Instead I'm not going to go down the route and critique Cannon Busters for not being a carbon copy of the two most notable animes I've mentioned or following the same formula that a majority of animes coming out seem to follow (you know what I'm talking about, cliche, boring characters, fan service out of the galore, and overcoming the fights with the power of friendship!).
Instead, Cannon Busters breaks away from that mold. The anime begins by misleading viewers into thinking that this story is going to be a lighthearted one and the protagonist, Philly the Kid is just going to be another character that does everything because he has a good moral compass. Instead, we're shown that Philly is anything but that, he's a jerk motivated only by two things: alcohol and girls.
It's what makes Philly and even most of the cast likable (though I couldn't find myself stomaching Prince Kelby, I'm hoping future seasons will give him some character growth). They all don't fit into a stereotypical anime character mold; no one can be divided into a neat box labeled as "good" or "evil." Hell, even the kingdom of Botica was shown to be really messed up once the rose-tinted glasses were forcibly ripped off of the viewers once we got a taste of Philly's past via a flashback.
A lot of the characters have their vices and flaws. While they can be annoying I felt that this series did a spectacular job getting me to love characters that were morally messed up. From 9ine, the drunk assassin, who was shown to have no qualms about killing kids in his past or even the antagonist himself who fought for his own messed up reasons.
Not to mention that despite all of the bright colors that this anime paints itself with it can get really dark to the same level of Berserk and Devilman Crybaby. It doesn't shy away from the fact that in a lawless, dessert world people are willing to do whatever they need to do, even if it means killing a couple of people and skinning them to make clothes (if you know what episode I'm talking about I didn't sleep for a while afterward).
This anime just overall is something that I think everyone should give a chance. Even if you watch every single episode and finding yourself not liking anything, I think you'll at least enjoy the soundtrack. It's pretty rare for me to never skip an OP and I rarely ever listen to the ED, but with Cannon Busters I found myself listening to every single second of both because they both really captured the nature and overall tone of the show. So if you're looking for something to watch this summer give Cannon Busters a chance.
