I must admit that this show confused the living daylights out of me from the moment I looked at the title. Why Crunchyroll didn’t just call it Bubuki Buranki is beyond me as I feel like that would be much more user friendly. I’ve done my best not to spoil anything, so let’s dive into some first impressions shall we?
https://youtu.be/wC8evtmpjgw
From Crunchyroll:
In the world of BBK/BRNK (Bubuki Buranki), It’s been ten years since Azuma Kazuki has been in Japan, and upon his arrival he is taken prisoner by a group of armed men. Azuma is saved by his childhood friend, Kogane Asabuki, thanks to a living weapon she wields on her right hand, known as a Bubuki. Learning about these weapons, Azuma becomes a Bubuki wielder himself and sets out on a journey.
What in the–? What on earth is a Bubuki?
That was my initial reaction when I read the description of Bubuki Buranki (BBK/BRNK). While I do adore Crunchyroll, sometimes the descriptions of the anime just don’t do them justice. I had so many questions going into this show, so I guess they hooked me.
The basic premise is that there are a set of twins, Kazuki and…her name escapes me, if you know tell me in the comments, that live in this other world with their doting parents. His mother has a special power that isn’t really explained in the beginning, it’s just shown to emphasize how special she is and how her children have the same power.
On their sixth birthday, a Buranki appears and their mother attempts to subdue it but it goes to sleep before she can do so. This takes a lot out of her, but it isn’t shown until the children are in bed. His sister, being the more perceptive of the two, notices this and is determined to help her mother. She goes and activates her mother’s…robot? Bubuki? Obaru (I think) and this causes an event in which her mother must defend their home. She sends her two children and their father to Tokyo via this Bubuki and it fast forwards to the events in the description.
Whew.
Now despite the confusing manner in which the episode started, it sort of made sense when you watched it. We are introduced to other characters that are to play a big role in the show, other Bubuki users that have much more control over their powers and they each have personalities to sort of match their Bubuki’s. I don’t want to go into too much detail as I hate spoiling things.
The pacing was erratic and sort of all over the place. I felt like they were trying to throw all of this information at you, like they were cramming a lot in so they could get to the exciting part. Which isn’t necessarily a really a bad thing, I just think it will throw some people off. I think they’re aiming more for a seasoned anime audience who is a little more accepting of things like that.
The animation is beautiful. I like how they combined traditional animation with CGI. It fits and it really makes the show look spectacular. It’s sort of along the lines of God Eater, but not quite as much CGI and it doesn’t look so much like a PSP game.
If action and sci-fi is your style of anime, then this one is great. Like I previously mentioned, I think it is aimed more at the anime veterans, but I think anyone with an adoration for sci-fi will enjoy it.
I will refrain from giving this a score as this was just a first impressions observation and and not a critical review.
You can find BBK/BRNK on Crunchyroll, it’s a simulcast and it shows every Saturday at 10:30am EST.
Check out the other Winter 2016 Anime season related articles!
(Screenshot Credits: QTPieCaps)
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