Ask John: Is Bokurano a New Evangelion?

Question:
I heard from a forum about a series called Bokurano and some guy called it the next Evangelionesque series (basically mechas with emo teen pilots trying to find the meaning of life). Have you heard of it? What’s it about? If you have seen it, is it any good?

Answer:
Bokurano is a current manga by Narutaru (“Shadow Star”) creator Mohiro Kitoh and an anime television series animated by Gonzo. The series is about a group of 15 school children who are tricked into agreeing to pilot a giant robot to fight against mysterious enemy robots. After their first battle, the children learn that each time they pilot the robot one of them will die, and if they lose against any enemy or refuse to fight, the entire planet Earth will be destroyed.

Bokurano shares with Evangelion the concept of young teens forced into piloting a giant robot for the good of mankind, but in a thematic sense Bokurano is the antithesis of Evangelion. Bokurano, in fact, may share more in common with Gantz than Evangelion. Thematically Evangelion is a story about characters struggling to define themselves and discover their role in society. Bokurano, like Gantz, is a story about self-absorbed characters who are shocked and confused by circumstances that contradict their self-image. If Evangelion is a criticism of modern Japanese alienation and existential angst, Bokurano is a criticism of the selfishness and narcissism pervasive in Japanese youth. The very fact that the title “Bokurano” roughly means “Ours” implies the thematic focus of the story.

Bokurano is definitely not another Evangelion. Evangelion’s strongest suit was its concentration on presenting believable and compelling character psychology that viewers could relate to. Evangelion presented its characters’ raw emotions and psychological conflicts, allowing viewers to empathize with the characters. Viewers are given only limited insight into the personalities of some of the Bokurano characters, and much of what is presented is superficial or flawed. Some of Bokurano’s large cast receives no insightful examination at all. The first 9 episodes of the series that I’ve watched frequently present flashbacks or illustration of character’s daily lives, and convey character’s narcissistic philosophies, but never provide insight into character emotions. Furthermore, characters’ philosophies and self-images are often flawed or, at least, unsubstantiated. Kodoka has a complex personal philosophy of class and entitlement, but seems totally incapable of even conceiving the possibility of anything outside of satisfying his own ego. Kako wallows in a sense of persecution, but the anime never provides any significant evidence to justify his anxiety. Chizu thinks of herself as a kind and generous girl, but in reality she’s only concerned with gratifying her own desires. Daichi seems to be honestly good-natured and compassionate, and the anime explains that he wants to be loyal to his family, but the motivation for these feelings is never explored. Finally, it’s evident that when the adult characters Seki and Tanaka willingly offer to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others, the children are shocked and bewildered. The concept of self-sacrifice is utterly foreign to them.

Evangelion presented empathetic characters and ambiguous ideological and philosophical conflicts. Bokurano drives a specific morality – that of self-sacrifice and the advancement of the collective good – onto viewers, subtly, and sometimes not very subtly. The first episode of Bokurano clearly exhibits creator Mohiro Kitoh’s tendency toward heavy handed sermonizing (evident also in Kitoh’s earlier work Narutaru). The primary characters of Bokurano are introduced in clearly definable roles from the outset: passive, aggressive, abusive, responsible, timid, entitled, outgoing, and so forth. Each character personifies a particular personality characteristic so intently that they feel like plot devices used to convey the author’s message instead of seeming like believable, three-dimensional people. While Evangelion encourages personal interpretation and individual, unique perception of its characters and conflict, Bokurano despotically emphasizes a singular moral theme.

To the extent that the Bokurano anime deals with emotionally conflicted children piloting a giant robot, it is similar to Evangelion, and may appeal to fans of dramatic, tragic robot anime. The Bokurano anime also has the dense, satiric tone of Gantz, albeit without the graphic sex and violence. Anime fans looking for a new show with the same overt sociological tone as the Gantz anime will almost certainly appreciate Bokurano. But viewers seeking an anime that encourages individual interpretation and involvement in the style of Evangelion may find Bokurano laborious and arduous.