BOKURANO

Bokurano is not your usual mecha anime. Sure, the cast is composed of teen kids fighting in giant alien robots reminiscent of my favorite anime of all time NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. Then there is a convoluted plot as well as some melodramatic and eerie music, plus slick animation and some over the top battle sequences. All the elements of a tyical mecha anime are there. And then some.

The anime studio GONZO is well known for its characteristic style in animation and that is the use of lots of CG (Gatekeepers, Samurai7, Last Exile, etc.) and this style is clearly evident here. The action here isn't heavy unlike the other mecha anime. In fact, the battles are quite short. What sets this apart from the other mecha anime is the characters and the plot. The kids here aren't your ordinary kids. They have family and social issues. It may sound ridiculous but spread across a planned 24 episodes (as of this writing episode 18 is already out) are themes of broken families, abandonment, missing fathers, molestation, solitude, bullying, and child prostitution.

SPOILER ALERT: And one of the best parts of the show that sets the pace for further plot and character development is how the battles are fought. The battles are one on one and there is only one pilot for every battle though all of the characters get a chance to watch the action from the cockpit. After a battle is won, the pilot dies giving its life to the robot so that it can use the life energy of the pilot to recharge, regenerate and proceed to the next battle. So essentially, all kids WILL die. Sad ain't it? This is definitely not for the kids, and not for the weak of heart.