You'll also notice immediately the heavy usage of still frames. They're gonna have one picture and move slowly across it and probably repeat the footage in another episode as well. The studio probably knew this anime wasn't gonna sell a lot of DVDs...and they were right. This anime comes from Genco, the studio that's produced some of the best Slice of Life anime in the past decade such as Nodame Cantable, Kino's Journey and Honey & Clover.
Zettai Shonen is a mystery and supernatural blend that works out really well. The two arcs come together nicely and while the show doesn't really explain much, it hardly matters, because it's a case where the journey matters more than the destination. Although I described this anime as a Slice of Nothing anime, it's not that there's completely nothing in terms of plot, it's just that there's relatively less action even by a SoL anime's standards.
Overall, this is an anime you have to be patient with. And if you are, it rewards with you some of the most gripping story telling you'll ever see. If you're looking for an anime that's off the beaten track with a really spellbinding atmosphere, then this show's the real deal. It's calm, yet compelling. A definite recommendation for fans of Haibane Renmei, Dennou Coil and Ghost Hound.
