Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo

Japanese Title: Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo

Genre: Comedy Science Fiction

Length: 76 episodes

Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo was the final review that prompted this new format. I struggled for three weeks trying to get a review out the door. Twice I had to delay it and whip up another review for the week in its place. Why? There is both too much and too little to say.

Bobobo is an insane anime. I mean that in the literal sense. Episodes barely string together as the most random events flash across the screen. At first, it seems like a comedy battle anime following a disco protagonist that can control his nose hair to deadly results. He’s a hairbender, if you will. (I’m here all night! Tip your waitresses.) But the plot – ha, plot! – goes off the rails with the introduction of a…a…sun mascot? I don’t know what Don Patch is.

The humour is almost random. There is consistency in the overall style and a running theme in any given arc, but once it moves to a new story, the rollercoaster derails into Wonderland. Earlier, I said there is too much to say about Bobobo. This isn’t due to depth or complexity – Bobobo is neither of those. There is too much because to give an idea of this anime is nearly impossible without doing a line-by-line retelling. And that doesn’t make for a good review, so I have too little to say. It’s too weird for words. You just have to watch an episode for yourself.

My thoughts on it? It is amusing and the commitment from the actors is insane enough for this series. The two big issues I have with Bobobo: the art is garbage (barely animated, overreliance on repeated frames, background smears) and it is too long. I made it 50 episodes. I would have stopped earlier, but I kept going while waiting for inspiration to strike for the review. Never happened. I prefer the shorter and snappier style of Pop Team Epic when in the realm of weird anime comedy.

Overall Quality – Medium

Recommendation: Try an episode for yourself if you like random anime humour.

*     *     *     *     *

House of Five Leaves

Japanese Title: Saraiya Goyou

Genre: Historical Drama Mystery

Length: 12 episodes

House of Five Leaves caught my eye for the unusual faces on these characters. Behold, the faces of depression! And boy, let me tell you, these aliens wearing human skin don’t make for an engaging story. This didn’t get a full review due to my absolute boredom, which unfortunately isn’t the sort of boring you can dissect at length. Little happens Five Leaves’ 12 episodes. (Only 12 episodes!? Took me three months to get through this!)

The plot. I should mention it. A skilled yet sheepish ronin can’t find employment until a gang led by an enigmatic man takes him in as a bodyguard. Former samurai turned gangsters sit around looking glum. They mutter some mundane conversations on nothing anyone cares about until the final two episodes, where it finally feels like a samurai western (I think they were going for that genre?). Funnily enough, the protagonist barely participates in these final episodes. Whole thing should have been about the gang boss and his past.

The positives I can admit for Five Leaves are the nice music (often a single melancholic instrument) and the acting even for this stilted script. I suppose one could enjoy it as a laid back, low-tension piece to veg out to.

Overall Quality – Low

Recommendation: If you aren’t interested within 10 minutes, House of Five Leaves isn’t for you and I wouldn’t blame you either.

*     *     *     *     *

Bungo Stray Dogs

Japanese Title: Bungou Stray Dogs

Genre: Supernatural Action Comedy Mystery

Length: 24 episodes (2 seasons)

Of these three anime, Bungo Stray Dogs is the best and one I enjoyed most. Don’t take this as a recommendation though. It follows a ragtag group of misfits with superpowers that fancy themselves a detective agency. We have episodic stories that blend detective and gang narratives together in the vein of Blood Blockade Battlefront and Baccano. The protagonist is an orphan of the spineless type. You know the one – always has that worried expression, voice cracks every second sentence, can’t say no to anyone. Not my favourite.

Each character has a unique superpower that they have to announce and explain each time we see it. The issue permeates every element of the story. Characters over exposit everything when it comes to conveying story, all told at face value. Bungo Stray Dogs suffers a severe lack of subtlety. The writers have no faith in the audience’s ability to read subtext or to understand anything unless beating one’s face.

The character clichés also wear thin. Everyone talks in brooding tones, trying to be cool. One guy is obsessed with killing himself alongside a beautiful woman. If you’re going for whimsy at least try making sense within story context. Another guy is a Mafioso who doesn’t kill… Stop laying your desperation to be cool out for the world to see.

Stray Dogs would have worked better with a noir leaning, à la Darker Than Black but more comedic. The tone is an issue. The blend of comedy and drama doesn’t quite flow well here.

None of the problems are deal breakers, mind you. I can imagine having a higher opinion of this had I not seen so many similar but better anime already. If I have nothing new to say, I don’t find a series interesting to analyse. It’s why I didn’t give it a full review.

I did finish Bungo Stray Dogs, however, which is saying something, for it is an easy watch and the dub allowed me to consume the series passively as I completed other work. The art is nice too – beautiful colours.

Overall Quality – Medium

Recommendation: Watch Blood Blockade Battlefront or Baccano instead.

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