“It’s this place utopia or hell ?”
A Quiet apocalypse
Beyond thematic intent, Sonny Boy is complex, messy, and at times pretentious. Patience and consideration are required when watching Sonny Boy. In one episode, the audience is expected to sit through an entire five minutes of one character just talking about monkeys and baseball, Sonny boy can be difficult to enjoy because it's difficult to grasp, but every episode had me wondering whether the artistic value was purely a consequence of symbolism, metaphor, or what hungry anime viewers digging through scraps and for some reason they find here. Nevertheless... Sonny Boy has succeeded to capture the
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hearts of those who are prepared to persevere. So, if you believe there's even a remote chance you'll enjoy this anime, don't waste your time.. Beyond Sonny Boy’s many flaws, there is so much to experience.
Every episode of Sonny Boy is full of unexpected twists and turns. Almost every scene in this anime has its own distinct mood, story, themes, and focal point. It's like starting a fresh story and being genuinely curious about what's within. Though the show starts out with kids being hurled into a new dimension, it progressively disintegrates into a myriad of plot paths, each with its own unique set of features. One episode delves into the students' journey to where they're at, another episode focuses on the students' plans for the future in their new dimension. Even the meaning of it all differs depending on the point. The show criticizes society at times by comparing animals to humans. It’s intriguing, and there’s tons of fun in trying to guess what's going to happen next while still trying to figure out what’s going on in the present.
While there is no set formula to Sonny Boy’s aesthetically erratic storyline, there are set rules to the setting. Like in every good work of creative worldbuilding, there must be some semblance of reality in order to create a sense of relativity amongst the viewers. In Sonny Boy, the setting comes with rules that force the characters to act as they would in a realistic (and capitalistic) society. Students form groups, they argue, they converse, they share things, they hide things, they create currency, they create cults, they are forced into labor. The societies the characters interact in and the experiences these environments create are all subplots that could act as their own story.
In the same way as Evangelion is a character drama, Sonny Boy is a character drama. The characters are psychologically complex, flawed, and often represent something intellectual in some way, and their deeper personalities are revealed to us over time through unconventional deconstructions. The show doesn't give every single student screen time because there are over thirty pupils, but everyone who is vital to what's going on is a well-structured character with their own lovable points. With surprisingly emotional depth, the show covers just the right amount of cast for its run. And, while the character writing in this show is fantastic on its own, it works much better for the overall program. The sturdy basis that allows the program to do all sorts of weird things without having it feel like it's completely lost all sense is the reality and ensuing attachment that audience members will have towards the characters.
On to technicalities, Sonny Boy’s art is... substandard That is if you’re looking at just the drawings themselves. If you simply paused at one scene and looked up close to see the linework and the detail, you would be disappointed. The show is absurd enough that no one can tell if it’s a budgeting issue or an actual artistic decision, but there are times when things are just missing. But what Sonny Boy’s art lacks in detail, it makes up for in framing and directing. In those aspects, Sonny Boy is truly beautiful. Like the rest of the show, the art is far from the norm.
The music in Sonny Boy is a spectacular mix of subtly jazzy laid-back tunes of various genres. The ED is an immersive song that usually just plays over a black credit screen. It works in stark contrast to the quiet that plays in the majority of most episodes which makes it obvious and eventually, super easy to look forward to. The way the music suddenly comes in amidst the vast and empty world with empty sounds makes the ending literally and figuratively “music to one’s ears.” The background scores are wonderful and often ethereal. Highly tense and psychological moments get paired with magical sounding light eerie tunes that add to the events occurring on screen. The music stands out without being out of place and while still adding to story points and showing expert use of dynamics. In terms of music, everything was simply picked out with perfection. ( + mid air thief, toe, and sunset rollercoaster are involved making the ost )
Sonny Boy is a remarkable gem that does far more than a single episode could. It isn't hesitant to simultaneously explore, analyze, question, and discuss. The show's limitless creative freedom allows it to push the anime medium and art in general to previously unimagined heights. Sonny Boy is the apex of all the greatest things anime has to offer, with flawed characters who deconstruct away from clichés and settings that represent society while still overflowing with unconstrained uniqueness.
Feb 18, 2023
“It’s this place utopia or hell ?”
A Quiet apocalypse Beyond thematic intent, Sonny Boy is complex, messy, and at times pretentious. Patience and consideration are required when watching Sonny Boy. In one episode, the audience is expected to sit through an entire five minutes of one character just talking about monkeys and baseball, Sonny boy can be difficult to enjoy because it's difficult to grasp, but every episode had me wondering whether the artistic value was purely a consequence of symbolism, metaphor, or what hungry anime viewers digging through scraps and for some reason they find here. Nevertheless... Sonny Boy has succeeded to capture the ... |
