Okay, so I went into this anime hearing a lot about it. Both good things AND bad things, especially with regards to it’s ending. I was fully prepared to expect it.......and I still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. But before I get into the spoilers, lemme talk a little bit more about my overview. In general, the storyline and plot was VERY interesting and engaging at the same time. Even through the storyline, the character development and interaction was always kept in place. I appreciated how the characters weren’t too forced or generic either, especially with Kenya. Let’s get on with the final review!
Art and Animation: 7.9/10
- Okay, nothing too special here. The character designs were cute and unique, but as far as the pure beauty of it, there aren’t those “magical moments” that take our breath away. There were definitely some parts that were so bad they were laughable, and yes, I even LAUGHED. Anyone remember that part with the airplane in the background? Yup, that’s the one....
Soundtrack and Audio: 8.5/10
- Gonna give it a solid score, that OST is just great! So good that I listened to it every episode, and I didn’t even get tired of it one bit. Other than that, there isn’t much of a soundtrack. As far as the voice actors go, they fit the characters very well. No one was too annoying or obnoxious, which is always good. There definitely was potential though when it came to adding more of a soundtrack throughout the anime. Just wish they delivered a little more in this department.
Storyline and Character Progression: 7.2/10
- This is where this anime struggled the most. I can really see now why many felt the way they did about the ending of this anime. Overall, minus the ending, the story was engaging and interesting. There weren’t many mistakes in the execution of the storyline, and the characters development was very interesting to watch. Just a warning though, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Spoiler, click to view
So as I said, the overall beginning of the anime was VERY good. I was engaged and on the edge of my seat every episode as I tried to figure out who the killer was! I loved each episode as Satoru and Kayo grew closer together as he strove to save her from her cruel fate. Kayos progression as a character was clearly seen, and it fit the pacing of the story very well. My main problem with this anime came towards the end........the infamous “amnesia” plot twist. There was absolutely NO reason why they had to throw this generic plot twist in there. Was is to accelerate Satorus age to face his teacher? Was it for the final showdown to happen? One thing is for sure, this amnesia “time jump” completely threw all character progression out the window. This is why I don’t like it the most, because in the end, Satorus relationship with everyone just advanced 15 years without him knowing. On top of that, the girl he saved and devoted his childhood to got married with a useless boy who BARELY received any real screen time or attention. Like, I would’ve somewhat understood if Kayo got with Kenya, but there was NO chemistry whatsoever with his other friend. It’s as if any and all character progression or interaction didn’t matter. As far as closure goes, it’s as VERY weak and predictable. Satorus showdown with his teacher was still interesting, but was missing that “something” to really make it a true Final Confrontation. Even the ending with him meeting Airi was pretty light in terms of reunions. Their relationship wasn’t deep enough to really make this reunion a powerful and emotional one, it felt very standoffish to me. It felt as if something was holding both of them back from really accepting one another and further develop their relationship. I know this anime doesn’t focus on romance, but if it’s gonna give a love interest to a protagonist, at least make it make a LITTLE sense. Unfortunately, with the awkward relationships and development after the amnesia, it really made the original storyline fall apart.So there you have it! In the end, this anime fell short in terms of closure and finishing the story. While it was about average in terms of its overall performance, it’s strongest point was the early development of the storyline. In the end, the final score of Bokutachi is...
7.8/10
I really enjoyed this anime a lot more than I rated it, but there were just too big of mistakes in terms of storyline execution. Hopefully the rest of you can overlook these mistakes and just enjoy the beginning of this anime. Well, this ends the review of Bokutachi! Hope this helps you to decide whether to give it a try, but I definitely recommend it! That’s all for now though, see y’all in the next one!
Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll
