Judging by the anime cover, Bokurano may look like every mecha anime ever, with giant robots in action against monsters. But do not be deceived. In reality, it’s a whole different story.
Story: 9/10
During summer camp, a group of 15 kids search a mysterious cave and discover that there’s a working computer and accessories inside. They meet a guy who claims that he is a game developer and just finished making a game in which a giant robot has to fight huge monsters to save the earth. He persuades them to make a contract first in order to play the game. After they finish up with the contract, they’re teleported inside the giant robot. One of them gets chosen as the captain who gets to control the robot, while others sit beside him/her and watch. After each win, the captain’s life energy is taken by the robot, so the captain dies. The story has very little focus on the mecha fights. The thing to shed light on was the backstories of each character. It was very well written and never got boring. Each character had his/her own unique story.
In my opinion, the episode directing was 'meh' during 2 or 3 episodes. When they won the first fight and Takashi Waku (Pilot 1) died, his friends didn’t even react to it. I mean like literally, not a single shit was given. They just stood there and watched him fall off a dam.
Animation: 7/10
Sound: 7/10
Not gonna emphasize on the animation and sound, as they were neither bad nor too good. They were just right.
Character, judging by character likability: 7/10
Let me put the spotlight on the two extreme sides of the cast.
Hated Characters.
Isao Kako (Captain #3): Rapist piece of shit. My second-most hated character of the series. He can go to hell. He was your typical “Why is all this happening to me only?” guy. Before piloting, he tried to rape Chizuru. He died before even getting a chance to pilot Zearth.
Chizuru Honda (Captain #4): Too naive for her own good. She got banged by her teacher and he leaked the pictures on the internet. Kinda feel bad for her but at the same time I hate her a lot. It’s her own fault for trying to get too comfy with a teacher.
Hiroyuki Hatagai (Chizuru’s Teacher): Where do I even start with this guy? I hate his guts, down to the very core. I wish Chizuru had killed him when she had the chance.
Liked Characters.
Mako Nakarai (Captain #6): She was an average girl. She fell short of money and tried to resort to prostitution. Lucky for her, she unknowingly met one of her mom’s friends as her first customer. It felt good he guided her to the right path. After that, he drove her to the bar where she met her mom and her friends. All of them were really kind to her and she learned her lesson. She ended up fighting hard to protect what needed to be protected: her mom and friends.
Kunihiko Moji (Captain #7): His dying wish was for his heart to be donated to his friend, who had a heart disease. Good guy Moji.
Yoko Machi (Captain #13): She was at her brother’s side in the beginning, but thank god she shot that bastard, +1 for her.
Jun Ushiro (Captain #14): I hated him at first. He treated Kana very badly. But in the end, he does care for her and becomes the pilot instead of Kana.
Kana Ushiro (Jun’s sister): Liked her for being able to put up with her brother’s shit.
Extras.
The remaining cast was also good, especially the backstory of Misumi.
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
It was interesting peeking into the backstories and lives of so many characters in a 24-episode anime. To wrap it up, it’s a great psychological and unique mecha anime.
