[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Bokurano 11 and 12
Once again, I’ve left it for too long before continuing this show. Unlike the other fansub series I’m currently following, Bokurano is so powerful and tragic I can’t really sit through too much in one go - for that reason, this review took two days to write. I find it best to watch one episode, let the events sink in and think about it for a bit before moving onto the next one. But maybe that’s just me.
Three friends…and tragedy
#11: Moji’s Sacrifice
Anyway, Moji is the next up, and he comes across as being a thoroughly good guy. Like Daichi, he’s selfless and makes use of the lousy hand he’s dealt to bring some good out of it. Unlike Daichi, his predicament has its origins in the misfortune of illness, rather than the human nature-induced suffering that we’ve seen so far. It’s nobody’s fault that his best friend Nagi’s ill; nor is anybody’s fault that both Yoji and Nagi fall for their childhood friend Tsubasa. Yet, Moji feels guilty for, in his eyes, not feeling enough pity for Nagi and also for his feelings of jealousy (the jealousy may not be particularly heroic but mere mortals among us will at least see it as understandable). In the end though, Moji understands the best thing to do and offers Nagi the ultimate gift: the chance of life and the chance to make both of his lifelong friends happy. What a guy. Seriously. I was genuinely impressed with his selflessness and maturity.
Yoji, hero of the week
Aside from the ’shed a manly tear’ pathos of Moji’s heroic gesture, we also learn a little about the enemy too. I’m guessing the physical forms of the monsters have some sort of significance, being different shapes (in the same way that the shapes of the Angels of Eva reflected their namesakes); anyway, Moji defeats a two-part alien but his tactics strongly suggest that the enemy is not just a machine. In fact, I suspect that they are similar to Zearth in many ways, right down to living, sentient life forms who lose their lives when they pilot. If true, this possibility adds a whole new dimension to the proceedings.
#12: Maki and family
Ep #12 didn’t have the same level of power, although this is due to the previous instalment being so damn good rather than Maki’s one being inferior. It’s probably because we’re so used to dysfunction and tragedy that a ‘normal’ character with a ‘normal’ family is pretty exceptional for this show. Maki’s anxiety about seeing her kid brother coming into this world before she’s whisked onto Zearth is given a slight twist in that she herself is adopted, so neither her parents nor her sibling-to-be are strictly speaking her family.
Maki has just cause for concern
What makes this episode so heartwarming is that Maki’s adoptive parents don’t make this distinction: to them, she is their daughter and her home life is perfectly happy and ordinary. What really cheered me up here is that Maki knows this fact, and goes to fight knowing she’s spent her life with a loving family and, even if she never sees him, she will be fighting for their future. As with the previous episode, it’s a little ray of optimism in a very dark and dismal picture.
Katsuragi discusses things with Tanaka
Speaking of dark and dismal, there are some more background developments concerning the government’s attitude (I can see both sides of Katsuragi’s and Tanaka’s argument but as a member of the general public I like to know what’s going on in the world, so wouldn’t advocate the cover-up) and some character-driven stuff going on amongst the other kids. The former refers to the magazine, a copy of which was obtained by Maki’s dad (a really funny scene that summed up the family’s life), which explains a bit about how much the rest of the world knows. The latter sums up why I love to hate Ushiro - my ideal situation for the next episode would be to have he and Dung Beetle take on the enemies on their own with only a blunt spork to defend themselves. In my opinion, Maki could have kicked the little bastard unconscious and it still wouldn’t make up for how badly he treats Kana.
Summary
I’m glad I’ve ignored the purists and nay-sayers to stick with this show. It’s often depressing but as unpalatable as the material sometimes is, Bokurano has a knack of keeping me watching. These two episodes throw up more interesting details about Zearth and the war they’re fighting, as well as some more superb pieces of tragic yet thought-provoking drama. Where have they ended up now?
Posted on August 15th, 2007 @ 6:36 am
Interesting structure to this show.
Really, plotwise, we’re in a holding pattern until the authorities or dung beetle give out more information. Plot development usually means boredom.
But, to compensate, we have the stories of the kids as they face their doom. Great stuff, but …
As much as I like these individual stories, they’re beginning to wear thin. I’m losing the compelling mix of tragedy and cruelty that sparked the early episodes, when the horror of their situation became manifest. Maybe that’s gone for good. If so, I want the background story to move onto the next thing.
Many eps to go. This show hasn’t disappointed yet. I have hope!
Posted on August 16th, 2007 @ 6:20 pm
@Peter S: Yeah, I’m detecting a slowdown in pace, which is often the case with the mid-section of series of this length. The last few kids to be chosen have also offered a bit of optimism to the proceedings, which has made it a bit lighter in tone. I’m still sticking with it though.