(No Major Spoilers)

Growing up is pretty difficult. Tasks and responsibility begins to pile up as one traverses further down the walk of life, and it can be rough. Yet, what if your life was taken from you, and you're left stranded somewhere with your classmates, and you have suddenly acquired several supernatural abilities which allow you to warp the fabric of reality? That's the basic conceit of Sonny Boy, the 2021 Madhouse anime, from Shingo Natsume, who also wrote the entire show in addition to directing.

Often it's difficult for me to try and watch too many shows, because of the nature of college and such, with workflow being near constant, but every now and then, I try to watch an episode of anime or two here and there. I'm not sure what prompted me to visit this show, but in the summer, Funimation's Youtube channel had uploaded the first episode for free to stream for about 24-hours. I watched it, and did not necessarily understand it for the most part. Something about the editing made the relay and passage of information feel dense, as if there's context missing. Of course, I was still intrigued to see where the show would head. Then I ended up not watching much anime over the course of the summer, with the Evangelion franchise taking up my obsession. Then I headed for college, and there were quite a few shows that I wanted to watch, but couldn't due to time constraints. One day though, sitting within the confines of my dorm's living room, I decided to continue on with Sonny Boy after hearing so much about how confusing? it was. I sat down, and one a week, for around 4 weeks, I watched an episode of Sonny Boy. Then, midterms rolled around and consumed my attention. However, recently, I have gotten around to finishing the show, and personally, it has quickly become one of my favorites in anime.

The biggest talking point about the show is how weird it is. Often times, there's a sense of an empty void within the script, with some parts of the narrative being held in or just going unexplained. This is very much true, but as the episodes progress, small fragments and memories are revealed. Breadcrumbs to give hints and allusions to the prior lives of the students, but nothing for which twenty minutes of backstory are particularly needed. In fact, the only time in which backstory is explored occurs within episode 8, in which it simultaneously lays the foundation for the worldbuilding, character, as well as new looming plot threads, and even then, much of it is told through the storytelling rather than voice-over narration, allowing us to see everything that had ever occurred to lead up to that point. It's one of television and film's greatest strengths: the ability to show rather than tell. And that's what Sonny Boy really excels at: showing us the story rather than bludgeoning the audience with plenty of exposition. For example, there's an entire underground system full of workers who build, and the grandiosity of it all really says all, rather than having to detail every facet of what is occurring. Although the jumps seem jarring going from location to location, you orient yourself, and everything begins to click into place.

It also helps that this shows is simply as gorgeous as they come. When Shingo Natsume wants to make something look good, HE CAN MAKE IT LOOK GOOD. I wouldn't have expected anything else from the man responsible for One Punch Man's first season and ACCA-13. I think what's shocking is that in the past two or three years, we've seen animation cracks in the window, with shows sometimes beginning to look like slideshows as opposed to genuinely animated. Maybe that's just my eyes, but, with this show, everything about the movement moves so well, flows so smoothly, and it feels so very immersive compared to the jank of say, Tokyo Revengers. Probably the only thing needed to convince you of the show's fluidity is the ending moments of episode 1, where Nozomi runs off the ledge of the school to catch the light in the distance she can see. The animation quality runs on strong for the entire run, and there are scenes in which how scenarios are visualized are absolutely jaw-dropping. It also helps that the main setting is an island, which is naturally a gorgeous area, and eventually the show opens up to different locations, and the locales and worlds are quite stunning. The way the students' supernatural abilities warp reality are also extremely inventive, and unlike anything i've seen within animation.

Characters are actually extremely solid as well, with a majority of them actually coming to be very likeable, and I found myself very much invested within these characters, even with their little backstory, as what matters is not what they did in the past, but how they interact with each other in the now. Nagara himself initially is a reclusive type of person, not really opening up to anyone, while Nozomi is the bright-eyed and cheerful transfer student. I think what strikes me the most is how easily the character interactions could have become something akin to Lord of the Flies, devolving into animalistic hatred, but rather, Natsume writes these characters and uses these conflicts to explore budding relationships. Not in the romantic sense, but how classmates interact with each other, where there are power dynamics, how people change to slowly open up and become friends, how people weave in and out throughout your life. The passage of time also is startling within the series, as between each episode, it feels as if quite a bit of time has passed, and you can feel subtle changes in how people begin to interact with each other. My favorite character was a girl named Mizuho. Initially shut off, her eventualy warmth and friendliness to Nozomi and Nagara is heartwarming to see. She also has cats! I love cats. Although I'm still processing the entire show and it's characters, there's something innately special about these characters, and though I can't put it into words, they really are wonderful.

From an audio standpoint, every is just as wonderful. Both the Japanese seiyuu as well as Derrick Snow capture the sullenness of Nagara perfectly, with Tia Ballard and Aoi Yuuki offering the right amount of snark as Mizuho, as well as Saori Oonishi and Luci Christian doing a fantastic job to capure the exuberance and spirit of Nozomi. Also it's nice to see Funimation hiring an Indian voice actor to voice Rajdhani. The soundtrack is also wonderful, with the math-rock/post-rock inspired soundtrack bringing an interesting audible texture and soundscape to the scenarios of the story.

The themes of growing up and drifting apart aren't original by any extent, but I'd argue that the way they are delivered in Sonny Boy make them feel fresh and as hard hitting as any other show. Sometimes, the show feels nhilistic at points, where characters begin to wonder about the purpose of continuing to go on in search of home. Yet the show is clear to balance this with a positive outlook, that there's always going to be a light in the distance, that you keep going even though what's around you isn't the best. You carry on with the torches of promise and all the memories and experiences you've shared with others. And that's really Sonny Boy's ultimate message: To keep going on, even as the world gets scarier and more burdensome.

So it's pretty clear that I really loved Sonny Boy. However, I'm not sure many would find the same amount of connection and resonance that it had with me. It can be a tough watch due to its visual structure, and for some, it may not come together as cohesively as it did for me. Some of the characters may appear cold or distant, which could alienate some people. Heck, some people may not even dig the minimalist art-style, which I really loved. For me though, I haven't been able to keep this show out of my head. Everything about it is so intoxicating and satisfying to me, and I keep thinking about it, thinking of all the absurd yet beautiful moments within the show. It's something that'll always remain timeless, thematically at least, because we all go through hardships at a point or another, and begin to question why we bother if we keep failing. Sonny Boy is a gorgeous reminder that there's always something ahead to look for, that the light of hope will never die, and that though the world may not be all lovely, it's the world we live in, that we can make better.

Thank you for reading.