Bus Gamer

Well its a good idea for an anime since i've seen it done in American movies like 20 times (Smokin Aces and any other B-movie involving a mysterious company to fund human death matches) Unfortunately this anime isn't a very good example.

The story, standing at a whopping 3 episodes it's surprising to see how much action the managed to fit in. The side story apart from all the action is very poor at best. I couldn't tell if it was emphasizing more on seriousness or comedy. Regardless, the idea of an unlikely team to survive human death matches didn't translate so well. (Mediocre)

The characters ... are pretty ridiculous in my opinion. It's almost comical when the viewer tries to tell them apart. "No-eyes, one-eye, and two-eyes" is probably the best way to tell them apart. And their personalities go from 'hard-boiled, to less-boiled, to comic relief. Nothing real impressive it might have been cooler if they replaced the comic relief for a cooler type. (Decent)

The art is of average quality, think of Saiyuki as a decent reference in terms of art and animation quality. It's made in 2008, but looks like its from 2001. Lots of pointy hair and poor color quality. (Poor)

Sound is pretty non-existent. The fight scenes are just alot of thuds and thumps and swipes and such. Although the girls might like all the grunting and groaning thats in the show. And the background music is pretty forgettable. What is even worse is the rock and roll op and ed. For future reference, organs and rock music don't mix (ref: OP theme). (Poor)

Overall its an unimpressive anime but the pain watching it isn't so bad since it's so short. Maybe (thats a big MAYBE) if it was longer it could be decent. Personally I think another production studio should try this untapped style of storytelling.

Story:
The story of Bus Gamer isn't a bad idea, but three episodes was definitely not a sufficient amount for the story to develop. As you can read from plot synopses, these three guys come together as a team to participate in a dangerous underground (not literally) game between companies to earn money, the ultimate prize being 1 billion dollars. They all are steadfast in their desire for the 1 billion, but...well, I don't want to spoil anything, so let's just say the ending leaves you totally hanging as to if they achieve that goal or not. This definitely should have been 13 episodes, not just ... 3. If they allotted more episodes, story would've gotten an 7, but since they didn't and decided to end it abruptly, it gets a 6.

Art:
Nothing special here. It's not terrible or anything, but I believe it could have been better. Still, it's not really something to complain about, since I suppose there is worse. No more comment on the art really, that about sums it all up.

Sound:
Most people seem to enjoy the OP and ED, but that's all the music category's got going for it. The background music is really just standard, average, whatever you want to call it. It's just nothing special. Sound effects are just standard and normal, as expected. The voice acting, again, is just standard. The music section doesn't really stand out in anyway, so really I was gonna give it a 6, but because of the OP and ED themes, I believe it is worthy of a 7.

Character:
Characterization was a disappointment, seriously. As far as the character designs go, that was okay, because they did display three pretty differently styled people who would probably never be friends. However, the problem is really the similarity between Nakajou and Mishiba. When you just have three central characters that the whole story revolves around, they need to have contrasting personalities to make them likable (take Samurai Champloo for example.) Saitou was very different than Nakajou and Mishiba, so he's in the clear. But the other two are practically mirror images of each other, personality wise. Also, they tried throwing him some of the characters' pasts into the mix, but it really just didn't work because they were just small clips that revealed close to nothing.

Enjoyment:
After all that, I still gotta say it was at the least fairly enjoyable. The action is by no means the best I've seen, but it was different because it's not like the main characters had any sort of super powers or anything, it was just straight up street fighting really. You can also get a few chuckles out of it, not many though. You'll probably be disappointed at the end that it was only three episodes, but for just three episodes, it was pretty enjoyable.

Bus Gamer was made by the same author of the well known Saiyuki series. Thus you can expect handsome men and fun battles, which the anime does provide.

Toki Mishiba, Nobuto Nakajyo and Kazuo Saitou, three strangers in need of a large sum of money, form a team in an underground corporate sponsored street fight. The goal is to steal a disk containing secret information from the opposing team, while protecting their own disk.

The team has its variety in fighting styles and motivation. Each character is shrouded in mystery and the short series slowly reveals hints of why this mismatched trio so desperately needs cash ... to the point of risking their lives in an illegal street fight.

To say anything about the characters would spoil the series, however, the series itself only scratches the surface of those potentially interesting characters. My only complaint is that it feels very much unfinished with only hints of their past being revealed and their main rival hardly getting started on the chase.

Though the series does show enough to let us get a taste of what it's like and leave us wanting more. So if you don't mind being left with the feeling of lack of closure, check this out and you'll at least enjoy what little is available.

I remember watching the first episode of this thinking: "There's no way they can end this in three episodes unless Godzilla abruptly and spontaneously appears on the horizon." I believe I was correct in this assumption. As has been stated in the other reviews for the show, three episodes were not enough to really develop this into anything other than a sort of character template. The series really seems to be more of a test teaser for a greater, extended series rather than a series in its own right. However, I did actually enjoy that which was presented and was most disappointed and distressed that ... those in charge of this production didn't decide to make this into a 26 episode series, which it easily could have been.

~Story~

The basic premise, while it is true it's not particularly unique, was still intriguing. It pulled me in and allowed for enough of an interesting setup so that I at least had some notion of how everything was structured and possibly ended. Again, it's highly unfortunate that they didn't develop this into something more as I would have highly enjoyed it if these three episodes are any indication of the direction it could have gone in.

~Art~

I highly suspect that someone involved with the production of Saiyuki was in on this. The character designs are very similar; the similar style especially being made apparent with Toki's design. This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that the show actually has a blatant Saiyuki reference in it when one of the characters plays as Gojyo in a fighting game. As such, you can expect that sort of animation. For example, the hair is a bit spikey and sort of clumpy, the fingers are elongated and bony, the chins are emphasized, and in some shots, the characters look a little anorexic. While I do like aspects of that style, the aforementioned bony fingers and narrow/starved faces bother me.

Unrelated to overall style, I really appreciated that the creators took the trouble to design multiple outfits for the characters so that they actually seemed like real people getting dressed everyday. It bothers me how in some anime the characters only seem to have one outfit to their wardrobe, so taking the time to individualize the characters here, especially given how easy it would have been not to considering the series' lack of length, was a really nice touch.

~Sound~

Nothing really stood out about the sound. The voices fit the characters and I enjoyed the opening theme but there was nothing gripping about it.

~Character~

This is the main reason I'm bummed that the show wasn't fully fleshed out and made longer. It's true that two of the main guys are a bit similar in philosophy and attitude, but I felt that they were both strong and individual enough to be interesting. The snippets of the characters backgrounds that we get allow the viewer to make educated guesses about what motivates them and why they may want the money. At least, they were enough for me to go off of. I've no idea if my suspicions are correct, but they sound reasonable. I liked all the characters and frankly wanted to know more.

All in all, if you have absolutely nothing to do and are in the mood to ruminate over an interesting concept, then I'd recommend this. However, if your time is precious or you're not a person who appreciates hearing and sharing interesting ideas (emphasis on the idea, not story), then I'd say look for something else.

As an aside, it really bugged me also when the main characters were waving their gun around in a FULL restaurant and no one, not a SINGLE PERSON, noticed or cared. To my knowledge, Japan has not been overrun by zombies, so you'd imagine that someone would at least say: "Hey! They've got a gun! Maybe I should call the cops and/or alert someone and/or leave."

It's been done in 100+ american live-action movies, so why can't they do it right in an japanese anime?

I heard alot of good things about this anime, so I've decided to watch it. There are only three episodes, so it didn't take much of my time, but I wished I could turn back the hands of time, cause this anime wasted it.

It's a new anime, it started just 3 months ago, but yet, it feels so old. The animation really sucks, it's on the level where most anime's were a couple of years ago, the art itself is bad too. They're fa...ces are all messed ... up on one second and on the other second it looks kinda okay.

The story's good tho', this is a basic action/thriller hollywood story, about some game where two teams got to beat the crap out of each other for the enjoyment of the rich. Who hasn't heared that before?

Characters are too basic, so is they're relationship with each other, the enemy's that they're fighting in the game don't mean shit, it's easy, and they all look the same, plus, they got those simple faces you see at each character that's in the background, wtf. And the fights? They're too short and too simple. Even the last final fight is full of crap, some retard keeps hitting with his knife on the same place on this plate Kazuo is protecting himself with, every idiot would aim at his hands then, and Toki, he kicks away knife's that fly at him with his ordinary sneakers, wtf, should knife's go through normal sneakers? Like I said, full of shit.

I knew they couldn't finish this story in 3 episodes, and it seems I was right. They even added some flashbacks by two characters, and we still don't know the meaning of them, there's still lots and lots of questions left unanswered.

The manga's still running if I'm correct, hope they'll make some more OVA's so we can get some answers, just purely for that, not for the anime itself.

What everyone wants to know, "Should I watch it?". Well, my answer is no.
Unless you like old mediocre anime's with crappy animation etc, then you should watch it.

I just wanted to put this down. I think this anime brings something new to the table(from what I understand), wether it be good or bad. I like that it took me out of the typical anime feeling, I get when watching most animes. You really don't have to absorb that much information to get it. I like that it skips most of the bullshit that tends to get reptitive in animes. Also if you watch anime alot or know alot of stories, or imaginative, or w/e I believe this anime was made so you use your knowledge to fill ... in the blanks.

Story: I like the story. I would say the story is presented in a poem form as opposed to a novel, for the lack of episodes. Their is still a story to this anime. Six indivduals are put together inside an arena, and it is a three on three battle, and the winners get cash. That part isn't really innovative, but the setting they are in and situations they have are kind of. So that is why I gave it what I did.


Art Sound Character Enjoyment blah blah blah I pretty much agree with luffy accept that I forgot what he scored but w/e I put fives. I just wanted to talk about the story, sorry if its not understandable.

I decided to rate it as this...because if there would have been a little more episodes i'm certain it could have gotten not good...but better..much better..

Plot:..not something spectacular..but enough to attract your attention...IF it would have been better developed..3 episodes is just crap...it's like showing us the big candy and then..after they see us drool..they take it away...

Art: It was ok..it could have been better...

Character: Stereotypes ...but it was ok...IF..there would have been time for some development..but because of the lack of episodes...again..it sucked

Enjoyment:God..i could have enjoyed this 3 or 4 times more if there would have been at least 13 episodes...damn..*sigh

Overall:...AGAIN...a good potential....wasted..totally..disappointed

The idea that business secrets will be trade through Battle was probably a great idea, and a nice plot point to revolve characters and a story.

But this series disappointed greatly. The characters for one were odd. And because it was only 3 episodes long you don't really get to know them. All we know is that they are all different individuals.

The action was poor. It ranged from the use of many different weapons. Baseball bats and pistols. But it was still just poor.

The Animation style wasn't great.

I mean I don't really have much to say about it. because of it being 3 episodes it ... jumps to quickly to plots that you have no idea what they are about.

Overall I watched it, but didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

The story was very good, but its big let down is the fact that they've rushed it all into 3 episodes. The massive potential in being a big anime is let down by the fact that its rushed. You only get to see 3 of the games, when there was a potential for over 12. And the story could of been developed a whole lot more.

But what they had done was great, the characters were great and I did enjoy it greatly. But sadly i can only give Bus Gamer a 4/10 due to the lack of story. If it was extended i would ... of Gladly gave it much higher

I feel bad for this series just because it was cut so short! I mean it is not the best or worst of anything....though I do have to say everyone looks like dudes including the only female character. But I feel that if it got more then 3 episode that this anime would have been a really good one. Why? I can not see the ending. This can be a double edged sword though but first I'll explain what I mean by "I can't see the end."

Yes obviously at the end their all either going to have that 1 Billion yen or not, and since ... it's all about then it's probably a yes that they'll have it. but that's not really the ending. This Anime leaves me with a black as to where I can project it going. It was left while they were still establishing the plot! there are a lot of unanswered questions (obviously) and because of that where they might end up in the end I have no clue. All I know is that yes, they'll have 1 Billion, and that's it. I don't know I guess I'm being silly but it just feels like I'm starring at a blank piece of paper trying top write a story with not even knowing how to write. There's really no leads in it that lead me to a possible ending. But that's probably because of all the lose frayed ropes this Anime has dangling in the wind.

I know it's not their fault, there was licensing issues or something which cause it to only have a 3 eps play on Japaneses TV. But even before that it was a 1 Vol. Manga that was as well not finished. But think about it, this Manga ran from 1999 - 2001, the Anime ran in 2008. There is a HUGE gape there...and all I can ask my self if WHY?

As far as I can see this might have been the next big hit with the older Anime Otaku's or at least something fun to watch, but with it being unfinished it hits pretty low on my charts even though I enjoyed it a little bit.

Also the crows in this Anime or Ravens or whatever they are are just fricken weird and a little bit wtf. O_o''

Bus Gamer, another series created by Kazuya Minekura. She is most famously known for creating the ever popular Saiyuki series, which I love with all my heart. I have wanted to dabble in the series ever since I found out about it, but I only got to it today. If I make a lot of comparisons to Saiyuki, I apologize, but since it's by the same creator I can't help but to compare the two series.

Story: 8/10
Even though the series was only three episodes long you cannot deny the premise of it. It's interesting, mysterious and guaranteed to be action packed. No episode is wasted ... with fillers, they get straight to the point whether it's introducing a character, or if they're on a mission. It follows your standard shonen plot, the opponents steadily get stronger and the locations become more interesting. They managed to stick a different fight in each episode which was appreciated. I do wish that there would have been more episodes so it can get more into the underlying plot, but then you must consider that this is an anime based on a pilot manga. Minekura continued the series in 2008, but I think her illness prevented her from getting into it (along with Saiyuki :( ). All in all the story did its job, it entertained me and had me wanting more. That being said, if you don't like anime with lackluster or loose endings then this probably isn't for you.

Art: 7/10
The art style is classic Minekura. It looks like Saiyuki or Wild Adapter and personally I love it. But Bus Gamer has something visually that Saiyuki or Wild Adapter doesn't have, rather unique looking characters. Now if you're a fan of hers then you'll probably know what I mean; every series she has ever created has pretty much the same looking characters from Saiyuki. It was pretty much her first series, except Just!! which debuted in 1995, so you're bound to find characters that look similar. However, most of the characters tend to look like Hakkai, Gojyo or Sanzo. There were only two exceptions; Hachi no Su and Bus Gamer. From hair style to color, Mishiba, Nakajou and Kazuo are slightly different looking from the Saiyuki boys; although if I had to make comparisons to the two series, I would say Toki is Sanzo, Nobuto is Gojyo, and Kazuo is Goku. I've seen some complain that the series looks like it was made in 2001 and it kind of looks cheap for the time it was made. The fact of the matter is, the pilot WAS released in 2001. However, I do not mind as much, because 2001 was when her art improved significantly. It's cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than Gensoumaden Saiyuki, her first Saiyuki series. Bus Gamer gave way to Saiyuki Reload and more so I can appreciate it for that step foward in art, and personally if I had to choose between Minekura's art from 1997 and 2001 I would gladly choose 2001. Another welcome was the coloring, which seemed to have mellowed down from Saiyuki. It's not overly bright or overly bold; it fits with the atmosphere of the city while retaining that nostalgia from Saiyuki. I was disappointed with character consistency though, they looked rushed and choppy in some of the scenes, a problem which I thought they would have fixed from the Saiyuki anime. Another problem was the animation, although smoother than Saiyuki it was still stiff and rather behind the times compared to other anime of the time. Consistency and animation were the reasons I gave it a seven and nothing higher; but the art, despite it being lacking compared to other animes, is what got me hooked to Kazuya Minekura in the first place, which is why the score isn't lower.

Sound: 7/10
I don't have much to say about the sound, because it is pretty forgettable. It just blends into the background too much and it doesn't stand out. The only parts where I remembered where in the beginning when it showed the scenery and there was no dialogue to distract me. It just seemed like a cheap 90's action music soundtrack, no quirky banjo music or chilling character theme songs to capture my attention. The opening was fun to listen to and I actually sat through the opening each time to listen to it (something I never do). The ending was okay, but I didn't bother listening to it but once. Overall, it was okay.

Character: 7/10
While three episodes isn't enough to really get a feel for the characters I can say that they're pretty interesting. They're definitely more mellow versions of Sanzo, Gojyo and Goku though. Mishiba Toki is the "Main character", the story starts out pretty much from his point of view and it ends from his point of view. He is silent and rather unfriendly (such as Sanzo). his weapon of choice is himself as he had taken martial arts in the past. Despite his cold exterior he has his moments, from enjoying the salmon riceball to being caught off guard by Kazuo. Overall he's rather thoughtful even though he doesn't make it known. Nakajou Nobuto weapon of choice is a lead pipe, and he is often compared to Mishiba because he also appears to be a silent and unfriendly archetype. However, in my opinion he's rather different. He voices his opinions more, he's more firendly and easier to approach, he's the planner in the group. He's also cockier than the other two, blatantly stating in the beginning that he was stronger than them. He carries a smug expression and often complains about having to work with his partners; but underneath he cares about them, especially taking Kazuo under his wing. Saitou Kazuo is the comic relief in the series. His weapon of choice is-...well...he's pretty useless in a fight. He states in the beginning that his only talent was being healthy and boy is this true. He is mostly entrusted with the disks and told to hide, which he will gladly do in a heart beat. However that doesn't mean he doesn't come in handy now and then; when the others find themselves in a pinch he kind of comes through. He's naive, loud and friendly. He tries to get Mishiba and Nakajou to open up and constantly pesters them. He definitely doesn't fit with the other two, but that sure as heck doesn't stop him from trying! They're a funny group of guys and although not as in depth as Saiyuki, it probably would have grown if the series had been longer.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Yes, a 9/10. It was entertaining and it kept my interest from start to finish. It made me crack up when it was supposed to be funny, and kept me on my toes when it was supposed to. I wanted to learn more from these three but can never be satisfied (sigh). I loved especially how they snuck Saiyuki into show, that was great, showing that you can never escape product placement.

Now time for the Happy Panda and Sad Panda award; this is my little quirk where I point out the best and worst part in the anime and give them an "award".

Happy Panda goes to: The Story! Although short, it has room to expand and become something bigger

Sad Panda goes to: The music! It just wasn't anything special and it fizzled into the background; the opening was nice, but it wasn't enough.

Overall:
37/50
7.6/10= 8/10

The series is only an hour and a half total, so at least give it a try. It's a great short series if you just want to kill time or if you're looking for a quick fix in anime. If you're a Minekura fan, I would definitely recommend it.

Bus Gamer is an excellent way to spend an hour and leaves you really wanting more. The manga and anime are both cut short or canceled or something but the story was never finished.

The premise is that rich business tycoons are bored so they each hire a team of three street thugs to represent them. Once a location is chosen, a battle ensues to capture the opposing team's disc, that contains secrets that could potentially ruin the company, before they can get yours, kind of like capture the flag. The teams progress in tournament style ... and each round they win they are given more and more money until the final round in which they are given 1 billion yen upon winning.

I've said too much already but I'll finish it up with this. The characters are what create the show. They all have their own unique personality and seem to be an unlikely match but they are brought together for the same purpose, they all need all the money without the courtesy to tell why.

(Damn, I spoiled too much. Go watch it NOW!)

I'm gonna keep this short... as apposed to the other who saw this anime, I very much enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was canceled before it finished.
Good Watch... + It will only take an hour to watch them, so you don't have much to lose.

In my opinion this was a ver good anime considering that it was only 3 episodes. The maker of the anime got a whole bunch in the story line for a 3 episode anime which sadly after Comic Rex, the magazine in which it was serialized in went under, no more episodes were ever released. Though there is a small glimmer of hope for Bus Gamer fans since Kazuya Minekura may pick up the anime though since the anime was made in 2008 it maybe at 2-3 years till there are more episodes.

Bus Gamer is a pretty unremarkable anime, and while there's technically more good than strictly bad here, there's still not that much to say in the first place. Beginning with the story, it's your usual death game fare, which weirdly enough doesn't have anything to do with busses. I thought heard them say 'biz game', as in business game, so that's probably just a funny mistranslation that never got corrected. Moving on from that however, the story is largely simple, but intriguing. It has solid pacing, moving you from one action scene to another with relative ease, and I personally enjoy the setup and inherent ... possibilities for a kind of monster-of-the-week style show, where each game has a different gimmick. Though, from what I saw during the 3 episode run, they definitely play it safe until the beer garden a good part of the way through the story. The art is typical for 2008, and while not bad by any means is definitely reminiscent of the time period. In short, it fulfills its purpose. Personally, it makes me feel rather nostalgic for the days I first started getting into anime, so I quite enjoy it in that regard. The sound is perfectly serviceable, with the voice acting and sounds of life meeting all the basic standards of quality, but the music is set apart as just ever so slightly better than the rest of the sound design. It captures this kind of late 2000s 'renegade' aesthetic quite well. The characters are pretty flat, especially Toki and Nakajou, who are nothing more than different brands of average anime tough guys. Though, Saitou manages to break up the angsty cringefest by being cringe himself, actually ending up as much needed comic relief for what would otherwise be a very edgy duo. Overall, this anime is thoroughly forgettable. Between the truncated run and nature of the show itself, there's just not much else to say here. Watch it if you really like death game stuff or long for 2008. If not, flip a coin.