18th - Review of Tiger&Bunny
Anybody who's talked to me for the past couple of weeks is not going to be surprised at all that I'm doing a review for this show.
I will keep the review spoiler free, and write out my spoilerly thoughts in white text at the end of the review.
Title: Tiger&Bunny
Genre: Action, Drama, Comedy/Humor, Character study/focus
Availability: Legal Streams are available for United States, UK, France, and Australia (which is available on the same site as the UK one). You can also buy the expensive DVDs/Blue Rays on CD Japan that come with English subtitles
Episode Count: 25
Openings: Orion Wo Nazoru + Missing Link (contains spoilers!)
Endings: Hoshi No Sumika + Mind Game
Summary:
"Tiger&Bunny takes place in the year "NC 1978" in a fictional, re-imagined version of New York City called Sternbild City, where 45 years after, superpowered individuals known as "NEXT" started appearing and some of them became superheroes. Each of the city's most famous superheroes work for a sponsor company and their uniforms also contain advertising for real-life companies. Their heroic activity is broadcast on the popular television show "Hero TV", where they accumulate points for each heroic feat accomplished (arresting criminals or evacuating civilians, for example) and the best ranked hero of the season is crowned "King of Heroes". The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi "Wild Tiger" who is assigned with a new partner, a young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu usually have trouble working together as they have conflicting opinions on how a superhero should act. While later on, focusing on the mystery behind Barnaby's parents murder. In addition, the appearance of a vigilante NEXT named "Lunatic" who stirs up the public and makes them question the meaning of heroes."
- Wikipedia (with some edits)
Plot - 8.5/10
Let me get this out of the way and tell you that people may come into the show with certain expectations and may be left disappointed by how the show works. It's not a shonen series, its not about cute animals if that wasn't obvious enough by now, its not a mecha series by any stretch of means. Hell, the action can be a bit sparse or short, even while its usually good. Nor is it a gritty grimdark deconstruction of superheroes. Deep down, its a character driven drama with a backdrop of an affectionate western parody of superheroes treated as celebrities realistically while taking pot shots down at the mass media.
And despite that it can be cheesy, cliche and sometimes predictable, it's a hella fun to watch it. The show is optimistic, yet endearing just the same. The humor is well written, its clever and doesn't rely on pop culture jokes, obscure references to Japanese culture or over the top nonsense. It takes many cliches and tropes, and either subverts them or plays them in a totally straight manner that happens to be satisfying as well. For instance, a certain friendship does nothing to the character who's being told said friendship speech, he only gets angrier at the other guy.
The show is consisted of two halves, and they both start off with character building episodes while dropping hints at a plot here and there. Then a plot arc kicks off after the buildup and everything moves forward logically. It makes the story perfectly paced, while having time to devote to the wonderful cast this show has. It's also a series that is fond of "show, don't tell" for some of the finer details, and it saddens me that many people are unable to pick up on those.
However, I have to take a point off because there's a few plot threads or things that could have been expanded upon or explained, but instead they are either dropped or they are gong to wait until the inevitable second season happens in order to explain them. It's a bit frustrating, but not distracting enough to lower your experience badly. I also took another half point off, because while the plot is executed just right and everything, it isn't very complex or has an "epic" feel to it.
Characters - 9.5/10
Now this is where the best part of the show is. Tiger&Bunny features a diverse cast, from many different backgrounds, ages, ethic groups and abilities. Each one is established and easily recognizable. All of them get their moments to shine and character development to go through.
Oh and everybody is likable and hard to hate (barring some one shots and villains of course). Mostly because they all feel so human and alive. Everything they do is reasonable and in character. None of their relationships or developments feels forced and awkward. Another upside is the majority of the cast is in their 20s and 30s, not a crappy moe character design in sight.
Let's start with the main character, Kotetsu. For once in an anime, we don't have a main character who is a high schooler or middle schooler being suddenly saddled with new abilities/destiny or some shit. Its refreshing that we have a veteran who's trained and used to his powers, in his late thirties, and has a kid whom he actually cares for. It's downright heartwarming and fresh. Despite being one of the older characters, he is the hotblooded one, and has a philosophy of saving people first, worry about damage costs and points later (but these ideals do get mocked in universe). He goes through his own neat little character arc in the second half that reaches a fitting conclusion.
Now onto Barnaby (don't worry guys, I'm only gonna teal deer on the main duo + Lunatic), his partner. I first thought he was a jerk with just a pretty face. His cold, aloof nature who didn't offer Kotetsu respect at first didn't gel with me well. Once you hear the real justifications behind his psyche, he becomes a lot more understandable. His character starts off as something many would consider to be the perfect hero on the surface, before showing the issues buried within him deep inside. He learns how to mellow out on his own, and his interactions with Kotetsu throughout the series are a joy to watch.
For Lunatic, its best to say he's a dark foil to Kotetsu, with a different view of justice. While I was impressed by the twist in his backstory and that later on he can accept that he is wrong in certain circumstances. I thought he could have been utilized more often in the show. But his final scene in the series was a very satisfying one.
All and all, even with a glorious cast, their interactions and reactions realistic and enjoyable, I couldn't give a perfect score due to the fact the some of them could have really been fleshed out more. At least some of them, like Antonio got expanded upon in the drama CDs.
Animation - 7/10
The animation is fine and consistent, although its mostly just barely above average with some herpderp thrown. It's hard to be very critical about it though, when it has a justified reason for not looking as good as some other animes (Sunrise having zero faith on this show succeeding when it started). It does have some nice stylized choices, like outlining the entire thing in dark brown instead of the usual black, and sneaking in lots of references to real world stuff in some scenes. The CG looks good for the most part, but it can be a bit jarring when you see 2D faces popping out of a 3D CG costume.
Feel free to add a half point if you're watching the DVD/Blue ray release, since those fix some of the worst faces.
Voice Acting - 9.5/10
All of the voice acting is nicely done. No real complaints for me. A special mention goes out to Masakazu Morita, Barnaby's voice actor for having a standout performance of the group. His voice can show real emotion, and the scenes near or at the series climaxes (about halfway through episode 13 and the final scene before the credits in episode 24) prove that he puts a lot of work into it. Special mention also goes to Kenjiro Tsuda, the voice for the effimate Fire Emblem/Nathan, who's voice drops down to a hilarious manly voice when the character is pissed off. It fits well with the character.
Music - 8/10
The music is fine for this series, influenced by western works. I'm fond of all the OPs and EDs, with the exception of the first OP. However, some of the tracks are overused, and after you watched this show, you'll hate opera singing so much. Sadly I wish I had the clean BGMs to listen to, so I can compare more thoroughly.
Overall, I'm going to give this series a 9/10. Highly recommended, especially if you're a person who's given on anime a while ago due to the overwhelming amount of shitty moe/high school shows.
My thoughts on the series overall:
Now this was the biggest surprise for me all year long. I glossed over this show back when it first came out, just from the offputting title. Oh how wrong I was. I finally watched it back when the first half of the show had just ended.... and watched the entire thing in one day. It grew onto me fast, and I became very attached to the characters. Hell, I cared way more about the cast themselves then anything that had to do with the plot, that's how great they were. It's a show with a lot of heart, knows what its doing and you can tell the staff involved cared a lot about the series.
Now, my biggest gripe was leaving one particular plot thread obviously unsolved for season 2 to pick up. I wanted my answers already |D Oh and not having a focus episode on Rock Bison/Antinio and technically Fire Emblem/Nathan, but at least we'll have the drama CDs/extra materials/season 2 to give them proper justice.
Everybody should at least watch the first few episodes before deciding if they want to drop/keep the show. It starts off a little slow and may give off the wrong impression from the first episode, but by episode 3 it hits its stride and when episode 7 comes along it really gets rolling and doesn't stop.
Spoilerly thoughts, do not read unless you have watched the whole series:
Kotetsu's "death" was incredibly well done. It was shown just like how a real death should be done, not via giving out overly long academy award winning speeches, but by trying to make a few amends and a couple of inane/simple comments. Combined that with Morita's outstanding performance during that scene, and I was crying harder then I had ever done for an anime excluding Grave of the Fireflies. Him standing back up to punch Maverick in the face was awesome and shows that this anime is optimistic through and through.
Some people may complain that the ending sucked. I thought it was well fitting and everything I could have asked for. Let's face it, Kotetsu just isn't suited for small life, and his daughter is perfectly happy with him doing the work he loves as long as he's honest and doesn't break any promises to her anymore. Barnaby figuring out the meaning behind the safety code, and knowing that his parents loved him and wanted him to protect people even with his messed up memories was touching. I'm glad that even with the main duo having to go long distance with their bromance for very good reasons, they could come together and go right back into being best friends when they meet again via a fitting book ends.
I will keep the review spoiler free, and write out my spoilerly thoughts in white text at the end of the review.
Title: Tiger&Bunny
Genre: Action, Drama, Comedy/Humor, Character study/focus
Availability: Legal Streams are available for United States, UK, France, and Australia (which is available on the same site as the UK one). You can also buy the expensive DVDs/Blue Rays on CD Japan that come with English subtitles
Episode Count: 25
Openings: Orion Wo Nazoru + Missing Link (contains spoilers!)
Endings: Hoshi No Sumika + Mind Game
Summary:
"Tiger&Bunny takes place in the year "NC 1978" in a fictional, re-imagined version of New York City called Sternbild City, where 45 years after, superpowered individuals known as "NEXT" started appearing and some of them became superheroes. Each of the city's most famous superheroes work for a sponsor company and their uniforms also contain advertising for real-life companies. Their heroic activity is broadcast on the popular television show "Hero TV", where they accumulate points for each heroic feat accomplished (arresting criminals or evacuating civilians, for example) and the best ranked hero of the season is crowned "King of Heroes". The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi "Wild Tiger" who is assigned with a new partner, a young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu usually have trouble working together as they have conflicting opinions on how a superhero should act. While later on, focusing on the mystery behind Barnaby's parents murder. In addition, the appearance of a vigilante NEXT named "Lunatic" who stirs up the public and makes them question the meaning of heroes."
- Wikipedia (with some edits)
Plot - 8.5/10
Let me get this out of the way and tell you that people may come into the show with certain expectations and may be left disappointed by how the show works. It's not a shonen series, its not about cute animals if that wasn't obvious enough by now, its not a mecha series by any stretch of means. Hell, the action can be a bit sparse or short, even while its usually good. Nor is it a gritty grimdark deconstruction of superheroes. Deep down, its a character driven drama with a backdrop of an affectionate western parody of superheroes treated as celebrities realistically while taking pot shots down at the mass media.
And despite that it can be cheesy, cliche and sometimes predictable, it's a hella fun to watch it. The show is optimistic, yet endearing just the same. The humor is well written, its clever and doesn't rely on pop culture jokes, obscure references to Japanese culture or over the top nonsense. It takes many cliches and tropes, and either subverts them or plays them in a totally straight manner that happens to be satisfying as well. For instance, a certain friendship does nothing to the character who's being told said friendship speech, he only gets angrier at the other guy.
The show is consisted of two halves, and they both start off with character building episodes while dropping hints at a plot here and there. Then a plot arc kicks off after the buildup and everything moves forward logically. It makes the story perfectly paced, while having time to devote to the wonderful cast this show has. It's also a series that is fond of "show, don't tell" for some of the finer details, and it saddens me that many people are unable to pick up on those.
However, I have to take a point off because there's a few plot threads or things that could have been expanded upon or explained, but instead they are either dropped or they are gong to wait until the inevitable second season happens in order to explain them. It's a bit frustrating, but not distracting enough to lower your experience badly. I also took another half point off, because while the plot is executed just right and everything, it isn't very complex or has an "epic" feel to it.
Characters - 9.5/10
Now this is where the best part of the show is. Tiger&Bunny features a diverse cast, from many different backgrounds, ages, ethic groups and abilities. Each one is established and easily recognizable. All of them get their moments to shine and character development to go through.
Oh and everybody is likable and hard to hate (barring some one shots and villains of course). Mostly because they all feel so human and alive. Everything they do is reasonable and in character. None of their relationships or developments feels forced and awkward. Another upside is the majority of the cast is in their 20s and 30s, not a crappy moe character design in sight.
Let's start with the main character, Kotetsu. For once in an anime, we don't have a main character who is a high schooler or middle schooler being suddenly saddled with new abilities/destiny or some shit. Its refreshing that we have a veteran who's trained and used to his powers, in his late thirties, and has a kid whom he actually cares for. It's downright heartwarming and fresh. Despite being one of the older characters, he is the hotblooded one, and has a philosophy of saving people first, worry about damage costs and points later (but these ideals do get mocked in universe). He goes through his own neat little character arc in the second half that reaches a fitting conclusion.
Now onto Barnaby (don't worry guys, I'm only gonna teal deer on the main duo + Lunatic), his partner. I first thought he was a jerk with just a pretty face. His cold, aloof nature who didn't offer Kotetsu respect at first didn't gel with me well. Once you hear the real justifications behind his psyche, he becomes a lot more understandable. His character starts off as something many would consider to be the perfect hero on the surface, before showing the issues buried within him deep inside. He learns how to mellow out on his own, and his interactions with Kotetsu throughout the series are a joy to watch.
For Lunatic, its best to say he's a dark foil to Kotetsu, with a different view of justice. While I was impressed by the twist in his backstory and that later on he can accept that he is wrong in certain circumstances. I thought he could have been utilized more often in the show. But his final scene in the series was a very satisfying one.
All and all, even with a glorious cast, their interactions and reactions realistic and enjoyable, I couldn't give a perfect score due to the fact the some of them could have really been fleshed out more. At least some of them, like Antonio got expanded upon in the drama CDs.
Animation - 7/10
The animation is fine and consistent, although its mostly just barely above average with some herpderp thrown. It's hard to be very critical about it though, when it has a justified reason for not looking as good as some other animes (Sunrise having zero faith on this show succeeding when it started). It does have some nice stylized choices, like outlining the entire thing in dark brown instead of the usual black, and sneaking in lots of references to real world stuff in some scenes. The CG looks good for the most part, but it can be a bit jarring when you see 2D faces popping out of a 3D CG costume.
Feel free to add a half point if you're watching the DVD/Blue ray release, since those fix some of the worst faces.
Voice Acting - 9.5/10
All of the voice acting is nicely done. No real complaints for me. A special mention goes out to Masakazu Morita, Barnaby's voice actor for having a standout performance of the group. His voice can show real emotion, and the scenes near or at the series climaxes (about halfway through episode 13 and the final scene before the credits in episode 24) prove that he puts a lot of work into it. Special mention also goes to Kenjiro Tsuda, the voice for the effimate Fire Emblem/Nathan, who's voice drops down to a hilarious manly voice when the character is pissed off. It fits well with the character.
Music - 8/10
The music is fine for this series, influenced by western works. I'm fond of all the OPs and EDs, with the exception of the first OP. However, some of the tracks are overused, and after you watched this show, you'll hate opera singing so much. Sadly I wish I had the clean BGMs to listen to, so I can compare more thoroughly.
Overall, I'm going to give this series a 9/10. Highly recommended, especially if you're a person who's given on anime a while ago due to the overwhelming amount of shitty moe/high school shows.
My thoughts on the series overall:
Now this was the biggest surprise for me all year long. I glossed over this show back when it first came out, just from the offputting title. Oh how wrong I was. I finally watched it back when the first half of the show had just ended.... and watched the entire thing in one day. It grew onto me fast, and I became very attached to the characters. Hell, I cared way more about the cast themselves then anything that had to do with the plot, that's how great they were. It's a show with a lot of heart, knows what its doing and you can tell the staff involved cared a lot about the series.
Now, my biggest gripe was leaving one particular plot thread obviously unsolved for season 2 to pick up. I wanted my answers already |D Oh and not having a focus episode on Rock Bison/Antinio and technically Fire Emblem/Nathan, but at least we'll have the drama CDs/extra materials/season 2 to give them proper justice.
Everybody should at least watch the first few episodes before deciding if they want to drop/keep the show. It starts off a little slow and may give off the wrong impression from the first episode, but by episode 3 it hits its stride and when episode 7 comes along it really gets rolling and doesn't stop.
Spoilerly thoughts, do not read unless you have watched the whole series:
Kotetsu's "death" was incredibly well done. It was shown just like how a real death should be done, not via giving out overly long academy award winning speeches, but by trying to make a few amends and a couple of inane/simple comments. Combined that with Morita's outstanding performance during that scene, and I was crying harder then I had ever done for an anime excluding Grave of the Fireflies. Him standing back up to punch Maverick in the face was awesome and shows that this anime is optimistic through and through.
Some people may complain that the ending sucked. I thought it was well fitting and everything I could have asked for. Let's face it, Kotetsu just isn't suited for small life, and his daughter is perfectly happy with him doing the work he loves as long as he's honest and doesn't break any promises to her anymore. Barnaby figuring out the meaning behind the safety code, and knowing that his parents loved him and wanted him to protect people even with his messed up memories was touching. I'm glad that even with the main duo having to go long distance with their bromance for very good reasons, they could come together and go right back into being best friends when they meet again via a fitting book ends.