Btooom!

Among the Winter 2012-13 anime list's gleaming gems is Btooom!, the seinen manga adaptation done by Madhouse Studios.

Story: 6
The story is fairly decent with its battle royale format. The pacing never gets too slow or too fast, and feels "just right" for a 1 cour show.
HOWEVER, the questions left unanswered at the end of the show begs for a second season, which Madhouse should get working on ASAP.

Characters: 6
Just like any other battle royale out there, the cast is pervaded with a very interesting set of characters, including psychos, rapists, and badasses.
However, only the main characters Ryouta and Himiko are the only ... ones that have extensive development, and even so, it is not much. Many questions are left up in the air with them and we, the viewers, can only wonder what the answers to these questions could be.
While the final credits roll, they show glimpses of even MORE characters. I hope they get more depth added to them in season 2...if there is even going to be a season 2.

Art: 9
Btooom!, I feel, is best enjoyed in HD.
Madhouse is known for their amazing animation. The lighting effects are beautiful, the colors have a strong and vivid feel to them, and the background scenery is nothing short of amazing with its high attention to details. Their use of gradients in the animation also provides a more "realistic" depth to the art.
There are a few hiccups here and there, but they do nothing to detract from the experience.

Sound: 8
From the ambient music to the sounds to the explosions, the sounds are awesome. The music plays at just the right times and makes each scene stand out from the last, and those explosions could really pump you up.

Enjoyment: 9
I typically enjoy all of Madhouse's stuff, and this is no exception. All of the combined attributes listed above has led me to give this an enjoyment rating of 9.

Overall: 8
While not perfect and complete, Btooom! is definitely a great anime. It's amazing visuals, decent story, and interesting characters will keep you entertained for all 12 of its episodes, but take heed, you will thirst for more.
I hope there will be a season 2, so all the questions left behind would be answered. But for now, all I can do is hope.

Thank you for reading my review!
Good day, and good night!

Battle Royale + Sword Art Online = Btooom!

But i do believe that Btooom is much better than Sword Art Online. With that being said it's obvious that i think this show is way underrated.

The story is pretty great. it's about a boy who's really addicted to a FPS game called Btooom! are now stranded in an island and must beat other people on the island in order to escape by using the game Btoom's technology.To put it simply, the story will put you on the edge of your seat as you will guess what will happen to each character because no one is ... safe.

The art and sound is great.the animation is spot on. the panorama of the island was done quite well.

The character's development was carried out perfectly. From being an irresponsible bastard to a caring samaritan. also, the bond between the main characters was developed quite well.

so, overall i enjoy this particular anime. the action is great and choreographed well enough and not so over-the-top.so if you want a great survival action anime, you should give this one a try. i believe that you will not be disappointed. 9/10

Btooom! was an anime that I thought had a lot of potential. It is about a very highly ranked player in a computer game called Btooom! who gets trapped in side a real life game of Btooom!, where the only way to escape is to win by collecting chips, which are obtained from killing other players.

The story mainly plays out on an island where the MC trys to figure out whats going on and get off the island.

Story 9/10 (except for one really frustrating thing)

The story was quite good. Well, at least the part of the story that was present. The show doesn't really ... have an ending. After watching it I felt as if I had just finished the first season and was really exciting to find out the rest of what would happen in the next season. There is currently no second season and I am not aware of one under production. I know that the anime did not cover all of the manga. Actually I am not sure if the manga is complete even so there may still be hope for a second season of Btooom!

Art/animation 9/10

Nothing to complain about here overall good.

Sound 10/10

Mainly just because of the opening song. It's done by Nano, and I love all of her songs. The ending is good as well. The soundtrack is solid.

Characters 9/10

When watching the MC you sometimes get the Lelouch/Light Yagami feel because he is so good at the game, when you feel like he is in big trouble he pulls something out of his pocket and all is good.

Enjoyment 9/10

The show is very thrilling and interesting to watch if you like action and dark mysterious plot lines.

Overall 8/10

I would be tempted to give it 9/10 if it had a better ending but who knows... maybe a second season? In my opinion this is a show worth watching.

If you liked the concept of SAO but HATED the execution then look no further, this is the anime for you.

After watching almost every single 8+ scored anime on MAL, I decided it was time to broaden my horizons and hit the 7's. After watching this anime, it occured to me that I can't let reviews let me decide what I like, but rather have to decide on my own... even if it means one day watching the 6's.

Story: 8

The story doesn't start off too original, MC is a basement dweller who's really good at a certain video game (title). However ... where I feel this story shines is its combat system and survival aspect and how the players were forced into this game. Players are ONLY given grenades rather than over-dramatic swords and guns. While you may not agree with it, once you watch it, you'll realize how much more of an intense atmosphere it gives this anime. It also gives it a layer of strategy that you would never see in a sword/gun game which makes the strategies THAT much more enjoyable. The conflicts in this show are actually very believable and it outlines human nature so incredibly well. And although a bit rushed, the romance in this anime was done very well; at least MUCH more so some other romance animes out there.

Art: 9

I'm never really that picky on art but in this anime I found it pretty attractive. The colors were very vibrant, the backgrounds looked great, the character designs were really nice as well. They weren't too "out there" but were realistic enough where you'd be able to distinguish the main characters and other cast apart.

Sound:

Some really neat OST's were played in this anime. They were always played in perfect situations and often got me on the edge of my seat. Voice acting was pretty good but Ryouta's voice sounded kind of strange, almost as if it was a native Japanese speaker when he said certain words like "Btooom".

Character:

Although one of the weakest points in the show, the flaws in each other characters are made up for in the other ones. I really feel like Ryouta and Himiko were "whole" when they were together, alone they never worked that well. Himiko is one of the less annoying female leads you'll see in an anime. Although she can be dramatic, it's for good reason; she was nearly raped twice during the show and grew a bad androphobia. Her fear is what drives her resolve, and although at times it's noble the other times it just seems unnecessary.

Enjoyment:

This is the first anime I finished in a whole day without a break. Don't be shy by the score, watch the anime and see for yourself if you like it, I learned not to do that after watching this anime.

Overall:

It was a great anime. Like I said; if you like the SAO concept but hated the anime itself, watch this. It's a much more mature and intense version of it, and in my opinion is much better.

This an edited review since the DB wanted my very cheesy version of the Black Eyed Pea's of "BOOM, BOOM, POW" in which was I modified for this anime removed......man I've spend 3 days making that. Bueno, what we have is an action packed anime in which it's theme was very similar to that form the movie "Hunger Games" which I've watched from a pirated DVD. Which is a game of survival which only those who wouldn't hesitate to play dirty would survived, though It's a bit cheesy to use hurling explosives called "BIMs" as a weapon, in fact to called such game a ... FPS would be an understatement, co'z them character's whether in a game or in a real life or death struggle don't shoot their opponent with there so called BIMs instead they throw it a an opponent and it goes KABOOM!!! This anime focus on man's desperation to survive in which he or she will do anything to do so, it also features players who were compose of everyday people that we love to hate e.g:

Ryōta Sakamoto- an arrogant NEET which every parent wants to kick outta the house.

Himiko- an unfortunate scapegoat.

Kiyoshi Taira- a boss every employee wants to kill.

Kōsuke Kira- he represent every delinquent or rascal that every law abiding citizen who would wanna give a spanking.

Masashi Miyamoto- info states that he's a war veteran, but he also represents a typical niegborhood thoughie whom we wish should be in jail.

Nobutaka Oda- a typical asshole.

Masahito Date- a no good doctor who shouldn't even be a doctor at all.

Hidemi Kinoshita- a typical everyday bitch.

Yoshihisa Kira- a dad from hell who should probably stay in hell.

Sōichi Natsume - a defense lawyer in which one would wish that nobody should be defending them criminals.

Mitsuo Akechi- basically he represent every typical sexual predator whose dick should have been cut-off.

The mentioned character's really does give once such impact that one would feel that hate for those character's. However, every show should have a protagonist and that's where Ryōta Sakamoto fills the gap, here he's a top BTOOM player who dreams of getting a job at Tyrannos the very game developer which the protagonist was playing, this is where the fate comes in, remember when they say "Be careful of what you wish for or you just might get it" kind of thing? Well, he got what he wanted but not exactly what he expect it, where his life is now on the line, Himiko fills in as the love interest whom her character was interesting, co'z she's kinda like this wild animal in which needed to be tamed and it so happens that her distrust in men was been tamed by Ryota's sincerity. But it was a bit disappointing that Taira had become an opponent.... for a while since he has gone loco and committed Seppuku of sorts. But the real star of this anime is the blood and gore and the desperation's that we see in this anime.

My rating for each of this anime's category:

Story, character, enjoyment and overall: Good 7.

Ok, so the way the killing was done is off, but seeing how the character's have to survive from each other compensates for such short comings and the character's are well represented by the very scums that one loves to hate, so overall it's all good.

Art: Fair 6.

The only thing attractive here is Himiko, in which it would have been nice if there will be some nice fanservice of her.

Sound: Poor 3.

I guess I just hate both the opening and closing theme.

And we're back to Madhouse. That anime company that I seem to have so many ups and downs with. Which makes it really difficult to predict what I'm going to think of their works without watching them. Although I suppose that's only natural given how prolific they are. This is Btooom! an anime based on a manga by Inoue Jun'ya. One thing worth noting is that the anime has a dozen episodes while the manga is ongoing. Which indicates that there may be another season, or that the anime stops at a certain point in the manga and isn't going to go further or possibly ... that the anime tells a much shorter story. Let's examine Btooom! and find out which it is.

The story follows a young man named Sakamoto Ryouta, a neet who finds himself strapped to a parachute on an island with no memory of how he arrived. He finds a pouch filled with bombs in with his belongings and quickly learns that he's on an island where he's expected to fight a bunch of other people to the death using bombs. Luckily for him, the scenario is based off of the game, Btooom which he's an expert at. Wait, a group of people is taken to an island against their will and told to kill each other? That scenario seems to be popping up quite a bit in recent media. To be fair, Btooom does have fairly unique execution. Unlike most works with the same basic premise, the characters aren't forced by their captors to play the game. They're encouraged to with the promise of being sent home if they can kill enough people, but they generally rely on their prisoners own worst instincts to make the game work. It actually makes for a pretty interesting conflict. Another factor I like is the way that the "players" were chosen. Let's just say that none of them are there by chance and it leads to some interesting backstory elements. That being said, there are some issues with the story. One is that it over-uses flashbacks, many of which end up being pointless since the information conveyed in them is revealed more naturally in the main narrative. There are also some continuity issues, most prominently in the last episode in which one character receives a rather nasty injury resulting in an inability to walk well only to have that same character standing up without any support and with no difficulty in one of the last few scenes. Another thing that bothers me is the sheer level of coincidence involved in the plot. There are two people on the island closely connected to Ryouta solely for the sake of plot convenience and, while their back-stories do give them a reason to be there, it seems suspect that a neet would coincidentally have that many connections in that scenario. Now, the series does end on a cliffhanger which indicates that there could very well be another season. Some people might be annoyed by that but, frankly, I think that the pacing is really strong overall and that they pick a really good spot to end in which you get quite a bit of resolution which results in Btooom having a sense of completion even though there's clearly still more to go. I will warn you that there are some disturbing scenes involving both gruesome imagery and sexual assault and, while these scenes aren't poorly done or handled disrespectfully, they may be triggering to some people.

Now we move on to the characters. Btooom is one of those anime that has a clear distinction between the primary characters and the secondary. Since the primary characters get quite a bit of development and backstory while the secondary characters are largely two dimensional. However, a lot of that is clearly the result of time constraints. After all, this is only a twelve episode series and they clearly setup the possibility for future development for a lot of them, so I'm not going to complain about it too much. One thing that does hurt the characters, however is the character of Kousuke Kira. He's one of those antagonistic characters who you're supposed to feel sorry for because he has a tragic backstory. Which I hate. It's a lazy way of trying to make the audience sympathise with a sociopath without giving them any qualities that are actually sympathetic. It's a cheap, over-used and emotionally manipulative tactic that really needs to go away. Fortunately, he's a relatively minor character and the main cast is really strong. Ryouta, Himiko and Taira are all well developed characters who develop very realistically over the course of the narrative. They all have faults, but are also basically good people. Which makes them both sympathetic and realistic. The romantic elements between Himiko and Ryouta are really well handled, leading to some genuinely heart warming moments and giving both of them some of their best character moments.

The art in this is excellent. The island is vibrant and teeming with life. The various buildings and backdrops have well done textures and look fairly realistic. I also like the fact that they don't make the explosions or gore over the top and ridiculous. My only complaint about the art is that there's some fan-service, although there's not a whole lot and it tends to be kept pretty tame.

The voice acting is good, although not great. The actors all do fairly well, with the possible exception of Nakamura Yuuichi who, likely as a result of the direction, doesn't bother emoting. Fukami Rica does a superb job, in spite of having a small role. Both Mimori Suzuko and Hongo Kanata also do really well. The music is okay. It's not bad, but it's not good either.

The yuri factor is a 1/10. The female characters barely even interact with each other in this. Except for one episode that's largely composed of flashbacks.

Btooom certainly has more good qualities than bad. The story is solid with a lot of strong elements and the major characters are really well handled. Now, you probably won't like it if you're sick of the premise or if you're going to be triggered by the more disturbing content. However, if you think that the premise has merit when done well and you can handle some disturbing content, I think you'll find it an enjoyable experience. Personally, I'm going to give it an 8/10. While it has some flaws, there's nothing that drags it down too much. Next week I'll be doing something a bit different. An entire week of film reviews, starting with Kara no Kyoukai 2.

First: What happens when you take the best of Hunter X Hunter, The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, SAO, Mirai Nikki, and some Death Note-like tactics and put them in a blender? BTOOOM! Your blender explodes with awesomeness (ok, no more lame puns).
Second: Is it possible to cram 50 chapters' worth of plot in just 12 episodes and do it well? I can't believe it but this series proved it, it's like a miracle. Kudos to Madhouse for this gem.
If you like ANY of the works I mentioned above, you must definitely watch this show.

*This review might feel vague in some parts to avoid spoilers.*

STORY 8/10
This ... is an interesting take on survival games. It may not seem original from this review, trust me, it is. You have your typical battle royale hunting game in a contemporary setting, with basically only one rule: collect chips from other people in a remote island similar to the tag-hunting game in the 4th phase of the Hunter's exam. This game is a bit more extreme in that killing is enforced, similar to other works. As expected, you will see a lot of strategic alliances and betrayals. What sets this show apart from similar works is that there are characters of any age and they are only given bombs to fight. The different types of bombs and their limited quantity ensures the strategy element is always present. This leads to a cool metagame because the characters have to figure out how the different bombs work by trial and error (in some ways like the hidden rules of the Death Note), as they are only given basic information on each one. The one with more knowledge obviously has the advantage. This leads to some parts that may feel like asspulls, but they are explained in more detail in the manga. This is one of the few weaknesses, but it is to be expected since they adapted 50 chapters in just 12 episodes. But rest assured, this is no Tokyo Ghoul where you need the manga like a manual to make sense of it. The BTOOOM! manga uses big panels constantly, so the chapters feel short in general. The anime took out most of the filler chapters, changed a few things, and re-arranged others for the better. As a result, the pacing is exhilarating but everything feels logical. Just like it would be expected, it feels like the characters rarely have any time to rest. On the downside, the anime does not cover the whole manga (there isn't enough material yet), but the studio stopped at the best possible point to end the season. You can pick up the manga right after watching the series, though. At the time of writing there are 77 chapters and the series is entering its final arc, so here's hoping for another anime season to conclude the story.
There is a romantic subplot that is well done and not forced (at least in my opinion), although at first it relies on a coincidence a bit implausible... well, that's just my opinion. My only warning, though, is that contrary to the Hunger Games, which has a big focus on romance, this series is a seinen, so you won't have romance all the time; in fact, expect some crude scenes here and there. Just in case, I have to mention there is a rape scene and an attempted rape scene that take place fairly early in the story. They're not that graphic and serve to develop a character, but you are already warned. They're more graphic in the manga, though. Justified or cheap shock value? That's up to you.

ART (8/10)
The art is really nicel, as expected of Madhouse. The art style is consistent with the manga and with the studio's most famous works. The animation is good enough and the camera angles often enhance the action. It clearly doesn't have the same budget as Death Note or Highschool of the Dead, but it is really fitting for the setting. And you will see a lot of good explosions, given the story.

SOUND (7/10)
The sound effects get the job done. The music gets the atmosphere right but the tunes aren't particularly memorable. I'd say this is a good thing since in a survival game it can be distracting if the music has too much presence. I think there aren't any insert songs at all. The seiyuus fit their roles very well, this is to be expected since there are some famous names involved.

CHARACTERS (9/10)
In a survival game, at least half of the enjoyment comes from the characters. And the big question is, how can you to relate to them if deaths are certain to come? Well, this show manages to make you care about them, they feel real. On the surface, the main character doesn't have any redeeming qualities, he’s a dislikable character overall. But once he's forced into the survival game and you stop screaming “Yeah, serves you well, dumbass!” he goes through a ton of development and you will root for him. One of the other main characters, Himiko, first comes across as an excuse for fan service, but her dark past reveals her to be much more complex and you want to hug her for more than just two big reasons.
While supporting characters are given a good amount of character development and they feel deep, the author tried too hard to give some of them redeeming qualities in the form of Naruto-like flashbacks (don't worry, these aren't long). One particular example is a kid that is deranged from the start (deranged like Yuno, just not yandere) and no matter how many flashbacks they throw at you, he still makes you shit your pants… and also want to kill him. Don't get me wrong, though, not all characters are like him. Finally, a few characters are underdeveloped because they become relevant much later in the manga, so they almost feel like cameos.

ENJOYMENT (8/10)
I marathoned this in two days, but only because I just wanted to check the first episode before going to sleep, and in the end I went to sleep after watching 8 episodes. That should say something about this show. The plot twists never stop coming and the characters have to stay on their toes all the time, given that they have to survive not only the fights with other players but also the natural dangers on the island, all while securing food for themselves and staying as mentally stable as possible. The bomb metagame keeps the survival deathmatch strong all the way through.

OVERALL (8/10)
This is a must watch for any fan of survival games, period. At the very least, you will have something new to compare to your favorite flavor of hunting. The only downside is the open ending, which kinda sucks unless you read the manga. I'm actually considering to give this series a 9, maybe a rewatch would help.


tl;dr Good balance of deep characters and action, some fan service and also gore. Good pacing. Very faithful to the original manga, which you can pick up immediately after. Go watch it.

Story: BTOOM uses the same ‘zero to hero’ formula as Sword Art Online. Basically, you start with an unemployed, decent-looking nerd whose only significant talent is video games, and then thrust him into a situation where his gamer skills translate into badassery and sex appeal. As uninspired as this premise is, it’s still forgivable because it’s a necessary part of the death match genre set up. In this case, the protagonist is a highly-ranked player in the bomb-throwing FPS game, BTOOM, who suddenly wakes up on an island where he needs to play this game for real with a bunch of psychos, civilians and a ... buxom gamer girl. The strategy of the death match revolves around deception and utilizing whatever unique bomb-types you’ve collected.

At its core, BTOOM is one gigantic orgy of male fantasy. I say that out deep, self-reflection rather than judgment :). In this universe, a sedentary gamer can turn into a great athlete overnight, large-breasted women swoon over high online rankings, potential male competition is dichotomized into either ugly creeps or beta-males, and most importantly, the people behind online female avatars are not lecherous pedophiles but hot chicks. Now is there anything inherently wrong with a fantasy world like that? I say no. And BTOOM is a fine experience as long as one just enjoys the ride. Expect action, explosions, a few plot twists and plenty of undulating breasts. It’s the Big Mac of survival anime, empty calories but still delicious.

Pros:

-The Main. I liked the main character because he neither perfect nor completely useless. As meager a request like that might be, male anime protagonists tend to fall into one of these two categories more often than they should--Kirito (I'm going to make several more references to that monstrosity SAO). I felt like he was a decent mix of pragmatism and idealism for this type of anime.

-Flashbacks. The flashbacks were good and didn’t feel like filler. Say what you will about their content but I felt they provided some much-needed context to grasp the psyches of the different contestants—even if those psyches were very one-track. I could have actually used more background but I appreciate what I got.


Cons:

- Inconsistency. The hallmark of a lazy anime is inconsistency. Inconsistency can manifest as anything from abrupt changes in characters' personalities, to convenient lapses in game rules, to illogical fluctuations in individual strength. In BTOOM’s case, it was the strength of those fucking bombs. Depending on the circumstance (and the protagonist’s needs) the blast strengths ranged from firecracker to cruise missile. Let me ask you this, if a time bomb lands 3 feet away from the protagonist’s feet, is he in danger? Would he have to think of a clever way to escape or could he just absorb the blast and shake it off? Answer: It depends which episode. In BTOOM there's no way to tell if and when a bomb is within lethal range of someone. This is inconsistency.

-Blame. Anyone who has siblings knows what it’s like to get wrongfully blamed for breaking something. The normal reaction is to either vigorously protest or take the punishment and later punch the sibling who didn’t step up. What a normal person DOESN’T do is rationalize/internalize the punishment and feel guilty for something he/she didn't do. No spoilers here but there is a lot of misplaced blame that makes it very hard for me to follow, let alone sympathize with, certain characters. These are glitches in storytelling.

-Women. Women are not too complex in BTOOM. This comes as no surprise for an anime like this, and I’ll direct you back up to my introduction. However, while I get what they were trying to build, I think this would have been a much more satisfying romance and believable story if the female characters had more depth. For example, they try to explore the subject of rape but it just comes off as comically clumsy. Then there’s Hitomi. I swear, half the time I wanted to slap some spine into that girl. It got annoying. Admittedly though, it sort of evened out because I spent the other half of the time hypnotized by those bouncing... so where are we now, art?

Art: The art is good but not great. SAO blows BTOOM away in this area, it’s not even close. However, BTOOM is still very watchable and is x10 more satisfying.

Sound: Nothing memorable. I didn’t care for the songs. I will say that after recently watching Mirai Nikki and Eureka Seven I was happy to get a male protagonist who had gone through puberty.

Characters: Some people really bash the characters in BTOOM for being brainless or too shallow. I actually disagree. While they certainly pander to the ‘damsel in distress’ theme a lot, I found the characters to be pretty interesting. They are all damaged and flawed in their own way. This concept is actually woven into the plot. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the male protagonist was at least moderately reflective and perceptive, certainly more than his doofus, goody-goody SAO counterpart, Kirito. Hitomi was harder for me to like but if you see her personality (you’ll know what I’m talking about) as a pathology to be pitied rather than a plot device to be celebrated, she becomes bearable. So basically lower your standards with her lol. The other characters are fine. They are generally diverse and many are very ruthless and twisted.

Overall: I liked it a lot. Perfect cure for boredom on a rainy Monday afternoon. One more thing. This is an ongoing anime that focuses on the first 50 chapters of the manga. So *hint* *hint* this Anime does not cover the complete adventure.

Gore/Violence: Not gratuitous but it does earn its 17+ rating. This is a death match where people kill each other.
Love/Romance: Well it's either about two flawed characters exploring love or a lucky nerd with the hots for an emotionally vacuous trope. Take your pick. I prefer the former.
Sex/Nudity: A lot of fan service but not to the point where it ruins the anime.

I've spent thousands of hours on games. So naturally explosives, battle royale... I was drawn in. I'm also a girl, that has been through similar feelings the leading female character has. So I "understand" a lot of things about this anime differently and it may strongly affect my opinion and review.

So this hits home for me, hard. I had a lot of mixed up feelings while watching this, and I also almost cried. I'm also a fan of "survival" type animes and series, so my review is also partly based on my opinion that's somewhat formed before I started watching. Although, a lot of the ... events during the story surprised me.

I'm giving the story a rating of 6, since the idea of a sort of battle royale isn't original. However, I enjoyed the story as I like these type of concepts. The bombs were a fun idea, and offer a certain type of diversity. There was emotion in the story, even if it sometimes felt like it wasn't there all the way.

The art gets an 8, because I liked it. The animation was fluid, to me, but I often don't judge an anime by art. It's rare for me to decide NOT to watch something because the art isn't nice.

Sound gets 9, I could often hear the feelings behind the words even if I was not looking at the screen the entire time. And the effects were nice, but my laptop's speakers are horrible, which has to be taken into account.

And I loved both of the OPs. Catchy, fitting tracks.

Characters. 8. This section is going to be severely influenced by my personal feelings, and I'm not looking to offend anybody. A lot of the people may say there is no character development, which straight up angers me. Mostly, because they say that Himiko is a completely bitchy/shallow character that always needs help. If you even for a moment considered why, perhaps you would understand better how she felt. Oh, except you won't because not everyone gets to experience what she did. And I'm happy that everyone doesn't have to. But in my opinion she had a right to be a scared, straight-up ass that doesn't trust anyone for the entire time. I also think the main protagonist, while he is kind and naive to start with, DOES grow, even if it is painfully slow. The characters were interesting enough for me, and I hoped for the whole duration of the anime the main two nerds get together! My heart sank every time Himiko turned Sakamoto away.
The other characters could have been better introduced, but was there truly a need for that? I'm not entirely sure. Would have liked to know more, but there wasn't a need. If there is season two I hope all the survivors get more attention.

Overall, I could recommend this anime, but not for everyone. And I wish there were just one more episode or so, because I really wanted to know what happens. I agree with many that it's really left for guessing and hoping what happens next even if you can make strong guesses.

Story:
The story is about a video game made into a reality. Characters where transported to an unknown island without their consent. They were forced to play a real-life BTOOOM game in order to survive.

The series shows the viewers up to what extent man can do in order to survive. The desperation that they feel on trying to find and get supplies or food. The questions that they asking themselves as to why they are there and who are responsible for their miserable fate.

The game is actually pretty simple. They are ... equipped with bombs of different type and they are to use it when circumstances arise. The exciting part is if they win, they can have the opponents bombs but cannot use it unless the owner is dead. Another exciting part is the "TRUST" issues that the characters are imposed because a lot of the characters got betrayed. I like the thrilling scenes of each episodes especially the battle of intelligence and strategy.

Art:
-There are variety of character design with almost good looking man and woman. There are some weighty, heavily muscled and even scrawny characters but these character designs make each character exceptional including the minor ones.

-The series has a mature content. It showed sexual abuse(almost rape scene), brutal killings and dismemberment. However, it was not really that gross since it was toned down. I kinda like the scenery such as the forest and the beach.

Sound:
The opening song "No Pain, No Game" complimented the series. I really like the way some of the characters synchronized with the song as if they are part of it. It also showed a summary of the characters of the series.

Characters:
Great character development for the main Protagonist Sakamoto from lazy and self-centered boy to sweet, selfless and helpful person. I cannot say the same to Himiko though but looking forward to it.

OverAll:
I enjoyed the anime. It's a fast-paced story with full of action and twist. Looking forward to the next season. Can't wait to get to know the other characters and to unravel the mystery of who is behind it all.

First of all the anime is so good cause it's story is kinda the same as hunger games,i mean imagine hunger games as anime coll isn't it?,and actually it is but it isn't completed i mean it defenlty needs a second season,and we haven't heared anything official yet,come on guys it's been 3 years now and what i'm afraid of is in order to complete the anime you have to read the manga and i'm not a big fan of manga,but it still good even though there is way too much sexual stuff like raip but that what makes it good right?,hahaha just kidding i ... mean i'm not a pervert,to the action scenes they are good
and that is it,this was my first review i hope you at least didn't hate me it is my first review so gimme a break,thanks for listening till next time

**Review may contain small spoilers, not enough to ruin the show though. They will be indicated with two stars**
**Feedback is appreciated**

Summary :
Ryouta Sakamoto suddenly finds himself transported from playing the hit Btooom! video game to being stranded on a mysterious island with a huge gap in his memory. It doesn't take him long to figure out that someone is attempting to recreate the ultra-violent Btooom! game in real life. Fortunately, Ryouta's an ace Btooom! player. Can Ryouta repurpose his game based skills fast enough to survive?

Story : 6
Art : 7
Sound : 7
Character : 7
... Enjoyment : 7
Overall : 7

Story : 6
I like that this anime had a goal to work towards, and the characters more-or-less stick to that goal. However, the ending wasn't really an ending, and a sequel has yet to be announced. It's only been 3 years though, so there's a chance of a sequel.
**I liked the sub-story of Date and Murasaki**
I thought the story overall was fair.

Art : 7
I don't have any complaints about the art, but at the same time I don't think there's anything particularly worth mentioning.
I personally didn't like the design of Himiko, I thought the anatomy was a little off, but it might just be me.
In my opinion, the art overall was good.

Sound : 7
Again, nothing to complain about.
I noticed right away who the voice actor for Masashi Miyamoto was, so that was a pleasant surprise. Kousuke Kira too.
Both openings were by Nano, a band which I recognised, which also made it better. The ending theme was also good.
The sound overall, I thought, was good.

Character : 7
I liked the variety of characters. A lot of them appeared to be psychos **but I can understand that the immense pressure of the sudden survival game could make someone that way. However, Kousuke Kira was already pretty messed up, which made him a bit more interesting.**
While the ending wasn't very final in terms of the story, I liked the character development of Ryouta Sakamoto, **as he overcomes his complex**.
I also liked Himiko's development in the last episode.
Overall the characters were good, in my opinion.

Enjoyment : 7
There are 3 reasons this is a 7, rather than an 8/8.5.
1) **The multiple rape scenes in episode 2. I actually started watching this anime about 2 years ago, but stopped because this episode upset me a little. I skipped them this time, but either way, they definitely made this anime less enjoyable for me.**
2) The character development. **In the final episode, Ryouta mentions that he could have gotten on better with his family, and throughout the show we see flashbacks of him and his family, but I don't think the creators of this anime made it very clear what happened. It may just be me, though.
Also, at the end the anime made it seem like Oda was really important to Ryouta, but before they happened to meet each other, Oda was never even mentioned.**
3) The way the anime was set out could have been better. I don't mean the order of events, I mean the way the events were animated. I feel like the last episode could have been sadder, like it was supposed to be, if it was carried out in a different way.

Despite those three things, I enjoyed the battles and the hardships Ryouta went through. I also enjoyed the romantic sub-plot, even though it was predictable.

Overall : 6.8 (7)

*This is only my second review, so I'm sorry if it isn't very helpful.*

Story: 10/10

It has a pretty good story which is a psychological thriller which tells us mostly about human deception, survival and trust. It's a little like SAO, but with bombs only, therefore it takes a lot more strategy and tactics in fights which makes it more exciting and makes battles more unpredictable.

Art: 9/10

Although it has fast-paced action, the graphics have managed to still remain fluid despite the action. The character design was good for the main characters but the same cannot be said for the supporting ones.

Sound: 7/10

Sound is actually used in a casual way. Not too much, not too little. The opening song is ... good, though.

Character: 6/10

Most of the characters have done horrible things in the past and always blabber about karma when faced with deadly situations. They all have their good traits and dark sides but their stupidity in not picking up details that in real life should've been extremely obvious.

Enjoyment: 10/10

We may not have the same tastes but I LOVE violence especially if it includes a lot of blood. There were very sly tactics and strategies that were used during fight scenes that you would like.And for perverts, there was an ecchi scene (attempted rape) but I don't like it.

Overall: 9/10

This anime would change the way we think about treating other people and about trust, with all the deception and betrayals. Definitely a good watch for video game-related anime and action fans alike.

A lot of peeps have been saying that Btooom! is not original, blah blah. Honestly, how many original stories are out there these days anyway? Although I do find similarities to many other works in bits and pieces over the course of watching it, I still enjoyed it very much ( even with the cliches and stupid women, yes...because the fight makes it worth while).

The protagonist is, sort of similar, but different from the generically wimpy main characters. I guess since it's easy to relate to his mind set as a semi-NEET myself, I really like how awesome he becomes as he acts out his ... game life. For characters in general, I really like how they come in a variety from middle aged salary man to high esteemed professionals to students to NEETs, etc. It's exciting to get different sneak peaks into their troubled lives and see how their perspectives change over time as they play the game. Comparing to most other shounen anime I've watched where each of type of character plays a specific role ( pilots are all old men, fighters are all bishounen, or everyone in the world is under 20, *it's exaggerated but you get what I mean ), this is one level above that. Annnnd, most importantly, the main characters are NOT THAT STUPID/USELESS. Finallyyyyy!

The story itself is full of fantastical elements, such as the setting and the game itself, but it brings out the morals behind and the growth in characters quite well. Surprisingly I didn't find any turning point unrealistic. As for what I think, the overall production is not disappointing at all. Being very picky on graphics and visuals in general, Btooom! does, at times, present alarming ecchi-ness that I find hard to take (not in terms of content but ..pinkness. *Hue Saturation is too high). Ahem.

The only, real problem I have is the pacing. For some reason I find the thoughts of the characters too slow (especially Himiko). On top of that the suspense are killed too quickly with the immediate revelation of the action strategies. I would be happier if more emphasis is brought out.

Lastly...I really hope there's a second season since a lot questions have left answered. The hardest part of putting all the developments together has only just begun. *Kekeke, quoting from op already. Anyway.

My suggestion is that if you are into gaming and don't appreciate your boring life, like I do, then watch this. Keep in mind, if you're the type to zoom over anime, to pay attention because there's not a lot of narration-like roles to explain all the details for ya like in Akagi or Death Note.

Thanks for reading all my shinanigans! //*run off to read the manga.

*Contains minor Spoilers! :)

Ok this is my first review ever, so i am going to keep it nice and short but to the point. I found out about this anime from a friend and we both agree that the anime is going to be amazing, something like how Sword Art Online is.

Story:

So far I am on the 5th Episode of this amazing anime and so far I love how the story line is going. Pretty original how they get the main character to be stuck in a game and the only way is to win, and the only way to win is to kill ... others. I like this type of story line and hope that the rest of the anime would be as good as the first 3 episodes. When I think of this anime, I think of "Bomber Man" for the Nintendo 64, because the main purpose of this game is to kill others using different types of bombs. That is pretty much my summary of the story.

Character:

I would say that they made the main character a lovable one, because he does nothing wrong and he kind of gets mixed up in a situation where he is forced to do something so unethical.

Overall:

I like this anime and I hope that the anime gets good reviews and all. I just love the direction of how this anime is going. Stories amazing, Art is beautiful, main character is a boss, and this anime is really enjoyable so its a must watch!

Hope you find this review helpful in a way!

So, Btooom!! is pretty much a 'Battle Royale' style anime. A bunch of people are sent to some unknown island, and are given bombs called BIMs to kill each other with. The game is modeled after a hugely popular game called Btooom where players use bombs to kill their opponents. Our story picks up with the Main character, 21 year old Ryouta Sakamoto. We know one thing about him, he is the best Btooom player in Japan and one of the top 10 players of the world (and self-explanatory a NEET). The first episode follows him as he wakes up on the island, with no ... idea of where he is, what's happening, and how he got there. First couple mins, he gets attacked by an opponent (technically, everyone else is your enemy). That's as far as I'll go into detail (that's like the first 5 mins of episode 1). Anyways, the story is obviously about Ryouta, and his attempt to escape the island without killing anyone. He meets many different people, some friends, others enemies, some insane, some completely sane. And that's the core of Btooom.

Now, the actual review. I thought the show did a decent job. It obviously doesn't win any points on originality, but the method of using bombs/ BIMs to kill your opponent and nothing else makes it different in comparison to Battle Royale or The Hunger Games. Ryouta himself can often get annoying and frustrating at times to watch. He's supposed to be the best player in Japan, and yet he never fully applies that knowledge to this game (he does so a few times, but that's it). The voice actor they chose for Ryouta, who can go from being confident to downright whiny (mostly the latter), felt as if he was forcing himself to act meek and whiny. He's one of those 'goody too shoes' characters that wants to get back to normal life without harming anyone (which is a near-impossible task). He seems to be more focused on idealism than reality. Me personally, I hate main characters who constantly preach to enemies to join them and become "good"...so Ryouta personally got on my nerves quite a few times. He barely has any confidence, and he only uses his game knowledge very rarely. I think my one pet-peeve about him is, He's WAY too gullible. He trusts everyone who he meets as if he's known them for a long time...and when you're playing a survival game, I find it unrealistic that someone could blindly trust every stranger they meet. So a major down-draw to this show would have to be the main character's personality.

Flipping sides, the plot itself is actually quite interesting. While not revealing an ounce of Why they're playing a death game, they reveal small hints in many of the episodes. It was really interesting when I found out the reason why those people were chosen to play. It was something unexpected. But I'd have to give a thumbs up to the plot for taking an unoriginal trend and putting its own spin on it.

As much as this show is about battling enemies, it's just as much a psychological game (if not moreso). Most of the time it shows the characters thinking to themselves, and you find out their true colors. Some are deceitful while others are trustworthy...and you usually find that out by their inner-monologues. Most of the time is spent thinking: "Do I trust him/he?r, can I trust him/her?, etc". I can only recall a few battles that can actually be considered 'battles'. They were often short and lopsided, but sometimes turned out interesting results. I won't go into detail, but there are a couple characters whom pique my interest (and aren't explained this season), and the battles Ryouta had with them, were too short and should have been extended because they were good.

The art style is very well-done. Madhouse did a really good job. It's not bright or shiny, but dark and dull as it should be. The dark tones set the scene for such a dark death game. It's nothing spectacular, but it certainly fits the show very well.

I think the biggest drawback for the show is the lack of character development. None of these characters change much throughout. Whenever it seems that Ryouta or Himiko have developed stronger personalities, they falter and repress back to their old annoying selves. I understand that they're trying to be realistic, but you can only be so gullible (and nearly get killed for it) before you have to rethink your strategies. Anyways, that's the biggest negative for me.

I also gotta admit at how cheesy this show is. It has some of the cheesiest moments that you'd never expect. Sometimes things are overdramatized, and other times they give in to hopeless cliches that make me chuckle. There was one moment during episode 11 where I literally could not stop laughing because of how cheesy and misplaced the scene was...damn lol. But yeah, sometimes it brings out the cheez-wiz can to spray all over.

And then there's Himiko (sigh), one of the most useless characters in any anime I've seen. She's the female main character of the show whereas Ryouta is the main male character. I'd say for half the season (6 episodes) she's a punching bag. She nearly gets raped, she gets pushed around, she's the complete opposite of Ryouta in which she trusts no one (which is actually quite frustrating). She's practically eye-candy throughout most of the show, and rarely battles. She had a lot of potential, but it seems they wasted it. She mainly just watches Ryouta battle and screams his name.

So overall, I gave it an 8 because it still has potential. It really depends on whether it gets another season (because the first season cut off when they were still in the game), or if they pull a Deadman Wonderland and lead me to read the manga...because this show is nowhere near finished, and I have reason to believe that Ryouta and Himiko would finally grow some spines/strong personalities and the real battle begins (that's just my assumption). I often found myself forgetting about it until I looked it up lol. I always said "Let's see, I have this, this, and that to watch...and Oh, Btooom!"...not saying it's bad, but just forgettable. It's worth a watch if you have nothing much better, and hopefully a season 2 comes out which will feel more complete and exciting.

Btooom! is the sound of destruction, normally created by weaponry for war.
However, in this anime destruction, is known to be a positive attributes through teamwork, trust, and a great deal of daringness.

Story: (8/10)
The story starts off with characters that had their pasts completely swiped out of their minds which gives them the option to either look back to continue living in the present on an deserted island by following the rules given. It might be seem to be like battle royale, however the limited weaponry, and actions are quite interesting with each characters' amusing pasts.

Art: (10/10)
The art is realistic, but ... fantasy like which suits the plot giving it a suspenseful, and mystical vibe.

Sound: (7/10)
The effects are good, and fair for watchers since there aren't unwanted fan girl noises.

Character: (9/10)
The characters have interesting past stories, but can still clash together with each other in corporation.

Enjoyment: (9/10)
Suspenseful, till the point where you're on the edge of your chair.

Overall: (8/10)

When I saw the first episode, I was wondering how they would keep the anime interesting by using bombs as their main weapon. Then it became interesting when I found out the characters have to rely on trust and some must resort to deception.

Using the different style bombs allowed it to hold a bit of suspense to which enemy could be proven more dangerous. And the characters had to choose whether they trust the other or not.

I found it incomplete at the end though. I wanted to know if they eventually got of the place, what happen to the people who sent them there. ... I wanted to know if Sakamoto and Himiko lived a life together back in Japan or did they continued to play the game. I just wanted a decent conclusion.

It was good though!

Btooom! Is a pretty intense series where people get stuck into a game based upon a huge video game called Btooom! In Btooom you basically battle other players for rankings only weapon you use in Btooom! are bombs. Not just regular bombs there are many different types Timers, Explode on Impact, Heat Bombs, and much more. Basically throughout this series there a lot of bloody killing and explosions which makes the anime pretty sweet in my opinion. Only thing I did not like is the few rape scenes they did have in the anime that could have really been done without. But I guess in ... the situation they were in it would have been very likely for it to happen so it is still pretty accurate to the series but this is a pretty good series and a must watch in my opinion.

This is my first review, so I'm sorry if it's not the best. In an effort to keep my self from spoiling anything, I'm going to try and stick to talking about the psychological aspect of the anime, and how the character's play such a vital role to it's success. First and foremost, for anyone who is squeamish about sexual abuse, violence, and sociopath's, this is probably not the anime to watch.

What I find most successful about the anime is how the plot revolves around the main characters lives. Each of the characters was put onto this island to play ... this game for a reason, and were elected by people they knew from their own lives. That's practically all I'm going to say about the plot itself, because I think it's the characters that really make this anime worth watching.

Most of the characters have extremely difficult to watch backstories, and personalities that match those backstories incredibly well. Not only that, but it shows human nature in a very real and disturbing way; it shows what happens when us as humans are cornered and forced to fight for our lives, and what happens to those of us who might be genuine at heart, but after being tested time and time again, break and turn into more of the "primitive nature" of kill or be killed.

If you enjoy anime that show both the best and the worst of human kind, in an exciting and thrilling action packed environment, I would definitely consider giving Btooom! a try.