Bokurano 2 - Something’s not quite right.
Contains some manga spoilers. You have been warned.
The second episode of Bokurano was rather “disturbing” to me. No, not because of Waku’s unfortunate ending, I’ve seen that before, but because of several minute changes Gonzo made to the story, that only serve to weaken it as a whole. Bokurano is, at its heart, a psychological story, one more concerned with the characters than any mecha of the week. In the chapters of Waku’s story most of the time is spent in his head and figuring out what makes him tick. Things like deciding to keep Zearth a secret and the introduction of Dung Beetle are actually done quickly, unlike the half episode length that was spent for them. Also, the mecha was changed from a bulb-like creature to a praying mantis robot; why, I have no idea. Waku’s skills as a soccer player are the deciding factor in both battle’s though.
Waku’s story was deprived of its emotional value in its shortening. Waku is a kid who questions whether it’s right for him to be liked by people. After winning the soccer tournament he finds out his dad did the same when he was a kid, but now his dad is a salaryman who enjoys baseball. What does this say about Waku’s future? Waku finally denies the course of overthinking instead for a course of action when he fights in Zearth, deciding that his actions will decide his future. This makes his death all the more unfortunate, because this kid had just decided to change his life. Maybe the full complexities of Waku’s story could not be fully conveyed in one episode, and lengthening it to two wouldn’t of worked, as Waku’s story lacks a cliffhanger. Other kid’s stories are longer though, so I hope full attention will be paid to them. Maybe I’m just a nitpicking purist, but Bokurano is too good a story in my eyes to be plagued by half hazard changes. Right now Gonzo if focusing on Bokurano as a mecha series with some sad elements. Hopefully this will change shortly to show its true strength.
Interesting. It does seem like they compressed the interior drama aspects in the anime (I haven’t read the manga/novel–which is it?), though arguably it’s very difficult to portray internal aspects of life visually without resorting to things like voice over and the infamous Evangelion flashing text/psycho trips. I agree that Waku’s death in the anime really doesn’t have much emotional weight or punch, though I think a lot of that comes from the fact that it comes so early in the story with such a large cast. We haven’t had enough time to get to know almost anyone yet.
And this may be my ignorance of the source material showing but am I getting an Infinite Ryvius and coming Battle Royale vibe to the setup of this story?
Comment on April 19, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
Bokurano is an original manga drawn by Mohiro Kitoh. I wouldn’t exactly say there’s a battle royale element to it. Something of that sort is introduced later, but it’s one a completely different scale than people trapped on the island. They’re still devoted to fighting the monsters, somewhat.
Comment on April 20, 2007 @ 2:50 am
hm…is there a spoilers tag here? I’m just speculating about some thing.
Well, since I’m new to Bokurano, I thought they did it pretty well, while some scenes take long than necesary, I didn’t find it all that unendurable (the art is harder to endure =p I can’t stand bad art, unless the story is good). Waku’s death probably spun several theories in my head already about what Bokurano is about, or at least how the robots function.
Hm..interesting show..will continue to watch. Is the manga licensed? I might try to find it if it is (i’d rather not go into scanlations, too busy lately ~_~)
Comment on April 20, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
Unfortunately, the manga is not licensed, and let’s just say that certain material means it probably won’t be any time soon. There are scanlations though, up to the most recent chapter.
Comment on April 20, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
I personally thought his death was the perfect way to end the episode. Also the tension between the brother and his little sister in the end.
I’m speaking from 2 different angles here:
1. I’ve never read the manga and know very little about the show and from this standpoint I and hooked as to what actually happened. He wasn’t pushed hard enough to fall plus he didn’t scream of flail for have any motion when he fell. Was he dead already? Plus where did Kokopelli (Sp?) go? Why would his glasses be there?
2. I just went to Wikipedia and answered my own questions. (It’s hard for me to be spoiled, I always follow through; even when I know what coming it’s still interesting.) Plus I got the gist that he wanted to be something… not exactly what… but something. He wanted to be known, and heard (hence the shouting) so his death will be the trigger for the upcoming personal battles for the remaining bunch.
That said, you’re detailing of the actual manga shows exactly what you’re talking about. It’s a psychological drama being altered to add Mecha appeal instead of focusing on the actual bread and butter of the original work. Now I’m gonna have to read the manga.
P.S.
New to your blog. Good stuff! Always great to read about F/SN. One of my all time favorites.
Comment on April 20, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
personally, i think i’ll wait i finish this series before reading the manga, because I heard that there’s some significant differenced already noticeable in the first two episodes.
Comment on April 21, 2007 @ 11:58 am