Bokura no

As fifteen children at a summer camp enjoy their carefree vacation together, they stumble upon a small cave near the beach. The group finds a mysterious room deep within its caverns, where they meet a strange man who calls himself Kokopelli. The man invites the children to play a game that involves taking turns controlling a robot to protect the Earth against aliens. Thinking it might be an interesting computer game, all but one of the children sign a contract agreeing to play.

Later that day, the giant robot appears in person and the children are teleported into its cockpit, where they find Kokopelli, who pilots a fight against a similar robotic creature that has appeared nearby. After winning the battle, Kokopelli tries to apologize but is interrupted as the children are teleported back to the ground in the midst of the carnage.

As the bewilderment following the fight settles, the robot suddenly disappears and the children are left scared and confused. Despite seeming like a harmless game at first, the children never anticipated the stakes of this game and how their pasts would intertwine with their decisions going forward.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ushiro, Jun Main

Minagawa, Junko Japanese

Koemushi Main

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Yamura, Daiichi Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Moji, Kunihiko Main

Miyata, Kouki Japanese

Honda, Chizuru Main

Takahashi, Ao Japanese

Nakarai, Mako Main

Iguchi, Yuka Japanese

Kirie, Yousuke Main

Asanuma, Shintaro Japanese

Machi, Yoko Main

Sanpei, Yuuko Japanese

Ano, Maki Main

Higa, Kumiko Japanese

Yoshikawa, Kanji Main

Nojima, Kenji Japanese

Nagai, Masaru Producer

Nanba, Hideyuki Producer

Morita, Hiroyuki Director

Aketagawa, Jin Sound Director

Reviews

Jun 4, 2024

Dompa112

Recommended

Dont know if ive seen a show with such a large cast of characters where i enjoyed them all. Even the ones i didnt agree with or maybe didnt think they acted the right way they were still interesting and caught my attention. I find this to be a bit of a hidden gem. In my book it deserves more praise in the Mecha genre with more psychologic focus. I rated NGE higher but thats alot of nostalgia. Just in terms of how much i enjoyed it i think this one tops that show. But its close.

But yeah its a very characterdriven story. Theres ... not much plot. And the plot thats there never goes deeper or explains some of the more intriguing parts. It just kinda drops it. Some more world building and the show could have hit the 10.

Also the opening Uninstall is legendary.

A strong 9/10 from me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Dompa112 (43)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Feb 1, 2024

MizuhoKamui

Mixed Feelings

Bokurano often incorporates shock value through the portrayal of child abuse. It is often referred to as Narutaru mk2 as both share a common theme. In Narutaru, children face torment and misery with a Pokémon-like twist, while Bokurano introduces the same distressing elements with colossal robots.

Initially, this approach garnered attention, but subsequent releases like Madoka Magica, Rainbow, Made in Abyss, and Re:Zero have diluted the uniqueness of such shows. Despite this, a subset of anime fans continues to derive sadistic pleasure from narratives that relentlessly subject characters to suffering, using justifications of realism, depth, or maturity.

The plot of Bokurano fails to impress, with children piloting ... mechas to save the world presenting a tired trope. While the unique twist of the pilots dying upon mecha use adds a layer of misery, the overall plot progression is slow and unintelligent. The battles for Earth's salvation become secondary, and the story could easily be adapted to focus on the last moments of children with terminal diseases. The flashy robot battles contribute little to the narrative, overshadowed by the constant theme of suffering. Negative consequences in the series become overly convenient tragedies, reminiscent of classic mecha shows where the heroes always triumph.

The central flaw in Bokurano lies in the fact that, for most of the series, the children have no control over their predicament. They were deceived into a situation with undisclosed drawbacks, forced to sacrifice themselves for the greater good without any agency. While the stakes are high, manipulating saviors into sacrificing their lives does not align with heroism; instead, it borders on malevolence. Describing the main characters as "realistic and sympathetic" feels inaccurate; they are ordinary kids with no influence over their circumstances. Their tragic situation becomes the only memorable aspect, as we struggle to recall their names.

Furthermore, the mangaka's penchant for subjecting children to various forms of torture goes beyond the mere act of choosing death. The narrative layers additional hardships such as dysfunctional parents, burned homes, infidelity, and even harm to pets, creating an exaggerated sense of misery. Contrary to claims of realism, such elements contribute to a form of entertainment that revels in extreme, implausible, and sorrowful scenarios, suggesting a peculiar taste among viewers.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by MizuhoKamui (242)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sep 13, 2023

ThatAnimeSnobRE

Not Recommended

Funny

Bokurano, aka Narutaru mk2. The guy who makes these things, mangaka Kitou Mohiro, has a thing for shock value around children abuse. Narutaru was “Let’s have kids being tortured and miserable, with Pokemon flavor”, Bokurano is “Let’s have kids being tortured and miserable, with huge robots flavor”. It used to be a big deal at the time, until many other similar anime came out (Madoka Magica, Rainbow, Made in Abyss, Re:Zero) and made those shows to feel far less special. The sadistic pleasure many anime fans get from such anime though didn’t go away and to this day we get the same excuses of a ... show being realistic or deep or mature because it tortures endlessly its characters.

Anyways, you are not going to watch this anime for its animation, since it was made by the most lame Studio GONZO, and directed by someone who hated the source material and wanted to have his own twist. It was a disaster waiting to happen. WHO THE HELL GIVES PEOPLE TO DIRECT A SHOW THEY HATE? I’ll tell you who, GONZO does. They did their best to mutate the true meaning of the original manga as best as they could and to make the whole show as pathetic as possible. And yet a lot of people still liked it. There’s your maturity!

Anyways, you are not going to watch this anime for its plot, because it sucks ass. Kids pilot mecha to save the world, yuppie duppie doo, where have I heard that one before. It has the twist of kids dying when they use the mecha which leads to the whole misery motif so many like. It’s basically “Wow, I will be dead soon; how will I spend my last hours alive?” That aside the plot is slow and stupid. So you can pretty much screw the whole battle for the salvation of Earth. Although losing the battle automatically means that Earth will blow up, it’s not really the point at all. You can take out the robots and the salvation of Earth and it will make almost no difference. The story could easily be remade to be the last moments of children with terminal diseases. The robot battles are flashy extras that offer little to the actual plot, which is non-stop suffering. Having negative consequences is not the same as having convenient moments of tragedy, since they are so extreme to the point they don’t differ from any other classic mecha show where the good guys always win and all the buildings get fixed in a few days. It’s why whenever a civilian is killed, he will conveniently be a relative of the kid currently piloting the robot.

What ultimately ruins the premise is the simple fact that for most of the show the children will have no control over what is going on. They were tricked into a situation they didn’t know it had negatives and then they are expected to die one after the other for the greater good without again be able to do anything about it. Yes, if they disagree the world will be destroyed and all, but tricking the saviors into giving up their lives is not heroic at all. It’s evil. There is no way in hell I will describe the main characters as “realistic and sympathetic” as so many called them. They are typical kids with no control over what happens. I don’t want to be like them, they don’t inspire me, they are not heroic, and nobody with a healthy mind would want to be in their shoes. The only thing people remember about them is the tragic situation they are in, they don’t actually care about them as characters. If you don’t believe me, ask them if they can even remember how they are called. I bet you 90% of them won’t be able to mention a single name without looking it up. Also the director didn’t like the manga ending and changed it to a happy one, so all manga readers hated the anime for ruining the premise.

Also, I need to repeat that the mangaka really loves to torture children in more than one ways. As if being chosen to die ain’t enough he also makes sure their parents are assholes, their house gets burned, their girlfriends cheat on them, and someone kicks their puppy. All at the same time. I fail to see the realism so many are yapping about. It’s as miseryporn as it gets. Being miserable does not make something realistic, much less better than cheery series. It only means the watcher finds pleasure in the most overblown, impossible to believe, ludicrous things, as well as in the suffering of innocent people. Take that as you will.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by ThatAnimeSnobRE (190)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Mecha

by LENDASlegend

44 Entries · 14 Restacks

Shows that deconstruct a particular genre, theme or characters

by RobertBobert

42 Entries · 136 Restacks

We dig giant robots

by Nice_Bird

50 Entries · 3 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

Here are the North American Anime & Manga releases for March 2015. Week 1: March 3rd - 9th Anime Releases Chronicles of the Going Home Club Complete Series Blu-r...read more

Mar 3, 2015 6:49 PM by Snow | Discuss (20 comments)

Q3 2014 Anime Licenses [Update 9/28]

Sentai Filmworks (North America): Hitsugi no Chaika (Chaika the Coffin Princess) Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen (Argevollen) Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) Akame ga ...read more

Jul 4, 2014 1:51 PM by Dunois | Discuss (50 comments)

	Poll: Bokurano Episode 16 Discussion tainteddonut - Sep 9, 2007	34 replies	by iShambles »» Jul 16, 10:28 AM
	Poll: Bokurano Episode 4 Discussion tainteddonut - May 11, 2007	40 replies	by Zalis »» Jul 7, 10:29 PM
	Poll: Bokurano Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) cyruz - Oct 18, 2007	121 replies	by Db_kamal »» Oct 3, 2023 9:51 AM
	Bokurano Director Dislikes The Manga tainteddonut - Jun 14, 2007	10 replies	by trampler8324 »» Sep 27, 2023 2:30 AM
	Poll: Bokurano Episode 23 Discussion cyruz - Oct 18, 2007	33 replies	by Archean-Return »» Aug 6, 2023 11:09 AM