World Trigger

If you have been watching anime, be it a few months or several years, you might be familiar with the Battle Shounen genre. Boasting the largest and most popular titles in modern anime/manga such as the Naruto, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, My Hero Academia and so on, it goes without saying that their influence and presence over the medium is here to stay. At conventions, it is often the norm to see people break out into their favourite finishing moves, cosplay as their favourite characters, defend their favourite fights and moments vehemently. It is one of the foundations on which the modern industry is supported, serving as the channel of entry to new fans. I was also one such fan, starting my journey in the medium with Dragonball Z back in 2000, albeit lacking knowledge of anime at that point in time. And while my current attitude to the genre is cold to lukewarm at best, I won’t deny that it is close to my heart.

And why wouldn’t it be! Despite my changing taste, fights like Rock Lee vs Gaara, Kenshin vs Saito, Yusuke vs Toguro and so on, are moments that I revisit from time to time, indulging in a sense of nostalgia that only this genre offers. These characters and their struggles feal real enough, despite being in different worlds or time periods and I can’t help but egg them on as they strive to achieve their potential and personal goals. With all that said, the genre is not free from flaws. While it might be filled with great moments, the lead up to a lot of them, often tend to be underwhelming. Crumbling under the weight of bloated casts, which only keeps on increasing as the series goes on and resorting to cheap resolutions in the form of power of friendship or power creeps which render existing threats, toothless. It is a genre which has had no sense of direction and innovation since the late 90s (exceptions do exist as is always the case) and people who have known me long wouldn’t help but agree with my disdain for the genre due to the aforementioned reasons.

Enter World Trigger, the focus of our review today. World trigger is set in Mikado City, where an organisation named Border must protect the city and its inhabitants from visitors from another world, aptly called neighbours. These neighbours are here to kidnap the residents in order to fuel their own economies and society in the other world. It is up to Border and its employees to stop them and ensure life continues as normal. The story focuses on three main characters, as they fight and grow in the organisation and strive to achieve their goals. Stock standard battle Shounen as they come.

Where it differs from other BS is in terms of how it approaches the whole world vs characters dichotomy. While the characters are the main focus of the series, the world is an overwhelming presence and the cast must keep that in mind as they navigate around Border. The series maintains a level of mystery to it and we along with the cast are offered titbits of information at appropriate times, which enriches our knowledge of the world and its systems, without overwhelming us with aforementioned information. The cast and us, the viewers, then have to process this new information and adjust our understanding of the world. And in that, it is very reminiscent of how Oda, of One Piece fame, presents the world to us, the viewer/reader.

World trigger also offers a rather grounded power system, unlike its other Battle Shounen counterparts. The power system is called trion and functions somewhat similar to other systems like Ki or Chakra, in that, there is a finite amount and it requires time to recharge it. Unlike the other two, the big differentiator here is not how large the trion reserves are, but rather how efficiently it is used to meet combat goals. And I say combat, because that is how the series approaches conflict. Not a lot of silly 1v1s centred around pride and showboating, but rather conflict with respect to principles of strategy, implemented through astute tactics. It is not out of the ordinary to see concepts like staggered columns, defeat in detail, supply chains, logistics, combined arms, etc rendered in a Shounen mold. Series like Naruto alluded to it, but World Trigger fully embraces it and I can’t help but admire it for that.

On the cast itself, the trio (Mikumo, Kuga and Chika) are like any upstarts trying to make it big in their world. Their motives are not as ambitious as leads of yesteryear Shounen series, but is still admirable. They are a likeable bunch and I can’t help but support them as they aim to achieve their goals. The series also boasts a large supporting cast, as is the case with a series focused on the world building side of things. I was pleasantly surprised in terms of how it managed to flesh out the supporting cast and make them damn likeable. They were individuals in their own right and were not presented only to be undermined by the lead trio. Reveals of the world also affects them and impacts their own personal equations and this is only bound to be richer as time goes on. The series is also not afraid to show what really is the top of the world, in terms of power. We, the viewers know what to expect from the lead trio once they reach the top. Just smacks of confidence from the creator and I can’t help but appreciate that. The character dynamics is great and love how the characters bounce off each other.

Honestly, I could go on for hours why I love the cast and world, but that would make this review too unwieldy. So, let’s move onto the shortcomings of season 1. While this was technically a rewatch, I won’t deny that the earlier episodes are somewhat of a challenge to get through for someone new to the series. The series takes a lot of time in setting up its world and characters and that might irk a lot of people. It also doesn’t do any favours that the art and animation is underwhelming. This series is an example of Toei at its absolute worst. Often spending 3-4 minutes in recaps of the previous episodes and having the opening at weird times, be prepared for a tough start. However, the good writing kicks in and would only make the ride even more enjoyable. The music is serviceable, without being tiring. Oh, and do skip 49-63, which were fillers. They don’t add anything to the story and does everything that the series isn’t about.

With that said, I’m glad I got around to rewatch the series and derive so much enjoyment from it. Hope you, the readers of this review will get the same. And for people who have already seen s1, go on ahead to read my reviews of the subsequent seasons!

Review of the following seasons can be found here:
S2 link
S3 link