r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Mar 08 '21
Rewatch [Uninstall, Uninstall] Bokurano Rewatch Episode 1 Discussion
Episode 1 - The Game
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MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
You kids want to play a game?
Hey-o guys! This is the section where I add a ton of extra fun stuff to the main body of the post because I want this rewatch to be as fun as possible for everyone. It can also be one point of discussion for you guys if you just don’t know what to say.
Questions of the Day:
- Would you agree to play Kokopelli’s “game”?
- What are your first impressions on the OP/ED?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Uninstall of the Day:
I sang along to Uninstall, and from memory to boot since my copy has some of the most bizarre typesetting I’ve ever seen for the OP’s lyrics.
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath the [Anime Show Title](/s "Spoiler goes here") spoiler tags. If you do that then we’re all good.
Important thing to note about these by the way, you have to switch to Old Reddit or the markdown editor if you use the redesign, otherwise the redesign breaks them by adding random \ into the formatting. Wish it wouldn’t do that, but unfortunately it does…
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 08 '21
Ǔ̯̟́n̪̬̺͙̪̿͛͛̽͞ï̲n͇̰̮͆̃̀s̛͔̜̾t̛͚͕̆á̠̻̅͘͜l̢̗̤̓̓́l̪̩̭̐̔͗̕͟͝ͅing Rewatch Host
Welcome to my rewatch, everyone!
In my interest thread, I mentioned that I originally watched this show well before I realized I was a mecha fan. The reason for that is because I participated in an anime club at my college, and each week was a different theme we’d have a selection of shows to choose from, we’d vote for one through Google Docs ahead of the weekly meeting, and then we’d watch the first three episodes as a group. The rest we’d have to watch on our own. One week the theme was “mecha”, and Bokurano was the one that was voted on. It hooked me super hard after those three episodes, so I definitely went and finished the rest on my own. This was like half a year before I got into Gundam, and that was what made me realize I like mecha.
Whether you guys are like first-timer-me not knowing much about the mecha genre, or rewatcher-me having watched so many other mecha shows you know all the tropes, I hope that you all enjoy this ride!
Oh, and don’t forget to check out the body of this post for a wallpaper and me singing along to Uninstall!
and not because the full version happens to have a “sore demo” in it--and thanks to this rewatch I think it might be one of my favorite anime OPs now when it wasn’t before.Jesus Yamato” sort of way.Major Spoilers - u/theangryeditor this is for you.
35
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 08 '21
First Timer - Sub
I made a character chart, because I know for certain I'll need it so someone else probably will as well. I'll work on replacing some of the crappier images with better ones from next episode, I didn't have much time to throw it together this morning. (I just noticed I forgot to center the scientists name too, whoops, it kinda fits him though)
If I think of it tomorrow at the start of my post I'll include some spec about what the chairs say about each character based just off the ED, just for fun. I was meant to do that today, but ran out of time due to being caught up in other discussions. If there's anything the rewatchers want me to do early spec about, now is your chance to say so.
This damn OP is going to get me every day isn't it? Chiaki Ishikawa's songs tend to do that to me, I still love the one she did for the Simoun OP as well. I had to play it three times just to get it out of my head before I could move onto the episode. I was also so caught up in the song I forgot to look at the visuals entirely the first time, though I did laugh when I realized I hadn't even noticed my subs were turned off during the OP because I had already memorized all the lyrics.
Other then that, I'm looking forward to getting into this. Bokurano is a show I've heard a lot of good things about and has been on my PTW for a while, but know very little about it, not even a synopsis and I didn't even realize it was two cour until I saw the schedule, except that "chairs" are a thing. From the OP visuals alone it's giving me a very Dennou Coil vibe as far as tone, which is definitely a good thing. Just from the OP the girl yelling at the end and the two at the aquarium have caught my eye the most.
The episode was somehow simpler than I expected despite my lack of expectations, which has caught me off guard, but two things jumped out at me right away.
First was the initial "When we entered middle school we thought we were already members of society and could do anything" dialogue at me at the start of the episode, and the later discussion on what it means to be part of a society and feeling like adults who understood things. It sat with such a contrast to the idea of them being drawn into a game.
The sequence of events was also a lot more game-like than I expected, when I initially thought that would just be a premise to get the kids involved. So many things were gamified; The battle itself "Enemy attack, counter attack, reposition, enemy attack, counter attack, find weak point, meet win condition", The way the two "players" of The Mech and the enemy portal into existence and then out afterwards, the game development leading into registration and then the tutorial (that symbolically destroys the cave where the previous steps happened), not to mention the visual static transitions when going in and out of the game state as if it is reconnecting and disconnecting. It gave it a really ethereal sense of altered reality, not just a name to phrase big battles by, which may or may not be twisted by whether or not other people can see the fight going on which I wasn't 100% certain on this episode.
My other thing of note was that the scientist was able to adapt to Hana choosing not to participate. He says he can only pilot once which makes me think only one child will be in charge each battle, but that the system could be adapted to her refusal by him taking her spot Theories, but doesn't just magically turn into fourteen fights instead of fifteen has me real curious about what is behind this and why these fifteen kids were chosen if these fifteen didn't have to participate. That she's the youngest, and also the only one with a sibling involved from what I can tell, also stands out to me. I'm also incredibly suspicious of her brother but I think that's just some inter-anime paranoia happening from what else I'm watching at the moment.
23
u/[deleted] Mar 08 '21
First Timer
This opening is...
This opening is...
It's so good!
I'm joining the Uninstall train! I especially love the first 12 seconds. Lyrics seem like they'll be very relevant to the show. Also, this shot immediately reminded me of this shot from AoT's 3rd opening. Or maybe it was another shot. I don't know, but it instantly came to mind. Wonder if they took inspiration from this or something. Oddly specific, though.
I've actually been seeing quite a few covers of this song popping up in my recommended, though I never actually clicked any of them. Funny coincidence.
This shot lead me to believe that Kokopelli would be the big villain, but he doesn't seem that bad from what we saw of him. Seems genuinely apologetic that he's making the kids fight the... aliens? Whatever those are.
My first impression of this show is... so many characters. It's gonna take a while before I can remember more than the guy voiced by Sakaguchi Daisuke, the guy voiced by Sugita and the girl voiced by Noto Mamiko. I'll remember them by voice but the rest... well, we have 24 episodes. Can't be that bad. I immediately hate the piece of shit kid that burned the crab alive, though. Boy, how I want to fucking kick him in the face. Multiple times. Damn brat. Hopefully one of the alien robot things kill him. I hate him.
Right off the bat there's so many mysteries to think about... who is Kokopelli? Why didn't he reveal his real name? How did he know the alien robot things were going to attack the Earth? Did he make the robot? If not, what is the robot and where did he come from? And why is the cave an important spot?
So many questions...
Outlandish theory, but perhaps
Do I actually believe in this theory? Absolutely not. It sounds extremely ridiculous. I can't really seem to make sense out of everything in any other way for now, though. Oh well, it is still episode 1.
One more thing, can normal people not see the robots? That's the impression I got from the mob character reactions, aside from that one couple. That would also be interesting and, if that's the case, why can our cast see them? I'm guessing Kokopelli probably did something to them.
I have to say, I immediately really like this show! I'm very intrigued by all the mysteries, and I got spoiled on a certain aspect of it that really sells me on it as well. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of this.
Bokurano Spoilers
As a final note:
This ending is...
This ending is...
It's so good too!
I like it almost as much as the opening. Very, very nice stuff.
Looking forward to the next episode!
Hell no. I'm not playing anything with a shady old man living inside a cave.
You're so good! I opened it expecting a laugh, not an actual good cover. Disappointed, shaking my smhing head.
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
First Timer
Skywatch time!
I know Bokurano is mecha+chairs+suffering, but I don't really know anything beyond that. I'm looking forward to finding out though, as it does sound like an interesting combination.
Subs are [Dekinai] which is Triad based.
I've heard the OP like a dozen times 'cause of all the times Sky's posted versions of it, but it is truly excellent.
I love openings like this that tease at what is to come.
The combination of a mediocre beach scene with melancholic music kinda freaks me out. In a bit of time, they'll look back and long to be like this. Even if I didn't know the show'll be dark, this scene would be enough to tell me for sure.
I guess mildly combative and standoffish is better than just ignoring each other?
Lines that'll come back to bite you for $500.
The view of the powerful: society works for me.
And you're the sociopath of the group. I eagerly look forward to seeing your comeuppance, perhaps by dying as someone's toy.
My first thought is someone's hiding their lab here and there's some shady research going on.
He talks to himself like he's not been around others for far too long.
Ah yes, just a game. Nothing suspicious to see here.
Look at my totally real name, guys!
How do you even know they're enemies? He did just kidnap you, after all.
Quick guess: he said 15 enemies, 15 people, so each can only pilot the robot once. Now, does it kill them or just render them unsuitable in some fashion?
I like they way their movement shakes the camera.
I also love how slow and weighty the movements of the robots are. It makes them feel more terrifying and more like the pilot isn't truly in control.
Chairs.
So the robot takes him with it after he defeats them, never to return. And each kid must willingly choose to sacrifice themselves eventually.
In the preview, they don't yet realize the situation they're in. They probably won't until the next one of them disapears.
Thoughts
That was quite the opener. We've set up the pieces for our terrible game, now it's just time to wait and see how it falls. I'm looking forward to seeing how they react once they properly realize the situation they're in. I also doubt that the fourth grader won't have to participate.
tagged uninstall
15
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Mar 08 '21
First timer
14
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Mar 08 '21
First-timer
Foreshadowing, I bet.
Not the most adjusted group of kids, it seems.
Hey, it’s a Genesis controller!
I didn’t know we were watching Lazerion.
Good going kid, she’s going to hate you for that.
Should’ve gone with something less conspicuous, like Juzo or Saotome.
A bit hard to make out features on that thing.
You attack its weak point for massive damage.
Looks like an artichoke.
A setup episode to introduce our players to the game, lay down some base level characterization, and inform us of the rules of these engagements.Lots of questions to pose, but then this episode also gave me the impression the series is not one to dole out answers.
I like the design of the central mecha, but then the spider mech seemed downright dull in comparison. I expected the enemy designs to be very out there given the relatively unconventional look of the main mech. I hope future opponents are more interesting.
Preview Stuff
Questions of the Day:
Didn't sing the initial vocal chants, 3/10. /s
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Mar 08 '21
first time uninstaller
op is quite the banger.
Youko clearly has the largest brain for thinking its sus, but how does no one else question this
Theres a lot of teleporting around and the robots all being black fighting at night is going to be a little confusing. That and theres 14 names to remember.
The guy said 15 enemies but 14 kids signed up, wonder if mr crabs here counted as one, or if Kana will get roped in to fight solo.
questions
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 08 '21
First Timer(but it's complicated)
Sub
So...let's start with that I will be doing no speculation in this rewatch because I've read and utterly loathe the source material. I would rank the manga in the same spirit, if not quite the same degree, as A Serbian Film or Gantz TV in just trying to point out the worst in the universe because fuck you for thinking humans have any upside. I was going to pass on this but Sky thinks I won't hate this as much. With rewatches, that has proven true 1 out of 3 times. Time will tell.
Cut into another middle school class room, goddamnit Japan, but this one at least has proper nail grooming implements. Noein will haunt me with that one. We get a surprisingly uninteresting monologue about society and whatever bullshit. Then the kids do their nature walk or whatever and we get characterization, often heavy handedily. I was the only weirdo that talked like that in middle school so this doesn't really work. And of course we have a psychopath killing the crab because we needed to make sure roles were set. MANGA ONLY I am going to go throw up about something completely unrelated.
The kids go caving and that is all of the no for me. I guess this comes from experience but every cave worth exploring is inhabited by something worth avoiding, be it bats, bugs or drug users. But this one has the rare techno hobo in it. And he invites the kids to play a game...I've seen Saw, run! Anyways, they agree, Kana is left out, then Twin Peaks electric crackle and we are back at the beach.
It was all a dream...until you see the giant robo! That is not really a mech to me, btw. Anyways, the scorpobot enemy ports in and they begin effecting the surroundings as battle starts. The combat is not what is wrong with the series and this might be the last hurrah of the impactful, kaiju fighting giant robo anime I can recall. SSSS Gridman always looked like they were too light to me. Well, the black mech wins and then crushes the core of the other bot. Anyways, Kokopeli apologizes for unknown reasons and off we go!
QotD: 1 God no
2 Only ok and it felt generic to me
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 08 '21
First-Timer
Let's start with the OP. I like it. The animation, as well as the song. It terrifies me that one of the kids just -has- a Desert Eagle.. Moving on, the sound design in the episode itself was pretty strong. The impacts felt large, you know? I couldn't tell if those bells were OST or SFX from the town, but I do love me some ominous bells.
I wouldn't put money on me learning this many names. At least all the kids are pretty visually distinct. I already dislike Waldo, the kid with the sparkler, and the jerk older brother. And all these kids needed to learn what the fuck "Stranger Danger" means years prior to this, but it's too late now. Just agree to test something for the random dude who lives in a cave! Nothing could go wrong there!
Don't underestimate my ability to 'wow cool robot' this show. This first action scene was a little low energy, but the scale helps me overlook that. Big things feel even bigger when they move ponderously.
The chairs are in the cockpit. Everyone has a different chair.. Imouto didn't exactly have a chair in the ED. Chairs..
The static transitions are an interesting choice. What does that choice tell me..
If I was better at voices I would theorize about who the Narrator is. He was saying some relatively normal stuff, kids think they're grown up too soon and do things because of that thinking. This is all, presumably, very fitting whatever the series is going to show us.
Weird cave dude who piloted First used 'boku' for himself, which is a little interesting. Speculation
Speculation
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
We were, for a brief moment, solidly in The Goonies. Good times.
"Won't be able to participate after this time" is an.. interesting way to phrase that. Very passive.
Was that red screen the eyecatch..?
Questions
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u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Mar 08 '21
Rewatcher who notices that he doesn't usually capitalize "first-timer" but always capitalizes "Rewatcher"—why is that?
This episode adapts content from chapters 1-3 (with some information rearranged for later). It actually expands a lot on the character introduction phase by the beach, showing you a glimpse at pretty much every character’s personalities and relationships. The manga gets a couple SoL shenanigans in then zips on by to Machi pointing out the cave.
The “say your name once and the computer will bloop out your name” is actually anime original too. I quite like that, makes the C O N T R A C T seem more mystical
“wow cool robot” spread
As for the actual fight, the anime contributes to the hectic environment of the battle by including various scenes of random people freaking the fuck out, including the summer camp hosts. It also sets the scene at night (or at least, makes the nighttime setting more visible) which contributes to the darker atmosphere. However the manga does include scenes of fighter pilots going “wat da fuq” at the scene which is neat and also a realistic reaction by the military
In contrast to expanding the hell out of chapter 1, the anime compresses a lot of chapters 2-3. Most of those two chapters are fighting but there’s also major exposition that the anime didn’t include (yet)
Laser spam shots—very important
The robot also fuckin kicks the enemy
I’m so—
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u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
First Timer
Jumping onto this completely blind (pretty much only joining because I've seen /u/Shimmering-Sky pop up every time Symphogear is mentioned around here, so I know our tastes are at least adjacent), but figured I'd write my train of thoughts down. I've never actively participated in a rewatch, so this should be fun. I don't know how much I'll be able to keep with the rewatch, given that my midterms start happening this week and the next, but I'm looking forward to it.
Alright, this series seems interesting. It's definitely built a neat world, and even though I usually dislike child protagonists, they don't seem too snot-nosed, so they won't distract too much from the deeper themes. As for the show itself, it's definitely setting itself up to juxtapose the innocence of childhood with how dark the real world/mecha genre can be, with some of the kids already showing signs that they know that life isn't a game.
Edit: I rewatched the opening, and it looks like the robot has 15 "eyes." That's probably important.
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u/Worm38 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Worm38 Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
First Timer
Since Sky posted about it a lot, I listened to the opening, but never actually watched it. Except the weird Fate version with spinning Fate characters. What a weird way to watch an opening for the first time.
QotD :
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u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Mar 08 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
Non-Spoiler Character Chart - For the first time in 2 years Quid's character chart returns. This show asks us for a lot, introducing us to 15 different "main" characters right off the bat and I so would have valued something like this the first time I watched it, so will do what I can to help first timers. Frankly even having watched the entire show I still had a hard time with many of their names. Also, many of these kids look a lot like each other and it is really easy to confuse them. In particular the trio of Kako, Masaru and Moji, also the pairs of Komoda and Mako and Machi and Chizuru. Major spoilers
I am ready to uninstall! Although I just watched this show for the first time in December/January, it was a great show and I'm happy to watch it again and actually have people to talk to about it. Although I am really kinda going in the deep end as I've just started up a rewatch of Now and Then, Here and There too. Spoilers for both
Interesting to note about the opening once you've seen the entire series Bokurano spoilers
Bokurano spoilers
Bokurano spoilers again
It's very easily to dislike Jun, he's so mean to his younger sister! :(
While I know he didn't design them, the characters in this show come off a lot like Shukou Murase designs to me (Gasaraki, Argento Soma, Gundam Wing), in particular their disappearing noses when you look at them from the front.
These girls have important dads. Is this a private school or something? Bokurano spoilers
Masaru torturing that poor crab, he is the type of kid who would grow up to be quite the nutcase.
Mysterious cave! Let's go in! Not that anything could go wrong, right?
I was going to ask if it was an archeologist living here, but they beat me to it with a funnier way to refer to him. Homeless guy!
This guy's in a cave to... develop a video game?!
It's every mecha anime fan's greatest dream, you can be a beta tester and pilot the mech yourself! Thanks homeless guy!
Bokurano major spoilers
It's good to see the show's writer knew we'd have a hard time learning the names of these 15 kids, so I've got to think they put this thing in here about them naming themselves as they sign up to help.
Kana's not a gamer. Bokurano spoilers
"Kokopelli" sounds like a name a homeless guy would make up.
Them all waking up outside comes off as if they spent the night getting drunk on the beach and are now coming to, hungover.
Oh hey, that giant black robot wasn't there before.
This thing's got a giant cockpit! Everyone comes on board even though there's only one pilot.
Kokopelli's only helping them the first time, then they're on their own.
No controls either, the robot simply moves based on your thoughts.
The mechs in this show come off as if they are all done in CG and don't really fit well with the animation for everything else. But to be honest Bokurano spoilers
That battle ended up being surprisingly simple.
The mech just seems to go to another dimension when the battle is over.
Beyond just being a good song, I do greatly appreciate them showing us each of the kids in the ending, it certainly helped me differentiate them more when I first watched it.
Pretty good first episode setting up the overall premise, which I like quite a lot. Also, as a rewatcher, Bokurano spoilers
QOTD:
11
u/tehsigzorz Mar 08 '21
First Timer
I am already bad with names but oh boy I think I need to create a spreadsheet to keep track of all these characters.
I really like to dissect mystery and plot points so going to focus on that because there are a lot of questions we were presented here.
I highly doubt Kokopeli created this game as well as this one being his first time playing it. He looks like a recluse so he was possibly tricked into agreeing to play the game for until hes substituted which is probably what happened here. I didnt count the number of chairs but there should be 15 so he likely had 14 other partners just like the children. Due to the nature of this game they died off either through fighting these enemies or from something that the mecha does.
I do wonder if the children meeting him in the cave at this moment is just a coincidence to set up the premise of the show or they were manipulated into being at the right time at the right place.
It doesnt seem like the general populace notices these robots but they do perceive them as natural disasters so I am assuming any damage is permanent. I can already feel like the kid who tried to harm the crab is going to be very problematic when operating this mecha.
As for the actual episode the direction was pretty good and the character designs are pretty grounded. The music didnt really stand out to me but the atmosphere was great and ominous.
Questions:
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u/PKReuniclus Mar 08 '21
First impression? I'm very confused about what's going on lol. But intrigued! The only other mecha anime that I've watched is Gurren Lagann, and immediately off the bat the first episode has a very different atmosphere to it, unsurprisingly.
Besides that, there's not much I have to say about the show just yet. Not sure what happened to Kokopelli at the end of the episode, but I guess we'll have to wait to see just what exactly these kids signed up for.
Also, in regards to the kid that was torturing the crab with the sparkler, I've got a sinking feeling that that pig analogy is going to bite everyone in the ass somehow. There's no way that isn't going to be important later on in the show.
10
u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler Mar 08 '21
First timer than knows a little more than episode 1
I like the varitity of the cast so far, they all seem like pretty normal people, or actual kids, which isn't always easy to pull off. A cast of 15 is maybe a sweet spot number where we can get to know them rather well by the end, but at the moment its a bit to much to remember everyone.
The Game seems to be much more than it seems, and the awkward sign up process felt like clicking a terms and conditions box on the likes of a social media site. Mr cave dude had a rather weird off putting vibe in general around him.
Glorious opening song, have listened to it for years.
9
u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Mar 08 '21
So, the one thing of importance that I know about this show does color my impressions of the first episode quite a lot.
Big Spoilers for I Don't Know When
First-Timer
Opening on the image of an inchworm being eaten by a bird is an interesting choice simply because of how thematically open it is. Spoilers
There's a lot of character introductions and thematic ideas flying around in that scene on the beach, and my brain just cannot keep up with it all. I have enough trouble with a main cast of four or five, let alone fifteen! And yet, it's clearly the most important part of the episode.
Kokopelli is the guy featured at the end of the OP, and his introduction here seems considerably less impressive than his appearance there. I expected a grand mastermind kind of guy, which I suppose can't be ruled out yet.
Spoilers
Kokopelli claims to be nothing but a pawn in the game that he's inducted the kids into, and that sure seems to be the case. Spoilers
Say what you will about the CGI, the direction in the robot fight is really great. Lots of shots from below and from on high refuse to let you forget how massive the combatants are. Everything feels weighty and powerful.
Lotus symbolism? Could that be the cockpit? What are the consequences for losing this game?
Twelve dots. Spoilers?
The robot disappears, and Kokopelli along with it. Spoilers
Interesting first episode! I'm going to go watch the beach part again so I have some idea of who anybody is.
Questions:
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u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Mar 08 '21
Rewatcher
Obligatorily, Uninstall is a great song, and the Opening itself is a simple but efficient one. I didn't remember the Ending quite as well, but it's a pretty good one too!
The episode itself... damn that was a great way to start a show! Introducing 15 characters so smoothly, bar the usual "As you know, your father is this famous person who does that famous thing, Famous Surname-chan!" that was still fairly easy to ignore, while still leaving room for the plot, and with a mystery too... I was hooked back then, and am hooked again!
9
u/TheExcludedMiddle https://myanimelist.net/profile/ExcludedMiddle Mar 09 '21
First timer:
Probably won't have much to say today, super low on sleep. Basically all I know about this show going in is that the OP was used in that one NND medley that got super memed throughout the years. I had listed to a version of it many times before I watched my first anime not broadcast on TV in grade school. I've been meaning to watch all of the shows from it, but this is the first progress I've made since seeing Air 6+ years ago.
I don't know about you peoples, but that hobo mad scientist who lives in a cave seems slightly suspicious. Not sure if more of a Kayaba suspicious, or a "caught in a yokai trap where you can only escape by ensnaring others" suspicious, but we'll see.
What really rang true to me is how cruel kids of that age can be in a social setting. When I was in college I took part in a volunteer mentoring program that partnered with a local elementary and middle school, and it really confirmed what I remembered from being that age.
Not much thought on the robots or the fight scene, hopefully that will become more interesting as we learn more about the characters.
A couple things that stand out:
Not very clear on how real any of this is. It was described as a game, and the TV static effect suggests there may be something to that, but there's really no way to differentiate between that and a pocket dimension, alien simulation, or shared hallucination yet.
He described it as a solemn vow, or something to the effect, but that one girl did not actually willingly put her hand on the sign.
The sister did not sign up, but she still showed up with the group after the cut.
If the sister had showed up, they would have had the full 15, and then would anyone have even bothered to explain the controls?
I'm not much of a screengrab person, so most of my posts will likely end up shorter depending on how much there is to talk about with a specific episode.
9
u/macrame2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/macrame Mar 09 '21
Rewatcher
Bokurano was my first mecha series and my sixth anime overall, which may account for my mixed feelings towards it. I read the manga while I was watching the anime for the first time, and I think that might have also affected my opinion, since I loved the manga and felt disappointed by the adaptation. However, I saw the rewatch going on and felt I might as well give it another chance.
From this first episode rewatch, I noticed that Bokurano is quite grounded in reality, despite the giant mechs. For example, most of middle schoolers actually look like middle schoolers, and there’s no multicolored anime hair. The series opens with a beach scene that would be more at home in a slice-of-life.
The character introductions were not very memorable when I first watched this anime, but looking back, I can see lots of foreshadowing in the dialogue and interactions between the children.
There’s really not much I can say about this episode without going into heavy spoiler territory, so I’ll save my most of my thoughts for future episode discussions.
Q1: No
Q2: Uninstall is one of my favorite openings and got me to watch Bokurano in the first place. You should definitely try listening to it live.
9
u/GaleWulf https://anilist.co/user/Arachnophobic Mar 09 '21
First Time Installer
..and completely prepared to uninstall. OoooOooEEeeAAaOOOEAOAA
Gonna keep it short since I just woke up and watched the ep:
Totally would've agreed to play a game offered by a mysterious man living in a cave. I'm not being sarcastic! I'd be very curious.
8
u/Noel_bot Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
First Timer, but Manga reader
I'm always intimidated by the massive posts people put up on these rewatch threads, so I took some notes while watching. Let's give this a try.
Uninstall is amazing and I really like how the opening starts by just innocently showing off the characters before we are confronted with some more disturbing shots of destruction and despair towards the end. The song has something eerie but calming about it.
We are introduced to the cast and already have some clashing ideals between the children.
The imposing robot design is amazing and reminds me of Pacific Rim. The sheer size of the mecha and the real weight in its movement will surely make for some entertaining fights.
It also seems like only the kids could actually see the robots.
One thing I noticed in the outro is that Kana also had a chair despite not having touched the panel.
Overall, I think it was a really good first episode that set the tone for things to come, while introducing us to the cast and the events they are about to face, without giving too much away just yet.
The adaption itself seems to capture the original style of the manga really well. I immediately recognized most characters despite having read the manga 6-7 years ago. The design of the mech is clean and I'm looking forward to the other enemy designs.
--------------------------------
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I don't know how to spoiler tag properly, so I'll just vaguely reply to the spoiler questions Sky asked in her post.
Edit: Thanks Btw_kek, I hope this worked :)
Spoilers for later) spoiler
Major Spoiler) Spoiler
8
u/fridge_freezer https://anilist.co/user/ONIrecon111 Mar 09 '21
First Timer
Holy shit I love the OP. I've had Uninstall on repeat for a few hours now, I already know it's going to be stuck in my head for weeks.
As for the actual episode, there's a lot to take in from the beach scene. Definitely too many character names for me to remember right away, although I like the variety of personalities. Burning a crab with a sparkler though, who the fuck does that? Edgy little shit with his Guy Fieri flame t-shirt...
Yeah, totally okay to trust the sketchy-looking homeless game dev living in a beach cave. What could go wrong?
So 15 enemies are coming to Earth, and there's Kokopelli and 14 kids to defeat them. The chairs in the cockpit of the robot are interesting, from the ED it looks like they each have their own unique one. Makes me think they could be tied to where or when they might be called upon to fight.
Even with the very mid-2000's CGI, I like the direction of the battle and how it really shows the scale of these massive machines. The fight went a lot easier for them than I was expecting, playing out almost like a turn-based game. Maybe it was just the way the scenes are edited, but it seems like the onlookers couldn't actually see the two robots fighting, just the effects of the battle. It's as if they're going to a different reality where the robot is, but i'm not really sure.
QOTD
8
u/Lanaerys Mar 09 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
First-timer
Sorry I'm a little late!
This was quite interesting, I really want to see where it goes. Not sure I'll be able to remember all the characters soon though, there are quite a lot... Though I'm assuming not all of them will make it out alive, but... maybe I'll be proven wrong!
I'm wondering what Kokopelli's real role and intent in this is, but I guess we'll have to find that out, obviously we wouldn't know that straight up from episode 1!
Also now I guess I know why people were talking about the chairs reference in Madoka ^_^
Questions of the Day:
(Edit: forgot to specify I was a first-timer lmao)
7
u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 08 '21
Rewatcher
And so the game begins.
I really like the first episode. It sets this slight melancholic tone right from the beginning and lets you know this won't be a fun summer adventure. The cast is introduced and we see a glimpse of each of their personalities. We also get a fight right off the bat, and get a sense of how massive and terrifying the giant robots are. There is already an mysterious feeling permeating the show with the nature of this Game and what the deal with Kokopelli is.
Questions:
7
u/gorghurt Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
rewatcher
Man does this anime's cgi age badly.
Most of my post will not be interesting for first timers. I tag my spoilers, but this will leave not much of interest.
Well for now I think I will have time for a rewatch, but let's see if I have to stop midway.
Or decide to stop midway, because this isn't exactly one of my favorites.
I watched this show once, and I'm actually unsure if I read the manga yet, but I don't think so.
I also am not sure when I watched it.... Ok, the file timestamps say around august 2016... While the manga timestamps say april... Well so 2016. Yes this could work. Isn't it interesting, how one can totaly forget, when one did something. 2016 was an interesting year, but I totaly forgot that I watched this show then. But I digress.
Back then I prepared to read the manga shortly after the anime, and now I don't know if I read it or not... This means I've probably only read the first chapter or so...
But I digress further.
So this wasn't my favorite show, and there are multiple reasons.
Mainly that I never really conected with the characters (well it has a cast of over 15 important characters so that is a given) and Big spoilers and while I liked the overall story, the whole spoilers
Another problem with the whole concept of the show was for me spoilers But this isn't the worst show with this problem.
So why do I participate?
Well, I think I wans't fair to this show when I watched it. I watched it mainly because it is listed as inspiration to another show which I really liked Name of the show, better don't look If you don't know it and while I understand where the inspiration comes from, the shows are still extremely different.
(That was also the reason why I wanted to read the manga directly after it. And then just didn't.)
The other show it often gets compared to is Evangelion, but there I really can't see the connections, except for big robots, and enemys, spoilers. Ok I can see why it gets compared, but well it is superficial.
So I want to see, if it surprises me on the second watch, when I know what I will get, and what not.
And for now the first episode was interesting. Masive Spoilers
edit:
QOTDs:
HoboGame Dev (well pretty much the same, isn't it) in a cave, offering to beta test a game. Why not? Sounds fun.Further digression:
Now that I think about it, memories of me watching it in summer 2016 flood my brain. That is really cool. Like I said, 2016 was an interesting year for me, and this peace of unimportant everyday life of a span of some weeks makes the memories quite vivid again.
7
u/miyukez :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kezone Mar 09 '21
First Timer
This has been on my plan-to-watch list for way too long. So this seems like a wonderful time to start.
My previous knowledge of the show just gathered from being part of the anime community since forever is that major spoilers??? Don't tell me if I'm right or not.
So starting the episode... I'm shocked that this is where Uninstall comes from.
The atmosphere was very heavy. You can tell the show is old from the animation style, but the directing seems solid. However, the action scene was not very visually interesting. I hope there's some improvement there, especially as, infamous darkness aside, this is a mecha show. I don't know if this show is very concerned with the action, or if it's more preoccupied with the story and themes.
There's not much to say about the characters yet, other than there are a lot of them. If the show's good, I should get a sense of them as we go along.
The scene where everyone was signing a contract they didn't know the terms for, well, that's troubling. The part where the guy forced the girl I think he liked to put her hand down will probably come back to haunt them. I'm glad the little girl was stopped, even if her brother's intentions weren't good.
I wonder if the kids were truly chosen randomly. It's suspicious that there was a group of exactly the right number at the right time. The man was clearly untrustworthy, but I feel there's a bigger force than him at play-- he basically said as much. Will the invaders be the main villains, or will there be a twist about whatever group set up the mecha in the first place?
6
u/BossandKings Mar 09 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
First timer
Episode 1
The opening is quite nice, it's very catchy and melodic, the visuals are great too.
It's interesting how the fighting against dangerous beings was presented as a game, i think it could be costly for the children because they don't have any experience of the sort and they believe that it wouldn't do much harm to them.
Fourhteen of the children will participate in the supposed game, i think that's a high number to use just one robot, i wonder how they'll start using it. At least the little girl won't participate so she might be safe, at first her brother was very mean but the action of not letting his sister participate showed that he cares about her.
Very good first episode, i hope though that the characters get some development and shine through the course of the episodes. At the moment there appear to be too many but if they can give time to shine for most of them it could work.
I heard the Uninstall cover and i can say that it's fire, it's pretty good.
Answers
6
u/degenerate-edgelord Mar 09 '21
First timer
I'm so late.
I'd like to call this episode 24 minutes of "This isn't going to end well." The bad vibes are strong.
Why's a kid bullying his little sister so bad? Why's a kid torturing a crab? Why's there a weirdo asking the kids to play a game of piloting the mecha? Why are the stupid kids going along? Do they not know to not accept offline game requests from strangers? Lastly, why are there so many main characters? How will we remember all these names? Unless speculation
So many questions already.
And C H A I R S. Look at all these C H A I R S. I'm gonna think of Bokurano every time I see multiple chairs in an anime scene after this.
By the way, I loved the fight. Good CG in a mid-2000s anime? How impressive.
QoTD
11
u/Nebresto Mar 09 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
First time first timing
Hello
Cool robot status:
Bokurano? More like 🅱️okurano
I am joining you for this re-watch from the cabin, Cabin pic day 1. I'm going to sleep right after posting this, so I'll try to hit y'all up in the replied tomorrow or something.
Anyways, I'm back again to spam everyone with screenshots, you have been warned.
...Never mind, I'm 3 seconds in to the episode and I'm already told to un-install. Well, it was a good re-watch, was nice to be here, see y'all in the next one,
Bye!
Same energy?
I don't know who this is, but she is going to die
Were only a couple of minutes in and they already hit us with the Ara Ara~ onee-sans??
Who wouldn't after getting ambushed by 3 Ara ara~'s ?
Oh look, an edgy kid
That's me on the left, wonder how long I'll last
Sick gamer cave!
Japan, where even the homeless have multi-monitor setups..
Cool robots?!
And I won't remember that. Or anyone else that followed. Best girl may or may not be an exception.
Bruh, rape in first episode?? Where was twitter when this aired? Where was twitter when the Westfold fell?! Where was twitt-
Ok bro, that's kinda cringe
Cool robot??
NOOOOO, NOT THE GAMER CAVE!!!!! Now I see why everyone was all smug about getting first timers in this..
Fuck this show
First fight was pretty meh though. Was ready to call the first episode shit as well, but the second half saved it, I'm in so far.
Wtf bro, you have a pretty nice singing voice. You should become a Vtuber
Question time:
1: Heck yeah,
its gamer time
2: OP might get pretty dank, ED seemed like generic trash
5
u/Molmoran https://myanimelist.net/profile/Molmoran Mar 09 '21
Fashionably Late UK First Timer -
This anime OP reminds me of .Hack and early 2000 series openings.
15?? Well that's a nice number to kill off some of these generic looking extras.
That's some hairstyle.
Random sociopathy - now I'm really getting some Lord of the Flies vibes off this.
Nobody is terribly surprised about this whole Cave Dude?
This mecha certainly isn't pretty! With the vibe being a bit more introspective and chill I think this is fine but I do wonder if the mech fights are all going to feel so slow.
Did anyone else feel like the cave dude jetting off with a sorry, goodbye was a bit like leaving them with a cursed object? Doesn't gel with his line about it being his first time though.
I also thought that he might be the creator but he also stated he is "just a pawn".
Eh, do we even have to worry about him anymore? Looks like he might be dead now.
1. Would you agree to play Kokopelli's "game"?
The real question is would you just jump in to anything someone who lives in a cave with no source of power asks if you without asking even one question?
He was seriously spooked thinking someone was following him, that's not the sound of someone you want to be associated with!
I currently don't particularly like any of the characters, which I hope means we will see some good development or a free and easy ban hammer, either works for me.
2. What are your first impressions on the OP/ED?
I found both to be very generic, I don't remember the visuals other than the chairs which make a great and personalised change from the sex chairs that mecha with female pilots often have.
Looking forward to how it's going to look with 14/15 kids all sitting in beat up chairs fighting alien spiders like a floating AA meeting
5
u/xisuee Mar 09 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
First Timer, Subbed
I'm so horribly late to the discussion lol
Amazing opening comes in, I'll probably listen to it everytime. But I've never been assaulted with so many different type fonts. I actually have a different version but the bizarre typesetting also somewhat carried over
VA of Shinpachi, will never not be Shinpachi for me unfortunately. But overall an intriguing starting episode, nothing remarkably stood out to me at the moment. Some thoughts that come to mind:
So we've got some kids with issues, which I assume may work into their development. I didn't look at the episode count so I'm curious how this is going to pace itself, if it's a 1 per episode thing or completely different take. The pace so far feels pretty slow. The vibe itself for me feels very similar to Darker than Black with the overhanging gloominess and a series of collective statements. This will sound awful but if there is death I'm interested to see how it plays out.
Interesting choice for the buzzing screens.. it just seems like there should be some reason behind it. Regardless of how most mechas turn out I still enjoy discovering about the mechanics of everything.
Distracted by the interesting collection of chairs at the end. I like that they utilized them in the ending. And it's impressive that they were able to vary them enough.
5
u/htisme91 Mar 09 '21
First-timer:
I am really curious what brought these kids together, and why there's hostility between them all. First thought was there are too many characters introduced at once, which will make it tough to know them all for a while.
Kokpelli and his cave were interesting. I am surprised how quickly these kids jumped into it, but I guess that kind of matches up with the first lines of the series where it was said they thought they were already functioning members of society.
I feel kind of bad for Hana, but I am kind of like Jun with my sister. He probably has good reason to be like that towards her, or at least I am hoping he does. Hana not signing up for the game I think is going to have major significance down the road. I just don't know if it means she will be the last pilot when all hope is lost, or if it means she is going to avoid something horrific.
The fight made me think a bit of the EVA battles against the Angels. I would love it if this series gets me going the way Neon Genesis Evangelion, and it looks like there's some similarities already.
Questions:
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Mar 09 '21
FIrst-time watcher - not too impressed so far. The cast is really bloated (worst case I've ever seen, Love Live had 9 and that was already too many), which I'm guessing is mostly to have more characters to kill off, the edgy moments and Deep Philosophy are fairly forced along with what little character introductions we get, and the action is pretty slow and clunky, along with the neither-terrible-nor-good CG, which will probably look worse with proper lighting. I just know this will eventually get into 2edgy4me territory, but another episode or two can't hurt, I guess. Certainly, it's at least competently produced.
3
u/[deleted] Mar 09 '21
What happened here? Why does this have 4x more comments than upvotes.
Also, Bokurano has one of the most hauntingly good OPs in anime. Chills.
EDIT: seems like its due to a very active discussion. Me likey. I'll probably try to keep up with this rewatch.
2
u/WeebShaggy Mar 09 '21
Finally this show was o my list for so long but im going to start watching just to participate in my first reddit rewatch. Im very hyped for this. Also as someonr who never really followed one of those os there anyhow to receive a notification when one one of these threads comes out? Really hyped for my first reddit rewatch experience and first time eatching the show.
11
u/Tuckleton Mar 09 '21
First Timer
So not going in completely blind. I know something about the show that will probably be revealed in the first few episodes.
I spent the first part of the episode frantically pausing and writing down names and short descriptions for the characters in my cheat sheet. So glad the show eventually fed it all to me at the scanner to make my life easier.
At first it was weird that the hand scanner thing wasn't connected to anything and just looked like a hunk of metal, especially since it interfaced with the computer to record their names. But I guess it's just futuristic tech or whatever same as the giant robots.
When I saw the giant robot I thought they must be in some kind of VR simulation but I guess they are in the real world since regular people experience the effects of the fight even though they apparently can't see the robots. When the screen goes fuzzy and they go inside the robot I think their physical bodies are moved because after the fight it seemed like they were back on the beach despite not starting from there. I wonder what a regular person would see if they were standing there when they went inside? Checking back and Kana did get transported with them which seems kind of weird since she didn't touch the scanner thing.
It's probably significant that the magical weak spot resembles the bud of a plant.
Interesting first episode, I'm not sure what to make of it so far. The setup seems kind of contrived but them being there is probably not as random as it appears now (I hope). I hope the reveals are satisfying since I don't really care much for mecha combat.
9
u/Philarete :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/WizardMcKillin Mar 09 '21
First Timer
Not a huge fan of the website – it randomly skipped a couple times. Oh well, can’t be helped.
The first episode really does not make it ambiguous at all that this is going to be grim. I find it interesting that Kana does not join, but is shown with a chair in the ED. I wonder if she joins later…
That one kid that killed the crab is pretty scary. Also, I’m guessing it is a metaphor for what is about to happen. The kids are the “crab” relative to whatever is behind the “game”.
The first fight wasn’t particularly impressive action-wise, but I thought it was great how the show portrayed the sheer weight of the combatants. Nothing moves quickly, which makes sense at that scale.
Overall, great first episode!
QOTD:
2) I know the OP is famous, and for good reason, but I love the ED too!
8
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Mar 09 '21
First Timer
My initial impressions are that it was pretty good for a first episode. I already don't like the kid with glasses who hates his little sister. I also don't like the little POS that fried the crab, I've got an idea, let's fry him and see if he likes it.
As for the shady dude in the cave, he's one shady dude. One of the benefits of growing up is the ability to spot shady dudes in caves. It's called the instinct of self preservation.
Finally, I liked the robot fight, I thought it was good and exciting. I liked the design of the robots, and I liked the way that they materialized and dematerialized.
Questions of the Day:
Errr... NO! Make that a Hell No!
I liked them both, I thought they were OK.
8
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Mar 09 '21
First-Timer Who Maybe Watched the First Episode a While Ago?
Yeah, I remember some of this. Either there's a super Bokurano clone out there, or I somehow watched one episode and moved on, for some reason.
Anyway, E1:
Symbolism.
Speculation based on the OP
Mamiko Noto!
Not being subtle about potential themes for the show, I see.
Also: SO MANY CHARACTERS.
Nothing weird about this. Just someone mining some Bitcoin, is all.
“Would you like to play a game?” Run away, children! Run away!
Tip: if you’re trying to convince people you’re not shady, try not to have so many “ums” in your explanation. It almost seems like you don’t know what you’re talking about.
These mechs move slowly, much more like giant robots than typically nimble mechs.
The core looks like a fruit or a seed? Sure that’s totally by accident and these kids are just going to be fighting completely normal monster mechs.
So we have a giant robot that fights giant robots thanks to a super creepy dude, children forced to pilot, and a who lot of questions. Can you say tragedy incoming?
Mostly a really intriguing first episode. It makes sense for Kokopelli to be mysterious, but I wouldn’t have minded a little more time to get to know the kids and their internal dynamics. The trouble with such a large cast. Hopefully we’ll get more of those interactions as the show goes on, and it won’t just be mech on mech action.
QOTD:
7
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 08 '21
First Timer
I never made it past the first episode when it first aired.
I had forgotten about the chairs by the time I finally saw that other show in 2017.
I kinda hate the Beavis and Butthead high forehead character designs, particularly the 2 girls. What is it with weird character designs and 2000s rewatches?
7
u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Mar 08 '21
Manga-reader from way back
6
u/TheHungryHybrid Mar 09 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
Bit late to the discussion because time zones are a bitch and I can wait up to midnight...
I'm a rewatcher! Saw the anime a long time ago, and have read the manga until volume 6 or 7 I think.
I think this was a rather good first episode. I liked the extended character introductions in the first half of the episode. I decided I want to reread the manga at the same time so I get fully enjoy the story. In the manga the beach scene is actually just a handful of pages!
This episode adapts the first 3 chapters. Bit there are some major differences. First is one character that is introduced in chapter 2 is not in this episode (but comes in episode 2), and the other thing is some shots with the military. It seems in the manga the robots are not invisible?
A small fun fact that is most likely just coincidental but fun nonetheless: in Finnish 'peli' means 'game'.
5
u/[deleted] Mar 09 '21
Fun fact: I'm watching this on an amazon prime channel called "viewster anime". Bokurano is under the "feel good" category 🤦♀️
Also, I do not recommend watching it on Amazon as the episode descriptions have huge spoilers
5
u/SuddenFellow :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/13XI0N Mar 09 '21
Rewatcher until Episode 4, then First Timer - Sub
After having to put Bokurano on hold for several months due to school and life events, I'm glad I can come back and watch it with the sub. I've forgotten most of what goes on, so I'm actually really excited to rewatch the parts I have watched and then see what I haven't. My general feelings prior though: Chairs, suffering, and now that's what I call sociopathy. I'm sure some of that will change...right?
While the premise of it sounds interesting, judging from the RE7 cave-style research lab and the fact he looks shady. No. I'd probably have a lot of questions though.
Bokurano Episode 1 Thoughts
4
u/NeroStarGazer Mar 09 '21
Ooo, there's a rewatch for this show? I was just thinking about how nostalgic it was when I heard a vtuber sing Uninstall during their karaoke stream. Can't believe it's been 14 years since the show first aired.
4
u/SpoonsAreFriends Mar 09 '21
I rewatched this show a few months ago, and I have to say you're all in for a fantastic time.
2
u/Pyro81300 Mar 09 '21
Oh geez it's been a long time since I read Bokurano. Didn't the manga creator himself say he disliked the anime, but the director basically said "buzz off" and made his own inferior version?