I was looking for an anime with a post-adolescent protagonist and a serious storyline, and that brought me to Btooom! But the stats for this anime on ANN and MAL weren't outstanding, so I went into it with mixed feelings but came out impressed.
[NO SPOILERS]
OVERALL: 7/10
This anime is a good eye-candy that has a respectable story with interesting characters. If you’re into the action, sci-fi and survival game subgenres mixed with some romance, then you will enjoy this anime. This is one of those few examples where a decent-to-good manga is adapted into a better finished product.
STORY: 7/10
The story, in a nutshell, explores how people
...
“survive” when forced into a harsh survival game in a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, and then it mixes this setup with some heavy action and light romance.
This anime quickly reminds of Sword Art Online (SAO), as they both share similar premises of a survival game; although SAO features a visual reality, whereas this anime is a real reality. The inciting incident of this anime also has a very similar feel to that of SAO. But pretty much everything else about this anime differs from SAO.
The first episode should thrill you enough to get you very interested. The last episode warrants a second season to tie up loose ends. And everything in between is predictable but also enjoyable because the action-packed, raw adventure of the main characters will firmly hold your interest throughout the series.
CHARACTERS: 6/10
The male protagonist Ryouta Sakamoto had the privilege to undergo full development – he is very much human with his carnal tendencies balancing his natural virtue – but not without major faults. Ryouta for some reason always figured out stuff 100 years late. It would've made for a good plot point if the anime creators had set him up as a downright idiot, but he wasn't established as one. In fact, on the contrary he was introduced as a gaming genius. By halfway into the series, it became clear that the anime creators spontaneously nerf his reasoning ability in certain scenes just to make the plot thicker and hike up suspense. Terrible idea.
The female protagonist Himiko was also well developed as a damsel in distress, and was at least not another archetypal useless female protagonist. She might not have been the super strong, super smart type, but she at least decisively pushed the story forward, considering that the premise of her strange interpersonal attitude was properly justified with a believable back-story.
The other characters represent a full spectrum of personalities and disorders: the psychopathic young teen, the treacherous doctor, the darwinistic thug who believes that only the fittest should survive, the pragmatic opportunist, etc. They probably won’t bore you.
ANIMATION & ART: 7/10
The art was neat, colourful and shiny; and since most of the scenes were outdoor, you have sunshine, and the anime creators effectuated its effect very well with the shadings and glitters. You can expect no less from the studio Madhouse.
Somehow the animation failed to fully convey the emotions that characters were expressing due to the subpar portrayal of subtle facial and bodily movements. This was a persistent flaw. The flow of motion during action scenes were decent enough to suffice. In all, the neatness and lustre of the art makes up for any shortcomings in animation, which were not even close to bad.
PLOT & PACING:
The plotline is non-linear in the first few episodes, with long flashbacks that, if consolidated, can span up to half of an episode. These flashbacks get in the way because many times they have absolutely nothing to do with the scene they interrupt. Nothing kills the mood more than having a flashback of "the girls’ day out" that interrupts the scene where someone’s throat has just been slit and sh*t is about to go down, especially when this flashback adds no value to the intense scene it just interrupted. However those flashbacks later on proved to be very useful to the story and eventually became very much appreciated. Nevertheless, they could have been spliced in more seamlessly; but really, they didn't have any overall adverse effect in the long-term.
The anime’s pacing was perfect. It didn't feel slow or rushed. Something intense always happened and moved the story forward in each episode.
PLOT ARMOUR:
The male protagonist Ryouta Sakamoto is equipped with a strong plot armour, literally. His skin had to be made of steel for him to survive some things other characters cannot (and did not) survive. But it wasn't rampant enough to detract from the fun.
FANSERVICE & ECCHI:
This anime abounds with bouncing clothed boobs, panty-shots and cleavages but no nudity; although there are scenes where the sexual tension is palpable and non-consensual sex implied. In all, there is a hefty dose of fan service in this anime, but it is more sanitized than in the manga.
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Aug 27, 2015
I was looking for an anime with a post-adolescent protagonist and a serious storyline, and that brought me to Btooom! But the stats for this anime on ANN and MAL weren't outstanding, so I went into it with mixed feelings but came out impressed.
[NO SPOILERS] OVERALL: 7/10 This anime is a good eye-candy that has a respectable story with interesting characters. If you’re into the action, sci-fi and survival game subgenres mixed with some romance, then you will enjoy this anime. This is one of those few examples where a decent-to-good manga is adapted into a better finished product. STORY: 7/10 The story, in a nutshell, explores how people ... |
